In the summer of 2016, a wave of violence claimed the life of 18-year-old DayRon Staten, a Black/African American male from Indianapolis, Indiana. On the night of July 19th, he was discovered inside a vehicle in the 3300 block of Robson Street, having been fatally shot. Another individual in the car, a 21-year-old woman named Valencia Standberry, was also shot and critically wounded but survived.
The incident was not an isolated act of violence but rather the tragic culmination of a crime spree that had been terrorizing the city's east side.
The investigation into Staten's death quickly led authorities to two teenagers, 16-year-old Zion Smith and 18-year-old Jaquisha Love. Their names surfaced after a woman came forward, reporting that the pair had robbed and shot at her the previous night. She was able to identify both Smith and Love from a photo lineup. This information, corroborated with evidence found at the scene of Staten's murder, painted a grim picture of a violent rampage. Just hours after the shooting that killed Staten, the teenage duo was involved in another shooting on Wallace Avenue, where they opened fire on a home, injuring three more people. Smith sustained an eye injury during this subsequent attack.
Smith and Love were arrested and faced a battery of serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, robbery, and carrying a handgun without a license. Due to the severity of the crimes, Zion Smith, despite being a minor, was charged as an adult. In March 2018, a jury found both Smith and Love guilty on all counts related to their violent crime spree, including the murder of DayRon Staten. Following their conviction, a judge sentenced Smith to 145 years in prison, while Love received a sentence of 130 years, bringing a measure of justice to the families of the victims and a violent chapter in the city's history to a close.
