Inset: Makayla Bauman (G.H. Herrmann Funeral Home). Background: Apartment complex in Beech Grove, Indiana, where Bauman was killed (WXIN).
An Indiana teenager, aged 16, faces adult charges following a shooting that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old amid a drug transaction that went awry, as per officials.
Emanuel Carter, who was 15 at the time of the incident, is being charged with murder and robbery, court documents indicate. He allegedly shot Makayla Bauman on September 29, 2024, in Beech Grove, a suburb near Indianapolis. As detailed in an arrest affidavit for probable cause, reported by local Fox affiliate WXIN and the Indianapolis Star, Bauman, alongside her younger brother, visited an apartment complex intending to sell marijuana to Carter.
However, upon arrival for the transaction, Carter and another individual allegedly approached them wielding firearms. One reportedly commanded, “Give me everything! Do you want to die?” In an effort to escape, Bauman’s brother reversed the vehicle, but Carter is alleged to have started shooting.
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“I think I just got shot,” Bauman said.
One of the shots had hit her in the chest. The brother tried to drive to the hospital but he reportedly noticed his sister was “fading out.” He pulled the car over where officers found them. When police arrived on scene, he was tending to his sister’s bullet wound. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital where she died.
The brother later told detectives that he and Carter were classmates at Beech Grove High School. He was not certain of the other alleged gunman’s identity.
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Cops identified the other shooter as Carter’s brother, however they have not said if he is facing criminal charges. Carter reportedly told detectives that it was him and his brother who were being robbed. He claimed that one of the people in the car pulled out a weapon. But cops found no evidence that Bauman or her brother were ever armed.
Detectives spoke with another witness who said Carter told him he was going to “rob a white boy of some marijuana,” the affidavit reportedly said. Cops arrested Carter the day after the shooting. Prosecutors filed murder charges against Carter in adult court on Monday.
Bauman’s obituary described her personality.
“Makayla was known for her vibrant, outgoing personality, lighting up every room with her smile,” it said. “She was compassionate, smart, and intelligent, always ensuring there was never a dull moment whether she was shopping or hanging out with friends.”
