Police in Evansville, Indiana, have arrested a second teen in the killing of a 17-year-old boy. Ayden Simms, 17, went to jail on Thursday, Oct. 22. Police say he faces a preliminary murder charge.
A preliminary charge is the first charge police list. Court records showed no formal charge yet as of Friday. Police said Simms is held as an adult. A hearing was set for Friday morning. No result had been made public by Saturday.
Police say the shooting was on Oct. 11, about 11 p.m. It was in the 800 block of Madison Avenue. Callers told 911 they heard gunfire. Officers found the 17-year-old boy dead.
Police say teens and adults had been at a birthday party. Some were crossing the street when shots rang out. This comes from a probable cause affidavit. That is a sworn court document. It tells why police made an arrest.
Police say the killing grew out of a feud. They say two groups they call gangs are fighting. Their names are "The Sev" and "The Three Fours." Police say the groups had near fights and threats in the days before. One was at the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival the Friday before.
The first murder arrest came on Oct. 15. Police found Keaton Howard, 18, in Morganfield, Kentucky. He also faces that charge. Police said he will be brought back to Vanderburgh County.
The affidavit says a camera on a house caught two people in an alley. Police say they raised their hands "in a shooting motion." Then they ran. Police found several 9mm shell casings in the alley.
The affidavit says a silver Nissan Altima dropped the two off. It says the same car picked them up. It says the car is registered to Simms.
Police say a rap video helped them find Howard. It was posted on Instagram and YouTube three days after the shooting. Police say it showed a person in the same hoodie as the one on the camera. "Ultimately, it was the same clothing," said police Sgt. Anthony Aussieker.
Police say they found the Altima on Thursday. They say a fog light is damaged and points at the ground. They say the damage shows on the video and on the car.
Police talked to Simms at headquarters. His mother was there. The affidavit says he told them he drove Howard and one more person to the area. It says he dropped them off and picked them up later.
Simms told police he did not know a shooting would happen. "Mr. Simms denied knowing that a shooting was going to take place," the affidavit states.
Police have not named the second person on the video. Sgt. Aussieker said detectives still have a lot of phone data to check. He said police want to find "anyone that had a role in this."
Police had also stopped a dark sedan and arrested its 20-year-old driver. His charges involved a gun, marijuana and a minor. They were not murder charges. The later court documents focus on the silver Altima.
Police ask anyone with facts to call 812-436-7979.
Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.