Five females, including teen, hurt in shooting in Indiana along popular Kirkwood Avenue
By Michaela Springer and Alan Selph
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BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (WISH) — Five women were shot early Sunday morning during a fight near Indiana University’s campus, Bloomington Police Chief Mike Decoff said. No arrests have been made.
The shooting happened around 12:25 a.m. on the 400 block of East Kirkwood Avenue outside Nick’s English Hut, as crowds gathered for the annual Little 500 weekend.
Decoff said the gunfire was not random.
“I want to reiterate, this was not just random gunfire. It was a fight between two people that broke out,” Decoff said during a Sunday press conference.
Victims identified:
All five gunshot victims are female, ages 17 to 22, police said. None are in life-threatening condition.
• A 20-year-old woman from Plainfield: gunshot wound to upper torso, struck by bullet fragments in the side.
• An 18-year-old woman from South Bend: embedded bullet fragments in ankle and shin.
• A 22-year-old woman from South Bend: embedded bullet fragments in the back of the thigh.
• A 17-year-old girl from Indianapolis: embedded bullet fragments in foot and ankle.
• A 21-year-old woman from Indianapolis: embedded bullet fragments in shins and thighs.
Four victims were treated and released. One was admitted for further treatment.
In total, nine people went to area hospitals after the shooting. Police said five were transported from the scene, one by police squad car, two by personal vehicles, and one by ambulance from a nearby gas station. Four others were hurt from cuts and scrapes while fleeing.
A Bloomington officer stationed on Kirkwood heard the shots and saw the crowd scatter, police said.
“We had several officers stationed in the area to monitor the event. It was going very peacefully until the shots broke out,” Decoff said.
The shooting ended a night of Little 500 celebrations near IU Bloomington’s campus. Police have not identified any suspects and said it was unclear if any victims are IU students.
Residents react:
Noah Cohn, a Bloomington resident, said he was disappointed.
“I feel like it’s kind of messed up because this is a college town,” Cohn said. “I feel like there’s no need for anyone to get shot regardless of the conflict.”
Travis Mitchell said he wasn’t surprised.
“I mean I feel like it’s kind of a normal thing when Little Five happens, there’s always a shooting or something right around this strip,” Mitchell said.
Mayor Kerry Thompson said the city had protocols in place for the weekend crowds.
“We have many visitors in Bloomington for many significant events and protocols in place to try to support crowds,” Thompson said. “That worked incredibly well for the national championship… and unfortunately, people brought guns to the party last night.”
Thompson encouraged residents to leave firearms at home but noted Indiana law prevents the city from banning guns. She said the city will conduct a review of safety protocols.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information or video from the area around 12:30 a.m. Sunday is asked to contact Detective Chris Scott at 812-339-4477.
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