Whiteland student fatally shot at bus stop

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Staff Reports
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A shooting was reported near the intersection of Providence Drive and Winterwood Drive, in the Summerfield neighborhood in Greenwood.

UPDATE 12:30 p.m.

As the crime scene cleared and police removed the yellow caution tape from the neighborhood, people remained at the scene. One of those people was Tasha Pittman, grandmother of Temario Stokes, 16 of Greenwood. Family members have identified Stokes as the shooting victim. He was a sophomore at Whiteland Community High School who recently transferred there.
The shooting came as a complete surprise, said Pittman, who described Stokes as playful and like a son to her.
“I love my grandson, he’s an excellent kid. He’s like one of my kids,” Stokes said. “He didn’t deserve to get gunned down, not at all. In my world, he was perfect to me. I had a lot of love for him and he had a lot of love for the family. This is not acceptable.”

People are reporting on social media that a person is in custody related to the shooting, however, Greenwood police say they have no information about a suspect being in custody.

UPDATE 9:33 A.M. 

Clark-Pleasant Superintendent Patrick Spray issued this statement:

“It is a sad day for The Clark-Pleasant school community. It is with a heavy heart that we report that one of our high school students has died after being shot near his bus stop earlier this morning, near U.S. 31 and Worthsville Road. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends and also to his classmates and teachers at Whiteland Community High School.

Greenwood Police are handling the investigation, interviewing witnesses and searching for the suspect near the scene. Clark-Pleasant Police Department is securing all of our school buildings today and extra officers have been brought in to assist.

Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation will bring in additional mental health/grief counselors to help students deal with this tragic incident as needed. We will have more information on the investigation as we get it.”

UPDATE 9:12 A.M. 

At around 6:50 a.m. Greenwood Police responded to a call regarding a person shot at the bus stop near Winterwood Drive and Providence Drive. The person shot was a 16-year-old male Whiteland Community High School student, Matt Fillenwarth, GPD spokesperson.

Witnesses say the gunman, who was wearing a black hoodie, shot the student several times then fled the scene on foot, Fillenwarth said.

Greenwood police are working with Clark-Pleasant Schools Police, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Indiana State Police on the investigation. ISP is searching the area with helicopters, he said.

Police have leads on where the gunman was but have not located or named a suspect yet, Fillenwarth said.

Police don’t have any details about the suspect to share at this time and will share information when they are able to, Fillenwarth said.

After responding to yet another shooting in a year that has had an uncommonly high number of them, Fillenwarth said “I think this has been our worst year since I’ve been here.”

UPDATE 8:42 A.M. 

Greenwood Police Department issued a statement about the shooting on Facebook:

“Greenwood Police Department responded to a homicide that happened at Providence Drive and Winterwood Drive in the Summerfield Housing addition. The shooting victim was a student at Whiteland Community High School. GPD is still actively investigating, but believe this was an isolated incident, and the victim was specifically targeted.”

UPDATE 8:32 A.M.

A fatal shooting in the Summerfield Village subdivision caused Greenwood Community Schools to start the day with a lockdown.

One person was fatally shot near the intersection of Providence Drive and Winterwood Drive at around 7 a.m. Police are looking for the persons/or people responsible for the shooting, a witness said.

Greenwood schools opened with a lockdown and moved to a lock out at about 7:50 a.m., the district said on Twitter.

Central Nine Career Center has also canceled morning classes, the school said on Facebook.

More information will be added to this story when we are able to confirm the details with police.

Reporter Andy Bell-Baltaci and editor Leeann Doerflein contributed to this report. 

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