INDIANAPOLIS — A violent night in Indianapolis left eight people shot and three dead early Sunday morning.
The first shooting took place in the 1700 block of Bellafontaine Street just before 2 a.m. Officers responded to the area and located a person suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Indianapolis Police Department has not released any additional details about the shooting or the victim.
Less than an hour later, IMPD officers responded to the parking lot of a bar in the 5400 block of Massachusetts Avenue for a report of multiple people shot. Arriving officers found three adult victims suffering gunshot wounds. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time no details about the victims or possible suspects have been released. IMPD PIO Samone Burris says the bar the shootings happened outside and was open at the time of the shootings.
While on the scene of the triple shooting, officers were dispatched nearby to Community East Hospital for a report of four walk-in shooting victims.
Burris says detectives are still working to determine if the two incidents are related and it is unclear where the shooting took place that injured the four walk-in patients.
“The vast majority of restaurants and bars in Indianapolis are acting in good faith, working to provide safe experiences for patrons in accordance with the Marion County Public Health Department’s orders," Mark Bode, a city spokesperson, said. "It’s incredibly disappointing when a few bad actors ignore the guidelines put in place, and even more so when irresponsible decisions end in senseless violence. We’d encourage anyone with information on last night’s shooting to call the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS.”
City-County Councilor Keith Graves, District 13, released the following statement regarding the incident:
At approximately 2:30 a.m. this morning, a gunfight erupted in the 5400 block of Massachusetts outside a venue located in District 13 that recently began hosting an after-hours social gathering. An unknown number of individuals from that gathering engaged in a gunfight that recklessly put those who gathered in the crossfire. It resulted in 7 persons being shot, 3 of whom were killed.
While we grieve for those injured and killed in this horrific event, I want to state in the clearest possible terms that this dangerous, irresponsible behavior is not representative of the residents of District 13. Just yesterday morning, many of our neighbors participated in a community clean-up project with members of IMPD’s East District. Those same East District officers, led by Commander Riddle, have demonstrated a sincere commitment to our neighborhoods, even proactively partnering with other law enforcement agencies to free our District from those who engage in violent criminal activity. The events of last night will not deter our residents or our partners at IMPD East District from our efforts to create safe, welcoming neighborhoods in District 13.
I encourage anyone with information about last night’s shooting to contact Crime Stoppers at 317-262-8477 or IMPD East District at 31-327-6200.
All three incidents remain under investigation at this time.
