Bartlett comments on ICGTF report in the wake of tragic Lawrence triple homicide

Earlier this month, the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force released their report for the first quarter of 2024. The report shows that 102 firearms were seized, along with 5,638 grams of Fentanyl, and 2,819 grams of Methamphetamine. The ICGTF was established in 2021 to disrupt the cycle of violence and curb the flow of firearms throughout Central Indiana. This report was released just days before last Friday’s triple homicide in Lawrence that took the lives of 19-year-olds Aaliyah Wortman and Londyn Coleman, along with 27-year-old Spencer Lawson. 

State Rep. John Bartlett (D-Indianapolis), co-author of the 2021 bill that established the ICGTF, released the following statement:  

“Last Friday, our community lost three young souls to gun violence. My heart breaks for the families of the two 19-year-old women, Aaliyah Wortman and Londyn Coleman, and 27-year-old Spencer Lawson. This unspeakable act is just the latest in a tragic trend that plagues our city, our state, and our nation. 

“Getting guns used for crime out of the hands of violent people is essential to preventing these tragedies from happening. I am proud to have played a role in the creation of the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force that has already taken 102 firearms off the streets just this year.

“On top of that, the task force has also seized 5,638 grams of Fentanyl and 2,819 grams of Methamphetamine, both dangerous drugs responsible for so much death, addiction, and suffering in Indiana. 

“No amount of thoughts and prayers will bring back the three young individuals lost in Friday’s triple homicide, or ease the pain of anyone grieving a loved one lost to gun violence. The best thing we can do to honor those we have lost is try our best to prevent these tragedies from happening in the future.”