A Noblesville Police Department spokesman says, "In fact, his name was not even in our system prior to prior to his involvement with the shooting incident at Noblesville West on May 25th."
Neighbors who live near the suspect's home told Eyewitness News they had spoken to police on several occasions about a boy walking through the neighborhood with some type of gun.
City records show only one reported case like that near the defendant's home. Police responded to that report back in February, but officers were not able to locate a suspect.
We wanted to take a moment to share with you that this story has been a big topic of discussion and debate in our newsroom, about whether to name the 13-year-old suspect in our coverage. It is our station policy to not name minors who are involved in crimes, unless they are charged as an adult. In this instance, however, it was a very public shooting, in a very public place, with a lot of public discussion. Admittedly, it’s a tough call. We sought out guidance from legal experts, journalism ethicists and crime victims to help us in our decision-making. As a result, we came away with the stance to remain in line with our policy to not name him, and let the legal proceedings play out. Our mission is to maintain high, ethical standards - and to affirm with you that we are taking great care in reporting this story.