Teen found shot dead, face down in front of Indiana church

Orie Dodson's death was declared a homicide.

February 17, 2023, 1:39 PM

A 13-year-old boy was found shot dead in Indiana this week after an apparent dispute on social media, according to his mother.

The boy, identified by the Lake County Coroner's Office as Orie Dodson, was found dead Wednesday in Gary, Indiana, after a passerby spotted the child lying face down near a church.

The Gary Police Department responded and he was later declared dead at the scene.

PHOTO: The Power and Light Church is shown in Gary, Indiana.
The Power and Light Church is shown in Gary, Indiana.
Google Maps Street View

Dodson's mother, Latrice Dodson, told Chicago ABC station WLS that her son was killed after he left home following a dispute on social media.

"They chased him from 15th and Grant to right here on 15th and Lincoln at this church, and they killed me baby," she told WLS. "I guess he walked out the back door and he was FaceTiming them, arguing with them, and I think they seen his background and what was going on, and they found him."

PHOTO: Latrice Dobson, mother of 13-year-old shooting victim Orie Dobson, speaks to a reporter.
Latrice Dobson, mother of 13-year-old shooting victim Orie Dobson, speaks to a reporter.
ABC News

The coroner's office determined he sustained multiple gunshot wounds and declared his death a homicide.

An investigation by the Gary Metro Homicide Unit into Dodson's death remains ongoing.

Dodson was the eighth person shot to death in Gary so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Gary is about 30 miles southeast of Chicago.

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