IU law student faces weapons charge

Police arrested an IU law student early Tuesday morning after he allegedly fired several shots from his balcony on the west side of town.\nJesse M. Sneed, 27, faces preliminary charges of criminal recklessness with a weapon. \nNo one was killed or injured by the shots.\nThe Bloomington Police Department received a complaint at about 7 a.m. Tuesday in regards to “short bursts of gunfire,” BPD Capt. Joe Qualters said. Officers arrived at the scene in the 1300 block of West Arch Haven Avenue within 10 minutes of the call and heard gunshots as they arrived in the Arch Haven apartment complex.\nA witness observed Sneed wearing a dark baseball cap and a red shirt standing on a balcony on the second floor of the apartment building, Qualters said. Sneed was seen with an assault rifle in his hand and appeared to be “agitated,” he said. \nThe Bloomington Police Department Critical Incident Response Team and hostage negotiators were called to the scene to help secure a perimeter and determine the best method to establish communication with Sneed, Qualters said.\nIU alumnus Billy Lockman, who lives in the apartment building, said he woke up after hearing one or two gunshots. He said he went back to sleep but heard more rapid gunfire and got up to see what was going on. Lockman was not allowed back into the apartment building until officers were done investigating the matter.\nSometime between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m., Sneed, who matched the description of the suspect, was seen trying to leave the area in a red Chevrolet Cavalier, Qualters said. Sneed was asked repeatedly to exit the car but was uncooperative with officers. Sneed was physically removed from the vehicle and was described as being under the influence of alcohol, Qualters said.\nSneed was taken into custody and brought to BPD headquarters for questioning. Sneed immediately requested an attorney, Qualters said.\nOfficers secured the area in an attempt to determine if others were in the apartment. Qualters said officers had to take all necessary precautions to make sure there were no other suspects involved in the shooting.\n“We could not be satisfied with this suspect in custody,” Qualters said at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.\nBloomington resident John Mehalechko was pacing around the crime scene throughout the morning. He said his son and daughter were in the apartment building during the shooting. He said he heard about the shootings on the radio and contacted his children right away. Both of his children were told to stay inside the building until further notice. Mehalechko said he was scared but it was OK because his children were safe inside.\nOfficers were able to evacuate seven residents of the apartment and move them to a safe area, Qualters said. The Critical Incident Response Team entered the apartment building after communication efforts failed. Officers did not find anybody else inside the building, Qualters said.\nOfficers found two rifle cases and two assault rifles, an AR-15 and an AK-47, in the attic area of the apartment, Qualters said. No other suspects were found. Shell casings and bullets were found outside of Sneed’s apartment and were collected for evidence.\n“This could not have ended any better from our perspective,” Qualters said.\nThe case is still under investigation by BPD.