MERRIVILLE, Ind. — Police are searching for the person or people responsible for the shooting that killed a 20-year-old man Wednesday in Merrillville.

The shooting took place in the 7200 block of Taft Street around 7 p.m.

Police responded to a call of shots fired.  Upon arrival, officers treated one male victim who died from his injuries.

The Lake County Indiana coroner identified the victim as Aahric Whitehead.

Whitehead graduated from Merrillville High School in 2020.

He was a star athlete and described by many as a charismatic and loving person with a bright future.  

James Boyd first met Whitehead when he was a sports reporter for The Times of Northwest Indiana. 

“We stayed in touch with social media. He was always hitting me up, congratulating me on things, whishing me happy birthday and stuff like that. Definitely a kid I looked at as family,” Boyd said. “(He was a) Funny dude. He could dress well too. … But a guy who was really loved because of how serious he was for his craft in football, but also how supportive he was too.”

Boyd says Whitehead had recently started sharing his star athlete talents with the next generation as a coach. 

“Once he got out of high school, his plan was to go into carpentry, going into a trade. I didn’t have any question about him getting customers. He was a well-known guy, good personality,” Boyd said. “And I think his impact was always going to be giving back to his community.”

The case is under investigation.  

Two other individuals were also injured in the shooting.

The Merrillville Police Department is asking anyone with information to contact them at (219) 769-3722.