7 Wounded In Shooting Near Ball State University Campus; VaShaun Harnett Charged With Attempted Murder
(CBS/AP) -- Seven people have been wounded in a shooting near the campus of Ball State University in central Indiana.
Police say 19-year-old VaShaun Harnett, of Muncie, has been arrested in connection to the shooting, and is charged with two counts of attempted murder. He is being held at the Delaware County Jail without bond.
Police said the shooting happened shortly after 1 a.m. at a house party just west of campus.
Muncie Police Chief Joe Winkle said three people were in critical condition. Some of the victims are Ball State students, but the extent of their injuries is not known.
Winkle said there were somewhere between 50 and 75 people at the house during the time of the shooting.
"We don't get a lot of calls there, certainly these kind of calls," Winkle said. "But I think anytime you have a DJ and you get word out there that there's a party there, you are gonna draw a bunch of different people from all over town, so I think that's probably what's happened."
Stella East, a Ball State sophomore and a Muncie native, told The (Muncie) Star Press that she was in the home's backyard when the shooting took place. She said about 50 people were inside and 50 outside when she and a friend heard five to 10 shots from inside the house. After a brief pause, they heard about 30 more shots, moving from inside to outside.
"Everyone just ran in opposite ways when the shooting started. I just grabbed my friends and ran as far as I could. I was trying to stay calm but knew it was very serious and just had to get away," East said.
Vice President Mike Pence, who delivered the commencement address Saturday at Taylor University in nearby Upland, commented on the shooting on Twitter.
Landed in Muncie, IN this morning and was briefed on last night's shooting. I commend law enforcement for their quick response. My prayers are with the injured and their families. God bless them all.
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) May 18, 2019
"Landed in Muncie, IN this morning and was briefed on last night's shooting," the former Indiana governor wrote. "My prayers are with the injured and their families. God bless them all."
Ball State issued a campus alert shortly after the shootings warning members of the university community to stay clear of the area.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)