Jaron Ladale Starks Jr.,19,of Gary has been sentenced in connection with a 2024 fatal shooting in the 1800 block of Noble Street that resulted in the death of 19-year-old Jessica Lipscomb.
According to court documents, officers were called at approximately 5:15 p.m. on September 4, 2024, to a report of a shooting. Lipscomb was found to have been shot and was later pronounced deceased at a hospital after suffering a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Investigators reviewed Ring doorbell footage that showed Lipscomb yelling at a lawn crew working at a nearby residence. The footage shows Lipscomb approaching a male operating a standing lawn mower before moving out of view. Moments later, a single gunshot is heard. The male, described as wearing a red shirt with long hair, is then seen running across the street holding what appeared to be a handgun before entering a white Ford Taurus and fleeing at a high rate of speed.
Authorities later identified the vehicle through license plate reader data and located it at a residence in Gary. A search of the vehicle recovered a live 9mm round.
During the investigation, officers determined Starks was associated with the vehicle and matched the individual seen in the surveillance footage.
A search warrant executed at a residence in the 1700 block of Mississippi Street resulted in the recovery of multiple spent 9mm shell casings, a box of live ammunition, and approximately 13 grams of a substance that tested positive for marijuana.
Conviction & Sentence
Starks was convicted of:
Murder
Firearm Enhancement
He was sentenced to:
45 years in the Indiana Department of Correction
2 years in the Lake County Jail
8 years of probation
