Jeremiah Williams

Jeremiah Williams

Child Shot at East Side Apartment Dies

July 24, 2009

Indianapolis - City leaders are expressing shock and outrage over the shooting death of an eight-year-old boy. A teenager was also wounded in the shooting incident at the Hearts Landing Apartments Wednesday night, and an Indianapolis man is facing charges.

Metro homicide detectives believe the suspect came to a home in the 4300 block of Wittfield to settle differences with the teenager that was shot, but ended up fatally hitting the eight-year-old.

Deputy Chief Bill Benjamin immediately organized officers from the violent crimes unit to find the shooter. After a brief search, they arrested 27-year-old Joshua Germany. The arrest took place in the 10700 block of East 42nd Street around 11:00 pm, a few hours after the shootings and about a mile and a half away from the crime scene.

Police say Germany fired shots into a home on Wittfield Street. Bullets struck both Namar Taylor, 18, and Jeremiah Williams, 8, in the head. Taylor is in stable condition, but Jeremiah died from his injuries early Thursday morning. Several other children were also in the home at the time of the shooting, along with the boy's mother, but no one else was injured.

The shooting outraged community leaders, who were relieved police were able to track down Joshua Germany but vowed to stop the violence.

"We are livid. We are outraged. When you beat up and shoot at our babies and deal with our seniors we are going to do something about it. We are upset to the tenth degree. We will do something about it. Write it down. We will do something about this," said Lionel Rush, community leader.

Jeremiah Williams' front porch is full of teddy bears, flowers and prayers. Young Men Incorporated summer camp boys are among those who left flowers.

"There is no reason that a kid should lose his life about somebody making bad choices," said Byron Alston, community leader.

Metro police arrested Joshua Germany on preliminary charges of murder and attempted murder. Officers took him to Wishard Hospital Wednesday night to be treated for bites from a police K-9.

Police say Germany was wanted on a domestic violence warrant issued earlier in the day involving the 8-year-old's mother. According to police, Germany is believed to have a child with the mother, but the child is not the shooting victim.

On top of the arrest of the man who police believe responsible for this shooting, even officers say it will take more than arrests to stop the violence.

"We make arrests all day long but that is not the only answer. We need more than that," said Commander Becky Lake, IMPD.

"This is about your life. This is life and death for you and your children and if you can, make that call to get out," said Julie Marsh, Domestic Violence Network.

During Eyewitness News' investigation into the suspect Joshua Germany, we learned this is not the first he's been in trouble for shooting a gun at this address. Police believe in 2007 he fired several shots into the air. No one got hurt then, but this time the gunfire claimed the life of a young child.