GARY, Ind. (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A person shot to death Thursday in northwest Indiana has been identified as a 14-year-old boy.
The boy was found with a gunshot wound about 4 p.m. in the 2500 block of West 11th Avenue in Gary, the Lake County coroner said in a statement. The 14-year-old, who police initially believed to be a man in his 20s, was pronounced dead on the scene, the coroner said.
Gary police said they responded to an unresponsive male about that time at 1100 Rutledge Street. An off-duty officer found the boy on the ground near a vacant lot, Gary Police Commander Jack Hamady said.
Witnesses told investigators that one vehicle was chasing another vehicle and firing shots at it, Hamady said. After viewing surveillance video, police believe the boy was walking down the street and hit by a stray bullet.
The boy's mother told police she last saw her son Thursday and was going to report him missing Saturday, Hamady said.
Police are looking for a red 4-door vehicle with tinted windows, a spoiler on the rear and a dent on the rear passenger side of the vehicle, Hamady said. Gary police did not disclose the boy's name.
"We are asking the public to please take a look at the picture and help identify the owner/driver of this vehicle," Hamady said. "An innocent 14-year-old boy has lost his life over a senseless shooting."
Anyone with tips is asked to call Gary detectives at 219-755-3852.