18-Year-Old Charged in Indy Gun Trade That Turned Fatal
INDIANAPOLIS — An 18-year-old has been charged after a reported gun trade on the northeast side of Indianapolis in March led to the death of 15-year-old Tre’von Riggins.
According to court documents recently filed in Marion County, 18-year-old Dwight Knox was charged with:
Two counts of murder
One count of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 2 felony
On March 29, officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s north district responded to a reported shooting at a playground of an apartment complex in the 3900 block of Rue Rabelias.
When officers arrived, they located a 15-year-old, identified by family as Riggins, who was pronounced dead that evening at a local hospital.
The court documents said a gun that reportedly belonged to the teen was located at the crime scene, along with a single fired 9mm cartridge casing. Multiple clothes, including a sweatshirt and a pair of black pants, were located in a neighborhood near the complex.
A witness reportedly told law enforcement that they saw two people at the playground and believed the two were acting normally. However, the witness said it soon turned into a “physical fight.”
The witness said the suspect, who IMPD claims is Knox, reportedly had a handgun. As they drove away from the fight, the witness reportedly said they heard “a single gunshot” and saw the victim fall to the ground. The witness also said the shooter fled the playground on foot.
IMPD officials used information from Uber, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and surveillance footage to lead officers to a home on East Market Street, where individuals linked to the shooting were reportedly located.
On March 21, four people were detained during a search of the home, including Knox. Another person who was taken into custody at the time reportedly told law enforcement that he shared an Uber with Knox.
The other person stated that the Uber ride was supposed to be for two stops, one for a gun trade and the other for a marijuana transaction. During the first stop, the person said he witnessed the interaction between Knox and Riggins on the playground.
“(The person) said it looked like the gun trade went wrong and said it looked like maybe the two were trying to rob each other,” the court documents said. “He said Knox pointed a gun at the other person and the other person pointed a gun at him, then they fought.”
Eventually, the person said he heard gunshots and saw Knox running from the playground.
In an interview with Knox, the court documents said he denied any knowledge of a death in Indianapolis the day of the shooting. Knox ultimately denied being involved, telling law enforcement that he was in a house on the city’s west side.
When asked why the last contact that Riggins had before his death was to one of Knox’s Instagram accounts, Knox said that “his phone had broken about two and a half weeks ago, and that other people may have access to his accounts.”
As part of the investigation, data from Instagram reportedly showed that Knox was talking with Riggins regarding a gun trade. Knox also reportedly received emails from Uber that corresponded with the rides to and from the crime scene.
The court documents also stated that Knox’s DNA reportedly matched to Riggins’ gun and the sweatshirt Riggins was wearing at the time of his death.
In an interview with FOX59/CBS4 in late March, Brandis Riggins, the mother of the teen who died, said the fatal shooting was “nonsense” and “senseless.”
“There are no words to describe how I feel. I’m numb. My firstborn, one and only boy, has been taken from me,” Brandis Riggins said at the time. “…“My boy didn’t deserve this. Nobody’s child deserves this.”
According to court documents, an order issuing a warrant for arrest for Knox was issued on Thursday. Knox is currently in the Marion County Jail on a no-bond hold.
