HAMMOND, Ind. — A man was charged with murder Wednesday in the death of a 13-year-old boy who was killed when shots were fired at a group of trick-or-treaters on Halloween in northwestern Indiana.
Desmond Crews, 23, of Gary, is also charged with attempted murder in the shooting Sunday in Hammond that killed Thomas DeLaCruz Jr., of East Chicago, and wounded another 13-year-old, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported. It wasn’t immediately known Wednesday if Crews has an attorney.
“He was being a kid out with his aunt trick-or-treating, walking with a group of kids,” DeLaCruz’ mother, Jasmine Anderson, told the newspaper. “And some ignorant, sick person decided to shoot at kids.”
One of the trick-or-treaters told police that he exchanged words with a man about 30 to 45 minutes before the shooting, which happened around 7:30 p.m. The man threatened to get a gun and shoot them, according to court documents.
The group later saw a car with five or six people inside who appeared to be staring at them. The man who had exchanged words with one of the youths got out of the car with some of the other occupants. Another man took a “shooting stance” and shots were fired at the trick-or-treaters, court records said.
A police officer captured Crews after the father of one of the youths chased him in the neighborhood, according to court records.
A gun and ammunition were found later in a storage barrel.
Other possible suspects were being investigated, police said.
