4 people hospitalized after shootings early Saturday in downtown Bloomington
Four men sustained gunshot wounds early Saturday morning in shooting incidents in downtown Bloomington, one inside a crowded bar. No arrests have been made in either case.
Three of the men were shot inside the Kalao Restaurant and Nightclub at 320 N. Walnut St. around 1 a.m. Police arrived to find them in the street outside the rum bar that opened in 2021.
They had been shot in the lower-level bar at the nightclub and had fled from the building, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Ryan Pedigo said in a 5 a.m. Saturday news release about the incident.
More: Bloomington shootings latest example of increased gun violence; police chief concerned
Video surveillance from Kalao Nightclub shows an alteration between two men before one pulled out a gun and fired into the crowd.
"The suspect can be seen producing a handgun and firing multiple times in the very crowded bar area," Pedigo said in update released late Saturday afternoon.
"At this time, it is believed that there was only one shooter inside the nightclub. The suspect then ran out of the establishment and fled the area prior to the arrival of officers."
The disturbance at Kalao was between the gunman and a 41-year-old man, who is hospitalized in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his upper thigh, according to the update from BPD.
Two other men were shot inside the bar: a 26-year-old is hospitalized in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the pelvis and a 22-year-old was treated at IU Health Bloomington Hospital for a gunshot wound to the thigh and released.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective Jeff Rodgers at 812-349-3318.
Other gun incidents: Southside Bloomington home sprayed with bullets, handgun seized at Little 500 party
Second shooting incident in parking lot
Pedigo said that as officers were investigating the shooting at Kalao, a 911 call reported another man had been shot at a parking lot near the intersection of Sixth and Lincoln streets at 1:30 a.m.
Officers found a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his abdomen who was in the front passenger seat of a vehicle. He was taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital, where he was in critical condition Saturday afternoon.
UPDATE: Police say 2 men charged with fleeing and having guns not involved in downtown shootings
"It is believed that this shooting occurred near the alleyway that runs east and west, between Kirkwood Avenue and Sixth Street," the morning news release said. "The victim in this shooting was rushed to emergency surgery once at the hospital."
"Little has been learned about the shooting near the intersection of Sixth Street and Lincoln Street," the BPD news update said. "Investigators continue to search for witnesses and are attempting to review surveillance footage from nearby cameras."
Pedigo said police don't know if the shootings are related "or if they were completely separate events." Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact Detective Jon Muscato at 812-349-3325.
The incidents occurred as bars in Bloomington were crowded with people celebrating Little 500 weekend at Indiana University. The well-known party weekend surrounding the annual bicycle races draws many out-of-towners as well as IU students to local bars and private gatherings.
Opinion column: Firearms have no place in civilized society. We should repeal the 2nd Amendment
Kalao closed for rest of weekend
Kalao will be closed the rest of the weekend, according to an Instagram post on Saturday that said the owners are "devastated and shocked by the incident that took place last night."
The message said extra security measures will be implemented in the future to make sure nothing like this happens again.
"With an influx of people from out of town it is especially difficult to plan for scenarios outside of Bloomington's rather peaceful norms."
Contact reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com, 812-331-4362 or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington crime: 4 people wounded in downtown shootings Saturday
