Report: Armed and Underage Part II

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - So far this year, Indianapolis families have buried seven teen victims of shootings and IMPD detectives have arrested 10 teens in connection to homicides this year in Marion County.

The crimes prompted 24-Hour News 8 to look into how kids are getting their hands on guns. We found IMPD officers and Sheriff's deputies confiscate dozens of guns from kids, every month.

Dominique Staten, a teenage convicted killer, is talking about his gun crime. He told 24-Hour News 8 about the day he first picked up a gun, the day he first shot it, and when he first started an armed robbery spree. Then he talked about the day he pulled the trigger and killed a man.

Larry Yarrell is the tough, but fair, principal of Northwest High School in Indianapolis.

Two years ago, Principal Yarrell lost one of his students to gun violence. Police say 15-year-old Ramirez Smith was shot to death during an argument between two groups of teens.

"Ramirez was an excellent, excellent kid. He was a scholar, excellent athlete, loved his family. His death, in my opinion, was just unfortunate," said Yarrell.

Yarrell also remembers a childhood friend and classmate of Smith's, Dominique Staten.

Yarrell described Staten.

"He had a very, very positive high school experience and I thought that, for sure, he was destined to at least go to a junior college if not a full, four-year college," said Yarrell.

Staten was a football player, baseball player, golfer, bowler and a member of JROTC.

Staten said it all began to change when he was 15.

"I started going to people's houses and start doing all types of things I had no business doing. Lying to my momma about things, like how I was getting money, getting this and that and lying to her and I hate lying to her," he said.

That's when Staten stole his first gun.

"I just shot it in the air. When I shot it, I got that adrenaline. But I never thought I would shoot at nobody or nothing like that either," said Staten.

A few months later, Staten started robbing people at gunpoint.

"It's just that mentality I had like, nobody can't touch me with this, I can't be stopped with this. I liked getting money. I had everything I wanted. I had money in my pocket, cell phone's paid, I had new shoes almost every week. Stuff like that, buying clothes, stuff like that," admits Staten.

Then, June 30, 2008, one of Staten's robberies turned deadly. Good Samaritan, Mario Gonzalez, tried to stop the robbery and pulled a gun on Staten. But Staten fired at Gonzalez first.

Staten said he fired the gun at least five times. He said he knew he shot Gonzalez, but did know he killed him.

"No...First shot, I seen him go down. I'm like, I don't know if he's going down or not. So I just kept shooting. Then, after that, you know, my heart, I should go over there and see what he's doing. But I didn't, I just ran," Staten recalled.

Staten didn't turn himself in right away. Instead, he admitted he committed another robbery. That armed robbery, just one week later, ended with Staten's arrest.

Staten admits, "I killed somebody. I mean, I never thought I would kill somebody. I mean, I've been around a shoot out and all that before but I ain't never thought I would kill somebody."

Staten is 17 years old and, instead of walking the halls of Northwest High School, he walks the halls of the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, convicted of murder.

Principal Larry Yarrell said he was shocked when he heard what Staten was accused of.

"I was actually very shocked because his demeanor at school and his reputation here at school was extremely positive. I would not have picked him as a kid that would have stepped into a world of violence," Yarrell said.

Marion County Superior Court Judge Robert Altice waives juveniles to adult court.

He said, "I do see a lot of young people with guns and most of the time it has come to me in the form of young people committing murders."

Dr. Thomas Stucky, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at IUPUI, made a career out of studying criminals and their motives.

He said, "The research that we have is that juveniles don't tend to think an awful lot about the consequences in terms of getting arrested."

Staten admits that when he picked up a gun, he wasn't thinking straight.

"When I had the gun I dare somebody try to mess with me or something. I dare anybody," he said.

According to Judge Altice and Dr. Stucky, that's why early gun education is important. Children should know the consequences.

Also, licensed gun-owners should take precautions by locking guns in a secure location. Even if you don't have children that can get into your weapons, you may become a victim of a burglary. That's how many guns end up on Indianapolis streets.

As for Staten, he is serving an 80-year sentence but says he is studying to get his GED and hopes to continue his studies in prison.