A 16-year-old Indiana boy has been charged as an adult with murder for the shooting death of another teen during a botched marijuana transaction last year.
Emanuel Carter was 15 at the time of the September 29, 2024, incident that ended with 18-year-old Makayla Bauman dead.
Indianapolis police were called to the scene and found Bauman with a gunshot wound with her 15-year-old brother tending to her, the Indianapolis Star said. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Carter was arrested the next day.
Court documents say a Bauman’s brother told police that they had driven to an apartment complex to sell marijuana to a Beech Grove High School classmate he knew as “Man Man,” later identified as Carter, in a transaction arranged via Snapchat. The witness said Carter and another man approached their car pointing guns.
“Give me everything, you want to die?” the witness said their alleged customers told them.
The witness threw the car into reverse to attempt to flee, but the two men began shooting at the car, striking Bauman as she sat in the front passenger seat.
Police found 9mm and 10mm shell casings in the area.
The witness identified Carter as the person who shot Bauman, saying he “robbed and shot at his vehicle.” The witness said he did not get a good look at the other person who shot at the car but thought it was Carter’s brother.
Carter and two other people were later detained by police and interviewed. He reportedly told police that he and a family members were staying at the apartment complex and that they participated in a marijuana transaction.
He said the people in the car pulled out guns, which led Carter’s brother to pull “out two guns, one from each pocket, and (begin) shooting with a gun in each hand,” WXIN reported
Carter denied having a gun or shooting, instead telling police he “took off running.”
A separate witness told police that Carter contacted him and said they planned to conduct the robbery that night. That witness said he saw black handguns when Carter and the other person were waiting for the others to arrive before the attempted robbery.
That witness said Carter and the other person went outside when they arrived but that he remained inside and “attempted to see what was going on outside, but could not see the car due to its location.
“(The witness) then stated he heard gunshots, so he ducked down, and then after a few minutes, he ran back to his apartment and did not see any of the other individuals,” the documents said.
Carter is charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempt to commit robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, and dangerous possession of a firearm. His trial is set to begin on September 29, the Star said.
Police did not say if any other arrests have been made.
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[Featured image: Makayla Bauman/handout]
