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Last updated on Thursday, November 1, 2012
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Two teens were arrested Wednesday in connection with the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy in Franklin Township.
Jack Rinehart, of RTV6 reports, police were dispatched Tuesday to a home in the 5800 block of La Fleur Court, near the intersection of Arlington Avenue and Thompson Road, just after 8 p.m. on reports of a shooting.
When officers arrived, they found that Nicholas King, 14, had been shot in the neck with an assault rifle.
Medical crews tried to revive King, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"During the course of the investigation ... detectives learned that 18-year-old Kevin Edwards had brought a rifle into the residence and was allowing his 15-year-old stepbrother (to) handle it," said Indianapolis police Sgt. Linda Jackson.
Police said King knocked on the front door about 8 p.m.
"The victim came to the door and they thought it would be fun to scare him," Jackson said. "When they opened the door, the 15-year-old brother had the weapon in his hands and pointed it at the victim and pulled the trigger and shot him."
Edwards was arrested on a felony charge of criminal recklessness. Edwards' 15-year-old step-brother faces a felony juvenile reckless homicide charge. The gun belonged to Edwards, investigators said.
Edwards told police that he had obtained the Romarm 7.62 assault-style rifle on Craig's List, even though the site has a policy that prohibits the sale of firearms.
The teens told police they didn't know the gun was loaded, police said. Investigators are trying to determine where the boys' parents were at the time of the shooting.
"It's painfully apparent in this case that nobody knew anything about this weapon and how to make it safe," Jackson said. "And now that we have a dead 14-year-old, a lot of people are going to be filled with regret for the rest of their lives over this, and it all could have been avoided."
Edwards was taken into custody at the Marion County Arrestee Processing Center, and the 15-year-old boy was taken into custody at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center.
King was a freshman at Franklin Central High School. The school system released a statement encouraging parents to talk to their children and reach out to counselors.
Early Wednesday morning, Franklin Central High School assembled their crisis team made up of clergy members and school counselors to ensure that students and faculty would not grieve alone.
"We had one counselor in particular who had been dedicated today to follow this young man's schedule to make sure that she is working with the teachers, working with the students to make sure they're supporting and providing that extra support, especially now that they've learned they lost a student," said Franklin Township Schools Superintendent Flora Reichandter.
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