Evansville – A pre-dawn shooting on Evansville’s east side has left a 17-year-old dead and two others injured, marking one of the city’s most serious acts of gun violence this month. Police were called around 5:35 a.m. to the 1700 block of Marshall Avenue after multiple callers reported hearing as many as a dozen shots and seeing several people fleeing the area.
When officers arrived, they found three victims — one inside a vehicle damaged by gunfire and two outside. Authorities confirmed that 17-year-old Josiah Madrid died at the scene. A 15-year-old boy and an adult man were taken to the hospital with injuries that police say are not life-threatening.
The Evansville Police Department deployed drones and K9 units in an effort to track potential suspects. Investigators have not yet determined whether the shooting was targeted or random, a distinction police say is critical in assessing ongoing risk to the neighborhood.
Gun violence involving teenagers has been a troubling trend nationwide, and Evansville has seen a rise in youth-involved shootings over the past two years, according to local safety advocates. Residents in the area described waking to gunfire as “jarring” and “devastating,” especially knowing young people were involved.
The investigation remains active, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward as they work to piece together what led to the deadly exchange.