A Perry County, Indiana, teenager has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after entering a plea agreement in a July 2024 shooting at Rainbow Lake that injured four people. On October 1, 2025, the court accepted the plea for 18-year-old Keshawn Mayes, who was 17 at the time of the incident, thereby avoiding additional charges like attempted murder. The shooting occurred in July 2024 at Rainbow Lake, a locale in Perry County.

Authorities report that Mayes fired 15 rounds at a vehicle carrying five occupants during what is described as a dispute among juveniles.

The victims’ injuries were nonfatal: the driver was shot in the hand; the front-seat passenger was shot in the back; a rear-seat occupant was cut by broken glass; and another was grazed on the lip by a bullet. The fifth person was not hurt. All victims have since recovered, per statements from the prosecutor. In his plea, Mayes admitted guilt to one count of aggravated battery and three counts of battery with a deadly weapon.

He had been previously charged with attempted murder among other counts. The sentencing occurred on October 1, 2025. Perry County Prosecutor Samantha Hurst (name confirmed in local reporting) remarked that the plea ensures accountability for the violent act. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, though initial law enforcement accounts suggest a disagreement among youth escalated rapidly. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including the Perry County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police. (I found no reliable verification that U.S.

Forest Service officials were involved.) The case was originally filed while Mayes was a juvenile, with his arrest coming shortly after the July 2024 incident. This resolution ends the need for a full trial, imposing a significant sentence while offering expedited closure for victims. While it may reassure local residents about consequences for severe violence, details on rehabilitation or preventative community programs are not included in public reporting.