Early on Sunday morning, a street party on the city’s south side became the scene of a fatal gunshot. Twenty-one people were rushed to Ball Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, where one man later died; another four were transferred to other facilities. Thirteen patients are still doing well in the hospital.
After the shooting rampage, police declared that the public was no longer in risk. An unnamed man who said his nephew was the block party’s DJ stated, “Stranger comes up and decides to take it personal on somebody he knows in the crowd.” And if they have an AR, good luck fighting back. He lost it in the throng. The entire mass of people.
Joseph Bonner, 30, was named as the victim by the Delaware County coroner. There is no information suggesting that Bonner was involved in the shooting, that any of the other victims were involved, or that any firearms were seized.
According to an eyewitness at IU/Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, more than a hundred people flooded the emergency room, many of whom were victims brought in by private vehicles.
The tweet below verifies the news:
Police say one person was killed and multiple people were injured after a shooting early Sunday morning in Muncie, Indiana. https://t.co/BKRAexJwrv
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 30, 2023
While medical professionals attended to the injured, officers from various agencies, including an FBI agent headquartered in Muncie, guarded the scene at South Hackley and East Willard streets and collected evidence.
The debris-strewn street and parking lot were still being combed by detectives with brown bags full of collected evidence as late as lunchtime. A tow truck was also spotted removing a bullet-riddled red Buick that had apparently crashed while trying to flee the site.
“It is too early in the investigation for me to say much,” Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman wrote in a statement.
“I can say that I have been in contact with the Muncie Chief of Police, and I continue to get updates on the investigation. There are far too many guns on the street, and I certainly question the wisdom of someone having a huge outdoor party with several hundred people, including juveniles, carrying on into the early morning hours. Let’s take a dose of reality. This is not the Vegas strip or Times Square. This is a residential neighborhood.”
The organization organizing this week’s Muncie Homecoming Festival published a statement in response to the shooting, clarifying that the incident did not take place during an official MHF event.
“The Muncie Homecoming Festival committee, organizers and volunteers are saddened to hear of the senseless tragedy that occurred in our great city just shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 30, 2023 at Hackley and Willard streets.
“The loss of life and multiple injuries occurred at a local block party that was not a part of the official MHF weeklong celebration events and programming, but has certainly left us all bereft as our community mourns together.
“We are praying for the families of the young man who passed away as well as the families who have relatives who were injured and remain hospitalized.
“This tragedy will not stop the hard work and dedication of those who endeavor to make Muncie a peaceful and loving community. Acts of violence will not be tolerated here, and we are united and moving forward in a positive manner, even in grief.”
Residents of Muncie expressed concern to Carl Malone, the parks superintendent, that this weekend could turn violent, during a crime watch meeting he presided over last Thursday, as reported by FOX59.
“We were a little concerned about the violence that we thought might happen,” Malone said, describing Muncie Homecoming as a city-wide welcome home ceremony hosted once every four years for former residents and family members to reconnect with their homeland.
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”You had a lot of people congregating in one area, just hanging out and wanting to be part of the neighborhood activities. And then, at that point at time, it got into late night, and when you get into late nights, you usually have some sort of curfew violations, alcohol, guns and drugs seem to be a problem.”
Malone claimed that since 2015, Muncie has not had a city-wide effort to reduce gun violence. “We’ve always had concerns about this area and teenagers involved with handguns,” said Malone, whose niece went to the party.
“She was in surgery, and she’s out now. I’m happy to report that her health is stable. The wound has healed completely. And later, out at Ball Hospital, my godson needed medical attention.”
”We’ve always had concerns about this area and teenagers involved with handguns,” said Malone, whose niece attended the party. ”She just got out of surgery. She’s doing well. She’s whole. And then my godson was being treated out at Ball Hospital.”
”The mayor knows my push for gun violence, the lack of gun violence education, the lack of gun violence awareness, the lack of how to report gun violence in and out of our homes,” Malone said. “There’s a way to report crime, there’s a way to report guns, and we just have to report guns in and out of our backpacks and homes.”
The uncle of the DJ, whose sister was hurt, stated that, back in the day, there were unwritten laws against settling personal grudges on the streets. “So, my sister, even though she was a gunshot victim, she was an innocent stand-by, and she was out here trying to help people,” he said.
”I know one thing … it shouldn’t have happened like this. You got a personal beef with someone, you take that with somebody’s person. You don’t take it up with other people’s kids and families. This ain’t that. I don’t understand what the rules are of this year’s game, but these ain’t the rules we live by.”
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