COLUMBUS — A 17-year-old high school student will be tried as an adult for murder following a fatal shooting on the east side of Columbus last week.
Bartholomew County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Holden announced Friday that 17-year-old Tyshawn Bryant has been formally charged in adult court with one count of murder. The charge includes a felony firearm enhancement tied to the September 11 killing of a 17-year-old male.
Under Indiana state law, juvenile courts automatically lose jurisdiction over individuals aged 16 or older who are charged with major felonies, including murder. Consequently, Bryant’s case has been transferred directly to adult court in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
According to probable cause affidavits and court documents, the shooting occurred in the 3200 block of Country Brook Street North during a physical altercation between a group of teenagers.
Investigators allege the sequence of events unfolded as follows:
While a fight broke out among other youths, Bryant allegedly walked back into his nearby residence, retrieved a 9mm handgun, and tucked it into his waistband.
When the victim moved toward the fight, Bryant claimed he observed the victim reach into a pocket. Though Bryant admitted to police he never saw a weapon drawn, he pulled his 9mm firearm, racked the slide, and fired two to three rounds.
The victim was struck and fell to the ground, bleeding. Responding emergency personnel pronounced the victim dead at the scene. Bryant later claimed to detectives that he only intended to scare the victim, not kill him.
Following the shooting, Bryant fled the scene in a truck accompanied by two juvenile witnesses. The group drove to Indianapolis, where court documents detail attempts to conceal evidence:
In Indianapolis, Bryant met with an individual who provided him with fresh clothing and took his original clothes to eliminate gunpowder residue.
The same contact allegedly assisted Bryant in disposing of the 9mm handgun used in the crime.
Detectives with the Columbus Police Department executed search warrants and contacted Bryant’s family after tracking his whereabouts to Marion County. Family members picked Bryant up in Indianapolis and brought him back to Columbus, where he turned himself in to law enforcement.
Following a police interview, Bryant was taken into custody and remanded to the Bartholomew County Youth Services Center, where he remains held pending his initial court appearance. Judge Kelly Benjamin will preside over the case.
