A car slowed down just before at least 7 shots were fired into a public park injuring two people in an apparent drive-by shooting Thursday night, Bloomington Police Capt. Ryan Pedigo said Friday.
A four-year-old girl was playing in the park as her 28-year-old mother was shot, said Pedigo. The mother was hit above her right knee as she sat in the park around 7:15 p.m.
A man, who was already shot last Friday, was shot again, this time in the left forearm. Meanwhile a third person was hit in the back with a bullet fragment, or shrapnel but was uninjured.
The woman, who said she felt a burning in her knee after hearing gunshots was treated by IU at the scene by Health Bloomington. She gave very limited information to investigators and told police she didn’t know who fired the shots, said Pedigo.
Meanwhile, the male gunshot victim, who used his shirt to stop the bleeding, was loaded into a vehicle, which then sped down Rogers toward the IU Health Bloomington hospital. The driver of the car waved at police as he drove down the middle of the street, however, moments later the speeding car was t-boned by another car at 3rd and Rogers after failing to yield to a red traffic light. The wounded man was then loaded into an ambulance at the crash scene and taken to IU Health hospital after the drive advised police his passenger had been shot.
The gunshot victim, who has now cheated death twice in a week, told police he didn’t know what happened, who shot him, or anything else, he said he had his back to the shooter while sitting near benches at the park.
The man told police that when he heard the shots he began running and an unknown person allowed him to take shelter in an apartment.
Crestmont Park is located at N. Illinois St. and W. Illinois Ct. where two shootings have taken place in the past seven days. Police found seven 9mm casings spread along at a distance at the scene of the most recent shooting.
In the latest shooting, the vehicle was driven slowly southbound on N. Illinois as the shots were fired into the park at a crowd around and on the Northwest park bench. The previous shooting Friday, July 2 was directed at the bench in the Southwest corner of the park.
A police investigator found three holes in a parked vehicle at the scene.
Detectives attempted to speak to people in the area, but most were reluctant, or completely unwilling to provide any information or details about the shooting, Pedigo said.
“This has to end,” said Pedigo who stated police are increasing patrols in the area to protect all the community members who use the park and live nearby. Pedigo said police would continue to pursue any lead despite reluctance from witnesses to help.
Anybody with information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Police Department at 812-339-4474 and ask to speak with detective Josh Burnworth.
Pedigo emphasized that people providing information can remain anonymous.
