MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie teenager will be prosecuted as an adult in the shooting of his sister,
Amari T. Lee, 16, was charged Wednesday in Delaware Circuit Court 1 with attempted murder, dangerous possession of a firearm, battery with a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness.
Muncie police said Lee on Nov. 21 fired several bullets through the door of his sister’s bedroom in their family’s home in the 1800 block of East 17th Street.
The 18-year-old sister suffered “multiple gunshot wounds,” according to Muncie police. She was taken by ambulance to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital and later transferred to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where she underwent surgery to repair “arterial damage.”
Lee reportedly told investigators he was actually trying to shoot his sister’s boyfriend, who was also in the bedroom when the shots were fired. He was not hit by gunfire.
More: Errington calls for ‘common sense gun regulations’ in wake of Muncie shooting
Lee — who has reportedly been held in the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center since the day of the shooting — will observe his 17th birthday in late December.
The attempted murder charge against him is a Level 1 felony carrying up to 40 years in prison. The other three charges are Level 5 felonies with maximum six-year sentences.
In the wake of the shooting, Muncie police said Lee had been arrested three other times in the past year for “gun-violence-related charges.”
The teen’s mother, 40-year-old Ladonna N. Lee, was also charged Wednesday with two counts stemming from the shooting — neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, a Level 3 felony with a maximum 16-year sentence, and dangerous control of a juvenile, a Level 5 felony.
Amari Lee allegedly told police he had obtained the handgun used in the shooting from his mother’s bedroom.
Also arrested on Nov. 21, Ladonna Lee continued to be held in the Delaware County jail on Wednesday under a $20,000 bond.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie youth, 16, charged as adult in sister’s shooting