INDIANAPOLIS -- The two suspects accused of shooting into a northeast-side house last month and killing a 1-year-old girl confessed to the crime, according to preliminary court documents released Thursday.
In the preliminary probable cause document, both Darrin Banks, 27, and Brian Palmer, 29, admitted to firing several rounds into a house in the 3500 block of Wittfield Avenue on March 29.
Shortly before 2 a.m. on the 29th, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to the house to find one adult and one child shot.
Malaysia Robson, age 1, was killed in the shooting. Robson's 19-year-old aunt, Anna Fox, was also hit. Police say eight to 10 people were inside the home at the time, the majority of which were teenagers.
"If they did do it, I hope they get some mercy too. I know they didn't intend to kill a 1-year-old baby. I'm a Christian man. I'm leaving everything in God's hands. I'm gonna pray for whoever did this just like I pray for Malaysia," said Leon Lane, Malaysia's grandfather.
Investigators found about 19 spent .223 casings on the street in front of the house.
According to the document, witnesses said the shooting was related to a family dispute that started on social media, and escalated to a fight at an apartment complex before it culminated with the incident on Wittfield Avenue.
A person close to both families told police they were told that Banks and Palmer were the ones involved in the shooting, according to the probable cause. On Tuesday, IMPD surveillance units followed Banks and Palmer as they drove around Indy's east side in Palmer's vehicle. When they failed to stop at a stop sign, IMPD initiated a traffic stop, where several officers noticed a "AR-15 type rifle" in the front seat in plain view, according to the document.
Two AR-15-style rifles were found in Palmer's vehicle through a search warrant. When police interviewed Banks and Palmer separately, both said they were upset about the previous fight, which resulted in an injury to Banks' pregnant sister. They both admitted, according to the probable cause, to firing at the house, knowing that several people were inside.
"It's a tricky process when you are trying to get someone to say what you want them to say. No, I'm not gonna stand on that whatsoever y'all read in court documents. We're not gonna stand on that," said Raven Sloane, suspect's sister.
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Palmer's mother, Renee Sloane, said Wednesday that both men were home playing video games at the time of the shooting.
"The whole community is talking about Darrin Banks and Brian Palmer," Sloane said. "Those are their names. They're not murderers. They're human beings and they have names. They did not do this. That is not in their demeanor. That is not how they work. That is not what they do. I want to have a voice for them. Everyone else has a voice but those two. I want people to know what type of people they are."
Banks and Palmer are being held without bond in the Marion County Jail. They will be back in court for formal charges on April 17.
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