One week, the 11 year old was playing basketball at the Y. The next, he was in a coffin
A grainy, five-second cellphone video shows 11-year-old Jordan Robertson handily dribbling the basketball. He jukes around a player, blocking a steal en route to the hoop.
Behind the cellphone is Robertson’s uncle, David Barnes, capturing the action from the sidelines at the YMCA court.
Jordan had grown a lot since the pair last saw each other, Barnes thought.
The Covid-19 pandemic and hundreds of miles kept the Nevada man from visiting his family in Indianapolis for four years. Now, his nephew was a preteen and entering the sixth grade.
The video was taken Aug. 14, shortly before Barnes returned to Las Vegas. Less than a week later, he found himself returning to the Circle City.
His nephew, the quick-moving basketball player, was dead.
Instead of relishing the time spent together days earlier, Barnes had the painful task of writing a eulogy. When he envisioned the speech, he hoped he could capture Robertson’s joyous spirit and talents, of which the 11-year-old had many. In addition to basketball, Robertson played football and soccer.
“Jordan was a great kid and had a beautiful smile and promoted joy,” Barnes said.
The Indianapolis boy died Aug. 20 after a gun was accidentally fired inside an East Market Street home. The shooting remains under investigation, Indianapolis police said, but detectives preliminarily believe Robertson unintentionally pulled the trigger on himself while inside his friend's home. Several people were inside the home when the shooting occurred, but details about how Robertson got the gun have not been released.
The unintended consequences of the rise in gun ownership
"I should not be here," Barnes said from the podium of his nephew's funeral. "As a matter of fact, we should not be here."
The final draft of his eulogy, the words that were supposed to encapsulate his nephew's short life, instead carried a poignant message about gun ownership and responsibility.
"A person living in that home chose not to secure their gun," Barnes said. "The consequence of that choice turned out to be my nephew laying in this casket, and the rest of us are here today, paying our respects."
Robertson’s death, tragically, is one of many cases of Indianapolis children dying or becoming injured from the accidental firing of a gun this year.
Both police and prosecutors have recorded a steep increase in these types of shootings. By July, one-quarter of non-fatal, unintentional shootings in Indianapolis involved juveniles.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said his office has seen a noticeable increase of these cases through the court system in the past year, having brought a handful of charges against parents who left their firearms unsecured, resulting in their children getting ahold of the weapon.
“These cases are 100% preventable. They should not happen,” Mears told IndyStar. He believes the proliferation of guns has contributed to the increase, explaining too many gun owners are not locking their weapons or securing them in a safe.
In April, 6-year-old boy Billy Mack II died after getting ahold of his mother's gun from her purse and shooting himself. Less than a month later, 5-year-old Hakiem Scott died in an accidental shooting. It's unknown if he shot himself or if his 2-year-old sibling pulled the trigger. In both cases, the parents are facing charges.
“These are tragedies on so many different levels,” Mears said. “Because not only has a young person lost their life and families are dealing with that grief, but then there’s also this looming issue of criminal liability for their conduct.”
Justice in Robertson's case
No charges or arrests have been made in Robertson’s shooting. The case had not been presented to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office in early September.
Beyond seeing someone held responsible for his nephew's death, Barnes hopes the tragedy can serve as a wake-up call to every gun owner.
“The Constitution gives us the right to bear arms. But it’s up to us as human beings to recognize (gun safety) and do what we need to do,” Barnes said. “Jordan loved sports, loved his brothers and sisters, loved his dad ... and unfortunately, that cut short.”
GoFundMe account: The verified fundraiser for Jordan Robertson's family
Where to get a gun lock
Indianapolis Public Library branches offer gun locks during regular hours.
Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Accidental shooting: Boy was playing hoops one week, dead the next
