A 19-year-old Merrillville man has been charged with murder in a Dec. 2 killing and with aggravated battery and other charges in a shooting incident the day before.
Garrett Smith was charged with murder in the killing of James Clark, 19, of Merrillville, who was shot at about 12:20 p.m. Dec. 2 in the area of 42nd Avenue and Kentucky Street in Gary.
An investigation by Gary police Detective George Dickerson found that Clark’s killing was linked to a shooting at 1:17 a.m. Dec. 1 near 11th Avenue and Jennings Street in Gary in which a man was shot in the thigh and right hand, according to court documents.
Police compared spent .45-caliber shell casings from that scene to the homicide scene where Clark was killed and got a match, court records state.
In the Clark homicide, police learned from one of the victim’s relatives that the victim had been having a Facebook conversation with someone and that Clark had intended to meet the person to purchase a weapon from him, documents said. The relative provided police with a picture of the person Clark was to meet, and learned he had attended Merrillville High School. After checking with school authorities and the school resource officer, police identified the individual as Smith, documents said.
Police also spoke with a couple who had allowed Clark to stay with them for several months. The woman told police Clark said he was meeting with a guy named “Garrett” to buy a gun from him, but was uncomfortable with going by himself, records state. The man said he’d told Clark he would go with him, but it would have to be later in the afternoon. When the couple returned home, they discovered Clark was gone. Clark had not logged off his Facebook account, and police saw that he was conversing with a person identified as Smith, records state.
In addition to murder and aggravated battery, Smith also is charged in Lake Superior Court with battery resulting in serious bodily injury, battery by means of a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness, records state.
Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
