As a northwest Indiana family demands answers in the murder of a 16-year-old boy, they gathered Sunday to pay their final respects to a boy gone too soon.
Police say that 16-year-old Johnny Peluyera was trying to sell his Xbox last week when he was gunned down inside of a vehicle.
Gary police are continuing to look for the two men responsible for his death, but as their search continues, family members said an emotional goodbye to the young man.
“It’s not right. It’s not fair,” Peluyera’s uncle Joe Bernacet said.
The teen was looking to sell the game system to have the money for a new iPhone, but after he listed the Xbox on the website “Offer Up,” the transaction went horribly wrong.
Authorities say that the teen and his father met the buyers at 51st and Maryland in Gary, where one of the buyers pulled out a gun. According to the boy’s uncle, he told Johnny to give the robbers the game system, but instead he took off running.
The assailants then fired at the boy, striking him in the back. He would later die from his injuries.
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“A mother and a father should never have to bury their child. They’re beside themselves,” Bernacet said.
As police look for the killers, they are encouraging the public to be careful in conducting sales arranged on the internet, and offering the safety of the police station for those looking to make such transactions in a public place.
The boy’s family says they are thankful for the overwhelming support they’ve received from the community, saying it’s helping them get through a difficult time.
They also are hopeful that the people responsible for the young boy’s murder will do the right thing and turn themselves in.
“For the two individuals who did this, you don’t even know what you’ve done,” an emotional Bernacet said. “Turn yourselves in.”
