Several shots fired into Kokomo home with young children inside

KOKOMO, Ind. — Police are investigating after a person fired several shots into a Kokomo home that had three young children inside.

“It was a like a pop, pop, pop,” said grandmother Mickie Richey. “Continuous.”

Richey was in her bedroom just before midnight Monday when she said she heard the shots. Immediately, she ran to check on the rest of her family, including her three grandchildren who are 5 years old, 1 years old and a 1-month-old baby.  

“(I’m) very thankful that nobody got hurt,” she said. “Very thankful.”

In Richie’s home, there are bullet holes all over the hallway. The front window is shattered. The TV in the living room has a single bullet hole right in the middle of it.

Most of the bullets fired hit the front of the Kokomo home. Some shots were feet away from where Richey says her 1-year-old grandson was.

“He was in between my dining room and my living room and it went straight through by where he was at,” said Richey.

Kokomo Police Department detectives that responded to the scene found multiple shell casings. They said they believe for some reason this home on the corner of LaFountain and North Streets was targeted, but the motive is still under investigation.

“A lot of these individuals now, they would rather pick up a weapon to handle their conflicts, which is the wrong thing to do,” KPD Major Brian Seldon said. “We know once you fire that there’s no taking that bullet back.”

Several neighbors called 911 seconds after the gunfire. Right across the street from the home is a church.

“We are going to do what we can to try to take these people off the street,” Seldon said. “Because obviously, they don’t care about the safety and lives of others.”

With bullet holes on nearly every wall of her home, this grandmother now has reminders of the dangerously close call her and her family experienced.

“It should not have happened period,” Richie said. “There’s no reason for it.”

The case is still under investigation. So far, police have not released a suspect description or vehicle description.