Seven children ranging in age from 12 to 17 were wounded in a shooting late Saturday outside a downtown Indianapolis mall, according to authorities.
The youths were shot on the sidewalk outside the Circle Center Mall around 11:30 p.m., the Indianapolis Police Department said.
"It is extremely concerning to us that so many of our young people have been victims of gun violence this evening," Deputy Chief Tanya Terry said at a news conference held early Sunday. "Once again we have a situation in which young people are resolving conflict with firearms and it has to stop."
Police who responded to the scene found six of the gunshot victims. Emergency crews took them to the hospital. Five were in stable condition. One was in critical condition but their condition was later upgraded to stable.
The seventh victim went to the hospital on their own. They were also in stable condition.
Police say there has been an ongoing issue of kids leaving the mall in the evening and roaming the streets of the city, often getting into disagreements or fights.
Officials questioned why some of the children were out at the time.
"We would ask for our parents to get involved with what their kids are out doing, especially at these hours of the evening. This was 11:30 at night," Terry said. "If you don't know where your 12-year-old is I think that should be a priority for you."
Police say they believe there were multiple shooters involved. They didn't immediately identify any suspects.
They were looking Sunday for witnesses and security video to piece together what happened.
Officials say the roaming groups have been an ongoing problem for police patrolling the city.
"When there is a bold disrespect for law enforcement authority and the laws of our society, it's a problem that's bigger than the police," Terry said.
