INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis police are taking steps to improve security at city parks after three shootings at the basketball courts in parks in the past couple weeks.
IMPD says mobile trailer surveillance cameras are in place at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Riverside Park in response to the shootings and because of upcoming events in Riverside Park.
On Tuesday night at MLK Park, police said they collected at least 45 shell casings from a shootout between a group of people on the court and a black Dodge Challenger driving by the park.
The gunshots fired just after 8 p.m. did not hit anyone, but the bullets did hit a house across the street with a family inside. At least 10 bullets broke windows or left damage marks on the brick.
Brittany Smith visited MLK Park Wednesday afternoon with her four children. Smith calls herself a "park hopper," frequently visiting several city parks with children.
"We like for our kids to be outside, obviously staying away from some screen time and stuff like that,” Smith said. “But if there's like a splash pad area, the kids love that. Basketball courts, they love that."
Smith was not aware of the shootout just the night before at the park.
"Wow!” Smith said. “I didn't know that. I didn't see that on the news. A lot concerning, especially because we come here frequently and don't live too far from here. So, safety is a huge concern. So I do try to choose parks where I feel like I'm safe, especially when I'm with my kids without my husband."
Summer day camp starts next week at MLK Park. Indy Parks and Recreation hopes the pool at the park is repaired and open by mid-June.
Indianapolis park rangers, with full police powers and supervised by IMPD, patrol the parks. But there are only 11 park rangers with over 200 city parks.
Investigators are looking for the person who shot a teenager at Riverside Park Monday night. Police said it happened near the basketball courts. When they arrived, the victim was already on his way to the hospital and was listed as stable.
Earlier this month, a 22-year-old was shot at Bertha Ross Park near the basketball court. In that case, a 19-year-old was arrested a day later.
13News asked Indy Parks if they were considering removing basketball goals at some parks. A spokesperson said, "We are currently reviewing a number of options for parks at the moment.”