A 13-year-old boy who was struck by a falling bullet that was likely fired into the air like a firework last weekend in northwest Indiana has died.Noah Inman was playing basketball with a group of children about 9:30 p.m. July 1 in the 7300-block of Harrison Avenue in Hammond, Indiana, when he suddenly fell down, according to a statement from Hammond police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.Witnesses thought the boy had a seizure and called an ambulance, police said. At the hospital, it was determined that he was struck by a falling bullet that was shot into the sky by someone nearby.Inman was later flown to Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago, where he died at 2:06 p.m. Friday, authorities said. He was a Hammond resident."The Hammond Police Department would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to the Inman family. We wish you peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days ahead, and loving memories to forever hold in your hearts. Our hearts go out to you in your time of sorrow. When reason fails, pray for peace. We will be praying with you," according to a statement from police.The police department reminds residents that it is illegal to discharge a firearm within city limits.Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective Lt. Mark Tharp at (219) 852-2988 or Detective Sgt. Mark Ferry at (219) 852-2991. ||||| On Saturday, July 1st, Noah collapsed while playing basketball with cousins and friends at a family cookout. He was immediately rushed to Methodist Hospital where it was discovered he was struck by a bullet in the head. He was airlifted to Comer Children's Hospital where he has remained in critical condition. Anyone who knows Noah has witnessed his strength and resiliency, but we also know it is going to be a long road to recovery. We would like to provide his parents (Stan and Shannon Burczyk) with the resources needed to help Noah in this new journey. Noah has always had an amazing heart and has touched so many people in his 13 years. The outpouring of love, prayers, and support we have received is a testament to the impact Noah has on those around him. We want to make sure he receives whatever he needs to overcome this tragic event. 
 
 Share Tweet 6.6k shares on Facebook shares on Facebook ||||| A 13-year-old boy was critically wounded when a bullet fell from the sky and hit him as he played basketball with a group of kids in northwest Indiana Saturday, police said. 
 
 A 13-year-old boy has died after being struck by a falling bullet that was likely shot into the air like a firework in northwest Indiana last weekend. 
 
 Noah Inman, of the 1600 block of 171st Pl. in Hammond, was pronounced dead at 2:06 p.m. Friday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. 
 
 At around 9:30 p.m. on July 1, police said Inman had been playing basketball with a group of kids in the 7300 block of Harrison Ave. when he suddenly fell down. 
 
 Witnesses at the scene thought he may have had a seizure and called for an ambulance. Once at the hospital, officials discovered Inman had been hit by a falling bullet that was shot into the sky by someone in a nearby community. 
 
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 He was flown to Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago where he died Friday. 
 
 Police said an investigation determined the bullet was "most likely fired into the air like a firework." 
 
 "The Hammond Police Department would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to the Inman family," police said in a statement Sunday. 
 
 "We wish you peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days ahead, and loving memories to forever hold in your hearts," the statement continued. "Our hearts go out to you in your time of sorrow. When reason fails, pray for peace. We will be praying with you." 
 
 Hammond authorities issued a reminder that it is never legal to discharge a weapon in city limits, and asked the public to call 911 to report anyone they believe is using a firearm as part of a celebration in the summer holiday season. 
 
 No one is in custody in connection with the shooting, according to Hammond police, who continue to investigate. 
 
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 Anyone with information on who may have fired the gunshot in the South Hammond area that struck Inman is asked to call (219) 852-2988. ||||| Noah Inman's Highland Babe Ruth All-Star teammates weren't with their brother Saturday afternoon, but they kept him close every step of the way during their last tournament of the season. 
 
 Some got their caps embroidered with "NI 12," Noah's jersey number, while others just wrote it on their caps. And each time they huddled before taking the field, they would break the huddle by chanting "1-2-3-NOAH!" their coach, Juan Maldonado, said Sunday. 
 
 Hearing his team show such devotion to Noah, fighting for his life 30-some miles away in a Chicago hospital, was almost more than Maldonado could take. 
 
 "We played three games this weekend, and hearing them chant every few minutes, that got me choked up," Maldonado said. "Here I am coaching my son, and Noah, who I've coached since he started, doesn't get to be here." 
 
 Noah, 13, of Hammond, was hit by a bullet that fell from the sky earlier this month. He died Saturday afternoon at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago. Inman was with a group of children outside playing basketball around 9:30 p.m. July 1 in the 7300 block of Harrison Avenue when he "suddenly fell down" according to Hammond police spokesman Lt. Steve Kellogg. 
 
 Witnesses thought it may have been a seizure and immediately called for an ambulance, but at the hospital, it was learned Noah was struck from a falling bullet that was shot into the sky by someone in the nearby community. 
 
 Police believe "this bullet was most likely fired into the air like a firework," Kellogg said earlier in the week. 
 
 Mayor Tom McDermott Jr., who used to coach on the Hammond Optimist Baseball League on which Noah played, didn't know him from baseball but knows the family as "a good, close-knit Hammond family who values education." He called Noah's death "a ridiculous fluke." 
 
 "I don't know what (people who shoot their guns in the air) think happens —the bullet disappears into thin air?" he said. "The bullet could've come from Munster, Cal City, East Chicago, really anywhere close by. 
 
 "It's like getting struck by lightning — so senseless. It's a horrible tragedy, and I hope the people who could've done this come forward." 
 
 Maldonado said Noah's cousin, Edgar Gonzalez, wore Noah's jersey through the tournament over the weekend. When it was over, the entire team signed the jersey and plan to present it to Noah's father and stepmother, Stan and Shannon Burczyk. 
 
 Maldonado called Noah a "dream kid" to coach. 
 
 "He hustled in everything he did. If you told him to catch on a 100-degree day, he would catch the whole game," Maldonado said. "If you had to bench him because there were too many kids, he would sit without complaining. There are always a few kids who're tough to coach, but Noah was one of the perfect kids." 
 
 Dan Vassar, president of the Highland Babe Ruth League on which Noah played this season, said the league will talk with his parents to determine how they will celebrate Noah's life. He said Noah fit right in with all the new teammates, and the league wants to help in any way it can. 
 
 "As a parent, you think about your kids being over at so-and-so's house, and that they're safe," Vassar said. "Noah had his whole life in front of him, and we're heartbroken and devastated for his parents." 
 
 Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said in a statement Sunday the department offers its heartfelt condolences to the family. 
 
 "We wish you peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days ahead, and loving memories to forever hold in your hearts," Doughty said in the statement. "Our hearts go out to you in your time of sorrow. When reason fails, pray for peace. We will be praying with you." 
 
 Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter with the Post-Tribune.
– One moment, 13-year-old Indiana boy Noah Inman was playing basketball with friends on a summer evening. The next, he was on the ground, fatally injured by a bullet that had fallen from the sky. Noah died in a Chicago hospital on Friday, six days after he was hit by the bullet, which police believe was fired into the sky "like a firework" by somebody celebrating in a nearby community at around 9:30pm, NBC Chicago reports. People at the scene initially thought Noah had suffered a seizure. The Hammond Police Department offered its "heartfelt condolences" to the boy's family and urged the shooter, or anybody who knows somebody who was firing into the air on July 1, to come forward, ABC 7 reports. Noah played baseball in the Highland Babe Ruth League, where coach Juan Maldonado describes him as a "dream kid" to coach, the Chicago Tribune reports. He says on Saturday, during the team's last tournament of the season, players had "NI 12" on their caps, referring to Noah's jersey number, and chanted "1-2-3 Noah" after huddles. Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. describes the death as a "ridiculous fluke" and a "horrible tragedy." "I don't know what [people shooting their guns in the air] think happens—the bullet disappears into thin air?" he tells the Tribune. "The bullet could've come from Munster, Cal City, East Chicago, really anywhere close by. It's like getting struck by lightning—so senseless." A GoFundMe page set up to help the family has raised more than $22,000.