April 26 (UPI) — Five people were injured during a shootout at a late-night street party near Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., as crowds gathered to celebrate the annual Little 500 track cycling race, authorities said Sunday.
One of those injured was hospitalized as a result of the 12:25 a.m. Sunday incident on East Kirkwood Avenue, according to Bloomington Police Chief Mike Diekhoff.
Diekhoff told reporters a large crowd had gathered in front of a burger restaurant when an argument broke out between two females.
“During the fight, multiple individuals can be seen drawing handguns and it is believed that two separate individuals fired their weapons,” the chief said. “At that point, everyone began running from the scene and officers rushed to the area to begin to look for victims.”
Those injured included a 20-year-old female, an 18-year-old female, a 22-year-old female, a 17-year-old female and a 21-year-old female. One of the victims was hospitalized in stable condition.
No one has yet been arrested in connection with the incident, Diekhoff said, adding that analysis of cellphone and social media video footage is ongoing. Witnesses were urged to contact the Bloomington Police Department at 812-339-4477.
The shooting came as the city was hosting thousands of tourists and visitors attending the Little 500, also known as the Little Five, the amateur track cycling competition immortalized in the 1979 movie Breaking Away.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson said Sunday’s shooting marked “an incredibly sad day,” especially because it involved gun violence.
“Little Five is a time when we have lots of visitors in Bloomington, including alumni, as we saw from [Indiana University’s NCAA football] national championship,” she said. “We have many visitors in Bloomington for many significant events and have protocols in place to try to support crowds and keep them safe.
“That worked incredibly well for the national championship. And unfortunately, people brought guns to the party last night. Our police were present throughout the weekend on Kirkwood and throughout the city, assisting with crowd management and safety,” Thomson said while praising the policing efforts of the city, university and State Police.
Some residents have suggested that guns be banned from large public gatherings in the wake of incident, the mayor said.
“Unfortunately, Indiana gun laws prohibit such action,” she added. “And if the gun laws remain as they are, anyone can open carry.
“We encourage people not to bring guns to gatherings and we encourage you to speak up to those who can change our gun laws.”
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