ANDERSON — Shaolin Tiriq-Arik Newsom and Montez D. McCloud are emblematic of the toll homicide by gun violence is having on black communities nationwide.
Both young men were shot to death by someone they knew during an argument that spiraled out of control.
Newsom was shot twice in the chest and once in the back during an argument about a Facebook quiz Newsom’s girlfriend took and his alleged assailant commented on.
McCloud died from multiple gunshot wounds in May when he went to a house in the 1700 block of Jefferson Street to retrieve a cellphone from his girlfriend. McCloud and his girlfriend got into an argument that quickly escalated into a deadly encounter.
Black people represented 13 percent of the nation’s
population in 2014, yet accounted for 50 percent of all homicides, according to a recent study published by the Violence Policy Center. And with a homicide rate of 29.49 per 100,000, Indiana has the second highest black homicide victim rate in the country. That’s nearly double the national black rate of 16.8 per 100,000, and seven times the overall national rate of 4.19.
Only Missouri, with a rate of 34.98 per 100,000 in 2014, had a higher rate, according to the report.
The national homicide rate for white people in 2014 was 2.52 per 100,000 population.
“Each year this report reveals the devastating and disproportionate impact homicide, almost always involving a gun, has on black men, boys, women, and girls in America,” said VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann in a statement.
The annual analysis, now in its 11th year, is based on unpublished data from the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report. The study details homicide rates for 2014, t he mo s t recent year for which comprehensive national data is available.
“These deaths devastate families and traumatize whole communities. We hope our research will not only help educate the public and policymakers, but aid community leaders already working to end this grave injustice,” he added.
For homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 83 percent of black victims were shot and killed with gun. Of those, 73 percent were killed with handguns. The comparable Indiana numbers were 85 percent and 77 percent, respectively.
Nationally, 71 percent of deaths were not related to the commission of any other felony. Of that number, 50 percent involved an argu- ment between the victim and offender (who most often knew each other); and 16 percent were reported to be gang-related.
Of the 186 black Indiana homicide victims identified in 2014, 81 percent of victims were killed by someone they knew; and 45 percent involved some kind of argument between the victim and assailant.
“Indiana’s weak gun laws are a significant factor in putting our state near the top of this list and the shameful numbers revealed by this data,” said Ed Smith, president of Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence.
He and others fear a proposal under consideration by a joint Senate and House Judiciary and Public Policy Committee to repeal Indiana’s handgun permit law will only make access to handguns even easier.
The committee is addressing whether Hoosiers should be able to carry a handgun, either concealed or openly without a license. Such an allowance, known as constitutional carry or freedom to carry, is in 12 states although each has separate requirements concerning identification.
Police organizations want Indiana to keep its handgun licensing system as a way to help protect police and the public alike.
A representative of the National Rifle Association testified in favor of repealing the law at a hearing last month, calling such repeals a success in other states.
The committee is also examining ways to reduce handgun violence and increase the number of police officers in Indiana. The committee is expected to file its report by Nov. 1.
URGENT WARNING
Two young men have been charged in connection with Newsom’s shooting, which occurred in the driveway of 1805 W. 21st St. on Oct. 20, 2016.
The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office charged 17-year-old Jaylon Brown with murder. At a hearing in April, trial was scheduled for Oct. 25. On Monday, however, Brown’s trial has now been rescheduled for next July.
Tyrone Dewayne Jones II, 18, of Anderson was charged with Level 5 felony assisting a criminal because he allegedly drove Brown to the house. He is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 2 for a disposition hearing.
McCloud’s alleged assailant, James H. Stewart Jr., was charged with murder. His trial is scheduled for early March 2018.
Hundreds of people attended McCloud’s funeral in May where his grandfather, Isaac Humphrey, delivered an urgent warning to all the young people who attended the service.
“This is my grandson laying here,” Humphrey said, gesturing to McCloud’s casket positioned at the front of the sanctuary. “This boy was like a son to me.”
“Get your lives right,” he told the congregation. “We shouldn’t be here to celebrate his passing. We should be here just to celebrate his life.”
The gun violence that claimed his grandson’s life makes no sense, he added.
“This is not Los Angeles; this is not Chicago ... this is little old Anderson. You don’t need a gun,” Humphrey said. “Guns don’t make you a man. Guns make you a punk.”