Neighbors tried to help jogger hit by stray bullet
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A woman is recovering in the hospital after being struck by a stray bullet while jogging in a northwest side neighborhood, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
The shooting took place around 8:30 p.m. Thursday in a neighborhood northwest of 34th Street and Moller Road, near St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church.
Officers said the woman was taken to an area hospital in serious condition but is expected to survive her injuries.Police
Two witnesses who live along Sunwood Drive near Clark Road explained they were inside their homes when they heard gunfire from two different firearms.
“I was sitting in my kitchen and talking to my wife. and we heard pop pop, pop pop,” said Tom Rhodes. “It was too consistent to be fireworks, so I jumped up and looked out the window.”
“When we opened the door, we saw a lady across the street, and she was just screaming, ‘Help me, oh my gosh, somebody help me,’” said Aliyah Bebley, who lives near Rhodes.
Bebley said her mother is a nurse and by the time she made it outside to help, the injured woman had already left the scene on foot, calling for help.
Police said they were finally able to catch up to the injured woman near Allendale Drive and North Earl Avenue, a few blocks away.
“That could have been me walking down the street with my daughter,” said Bebley. “It makes everybody feel unsafe.”
“It’s very scary because you go to bed at night and you expect to live in peace and some kind of security. Around here anymore you don’t know,” said Rhodes.
On Friday, police had not released the name of the female jogger and were still investigating who fired the shots.
“One of the dudes who was involved, he came to our front yard. He was thinking one of his sisters was shot; he started panicking and crying right here,” said Bebley.
She said the man told her a story about being a target because of a relationship he was having.
“He was just saying, when they pulled up, they started shooting and he took off to somebody’s backyard,” she said.
Bebley said she encouraged the man to speak to police about the situation and try to find justice for the shooting’s unintended victim.
“She was calling out for help. She sounded like she was in agonizing pain,” she said.
Anyone with information about this incident can report it to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 or online at crimetips.org.
