A man has been charged in the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy who reportedly made fun of him after the man was burglarized.
Gary police spokeswoman Gabrielle King said Khanji Fairley, 30, was charged with murder Monday afternoon in the shooting of Kobe Jones
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.Kobe, of the 1000 block of Polk Street in Gary, was pronounced dead at 6:31 p.m. Friday after police were called to his home at 5:41 p.m. for a person shot, according to the Lake County, Ind., coroner’s office. Kobe’s death was ruled a homicide, according to the office.
Kobe’s relatives said a conversation between Fairley and Kobe escalated to violence after Kobe poked fun at Fairley after he was burglarized. King could not confirm this interaction occurred.
Gary police Lt. Thomas Pawlak said earlier that a neighbor was arrested following the shooting.
“The neighbor was yelling in anger about who burglarized his house, and the 13-year-old (Kobe) was laughing at him, and he got mad and there was some kind of confrontation,” said Pawlak. “At that point, we don’t know what happened.”
The neighbor’s girlfriend and other witnesses were questioned after the shooting.