Anthony Triplett
Anonymous tip leads to charges in Arion Lilly death
Contributed By:The 411 News
14-year-old was caught in gun crossfire
Gary Police reported murder charges were filed Friday, May 17 in the death of Arion Lilly, the 14-year-old boy felled by shots from a passing vehicle.
Comm. Jack Hamady of the Gary Police said Anthony Lamont Triplett, age 21, was taken into custody Friday afternoon by U.S. Marshalls. “Triplett is just one of the suspects involved in the homicide of Arion Lilly and more charges are coming.”
Cheryl Freeman, Arion’s mother, told police investigators she last saw her son on Thursday, April 25 when he was on his way to get a haircut. She didn’t see him until the next day – to identify his body at the Office of the Lake County Coroner.
Arion was in the eighth grade at Gary Middle School.
According to the indictment, the crime tip hotline received an anonymous call on April 29 that the suspected vehicle was sighted in Gary’s Miller section, at an address on the 300 block of Jay Street.
Police had released a photo of a red 4-door auto with tinted windows, a dent on the rear passenger side, and a rear spoiler that was captured from a business surveillance camera near the time of Lilly’s death. The department asked for the public’s help in identifying the owner or driver of the vehicle.
That same day, police investigators found the vehicle in the backyard of the Jay street address, covered in tarp. It was registered to Triplett. A search of the vehicle’s interior found live ammo and spent shell casings.
On April 25, Gary Police responded to a 3:59 p.m. call of shots fired and a subject down in the 1100 block of Rutledge, on the city’s west side. Witnesses told officers that a vehicle was being chased by another vehicle while the occupants were shooting at the other vehicle.
The teen was walking home from the barber shop, when one of the bullets struck him.
The affidavit states video surveillance showed Lilly walking west on 11th Avenue towards Rutledge Street. A red 4-door Chevy enters the frame, eastbound on 11th Avenue. After it passed Lilly, the teen immediately fell to the ground.
A search warrant for Triplett’s cell phone records revealed he was in the Tolleston area on April 25th, the day of Lilly’s death.
The affidavit stated .40, .45 and 9mm spent shell casings were collected from the area. A .45 caliber bullet struck Lilly. A Lake County firearms examiner said it most likely came from a Glock brand firearm. When investigators searched Triplett’s residence on Jay Street, they observed and photographed a box for a .45 Glock.
“We would like to extend a special thank you to our citizens of Gary, Indiana, for their assistance. With the help of the community, the Gary Police Department and law enforcement partners were able to pursue the individuals responsible for this senseless murder and justice for Arion Lilly and his family,” Comm. Hamady said.
Story Posted:05/18/2019
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