Mass shooting at Muncie, Indiana street party leaves one dead, multiple people wounded, police say

A “mass shooting” at a large street party in Indiana early Sunday morning left one person dead, police said. A hospital said 19 people were being treated for injuries at its facility.

Muncie police responded to multiple reports of gunfire on the city’s east side just after 1 a.m., The Star Press reported. Police said in a news release that there was no active threat to the community and that “multiple” victims were injured, including some critically.

These things don’t happen in a vacuum. The key words here at “large street party” and “early Sunday morning.”

Along with “after hours house party” these are events that happen in certain hours and certain places.

As everyone’s mothers say, “Nothing good happens after midnight.”

As a veteran of many night shifts on weekends, I can attest that this is true.

WTTV quotes a witness who claimed his nephew was the block party’s disc jockey as saying, “Stranger comes up and decides to take it personal on somebody he knows in the crowd.

I’m not quite sure if this person was an eye witness or a second hand one, but his words ring true. People who are intent on committing violent crime care not about hurting innocent bystanders.

The combination of people out late at night, drugs, alcohol, and often rival gangs encountering each other is a recipe for violence.

In this case, as far as we know only one person was armed, but I won’t be surprised to find out that there was more than one shooter on scene. None of whom were particularly careful about how or where they shot.

According to the station, Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said in a statement that, “There are far too many guns on the street, and I certainly question the wisdom of someone having a huge outdoor party with several hundred people, including juveniles, carrying on into the early morning hours. Let’s take a dose of reality.  This is not the Vegas strip or Times Square.  This is a residential neighborhood.”

While Prosecutor Hoffman is right about people “…carrying on into the early morning hours.” he is wrong in saying that “There are far too guns on the street.” The problem isn’t guns, it’s criminals with guns. They’d still be criminals if all they had were golf clubs.

An arrest has been made.

Suspect arrested in Muncie mass shooting that killed 1, wounded at least 17

MUNCIE, Ind. — Muncie police have made an arrest in a weekend shooting that killed one man and injured at least 18 others at a block party.

Police arrested 36-year-old John L. Vance in connection with the shooting, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour announced at a vigil for the victims Tuesday.

A spokesperson said Vance was preliminarily charged with several felonies and that the arrest is being forwarded to the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office. Vance is facing two counts of aggravated battery, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and criminal recklessness. He has not been charged with murder of Joseph Bonner, who was killed in the shooting.
Vance’s previous criminal history includes convictions for domestic battery, dealing in cocaine, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and battery resulting in bodily injury.

Well known to the Muncie Police is my guess. Note that he is legally prohibited from owning firearms. A “Prohibited Person” as they say. Which status didn’t stop him from obtaining a firearm of some sort and using it to continue being a violent criminal.

Confusingly the Mayor said that the victim wasn’t specifically targeted even though there was an altercation between the suspect and the victim before the shooting.

After the shooting, police had to separate people in a Muncie hospital’s parking lot who were arguing and officers had to clear a path at the hospital’s entrance for anyone needing medical attention to enter, Criswell said.

The primary trauma center where I worked often had to call the city police when a “gang related” shooting patient was transported to their facility. In addition to the histrionics of family members, there was frequently a risk that a rival gang member would attempt to get into the hospital and finish the job. This never happened in my city that I know of, but it was not for lack of effort.

Speaking of histrionics by family members, more than once we had someone try to enter our ambulance claiming to be the victim’s cousin. Which was interesting as often they only knew their “cousins” street name, not their given one.

We often had to resort to locking the patient compartment from the inside and having someone drive us a few blocks from the scene so we could evaluate and stabilize our patient. So, there is a strong potential for EMS to become involved in some very unpleasant interaction with some people with a propensity for violence.

There is a failure on several levels. The police, the property owner, various other government agencies. It is not a failure of gun control as crime, not guns, are the problem.

And as always, if you are an EMS provider be aware of your situation, surroundings, and the people who are on scene. Things can go sideways quite quickly.