A Gary man was charged Friday in connection with the gang-motivated shooting death of 13-year-old Orie Dodson nearly a year ago.
Elijah Caleb Porter, 21, faces a murder charge, in addition to firearm and criminal gang enhancements. In August, Dahvee Brunson and Kriston Barbee, Jr., both 18 of Gary, had the same charges filed against them, according to court records.
Each defendant could face up to 150 years in prison if convicted at trial.
Investigators allege that Porter, Brunson, and Barbee conducted a gang-motivated drive-by shooting of Dodson in front of Power & Light Church, located at 1351 Lincoln St., in Gary on Feb. 15, 2023. The probable cause affidavit alleges that the trio were all members of the 49th Avenue Boys gang and the motive behind the shooting was Dodson disrespecting a gang member who was killed in 2019.
An autopsy revealed Dodson was shot three times in the back and police found more than three dozen bullet casings on nearby Buchanan Street.
At a vigil for Dodson last year, his mother Latrice Dodson said that she believed his death was precipitated by an online spat. Dodson’s brother Canova Webb was killed in a shooting in 2016.
When questioned by police last year, Porter lied before admitting he had multiple devices, according to the probable cause affidavit. He has an “RGE” tattoo which stands for “real gang entertainment.”
Porter denied pulling the trigger in the Dodson’s death, but eventually admitted to police that Brunson went “sliding” — slang for a drive-by shooting — and that three men were in the vehicle, records state. Porter denied having a weapon or allowing any in his residence, despite videos showing him brandishing what appears to be a loaded Glock with a switch pointed at Brunson.
A witness told police that they attended a party in March 2023 where Porter and others listed off all of the murders the gang committed and Porter was heard saying that he killed Dodson, the affidavit states.
Last month, Porter was in Hammond City Jail when he was overheard discussing Dodson’s murder, saying that he was going to tell law enforcement that he was merely the driver of the vehicle and not the shooter. Porter told someone there that he was the shooter but would not admit it to police, records state. Porter said that he specifically left his cell phone at home on the day of the shooting so his movements couldn’t be tracked.
Porter told someone at the jail that all of the men in the vehicle had handguns and Porter was driving when they spotted Dodson walking, court records state. The vehicle made a U-turn and started shooting at Dodson. At one point, Brunson yelled “I got him!” before the trio fled the scene, the affidavit states.
During this investigation, the Lake County Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force was able to uncover substantial evidence of gang-related crimes involving the 49th Avenue Boys gang including several homicides, drug dealing, illegal firearm possession and sales, and general crimes of violence throughout Lake County. The task force, consisting of detectives from the Gary Police Department, the Indiana State Police, the Indiana State Excise Police, and the East Chicago Police Department, conducted the investigation, with assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Indiana.
