Police chief says violent weekend is unacceptable
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Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department chief Chris Bailey said a violent weekend in Indianapolis is a setback for our community, but it does not define us.
Driving the news: After separate incidents left at least 15 people shot in two days, Bailey condemned the violence and said citizens are too quick to reach for firearms to solve their conflicts.
- The incidents include a triple shooting on Georgetown Road, police exchanging gunfire with a suspect at an east side McDonald's and a mass shooting that left two dead and five wounded early Sunday on the northwest side.
What he's saying: "No community should have to endure the level of gun violence we've witnessed over the past 48 hours. Our hearts are with the victims, their families, our officers and anyone impacted by this weekend's violence," Bailey said.
- "Their pain is why we do this work, and we cannot accept this behavior as normal."
The latest: Five arrests had been made in connection to four incidents as of Monday morning.
Threat level: Bailey said at least two of the shootings involved handguns modified with machine gun conversion devices.
- He said such devices have become more common in recent years, noting that they can be purchased online or made at home on a 3D printer at a relatively low cost.
- "It's not just the conversion device. It's also the extended magazines. It's the drum magazines that are on handguns that we see frequently," Bailey said. "It's a significant issue because that's how you end up with seven people shot or three people shot, even when your intention is to shoot at one person. Those guns, you don't have a lot of control over them. Especially with untrained people."