ANDERSON, Ind. — A teenager will be tried as an adult after being charged for the second time in a year for gun related crimes. Police say they found 17-year-old Jaylin Barnes driving illegally while also having a firearm.
“He had a prior handgun gun charge last year,” Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said. “Dangerous possession of a firearm, that went into juvenile court. He was adjudicated. Now we have an adult offense at age 17; it’s a level 5 felony.”
Police records show officers pulled over Barnes on Tuesday and found a handgun under the driver’s seat. The documents also show Barnes began to struggle with police when they were trying to arrest him and started to run. He is also facing a charged of resisting law enforcement.
The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office said prosecutors filed more juvenile cases involving a weapon last year than they had in any other year since 2005.
“Guns and juveniles is a formula for prison or death, and that’s what’s happening in our inner cities,” Cummings said.
Eskenazi Health tries to tackle the issue through their Educating Kids About Gun Violence program. It addresses the physical, emotional and legal implication of gun violence.
“They’re not bad kids, they’ve come from bad situations and they’re doing what they know how to do which is just survive,” Blakney Brooks, Injury Prevention Coordinator at Eskenazi Health, said.
Brooks said it is not enough to warn kids about the legal implications of using a gun illegally.
“Is it abuse, substance abuse,” Brooks said. “Is there a parent that’s in jail? We have found that addressing those social determinants of health is what makes a difference.”
Both prosecutors and health care workers say many kids carry guns because everyone they know carries guns .
“So, if I don’t carry a gun and someone pulls out a gun then something’s going to happen to me,” Brooks said.
The Educating Kids About Gun Violence program is particularly for teens facing gun cases. But, Brooks said they are open to speaking to youth groups in the community too. Just call the hospital’s Trauma Program Line at 317-880-5045.
