INDIANAPOLIS — A shootout in downtown Broad Ripple left many ducking for cover around 1 a.m. Sunday near Guilford Avenue and Main Street.
Several homes and cars were damaged, and one person was hurt.
According to the police report, at least 90 shell casings were recovered at the scene.
“We just got behind something and stayed low for a minute,” Preston Ott said.
“We grabbed our dogs and just stayed on the floor,” Jacinda Johnson said.
A day before, shots were also fired just down the street after a fight broke out. Some of those bullets damaged nearby businesses, including a Turkish restaurant.
Then on Sunday, shots were fired outside a McDonald's on Broad Ripple Avenue.
“It’s sad because it’s such a nice area,” James Gineris said.
Gineris said he is now moving away from the area and heading downtown where he feels safer.
“It’s just scary. At what cost do you walk home from the bars and risk something like this happening, and you are in the crossfire,” he said.
IMPD said they are aware of the ongoing violence in the area and have extra patrols out on the weekends.
“We work really hard in Broad Ripple. We have a close working relationship with the community groups up there and the business groups,” IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey said.
However, Bailey said some businesses in the village aren’t working with police like they should.
“Business owners have to be better. They have to work with us more. Our nuisance abatement task force is going to really hone in on the problematic businesses up there and if there is a way to hold them accountable, we are going to do that,” Bailey said. “We have cameras up there. We are going to start stopping cars coming in and out of Broad Ripple on the weekends to interdict these guns. It’s not a place you are going to want to come to if your heart is hellbent on doing violence.”
The Broad Ripple Village Association released the following statement on the weekend violence:
“The Broad Ripple Village Association and the wider Broad Ripple community are infuriated by the violence that occurred in our community this weekend. While we are awaiting official details from IMPD, as there is an ongoing investigation of the events that transpired last night, it is clear the injuries, property damage, and risk of lives sustained warrant the attention of our city leaders. From a community that has constantly asked for help, we call on the mayor, city prosecutor, IMPD, and both city and state legislators to take a stand against this violence and implement effective solutions to create a safe and peaceful environment for our residents, visitors, and businesses.”