Friends first thought that 13-year-old Noah Inman was suffering a seizure.
A 13-year-old Indiana boy has died after being struck in the head by a falling bullet, police said.
Noah Inman had been playing basketball with a group of children on July 1 when he suddenly collapsed to the concrete.
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Thinking he had suffered some sort of seizure, his mother called 911.
At the hospital, staff determined he had been struck by a bullet, most likely fired by someone celebrating the Fourth of July, police said.
“There’s a lot of noise,” Hammond Police Lt. Steve Kellogg told InsideEdition.com Monday. “They don’t buy fireworks, so they want to contribute to the noise,” he said of people who fire handguns into the air.
Inman was flown to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, where he died Friday, Kellogg said.
“The Hammond Police Department would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to the Inman family. We wish you peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days and loving memories to hold in your hearts,” the department said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to you in your time of sorrow.”
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Firing a handgun is illegal within city limits.
Detectives are trying to determine who fired the gun, Kellogg said. “It’s very hard to track down because every firework sounds like gunfire,” he said.
Police have urged residents to not fire weapons into the air, stressing that bullets eventually come back down.
A GoFundMe page has been established to help with medical and memorial expenses.
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