Prosecutor: ‘More young people resorting to violence’
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man convicted this week on two counts of murder was days away from his 18th birthday when he committed the crimes.
He is the second man to be convicted of murder in connection to a Sept. 1, 2021, shooting in a car at a gas station in the 4200 block of North Post Road in the northeast Marion County city of Lawrence.
Both men were boys in their late teens when the shooting happened.
The sister of the man convicted this week was 21 at the time of the shooting. She also faces a murder charge in connection to the shooting.
Israel Eduardo Raymundo Cruz, 45, a native of Guatemala, died in the shooting.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement issued Thursday, “We are seeing more young people resorting to violence as an outlet, and it ultimately leading to serious, life-altering consequences. As a community, we continue to empower and equip our youth with the tools and courage (to) do the right thing.”
Lei Gamble, 20, was two weeks away from his 18th birthday when the shooting happened. According to online court documents, a jury on Thursday found Lei Gamble guilty of two counts of murder; a count of robbery resulting in bodily injury; a count of pointing a firearm at another person; and a count of carrying a handgun without a license. His sentencing hearing was set for Feb. 28 in Marion Superior Court 21.
His older sister, Taleiah Gamble, 23, is charged with murder, and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. Her jury trial is set for Feb. 12 in Marion Superior Court 21.
Isaiah R. Davie-Franks was 16 when the shooting happened. The 18-year-old pleaded guilty in October to a count of murder and was sentenced. He’s now in the state’s Pendleton Correctional Facility with the earliest release date set for Aug. 3, 2055, when Davie-Franks will be 50 years old.
Officers from the Lawrence Police Department and the Indiana Metropolitan Police Department responded to the shooting. They found Cruz dead inside “a red vehicle” with a gunshot wound to the head, according to a news release issued Thursday from the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the release, a witness told police that she heard a single gunshot while traveling east on 42nd Street near Post Road, and saw two males. One of the two was pointing a gun at the red vehicle. The witness then saw one of the two males shoot three times at the vehicle before they both fled. That’s when the witness called 911.
The gas station’s security video showed Cruz inside the vehicle struggling with Lei Gamble and Davie-Franks. Davie-Franks got in from the rear, driver’s side door and continued to struggle with Cruz. The video then recorded the two men shooting at Cruz and running away.
In an interview with investigators, Lei Gamble admitted that he planned a robbery and was driven to the gas station by his sister.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office, in response to a request from News 8, declined to share Taleiah Gamble’s jail booking photo because she’s not yet been convicted and the police agencies involved in the case have not agreed to release the photo to the public.
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