UPDATE (10/17/23): Bloomington PD received a call about an active shooter at College Mall on Tuesday. Police immediately responded to the scene, according to a BPD press release.
When officers arrived on scene, they determined the tip was inaccurate and that there was no active threat to public safety. After an investigation, police determined the call was the result of a miscommunication between the emergency caller and a third party.
The caller mistakenly thought the shooting that occurred in the 300 block of East Winslow Road on Monday was active and current.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Bloomington police are investigating after two men fired multiple shots at each other in a shopping plaza early Monday afternoon.
Officers with the Bloomington Police Department responded around 1:46 p.m. to the shopping plaza located within the 300 block of E. Winslow Road after receiving reports that shots had been fired.
BPD said officers soon determined that two men, identified as Antowyne Osborne and Shauntrell Watts Jr., had exchanged gunfire in the area. Nobody was struck by the stray bullets, according to BPD. However, officers did confirm that a nearby building had been damaged by the gunfire.
Witnesses on the scene reportedly told officers that they observed a white SUV drive away after the incident. BPD said the rear window of the SUV had been shattered due to the gunfire.
The same white SUV was found in the 2300 block of S. Rockport Road a short while later. Officers conducted a traffic stop and brought the occupants into custody without incident for questioning.
S. Rockport Road was closed to surrounding traffic for a few hours while the investigation continued.
Investigators reviewed video footage and conducted several interviews with witnesses who were present at the time of the shooting.
BPD said Osborne and Watts Jr. reportedly knew each other, leading police to believe that the incident was not random and was targeted.
Further investigation revealed that Osborne and Watts engaged in a verbal disagreement in the Winslow Plaza parking lot before the shooting incident occurred. This led to both men allegedly pulling out handguns and firing at each other, according to BPD.
Osborne proceeded to flee the scene as a passenger in a white SUV before officers arrived. BPD said Osborne was seen crouching down while inside the SUV as officers gave orders to take him into custody. Officers recovered a handgun inside the grill of the of the vehicle after detaining Osborne.
Officers determined this firearm was reported as stolen from a nearby apartment complex.
Watts Jr. was arrested and preliminarily charged with felony counts of attempted murder, criminal recklessness and pointing a firearm. Osborne was preliminarily charged with felony counts of criminal recklessness and possession of a stolen handgun, and unlawful carry of a handgun, which is a misdemeanor.
