INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — (DMN) – An openly gay Indianapolis teenager who brought a stun gun to school to ward off bullies was attacked Friday night at the food court in a downtown shopping mall. The teen’s alleged attacker, Khyran R. Delay, 34, has been charged with battery. According to court documents, Delay told Circle Center Mall security officers that he recognized 17-year-old Darnell “Dynasty” Young from news coverage of his story and tried to talk to Young about it. He said Young got in his face and that he pushed Young. But Young and Donald Richardson, a janitor who witnessed the incident, told police that when Young walked past Delay’s table in the food court, Delay told Young to get away from him and used homophobic slurs. They said that Delay pushed Young and then hit him in the face, according to court documents. Richardson said he radioed for mall security, and then Delay came toward him because he was mad that Richardson had called security. Security officers arrived and detained Delay.
A police officer who investigated the case said he noticed redness in Young’s left eye where Delay allegedly struck him. Police arrested Delay, and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Delay with a misdemeanor count of battery. Delay is currently being held in the Marion County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.Young was expelled from Arsenal Tech High School last week for bringing a stun gun to school. His mother, Chelisa Grimes, said the school hadn’t done enough to help her son when he complained about bullying, so she gave him the weapon.
Young took out the stun gun and fired it in the air April 16 when he said a group of students approached him during a passing period and threatened to beat him up. Young’s story has received national attention, and Young and Grimes have appeared on CNN and ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Some of Young’s supporters have organized a rally to raise awareness about bullying Tuesday night before an Indianapolis Public Schools school board meeting.
