A 16-year-old boy from Indiana is facing adult charges after allegedly shooting and killing an 18-year-old during a drug deal that turned deadly, authorities confirmed this week.
According to court records, Emanuel Carter, who was 15 at the time of the incident, has been charged with murder and robbery in connection to the September 29, 2024, shooting of Makayla Bauman in Beech Grove, a suburb of Indianapolis.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by local media, including WXIN and the Indianapolis Star, revealed that Bauman and her younger brother had driven to an apartment complex that evening to sell marijuana to Carter. However, when they arrived, Carter and another individual allegedly approached the vehicle with firearms, demanding, “Give me everything! Do you want to die?”
In a desperate attempt to escape, Bauman’s brother reversed the car, but Carter allegedly opened fire. Bauman, who was sitting in the vehicle, was struck in the chest.
“I think I just got shot,” Bauman reportedly told her brother.
Her brother attempted to drive her to the hospital but was forced to pull over when he realized she was losing consciousness. Police arrived at the scene to find him tending to her wounds. Bauman was transported to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The brother later informed police that he recognized Carter as a classmate from Beech Grove High School. The identity of the second alleged gunman, later identified as Carter’s brother, has not been publicly confirmed, and officials have not stated whether he will face criminal charges.
Carter initially claimed that he and his brother were the ones being robbed, alleging that someone in the car had pulled a weapon. However, police found no evidence that Bauman or her brother were armed. A separate witness told investigators that Carter had confided in him about planning to “rob a white boy of some marijuana,” according to the affidavit.
Carter was arrested the day after the shooting. Prosecutors formally filed murder charges against him in adult court earlier this week.
The investigation remains ongoing.
