A Halloween party in Fort Wayne, Indiana last weekend turned into a real-life horror show when a 17-year-old opened fire on attendees. Nine people were injured, but prosecutors now say the one person who was fatally shot was the initial aggressor, and he was killed in an act of self-defense. 

According to authorities, the party took place at a home in Fort Wayne, and had grown “out of hand” by about 10:30 last Friday night. The homeowner told police that partygoers were being patted down as they entered the home, but Ivy and several friends tried to sneak around to the back of the house so they could get into the party without being frisked for weapons. 

It seems they were caught and confronted about it and when things escalated, investigators say it was Ivy who pulled out a gun and started shooting first. He fired nine shots into the windows of the kitchen and living room injuring nine people in the process.

Another person then shot and killed Ivy.

“Physical and ballistic evidence, medical records, autopsy reports, and witness statements showed that nine of the shooting victims were struck by gunfire from Ivy’s handgun,” said a news release from Allen County prosecutors.

Two of the victims were allegedly shot by Ivy as they tried to stop him from entering the home, with the other seven individuals injured as Ivy fired into the house. 

Authorities haven’t said who, exactly, shot Ivy in self-defense and defense of others, but if it weren’t for the armed citizen’s actions there’s no telling how many others might have been shot by Ivy before police arrived. 

Before prosecutors revealed that Ivy was the first person to open fire at the party his family spoke to reporters, describing him as a kind and loving teen who was set to graduate high school early and was fielding offers from colleges to play football. 

Gun violence is something the family is familiar with, with Ivy Jr. and Vickii Ivy attending a Memphis, Tennessee church that works to support those impacted by it. They say they have actively sought to find a solution to the problem.

“We see young people losing their lives for no apparent reason,” Vickii Ivy said. “We‘ve prayed for families, prayed with families, we‘ve extended help to families.”

“I don‘t know what we can do as a community to reach these children because something is happening that’s not registering with them to make better choices and to make the right decisions.”

As police continue to search for a suspect or suspects in the shooting, Ivy III’s family is left wondering how they got to this point, preparing funeral services for a boy who will forever be 17.

“How will you go on knowing you have taken someone‘s life,” Vickii Ivy says she wants to ask her nephew’s killer.

I’m sure that the armed citizen who shot and killed Ivy has been affected deeply by what happened this past weekend, but according to prosecutors their actions may very well have saved innocent lives. The real questions are what led a 17-year-old to bring a gun to a Halloween party, and why did he choose to open fire instead of simply walking away when he had the chance? If Ivy had made better choices and the right decisions, he’d be alive today. But when he decided to start blasting away at the home and the partygoers inside, he presented a deadly threat to everyone present, and thankfully there was someone present to put an end to his attack before anyone else was killed.