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Mother pleads for information as son recovers from shooting

A 13-year-old boy who survived getting shot in the head at a party last month is home recovering.
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A 13-year-old boy who survived getting shot in the head at a party is home recovering.

Someone opened fire outside a house party crowded with teenagers. DeAndre Yates' mother says she got a bleak outlook from doctors, but against the odds, her son has rallied back to health.

"I have to give him his medicines all weekend long and after 6 p.m. when the nurse leaves," said DeAndrea Yates.

On February 2, DeAndre attended a birthday house party in northwest Indianapolis, but the crowd grew far beyond capacity. After party organizers asked uninvited guests to leave, someone started shooting into the house.

"Why would you just randomly shoot at a party that was intended for kids?" DeAndrea Yates asked. "When I see my son in the condition that he his in, it hurts."

DeAndre's classmates have helped with that hurt by crowding his room with countless get well cards, photographs of the 13-year-old and his favorite - chocolate.

"He would tell them, 'When life gives you chocolate, make Hershey's.' He loves Hershey bars. Milk chocolate, no almonds," Yates said.

Even DeAndre's teachers are reaching out to support him.

"His school has been awesome. Imagine West, they have done above and beyond," Yates said.

She hopes parents of other children who witnessed the shooting will convince them to come forward, even if it means remaining anonymous.

"If a mother or father knows that their child was there, I wish that they would speak, for the simple fact that it could be them sitting here and not me," Yates said.

Over the next couple months, DeAndre will have close to a dozen doctor appointments as part of his recovery.

Detectives believe as many as 30 teenagers may have seen who was shooting that night, so they are keeping their fingers crossed for clues. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 262-TIPS and be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

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