The third person who shot and killed a 13-year-old teenager was arrested

A Gary man was charged Friday in the gang-motivated shooting death of 13-year-old Orie Dodson nearly a year ago.

Elijah Caleb Porter, 21, faces murder charges along with firearm and criminal gang enhancements. Dahvee Brunson and Kriston Barbee Jr., 18, of Gary, in August, according to court records. also faced the same accusations.

It is stated that each defendant could face up to 150 years in prison if found guilty at trial.

Investigators say Porter, Brunson and Barbee were found at 1351 Lincoln St. in Gary on Feb. 15, 2023. He alleges he carried out a gang-motivated drive-by attack on Dodson in front of the Power & Light Church, located at . The probable cause affidavit alleges: The trio were all members of the 49th Avenue Boys gang, and the motive behind the shooting was that Dodson was disrespectful to a gang member who was killed in 2019.

An autopsy revealed that Dodson was shot three times in the back and police found more than three dozen bullet casings on nearby Buchanan Street.

At a memorial service for Dodson last year, his mother, Latrice Dodson, said she believed his death was the result of an online controversy. Dodson’s brother, Canova Webb, was killed in a shooting in 2016.

When questioned by police last year, Porter lied before admitting to having multiple devices, according to probable cause. He has a tattoo of “RGE” which means “real gang fun”.

Porter denied pulling the trigger in Dodson’s death, but eventually admitted to police that Brunson had “slipped” (slang for a drive-by shooting) and that there were three people in the vehicle, records show. Porter denied keeping a gun or allowing any gun into his home, despite videos showing him brandishing a loaded Glock with a wrench pointed at Brunson.

A witness told police that they attended a party in March 2023 where Porter and others listed all the murders the gang had committed, and Porter was heard saying he killed Dodson, the affidavit states.

Last month, Porter was overheard discussing the Dodson murder in the Hammond County Jail and said he would only tell law enforcement that he was the driver of the vehicle and not the shooter. Porter told someone there that he was the shooter, but did not admit it to police, records show. Porter said his movements could not be tracked on the day of the shooting, especially because he left his cell phone at home.

According to court records, Porter told someone at the jail that all the men in the vehicle had handguns and that Porter was driving when they saw Dodson walking. The vehicle made a U-turn and began shooting at Dodson. At one point Brunson shouted “I got him!” yell. before the trio fled the scene, the affidavit states.

During this investigation, the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force was able to uncover significant evidence of gang-related crimes involving the 49th Avenue Boys gang, including several murders, drug dealing, illegal firearm possession and sale, and general violent crimes throughout Lake County . The task force, consisting of detectives from the Gary Police Department, Indiana State Police, Indiana State Excise Police and East Chicago Police Department, conducted the investigation with assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana.