1 killed, 7 others injured in shooting near Illinois Wesleyan University campus

Bloomington police said one person was killed and seven others injured Sunday in an early morning shooting near Illinois Wesleyan University. This is the second mass shooting near a college campus in Bloomington-Normal this year.

No one is in custody in Sunday’s shooting and police have no suspect information.

Bloomington Police were called to the 100 block of East Division Street around 1:23 a.m. (before the time change) for reports of several shots fired.

Police said a 19-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene by the McLean County Coroner’s Office. His name has not yet been released pending notification of family.

Police said another adult female was transported to a regional trauma center and was in critical condition. Police said six other people shot suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Police did not provide additional details, including whether the shooting happened inside one of the homes in the neighborhood or outside.

The ministry said the incident appeared to be isolated. “There is no ongoing threat to public safety,” police said in a statement.

On the premises

As of 9 a.m. Sunday, police activity was concentrated near a few larger homes along East Street, across from the IWU baseball stadium, between Division and Kelsey streets and just south of the Carle BroMenn Hospital campus. Several small parking lots between homes were marked off with yellow police tape. One of the registered houses has what looks like a homemade IWU sign or display outside.

Kalyn Patterson and her family live right next to where it happened. She said she woke up during the night to a loud bang, which she now assumes was a gunshot.

“We saw on our Ring camera all the kids scattering and running,” Patterson said.

Patterson said her main concern is her children. She later asked a police officer at the scene if the place was safe for her children, and he told them there was no ongoing threat.

“Which is reassuring, but also still worrying,” she said. “It was pretty scary.”

Patterson said one of the houses registered was well known as the “party house” for young people, but other than that it was a quiet neighborhood.

“It’s very quiet, very safe. For this to happen is very important for our little region,” she said.

Patterson said she still feels safe in the neighborhood.

“I feel sad for the victims. I feel sad for the world and what’s happening in the world, and how easy it is to cause harm and violence now,” Patterson said.

Ask for help from the public

Police are asking for the public’s help with information that could aid their investigation. They are looking for home security footage, cell phone photos or videos, dashboard camera recordings and social media posts or messages related to the incident.

“It could be something small. It could be someone driving by. It could be a vehicle driving erratically, those types of things,” Bloomington police spokesman Bryce Janssen said. “Even though this seems like a minor incident… it could be significant to us. »

The area of ​​interest extends from Center Street to Franklin Avenue and from Emerson Street to Apple Street.

A message to Illinois Wesleyan University was not immediately returned.

Elected officials react

In a statement, Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady said the city “sends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the person who lost their life in this morning’s shooting. Our hearts also go out to those who were injured and everyone affected by this tragic incident.”

“We are grateful for the quick response of Bloomington police, firefighters and emergency personnel who worked to provide life-saving care and protect those at the scene,” Brady said.

“We understand the concern that an incident like this brings to our community. The Bloomington Police Department is actively investigating and additional information will be shared as it becomes available. Our goal remains to support those involved, assist in the ongoing investigation, and keep our community informed.”

State Rep. Sharon Chung, a Bloomington Democrat, said she was “deeply troubled by the acts of violence” near the IWU campus.

“My heart aches for the person who lost their life…and my thoughts are with their family,” Chung said on Facebook.

Second mass shooting this year

This is the second mass shooting in Bloomington-Normal in the past seven months, and both took place near college campuses.

The last one took place in March in the 700 block of Franklin Avenue in Normal, less than a mile from Sunday’s shooting, between Illinois State University and the Carle BroMenn Medical Center complex. Six people, including two minors, were injured in the shooting, but none were fatally injured.

This story will be updated.