Indianapolis - Two people were arrested following some tense moments on the city's south side Tuesday morning.
Shots fired in the 1500 block of Tabor Street prompted a huge response from Metro Police. The SWAT team surrounded a home for two hours and schools went on lockdown.
According to investigators, Dustin Denney, 22, got into a physical confrontation with a female neighbor. They say the argument escalated into shots being fired by Denney. Police believe he pulled out a handgun and fired it five to six times in the air.
The incident was resolved without any injuries, but it set the stage for a very long morning for Metro Police and one south side neighborhood.
Just after 7:00 am Tuesday, residents were awakened by the sound of gunfire.
"It sounded just like firecrackers, almost. But you could tell that it wasn't firecrackers," said Lillian Theard, neighbor.
Three nearby IPS schools - Eleanor Skillen Elementary (IPS 34), School 19 and McFarland Middle School - were placed on lockdown and children arriving were rushed inside.
"She had actually missed her bus and I was gonna bring her in and they said, 'Well, we're checking buses and holding them right now. You might want to hold off," said Loretta Garner, parent.
Dozens of police officers arrived on the scene. IMPD SWAT members went into the house using a battering ram and moments later brought out Dustin Denney. A crowd that had gathered nearby applauded officers' efforts, and the quick and peaceful resolution of a potentially dangerous morning.
"That's one more bad guy off the street," said Becky Hall, explaining why she was cheering. "They're doing their job. There's a school here. All the kids go to school. Everybody's concerned about the kids."
"Anytime we can walk away from an incident like this without firing a shot is very good for us and the bottom line is we didn't want anybody hurt or anything like that so everything has worked out for us today," said Lt. Jeff Duhamell, IMPD. "Our foremost thing that we try to do is not to have to fire any shots or anything like that and make sure that the incident is resolved peacefully and that's what happened here today."
Denney faces preliminary charges of battery, criminal recklessness with a weapon and carrying a handgun without a license.
Officers spent hours searching for evidence inside the home. They eventually found the gun used in the shooting, and they also discovered a small marijuana-growing operation and a bag of marijuana, as well as lights used in the operation. They also pulled out a parking meter believed to be from College Avenue. It wasn't clear if there was any money in the meter.
Another 22-year-old man inside the home was not arrested.
