Girl dies at Halloween party promoted on Snapchat. Indy police want to know who's behind it
Update: Indianapolis police on Nov. 4 announced five people were given citations pertaining to the party. The violations included permitting minors to loiter, allowing minors to violate curfew, no dance hall permit and keeping or frequenting a dive.
A Halloween party on the northeast side of Indianapolis that ended in deadly gunfire on the morning of Oct. 29 was promoted through the social media app Snapchat, according to investigators.
Kalin Washington, 16, was killed and nine other people, including five juveniles, were injured in the shooting at a business park in the 5100 block of East 65th Street.
Five individuals have received citations related to the event. Citations include allowing minors to violate curfew, no dance hall permit, permitting minors to loiter, and keeping or frequenting a dive, IMPD said on Saturday afternoon.
The gunfire occurred inside a hair salon as well as out in the parking lot, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Detectives w/@IMPDnews Nuisance task force and City Prosecutors civilly charged several promoters for their alleged role in allowing/promoting an unsanctioned event that led to several people injured and one dead.
Some of the violations have a max fine of $2500.00 each. https://t.co/xGUR3WMw1q— Kendale Adams (@IMPD_DCAdams) November 4, 2023
“These kinds of parties, these kinds of incidents occur and people need to be held accountable for it,” said IMPD Chief Randal Taylor. “Just like your police department is held accountable for its actions, people are going to have be held accountable for their actions.”
Previous coverage: Police: 1 dead, 9 injured following shooting at Indianapolis Halloween party
Police first arrived at the business park when they were tipped off about an underage party with drug use occurring there just after midnight on Sunday.
The business park typically has little to no activity in the evening hours, but more than 100 people were at the party and the police department’s nuisance abatement unit was called in, said IMPD Commander Matt Thomas.
When police arrived there was no sign of ongoing violence.
As officers waited across the street for additional resources, the gunfire began. Police drove across the street and were approached by distraught witnesses, some with gunshot injuries, Thomas said.
Several people were self-transported to a hospital with gunshot injuries, while others were treated at the scene and transported via ambulances. As officers cleared the building, they found several party attendees had barricaded themselves in different rooms once the gunfire began, Thomas said.
In the aftermath, law enforcement and crime lab personnel were still combing the scene by mid-day Sunday. More than a dozen evidence markers dotted the ground in a parking lot. Candy wrappers and a red-and-black mask laid on the asphalt and someone abandoned a pair of blue high heels in the doorway of a business at the scene.
The nuisance abatement unit is still investigating and possibly building cases against the person subleasing the building and the promoter of the party. Attendees used Cash App to pay for admission to the event ahead of time, Thomas said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting in the investigation and will be trying to identify the owners of six firearms located at the scene. Police believe there may have been multiple people who fired weapons, but no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting as of Monday afternoon.
With Halloween on Tuesday, police are encouraging parents to keep a close eye on their children.
"We cannot enforce our way out of this,” said IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams. “We need parents to step up to the plate. Grandparents, others that may be influencers in these children's lives to really make a difference.”
Similar parties at short-term rentals prompted Airbnb to start using artificial intelligence to identify, and block, booking requests they deem higher risk for massive parties, which can draw hundreds of people.
Back in April police Nuisance Abatement detectives asked the public for help spotting promoters advertising parties on social media.
“This isn’t a couple of high school kids who got together while mom and dad are out of town and raided the liquor cabinet,” said Capt. Chris Boomershine, of Commercial Crimes, this past spring. “This is basically an enterprise business.”
Among the injured Sunday were three 16-year-old males, two 17-year-old males, two 18-year-old females, a 21-year-old male and a 21-year-old female. All were listed in stable condition, according to police.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said Sunday on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was "frustrated and angry" after hearing news of the shooting.
"There are far too many guns in the hands of those who have no business having them, and shocking violence is too often the result," Hogsett wrote.
The head of the Fraternal Order of Police union, Rick Snyder, blamed the continued gun violence on "soft on crime" advocates and a "revolving door" judicial system. He promised the union will "diligently seek solutions from state leaders with a focus on 'criminal control' and 'judicial reform'," a statement sent Sunday reads.
Those with information about the shooting can contact investigators at 317-327-3475.
"If you are grown enough to go to a party at that time of night, you are grown enough to cooperate with the investigation,” Randal said while encouraging anyone with information on the shooting to contact police.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19. Sarah Nelson contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis shooting: Deadly party where 10 shot promoted on Snapchat
