A birthday gathering in Gary, Indiana, ended in fatal gunfire on the night of January 21, 2025. Officers responded about 10:28 p.m. to a home in the 2100 block of Delaware Street and found 26-year-old Darian Hilson, an African American man, unresponsive in the kitchen; he had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Lake County Coroner later ruled the death a homicide.

Two other people were wounded in the same incident: a 22-year-old woman from East Chicago and a 31-year-old man from Chicago, both taken to a local hospital with gunshot injuries. Investigators identified 21-year-old Damonte S. Crawford as a suspect and, on January 29, a tactical team executing a Hammond search warrant found him in a basement; he was arrested with K-9 assistance. Crawford was charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and firearm enhancements.

A 22-year-old JaShawnta Mae King was also arrested in connection with the shooting; charges against her were pending review by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office. If anyone attended that gathering or has information about the shooting, please come forward.