INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD announced an arrest of a suspect who allegedly fired a shot inside a Broad Ripple bar on Nov. 28, injuring an employee.
Detectives arrested a 22-year-old man on preliminary charges of aggravated battery and criminal recklessness. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office will make the final charging decision.
(NOTE: 13News does not name suspects until charges have been filed by prosecutors.)
Officers were called to Connor's Pub on Ferguson Street just before 1:30 a.m. Nov. 28 on a report of a person shot. Police tell 13News the bar staff asked a customer to leave because he had a firearm and he fired one shot, hitting an employee.
"What we see here is we have one individual who made a bad decision and brought a firearm to a location and made a bad decision with that firearm," IMPD North District Commander Matthew Thomas said.
According to court documents, an employee who was working security saw the suspect get into an argument with a waitress, so the security guard tried to deescalate the situation. The security guard allegedly asked the suspect to leave, and as the suspect was walking out, he pulled out a gun, told the security guard he would kill him and fired one shot toward the front of the bar.
Dennis Pyron said he was a regular at the bar and came by Tuesday to check on staff.
"Long-time resident, I'm dismayed about what's happened to Broad Ripple as far as the violence," Payton said. "We'd get in there and we'd have a rumble. Typical bar fight, a rumble. It was great fun, but nobody pulled out a knife or a gun, ever."
IMPD didn't say if Connor's Pub was considered a nuisance property, but said this is one of Indy's safest neighborhoods.
"In Broad Ripple, we actually see almost zero crime," Thomas said. "Unfortunately, when we do have instances of violence, it's notable because we have such a tight-knit community."
Police said they have seen a 38% decrease in violent crime in Broad Ripple compared to this time last year.
"And that's outpacing what we're seeing in the entire city as a whole," said Thomas, who credits, in part, crime prevention strategies implemented this summer. "We'll have discussions with our business owners, patrons who are visiting. What are you experiencing? What needs do you have? What changes can we make?"
The shooting victim told 13News he was out of the hospital within hours of the incident.