Police: ‘Minor conflict’ led to shooting at Greenwood bus stop, death of teen

Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison speaks during a press conference updating the details about the bus stop shooting Friday at the Greenwood City Center.

By Andy Bell-Baltaci | Daily Journal

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GREENWOOD — The suspect and the 16-year-old killed at a bus stop in Greenwood Thursday morning knew each other in some capacity, police say.

Greenwood Police say Tyrique Sevein Radford El, 18, shot Temario Kendall Stokes, Jr, 16, of Greenwood, multiple times while Stokes was waiting for the school bus Thursday morning near his home in the Summerfield Village subdivision.

Radford El, also of Greenwood, is preliminarily charged with murder after police questioned him and served two warrants relating to the shooting.

Radford El and Stokes had a “minor conflict,” said Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison, but he declined to provide further details about a motive. The investigation is ongoing, and few additional details were provided during a press conference with the Greenwood Police Department and Clark-Pleasant schools on Friday.

Stokes was a sophomore at Whiteland Community High School and Radford El was a recent graduate, Clark-Pleasant Superintendent Patrick Spray said.

The shooting was reported at around 6:57 a.m. Thursday, and when police arrived they found Stokes lying in the street near the intersection of Winterwood Drive and Providence Drive, Ison said. Other people waiting at the bus stop fled after the shots were fired, and the suspect escaped the scene on foot.

Spray said a bus driver from the middle school saw the crime scene and alerted other bus drivers to avoid the area. He did not say whether students were on the bus at the time or if they saw the scene.

Johnson County agencies and Indiana State Police searched for the suspect on the ground and in the air. About three hours after the shooting, police found Radford El running from a cornfield into the backyard of a home on Declaration Drive. They apprehended him and questioned him about the shooting, as he matched the description of the suspect, Ison said.

Around 4:35 p.m. Thursday, police announced an arrest had been made. Later, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office released Radford El’s name and said he was being held at the Johnson County jail on a murder charge. The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what charges, if any, to formally file based on the evidence gathered. An announcement on possible charges is expected next week, Ison said.

Ison also did not share additional information about the suspect’s criminal history, how the weapon was acquired and how many shots were fired.

Stokes and Radford El lived one mile apart and Ison described them as acquaintances. Stokes was new to the neighborhood and had only attended Clark-Pleasant schools for four days before the shooting. Spray could not say for sure which high school Stokes had previously attended.

Stokes is the sixth victim of gun violence in Greenwood in the past three months. Of the suspects tied to the four shootings, all but one were younger than 21 years old.

Ison said the increase in youth violence around the area is troubling but said it is not just a problem in Greenwood. He encouraged parents to teach better conflict resolution and that violence is not the answer.

“As a result of yesterday, a 16-year-old young man just lost his life, a family is experiencing unimaginable grief,” Ison said. “But the other family lost an 18-year-old who is incarcerated for murder, for what? A minor conflict. Be engaged in your child’s life, teach them the consequences of their actions and keep our children safe.”

Spray said the school district is planning to offer support to the impacted families and all students struggling in the aftermath of the shooting.

“Thoughts and prayers will not lift the unimaginable pain put on the Stokes family. For the family, we are here for you,” Spray said. “I am grateful to all our staff and the professionalism demonstrated by administrators and teachers to meet people where they are and provide support in times of grief is unparalleled. We have mental health professionals available to all our students and staff. We will ramp that up as much as possible.”

Ison didn’t answer a question regarding the possible correlation between Indiana’s permitless carry law that took effect July 1 and the spike in crime. He said Greenwood is still a safe place to live, and the recent rise in violence is not normal. He added he hopes to see a lull in violence after this increase in recent months.

“This is definitely out of the norm. I think in the times we’re living in, we’re seeing more violence throughout the country, and it seems to be migrating into the suburbs,” Ison said. “Greenwood is still a very safe place and we have a wonderful police department with dedicated officers going the best job they can do.”