Details released on police shooting

Officers John Coleman and George Connolly were the two policemen involved in the shooting of a 16-year-old Bloomington North High School student downtown Wednesday afternoon, according to a Bloomington Police Department report.

A preliminary investigation revealed no police misconduct.

According to the release, a call came in to the 911 center at 1:22 p.m. indicating a boy was “threatening to kill the police” and brandishing a kitchen knife at the Bloomington Transit terminal at Fourth and Washington streets.

Bloomington High School North principal Jeff Henderson confirmed Wednesday afternoon the boy is a student there.

Coleman was the first to arrive on the scene. According to the report, Coleman approached the terminal from the west, walking around the north side of the building with his baton ready. He spotted the suspect standing with his hands in his pockets, about 15 feet away. Coleman then commanded the suspect to remove his hands from his pockets, according to the release.

Connolly arrived on the scene at 1:24 p.m. and approached from the southeast, according to the release. When he was several feet behind the suspect, the teen revealed a knife in his right hand wrapped in a “kind of plastic material,” which the suspect started to shake off.

The suspect then charged at Coleman, who fired his weapon twice when the boy was within five feet of him, according to the release. Paramedic crews arrived on the scene after officers immediately called 911, the release stated.

The suspect, described by police as a black male dressed in a camouflage outfit, underwent surgeries for two shots in his chest and abdomen. The injuries were reportedly not life threatening.

Police said they interviewed eight witnesses who confirmed the story and recovered two shell casings and the knife, which apparently belonged to the suspect.

The results of an internal investigation will be submitted to Chief Mike Diekhoff either Friday afternoon or Monday. Police refused to confirm the identity of the boy who was shot because he is a minor.

“Following the shooting, law enforcement acted swiftly to secure the site and begin a thorough internal investigation,” Mayor Mark Kruzan said in a statement.