Indianapolis, IN

Man found guilty of Indy mass shooting that left six of his family members dead in 2021

Published

1 year ago

October 25, 2024

Man found guilty of Indy mass shooting that left six of his family members dead in 2021

After a week-long jury trial, Raymond Ronald Lee Childs III was found guilty of a mass shooting that left six of his family members dead in January 2021.

Kezzie Childs, 42, Raymond Childs, 42, Elijah Childs, 18, Rita Childs, 13, Kiara Hawkins, 19, and Hawkins’ unborn child were all killed in that attack.

The jury convicted Childs of six counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of carrying a handgun without a license after deliberating the case for about three hours.

Childs is expected to have his sentencing hearing in January 2025.

More: A teen slaughtered his family, police say. The father’s last words were ‘I love you.’

Childs’ conviction comes several months after the first hearing of his case was ruled a mistrial on July 23, 2024.

A key witness for the prosecution team verbally confronted Childs in front of the jury, which led to Marion Superior Judge Chris Miller acknowledging the courtroom violation and ultimately declaring the case a mistrial after talking to individual jurors, Fox59 reported at the time.

Before the shooting at the FedEx Ground facility in April 2021, the mass shooting carried out by Childs was considered one of the worst the city had seen in a decade, according to local officials and law enforcement at the time.

“What occurred inside that home is as unfathomable today as it was in 2021,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a press release about Childs’ conviction.

“It has been an incredibly difficult journey for the family and friends of the six people that we tragically lost. I am proud of our trial team, law enforcement, and witnesses, whose dedication to our victims didn’t waiver when faced with adversity. Their commitment ultimately led to today’s verdict and justice for the victims of this horrific crime.”

What happened?

On Jan. 24, 2021, Childs got into an argument with his father after Childs had returned home after leaving without permission, according to court documents. Childs was 17 years old at the time of the shooting.

The argument soon escalated, which led to Childs shooting his parents and the other members of his family with a Draco 7.62. The shooting left his mom, dad, two siblings, a pregnant teen and her unborn child dead.

One of the few people who survived the shooting was Childs’ 15-year-old brother, who officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the front porch of the family’s house in the 3500 block of Adams Street.

The teen was immediately taken to the hospital in critical condition.

After surviving his surgery, the teen told police of the events that led up to the shooting and he heard their father say, “I’m sorry Raymond; I love you,” before being shot by Childs, according to court documents.

Before Childs shot his brother, the teen explained that he pleaded with his big brother to not shoot him, “I can give you 40 dollars. I won’t say nothing. Please don’t kill me,” according to court documents.

Police arrested Childs at the home of a relative the following day.

Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com or follow him on X @1NoePadilla.

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Indianapolis, IN

FBI arrests suspect at Indianapolis International Airport

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

FBI arrests suspect at Indianapolis International Airport

INDIANAPOLIS — A suspect was placed under arrest by the FBI at the Indianapolis International Airport on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the FBI Indianapolis said.

The official told WRTV the man was a suspect in a non-fatal shooting in Indianapolis that happened in the early hours of March 6, 2026.

The man, who the FBI says is a convicted felon, was first located in El Paso, Texas. He later flew to Denver, Colorado, where he boarded a plane to Indianapolis.

The FBI Indianapolis’ Violent Crimes Task Force took him into custody without incident as he deplaned in Indianapolis.

The FBI Indianapolis official added that the suspect was on federal supervised release for a previous drug trafficking case.

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Indianapolis, IN

ALERT DAY: Tornado threat north this evening; severe threat sinks south overnight

Published

14 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

ALERT DAY: Tornado threat north this evening; severe threat sinks south overnight

Headlines

TORNADO & HAIL THREAT NORTH THIS EVENING
STORMS SINK SOUTH OVERNIGHT
STORMY FOR THE WEDNESDAY MORNING COMMUTE

Severe weather will be possible for some this evening in northern locations. Most of central Indiana will remain storm-free until after midnight. The rare (for Indiana) Moderate Risk has been issued for far northwestern parts of the state this evening. Super-cell storms are expected to develop and move northeast along a cold front. Strong tornadoes will be possible, as well as very large hail, up to baseball size, in the most intense storms. The Moderate Risk is a threat level 4 out of 5.

WRTV

The best chance for the most severe storms this evening will be north of a line from Lafayette to Hartford City. If you live in this area, be very weather aware this evening and have a plan in place with your family. South of that line, we likely won’t see much storm activity until after midnight. This is when the line will start to sink south. It will weaken as it does so, but severe weather will still be possible, as well as flooding from very heavy rain.

Plan ahead for your Wednesday morning commute. Whether or not the storms are still severe, heavy rain is expected, and localized flooding will also be possible. The ground is very saturated from all the recent rain. Strong wind, hail, and even an isolated tornado will still be possible. The severe threat is just lower given the timing and how this will unfold in the weather setup.

Once the rain ends and we start to clear out, temperatures will tumble.

Indianapolis Weather Forecast:
This Evening: Severe storms north. Mostly cloudy elsewhere.
Overnight: Storms sink south. Low: 64°
Tomorrow: Stormy morning. Then drying out. Temps fall. High: 69°
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High: 49°

Indianapolis 7-Day Weather Forecast

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis isn’t known for skyscrapers, but these are the 10 tallest buildings

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis isn’t known for skyscrapers, but these are the 10 tallest buildings

Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in Indianapolis, standing at 701 feet with 49 floors.
The top three tallest buildings were all completed between 1969 and 1990.
One of the top ten, the Signia by Hilton, is currently under construction and expected to be finished in 2026.
Many of the city’s tallest buildings have been known by several different names over the years.

While Indianapolis isn’t exactly known for it’s tall buildings, we do have quite a few that tower above the city. The tallest, is visible nearly 10.5 miles outside the city.

These are the 10 tallest buildings in Indianapolis, according to Skyscraper Center.

1. Salesforce Tower

Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in Indianapolis. It’s located at 111 Monument Circle.

Construction on this building was completed in 1990. The office building boasts 49 floors and towers over the city at 701 feet tall.

It has also been known as the Chase Tower, the Bank One Tower and the American Fletcher Bank Tower.

2. One America Tower

The second tallest building in Indianapolis is the One America Tower. It is located at 200 N Illinois St., has 38 floors and is 533 feet tall.

The building was completed in 1982 and was previously known as the American United Life Insurance Tower.

3. One Indiana Square

The One Indiana Square building is the third tallest building in Indianapolis at 504 feet tall.

The building was completed in 1969 and has 37 floors. It has also been previously known as Union Planters Bank, Indiana National Bank Tower, INB Tower and NBD Bank Tower.

4. Signia by Hilton Indianapolis

Signia by Hilton, previously known as the Indianapolis Convention Center Hotel, is currently under construction, but is the fourth largest building in Indy.

The building is set to have 37 floors and be 441 feet tall once construction is complete, which is expected to happen in 2026.

5. Market Tower

Market Tower, located at 10 West Market Street, is the fifth tallest building in Indianapolis at 421 feet.

The building was completed in 1988 and has 32 floors. It has also been known as the Mansur Center.

6. 300 North Meridian

300 North Meridian, which shares a name with its address, is 408 feet tall and has 28 floors.

The building was completed in 1989 and is the sixth tallest building in Indianapolis.

7. BMO Plaza

BMO Plaza, located at 135 North Pennsylvania St. is 401 feet tall.

The building has 31 floors and was completed in 1988. It has also been known as M&I Plaza, First Indiana Plaza and Marshall & Isley Plaza.

8. JW Marriott Indianapolis Downtown

Perhaps one of the most visually recognizable on this list, the JW Mariott Indianapolis, located at 10 South West St. is the eighth tallest building in Indy.

The large blue hotel was completed in 2011, stands at 376 feet and has 34 floors. Over the years, the hotel has put giant images on the side of the building to celebrate current events in both sports and pop culture.

9. City-County Building

The City-County Building, located at 200 East Washington St. is the the ninth tallest building in Indianapolis.

The building was completed in 1962 and is 372 feet tall with 28 floors.

10. 101 West Ohio

The tenth and final building on this list is 101 West Ohio. The building, which shares a name with its address, is 360 feet tall and has 22 floors.

The office building was completed in 1987 and was previously known as Old National Financial Center.

Katie Wiseman is a trending news reporter for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman and X, formerly Twitter, at @itskatiewiseman.

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