The following press release was sent to The Bloomingtonian Wednesday:
“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
________________________________________________________________
September 8th, 2021
For more information, please contact:
Captain Ryan Pedigo
Bloomington Police Department
(812)349-3324
Bloomington Police Investigate Shooting
The Bloomington Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred on the west side of the city. One victim is currently hospitalized as a result of the shooting.
The investigation is ongoing, but one man has been arrested.
Victor C. Pilot-Coleman, Jr., 29, of Bloomington, has been arrested and preliminarily charged with Attempted Murder, level 1 felony, Criminal Recklessness with a Deadly Weapon, level 5 felony, and Pointing a Firearm, level 6 felony.
On September 7that approximately 5:30 p.m., officers responded to the 3400 block of W Third Street in response to several 911 calls about a shooting in the parking lot near Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. While officers were en route, Central Emergency Dispatch received information that a victim had been loaded into a passenger car, which had fled from the area. Upon the arrival of officers, witnesses stated that the suspect had fled around the west end of a nearby strip mall and was last seen running southbound along the western edge of Joann Fabrics and Crafts. Officers immediately began checking behind the business and located the suspect inside a dumpster behind the store. The suspect, later identified as Victor Pilot-Coleman, was taken into custody without further incident. It should be noted that officers had the suspect in custody within nine minutes of the first 911 call being received by Central Emergency Dispatch.
Investigators interviewed several witnesses and viewed footage from multiple nearby surveillance cameras and were able to determine the following:
At approximately 5:25 p.m., the 21 year-old male victim was in the driver’s seat of a passenger car in the drive-thru of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers along with an acquaintance. While sitting in the drive-thru, Pilot-Coleman approached the victim’s vehicle on foot with a handgun in plain view. The victim and the acquaintance then attempted to exit the vehicle through the front passenger door. As the victim began running southbound in the nearby parking lot, Pilot-Coleman chased him and began shooting multiple times. The acquaintance then climbed into the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle and began chasing Pilot-Coleman through the parking lot, eventually striking Pilot-Coleman with the vehicle. This caused Pilot-Coleman to drop the handgun that he had been firing.
Pilot-Coleman then began running towards Joann Fabric and Crafts and the acquaintance picked up the handgun and fired at Pilot-Coleman. However, Pilot-Coleman was not struck. The acquaintance then drove the victim’s vehicle to where the victim had collapsed in the parking lot and loaded the victim into the back seat of the vehicle prior to fleeing from the area. As the acquaintance was driving away from the scene, he called 911 and met officers and ambulance personnel at a residence in the 100 block of S Curry Pike. The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was transported by ambulance to the IU Health Bloomington Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. As of the afternoon of September 8th, the victim remains hospitalized but his condition is unknown.
A window of A Total Tan was damaged by a bullet fired at some point during the incident. The relationship between the victim and the suspect is unknown and remains under investigation.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Detective Josh Burnworth at (812) 339-4477.
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Under Indiana law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Attached is a booking photo of Victor Pilot-Coleman courtesy of the Monroe County Jail.”
