EXCLUSIVE - 'She was my everything': Heartbroken mom pays tribute to pregnant daughter, 19, shot dead at Indianapolis home of her unborn baby's father along with four others
Kiara Hawkins, 19, was just days away from her due date when she and four other people were gunned down Sunday morning at a home in Indianapolis. She died at a hospital, along with her unborn baby boy
The mother of a pregnant woman who was killed along with her unborn baby when a teen gunman allegedly went on a shooting spree in his family's home has shared her heartbreak as she prepares to bury her daughter and grandson.
Kiara Hawkins, 19, was just days away from her due date when she and a family of four were gunned down Sunday morning on Adams Street in northeast Indianapolis.
Hawkins' mother, Rhonique Hawkins, set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral expenses, which featured a photo of the teen cradling her baby bump.
'She was my first. Everything she taught me made me the woman and mom I am today,' Rhonique told DailyMail.com on Tuesday. 'I love and miss her dearly.'
The other victims killed in the shooting were identified as mother Kezzie Childs, 42, father Raymond Childs Jr, 42, their 18-year-old son Elijah and 13-year-old daughter Rita.
A friend of the family told DailyMail.com that the father of Hawkins' baby lived at the house. The friend did not identify the father but said he was not the gunman.
A seventh victim, who was described as the 15-year-old son of Kezzie and Raymond but was not named, also suffered gunshot wounds. He was hospitalized in critical condition and is expected to survive.
It was that teen who had called 911 at around 4am Sunday after he was shot and fled down the street, according to a police report obtained by FOX59.
When he arrived at the hospital, the teen pointed officers toward his house and said: 'They killed my entire family.' He identified his older brother as the gunman, saying that he went opened fire after their father yelled at him for leaving the house without permission.
The older brother, 17, was arrested on Monday roughly 25 miles away in Plainfield, FOX59 reported. His name has not been released due to his age.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office has until Thursday to file charges against the suspect. He is expected to be charged for murder/intentional manslaughter with a handgun and attempted murder in adult court given the severity of the crimes.
Hawkins' mother, Rhonique Hawkins, set up a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral expenses, which featured the photo above of the teen cradling her baby bump
Elijah Childs, 18, and Raymond Childs, 42, were among the six victims shot dead at their Indianapolis home on Sunday. The 17-year-old suspect in the shooting is believed to be Raymond's son and Elijah's brother. A police report suggests the suspect launched his rampage after Raymond reprimanded him for leaving the house without permission
Kezzie Childs, 42, and her 13-year-old daughter Rita were also shot and killed, along with 19-year-old Kiara Hawkins and her unborn baby boy
The fatal shootings were discovered by IMPD officers responding to a 911 call made by another son of Raymond and Kezzie, who was shot and fled from the home. The son told investigators that his older brother, who has not been named, was the gunman
Describing the moments leading up to the shooting, the younger brother reportedly told detectives that his older sibling had been scolded by his father for leaving the house without permission.
Rhonique Hawkins, Kiara's mother, is pictured above
The father, Raymond, warned his older son that he would be punished later, the younger brother said, before chaos erupted.
The younger brother said he was downstairs with his parents when they heard gunfire upstairs. His sister shrieked: 'He shot them,' and more shots rang out.
He said his brother then 'came downstairs with a draco gun, a handgun that shoots rifle rounds, and started shooting', the police report states.
The younger brother ran out of the house as his sibling followed behind him and opened fire multiple times. It's believed those shots were the ones neighbors reported hearing.
Officers responding to the younger brother's 911 call arrived in the neighborhood and launched an investigation.
IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey said even after the teen told officers what happened, they weren't sure what they would discover at the house.
'Because we had found that young man who has suffered some significant gunshot wounds, and he pointed us in the direction of that Adams Street address, which we had no idea what we would find when we walked in the door there, when the officers walked in the door there,' Bailey told FOX59.
'I can't imagine the horrific nature of what they had to see yesterday.'
Raymond, Kezzie, Elijah and Rita were all pronounced dead at the scene. Hawkins was still alive when officers found her. She was transported to a hospital, where both she and her unborn son died despite life-saving measures, police said.
The older brother, who had left the scene by the time police arrived, was tracked down in Plainfield on Monday.
A neighbor told FOX59 that she had tipped officers off to where they could find him.
The IMPD has refused to say whether they found any evidence linking the suspect to the murders when they took him into custody. Media reports indicated that a gun was found in the house.
The department also would not confirm details about the younger brother's statement, or even confirm that it happened.
'Our detectives and our violent crime unit follow the leads. They follow information that they gather as part of their investigation through a whole host of investigative techniques and methods,' Bailey said.
'We did receive information from the community, from neighbors, from people that were concerned about what happened.'
The younger brother who survived the shooting, who has not been named, reportedly told investigators that his older brother got angry when their father Raymond warned him that he would be punished for leaving the house without permission
Mother Kezzie Childs was downstairs in the home when the gunfire rang out
Elijah Childs, 18, was killed in the shooting allegedly perpetrated by his brother
The suspect is currently being held at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center. He is expected to be charged in adult court later this week because juvenile courts do not have jurisdiction in murder cases involving defendants between 16 and 18 under Indiana state law, according to attorney Ralph Staples.
'The adult court has jurisdiction, so they will charge him directly there,' Staples, who is not affiliated with this case, told FOX59. 'Of course when you're 18 you're an adult, but that 16 to 18 range gives the prosecutor some latitude in terms of punishment, but not in terms of charging.'
Staples said the suspect's age means he will not face the death penalty, but he could get life without parole.
Announcing the arrest on Monday, IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said: 'Yesterday, we promised swift justice for this heinous act. Today, we delivered on that promised.
'While removing the alleged perpetrator of yesterday's mass murder from our neighborhoods does not bring back the lives senselessly lost, hopefully, it will bring us one step closer to healing as a community.
'I am grateful to all of the IMPD officers and criminal justice partners who have worked tirelessly for the last 30 plus hours to bring justice for these victims, their friends and families, and our entire community.'
Loved ones are seen consoling each other outside the Childs family home on Sunday
The family were found shot dead in their home in the 3500 block of Adam Street, Indianapolis
The Childs' home on Adams Street is shown above in an undated Google street view image
Loved ones and neighbors gathered on the street on Sunday to console each other and share their shock at what had unfolded in the quiet community.
'To take a whole family out like that…I just don't understand,' Vicki Pinkston, who lives across the street from the Childs' home, told WTHR.
'When I saw them take all the people out of there, I could not believe it. I just hope that they find who did this.'
Another neighbor, Rivon Allen-Bailey, said he heard four gunshots ring out early Sunday morning and ran to his window but didn't see anything.
Pinkston said she learned about the shooting when police knocked on her door at about 5am and asked if she heard anything, which she hadn't.
She broke down in tears when she was informed that five people and an unborn child had been killed just a few yards away.
'To take a whole family out like that…I just don't understand,' Vicki Pinkston, who lives across the street from the Childs' home, told WTHR
Pinkston said she'd recently stopped by the home where the killings took place to drop off some baby items for Hawkins, whom she said was due next month.
'I had just given them some stuff from my great-grandson when he was born, but he is bigger now,' she said.
Pinkston described the family as 'so sweet' and recalled their cheery greetings.
'Oh lord, they say: "Hi, Miss, Vicki" all the time...' she told FOX59.
'Now I gotta look over there and not hear they say: "Hi Miss Vicki, how's your day going?"'
As she questioned how anyone would commit such an atrocity to such a kind family, Pinkston pointed her outrage at the person responsible.
'How you feel? How you feeling? How are you feeling about this?' she asked. 'It could've been yours; it could've been somebody in your family.'
Among those gathered at the scene on Sunday was District 9 City Councilman William Oliver, who lives about two minutes away from the 'act of mass murder'.
'The shame they brought to the household, to our community is an ultimate disgrace,' Oliver said of the perpetrator.
'If it was one person or five, I'm totally angry, hurt, and embarrassed.'
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to raise money for a memorial for the Childs family. It does not name Hawkins but identifies her baby as a 'grandson' of Kezzie and Raymond.
more videos
Boris Johnson reveals 'grim statistic' of 100,000 covid deaths
Katie Price: 'I wanted to show trolls how vulnerable Harvey is'
Terrifying moment a bear chases a skier across a slope
Maskless covid denier removed from hospital ward by security
Multiple car crashes occur on snowy Uxbridge junction
Von der Leyen: 'Europe determined to contribute to global common good'
Incredible moment carpet python effortlessly climbs up a tree
Boris Johnson expects EU 'to honour all contracts' for Covid vaccines
Girl fatally stabbed during fight with another teen in Walmart
Hero dog wearing a life jacket rescues boy from drowning in SA
Shadow Health Secretary: 'We didn't have to be in this situation'
Fishing group have incredible close encounter with great white shark
Neighbors and loved ones gathered at the scene to console each other on Sunday
In his first press conference on Sunday, Chief Taylor initially said police believed the shooting was a targeted attack carried out by an assailant or assailants. After the arrest he confirmed that the shooter acted alone.
'What we saw this morning was a different kind of evil,' Taylor said. 'What happened this morning, based on the evidence that's been gathered so far, was mass murder.'
Taylor said it was largest mass casualty shooting in the city in more than a decade, and urged the public to contact police and pass along any information they might have on the killings.
'What we saw this morning was a different kind of evil,' IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said at a news conference Sunday
Mayor Joe Hogsett spoke alongside Taylor at Sunday's news conference, saying the person responsible had brought 'terror to our community.'
He said he had contacted officials with the FBI's Indianapolis field office, the local US Attorneys office and other law enforcement agencies for assistance in the shooting investigation.
'I want those responsible to know that the full might of local, state and federal law enforcement are coming for them as I speak,' Hogsett said.
After the suspect was arrested on Monday, Hogsett issued another statement thanking law enforcement for their efforts.
'Today's announcement is the first step toward justice for the senseless acts that cut short the lives of six of our neighbors in the early hours of Sunday morning,' the mayor said.
'While nothing can bring back the Childs family, I hope that the swift action of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department offers some comfort to all of those who have been left to grapple with this tragic loss.
'My thanks go to the men and women of IMPD whose thoughtful investigative work led to the arrest of the suspect, and my prayers are with the family, friends, and community impacted by this devastating act of violence.'
The shooting came weeks after Indianapolis recorded its most violent year on record, with 244 homicides.
City officials have attributed the violence in part to poverty which was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
more videos
Boris Johnson reveals 'grim statistic' of 100,000 covid deaths
Katie Price: 'I wanted to show trolls how vulnerable Harvey is'
Terrifying moment a bear chases a skier across a slope
Maskless covid denier removed from hospital ward by security
Multiple car crashes occur on snowy Uxbridge junction
Von der Leyen: 'Europe determined to contribute to global common good'
Incredible moment carpet python effortlessly climbs up a tree
Boris Johnson expects EU 'to honour all contracts' for Covid vaccines
Girl fatally stabbed during fight with another teen in Walmart
Hero dog wearing a life jacket rescues boy from drowning in SA
Shadow Health Secretary: 'We didn't have to be in this situation'
Fishing group have incredible close encounter with great white shark