On a spring afternoon in Gary, Indiana, 14-year-old Arion Lilly was walking home after getting a haircut, a simple errand that ended in tragedy. It was Thursday, April 25, 2019, and as Arion walked along the 1100 block of Rutledge Street, he was caught in the crossfire of a rolling gun battle between two vehicles. A stray. 45 caliber bullet struck the eighth-grader, who was just a block from the safety of his home. He was found in a vacant lot and pronounced dead at the scene.
His mother, who had moved her family from Chicago to Gary three years prior to escape such violence, last saw her son on his way to the barbershop. The next time she saw him was to identify his body.
The senseless death of the Gary Middle School student, who was known for his love of basketball and his dreams of attending college, spurred the community and law enforcement into action. Investigators released a surveillance photo of a red four-door Chevrolet with a rear spoiler and a noticeable dent, asking the public for help. The crucial break in the case came from an anonymous tip, which led police to a home in the Miller section of Gary. In the backyard, hidden under a tarp, was the vehicle from the photograph. The car was registered to 21-year-old Anthony Lamont Triplett Jr. A search of the vehicle and his residence uncovered live ammunition and spent shell casings that matched those found at the scene of the shooting.
In May 2019, U.S. Marshals apprehended Anthony Lamont Triplett Jr., and he was subsequently charged with murder in connection with Arion Lilly's death. Investigators determined through surveillance footage and cell phone records that Triplett was in the area at the time of the shooting. While Triplett claimed he was being chased and was firing in self-defense, prosecutors argued his reckless actions led to the death of an innocent bystander.
Ultimately, Triplett pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless homicide with a firearms enhancement and resisting law enforcement. He was sentenced to ten and a half years for his role in the shooting. The sentence included a combination of time to be served in the Indiana Department of Corrections, the Lake County Jail, and on probation. During the sentencing, Arion's mother expressed the immense pain of her loss but also the futility of hatred, stating it would not bring her son back.
