ABC7A teenager was shot and killed in front of his father while trying to sell his Xbox, police have confirmed.
Johnny Peluyera, 16, from Merrillville, Indiana, was driven just a few short miles from his home in Gary by his dad to meet people he met on an online sales app in order to sell his games console.
When the 16-year-old approached two people at an abandoned home in the area, one of the men took out a semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and Johnny attempted to run back to his dad’s car.
As the teenager tried to flee, he was shot in the back and died just minutes later. The suspects didn’t even get the Xbox.
Police in Gary said the shooting occurred at around 6:05pm near 51st Avenue and Maryland Street, ABC7 reports.
Kelly Arroyo, the victim’s mother, said:
My son is gone. My son is never coming back. The emptiness that is in my heart and my stomach and my soul and my body is almost unbearable.
Johnny’s father, who was waiting in the car while his son went to hand over the Xbox, was not injured in the shooting.
ABC7Commander Jack Hamady of the Gary Police Department said, as per the New York Post:
They took them to an abandoned home and they stated they wanted to test the Xbox and went to these other houses and just used the outdoor outlet to see if the Xbox worked.
Johnny was pronounced dead on the scene, and his death has been ruled a homicide.
Boy, 16, shot to death in front of father while trying to sell Xbox in Gary: https://t.co/KPRIuxLV59 pic.twitter.com/vtAbACYcvF
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One suspect was wearing a black hoodie at the time of the murder, while the other wore a grey hoodie. Both wore basketball-style shorts, Gary police said.
Police confirmed two men, described to be in their early teens to late 20s, are known in the area where the teenager was shot and killed.
The boy’s mother continued:
They killed my son over nothing. They didn’t even get the gaming system. They didn’t even get the Xbox so why did they have to shoot him?
I hope you feel the pain that I feel right now. I want you to live with this the rest of your life.
ABC7Our thoughts are with Johnny’s family at this difficult time.
Rest in peace, Johnny.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Detective Mike Equihua of the Lake/Gary Metro Homicide Unit at 219-755-3852 or 866-CRIME-GP
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).