Seven Injured in Bloomington Shooting as Police Investigate Who Fired

Seven people were injured in a shooting in downtown Bloomington, Indiana, early on Sunday 1 November 2026. Police arrested an 18-year-old man after a pursuit but have not established whether he fired any shots.

What we know

The shooting happened at about 1.30am local time in the 400 block of East Kirkwood Avenue, near Indiana University’s Bloomington campus. Bloomington Police Department and university police officers were already monitoring a large Halloween crowd near Kirkwood Avenue and Dunn Street when they heard gunfire.

Investigators said preliminary accounts suggested a disturbance in the crowd shortly before the shooting. Officers responding to the scene found several wounded people and spent cartridge cases on the pavement near 420 East Kirkwood Avenue.

Seven injured, three believed to have needed surgery

The seven people injured were four males and three females aged 17 to 27, according to a police update issued on Sunday afternoon. All were taken to area hospitals and were last reported in stable condition. Police said three were believed to have required surgery.

Six of those injured gave home addresses in Indianapolis and one gave an address in Greenwood, Indiana. None was believed to be an Indiana University student. Those who spoke to detectives said they had travelled to Bloomington for Halloween celebrations.

Arrest does not establish who fired

Police said officers saw a man carrying a firearm running northeast from the area and pursued him. The 18-year-old Indianapolis man was detained near Dunn Meadow, east of Indiana Avenue. An AR-15-style handgun was recovered nearby, according to the police update.

He was arrested on preliminary allegations of resisting law enforcement and unlawful possession of a firearm. Police also said he had a separate pending felony firearms charge in Hendricks County. Investigators have not determined whether he discharged a weapon during the Bloomington shooting.

What investigators have not established

Police found spent cartridge cases from two different firearm calibres. Witnesses reported hearing between four and six shots, but detectives had not confirmed the total number of rounds fired or the number of people who fired weapons. One of the injured people had an AK-47-style pistol, which officers recovered. Police have not established whether that weapon was fired.

The circumstances of the disturbance, who shot the seven victims and whether anyone else was involved remained under investigation. Detectives were reviewing CCTV and other video from nearby businesses.

Indiana University issued emergency warning

Indiana University issued an alert at 1.31am telling people to avoid the Kirkwood and Dunn area. A later notice said the threat was no longer imminent, and the campus returned to normal status at 3.37am. The warnings are recorded on the university’s official emergency alert feed.

Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson said more than 20 officers had been stationed around Kirkwood Avenue as part of a planned safety operation for Halloween and the university’s homecoming weekend. She called for changes that would give cities more powers to control firearms at major gatherings. Her comments are a policy response, not a finding about the cause of the shooting.

Video: Local television report

WISH-TV reported on the shooting and the subsequent arrest. Its broadcast includes images of the street and the police investigation.

Police appeal

Anyone with information or footage from the Kirkwood Avenue area has been asked to contact Bloomington Police Detective Chris Scott on +1 812-339-4477 or scottc@bloomington.in.gov.

Sources

Note: This report concerns Bloomington, Indiana. A separate and unrelated shooting took place in Bloomington, Illinois, on the same morning.