A 13-year-old boy in Marion, Indiana is facing murder charges following the robbery and deadly shooting of an aspiring rapper.
Police arrested the teenager on Monday evening after responding to a 911 call about a shooting at the Circle K convenience store at 901 East Bradford.
Officers found 24-year-old Byron Dennis, Jr. suffering from a gunshot to the chest inside the Circle K.
He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The aspiring rapper performed under the rap name Hartbreak Kidd.
“He was like a protector. Even though he was a younger brother, he protected me through a lot,” said his sister, Jazmin Dennis. “Anyone that interacted with Byron, they loved him.”
Jazmin said her brother was armed, but the boy disarmed him during a robbery.
Video surveillance shows the teen pull Dennis’s gun out of his pocket and shoot him with his own gun.
“The kid reached in his pocket and pulled out the gun and the bullet went through his chest and through his back,” Jazmin said.
The boy was known to police in the neighborhood. After seeing him on surveillance video, officers quickly tracked him to a nearby home.
The boy is being held without bond at a juvenile detention facility. He is charged with robbery and murder.
The victim’s family hopes the law will not be lenient with the boy.
“You’re just a baby, but you made a really bad decision at a really young age,” said Jazmin Dennis.
“I know he’s only 13. He threw his whole life away, but he took a life from us. He took an important life from us and I don’t want a slap on the wrist for him,” she added.
