Girlfriend of boy, 17, who 'shot dead four family members and a pregnant woman' tells cops he 'acted like a clown' and began crying when they visited the crime scene
Raymond Childs III, 17, was charged with murder on Thursday morning, according to court records. He is accused of shooting dead six people at his family's home in Indianapolis on Sunday morning
The girlfriend of an Indiana teen accused of killing five people, including four family members, and an unborn baby has revealed that he seemed nervous and broke down in tears in front of her as they visited the crime scene before his arrest.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office filed charges against Raymond Childs III, 17, on Thursday morning. He is facing six counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of carrying a handgun without a license.
Childs III allegedly went on a shooting spree early Sunday morning - killing his mother Kezzie Childs, 42, father Raymond Childs Jr, 42, 18-year-old brother Elijah and 13-year-old sister Rita. Elijah's girlfriend Kiara Hawkins, 19, was also killed, along with her unborn baby boy.
Recounting the hours before the shooting, Childs III's girlfriend, identified in a probable cause affidavit only as J.D. said the 17-year-old was planning to spend the night at her house on Saturday when his father called and told him to come home.
J.D. said Childs III left in an Uber and then came back to her house sometime before 3am on Sunday morning in a white Chrysler that she said she had never seen him driving before.
Childs III told J.D. that his father had kicked him out of the house, she said, noting that he brought two bags of clothes and some shoes with him.
About 30 minutes after Childs III came back to her house, J.D. said she got an alert on her phone about a shooting on Adams Street. She asked him if he knew anything about it and he said no.
Later in the morning J.D. said she convinced Childs III to go to the crime scene, saying he seemed 'nervous'. When they got there, he began crying and 'acted a clown', she said.
They then went back to her home, where he grabbed some of his clothes and asked her to drive him to another house. After she dropped him off, J.D. said she saw a magazine fly out of the pile of clothes Childs III had left on the floor
Childs III (pictured above in a Facebook photo) is charged with six counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of carrying a handgun without a license. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted
Childs III was identified as the gunman by his younger brother Xavier Childs, who suffered gunshot wounds as he fled from the home, police said. Xavier, 15, remains hospitalized but is expected to recover.
Police previously withheld the suspect's name due to his age. It was released after the charges were filed in adult court due to the severity of the alleged crimes.
Childs III faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted. Prosecutors cannot seek the death penalty due to his age.
He appeared in court for a virtual hearing on Thursday afternoon, where a judge ordered he be held without bond.
The affidavit details how Childs III allegedly chased his fleeing brother Xavier down and shot him twice as he begged for his life - narrowly missing his skull.
The affidavit also states that Childs III shot his parents in their bed, as his father pleaded: 'I'm sorry Raymond, I love you.'
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears told a news conference that Childs III carried out the shooting with two different firearms - first using a 9MM handgun and then switching to a 'draco gun' after the handgun ran out of bullets. Those guns were believed to have been owned by his father. It's unclear if they were licensed.
The probable cause affidavit for Childs III's arrest featured four photos of the draco gun allegedly used in the shooting
Another photo showed an AK-style magazine that was found wrapped in clothes in a car belonging to Childs III's girlfriend, identified only as 'J.D.'
Raymond Childs Jr, 42 and Elijah Childs, 18, were among the six victims shot dead at their Indianapolis home on Sunday. The alleged gunman, Childs III, was Raymond's son and Elijah's brother
Kezzie Childs, 42, and her 13-year-old daughter Rita were also shot and killed
Kiara Hawkins, 19, was also killed, along with her unborn baby. Her due date was just days away
The gunman was identified by his younger brother Xavier Childs, who suffered gunshot wounds as he fled from the home, according to relatives and a police report. Xavier, 15, remains hospitalized but is expected to recover
The shooting unfolded at around 4am Sunday at the Childs' home on Adams Street. Police are pictured at the scene hours later
Childs III fled from the home after the killings and was arrested on Monday at a relative's home.
He was being held at Marion County Juvenile Detention Center prior to charges being filed. It's unclear whether he's been transferred to an adult jail.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced the charges at a press conference on Thursday morning
The handgun was recovered from the home and the draco gun was found after Childs III was arrested, Mears said.
He said both guns appeared to have been owned by the family, but did not say whether they were legally obtained.
The probable cause affidavit for Childs III's arrest featured four photos of the draco gun allegedly used in the shooting.
Another photo showed an AK-style magazine that was found wrapped in clothes in a car belonging to Childs III's girlfriend, identified only as 'J.D.'
'Our community has suffered another trauma with the tragic loss of this family. Gun violence continues to take and damage too many lives,' Mears said.
'Our task now is to bring these allegations before the Court. We intend to seek justice for the victims, and to do so in a way that respects the process and all of the circumstances present in this case.'
Neighbors had called 911 to report the shooting at about 4am Sunday after Xavier fled from the house on Adams Street and collapsed on their porch, according to the probable cause affidavit.
When he got to the hospital, Xavier told officers that his 17-year-old brother was the gunman, saying: 'They killed my entire family.'
Describing the moments leading up to the shooting, Xavier reportedly told detectives that his older sibling had been scolded by his father for leaving the house without permission.
The father, Raymond Jr, warned his older son that he would be punished later, Xavier said, before chaos erupted.
The younger brother said he was downstairs with his parents when they heard gunfire upstairs. His sister shrieked: 'He shot Elijah,' and more shots rang out.
He said his brother then 'came downstairs with a draco gun, a handgun that shoots rifle rounds, and started shooting', the police report states.
Xavier ran out of the house as his sibling allegedly followed behind him and opened fire multiple times.
When Childs III caught up to him, Xavier said he told him: 'I can give you forty dollars, please don't kill me.'
'He just looked at me and then he shot me on the leg. I fell. He shot me in my arm. And then he tried to shoot me in my head but missed, I guess,' Xavier told detectives.
The family were found shot dead in their home in the 3500 block of Adam Street, Indianapolis
The Childs' home on Adams Street is shown above
Loved ones are seen consoling each other outside the Childs family home on Sunday
Kezzie, Raymond Jr, Elijah and Rita were all declared dead at the scene. The parents were killed as they laid in their bed in the basement. Xavier said his father's last words were: 'I'm sorry Raymond, I love you.'
Hawkins, who had been in bed with Elijah, was transported to a local hospital, where she died along with her unborn baby despite life-saving measures, police said.
Autopsies confirmed that Raymond Jr and Kezzie both died of multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. Elijah and Kiara each died of a single gunshot to the head, and Rita died of a single gunshot to the chest.
Police tracked Childs III down through his girlfriend, J.D., according to the affidavit. Detectives had gone to the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant where Childs III and J.D. worked, and the manager told them that both employees called out sick that morning.
Detectives went to J.D.'s home and found a white Chrysler registered to Raymond Jr parked outside. They then brought J.D. in for questioning following a traffic stop.
J.D. directed investigators toward a home on Burkhart South Drive where she said Childs III was staying. .
Police tracked Childs III (left and right in Facebook photos) down through his girlfriend, J.D., according to the affidavit
Loved ones set up two GoFundMe campaigns - one for the Childs family and one for Hawkins - which together have raised more than $23,000 for funeral costs.
Hawkins' mother, Rhonique Hawkins, shared her heartbreak with DailyMail.com on Tuesday, revealing that the teen was just days away from her due date when she was killed.
'She was my first. Everything she taught me made me the woman and mom I am today,' Rhonique said. 'I love and miss her dearly.'
A local pastor reacted to the tragedy on Tuesday, revealing his fears that violent lyrics in the suspect's music may have inspired the killing spree.
Videos posted on YouTube show the suspect, who used the name 'Lil Raymond' rapping about guns and shooting people, Pastor Kenneth Sullivan Jr told WTHR.
'It's really gut-wrenching, it really hurts,' said Sullivan, whose relationship to the Childs family is unclear.
He said its possible that the 'aspiring artist' was 'acting out' things that he rapped about when he carried out the shooting.
'If you're constantly feeding your mind negative things and destructive things, it won't be long before act upon those things,' Sullivan said.
WTHR reported that investigators are working to determine whether the guns seen in the music video matched the one used in Sunday's shooting.
The music video above shows a teen identified as the shooting suspect rapping about guns and killing people
WTHR reported that investigators are working to determine whether the guns seen in the music video matched the one used in Sunday's shooting
Announcing the suspect's arrest on Monday, IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said: 'Yesterday, we promised swift justice for this heinous act. Today, we delivered on that promised.
'While removing the alleged perpetrator of yesterday's mass murder from our neighborhoods does not bring back the lives senselessly lost, hopefully, it will bring us one step closer to healing as a community.
'I am grateful to all of the IMPD officers and criminal justice partners who have worked tirelessly for the last 30 plus hours to bring justice for these victims, their friends and families, and our entire community.'
Mayor Joe Hogsett also issued a statement thanking law enforcement for their efforts.
'Today's announcement is the first step toward justice for the senseless acts that cut short the lives of six of our neighbors in the early hours of Sunday morning,' the mayor said.
'While nothing can bring back the Childs family, I hope that the swift action of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department offers some comfort to all of those who have been left to grapple with this tragic loss.
'My thanks go to the men and women of IMPD whose thoughtful investigative work led to the arrest of the suspect, and my prayers are with the family, friends, and community impacted by this devastating act of violence.'
The shooting came weeks after Indianapolis recorded its most violent year on record, with 244 homicides.
City officials have attributed the violence in part to poverty which was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Loved ones and neighbors gathered on the street on Sunday to console each other and share their shock at what had unfolded in the quiet community.
'To take a whole family out like that…I just don't understand,' Vicki Pinkston, who lives across the street from the Childs' home, told WTHR.
'To take a whole family out like that…I just don't understand,' Vicki Pinkston, who lives across the street from the Childs' home, told WTHR
Pinkston said she learned about the shooting when police knocked on her door at about 5am and asked if she heard anything, which she hadn't.
She broke down in tears when she was informed that five people and an unborn child had been killed just a few yards away.
Pinkston said she'd recently stopped by the home where the killings took place to drop off some baby items for Hawkins, whom she said was due next month.
'I had just given them some stuff from my great-grandson when he was born, but he is bigger now,' she said.
Pinkston described the family as 'so sweet' and recalled their cheery greetings.
'Oh lord, they say: "Hi, Miss, Vicki" all the time...' she told FOX59.
'Now I gotta look over there and not hear they say: "Hi Miss Vicki, how's your day going?"'
Another neighbor, Rivon Allen-Bailey, said he heard four gunshots ring out early Sunday morning and ran to his window but didn't see anything.
Neighbors and loved ones gathered at the scene to console each other on Sunday