Shot fired during fight at local recreation center

Police responded to a report of a shot fired at 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Twin Lakes Recreation Center on Bloomfield Road.

An employee called after hearing the shot, Bloomington Police Department Lt. Bill Parker said.

“He was not able to identify the shooter, but he did tell us he had left in a yellow SUV,” Parker said.

Officers stopped a vehicle matching the employee’s description. Inside, they found Ronnie Burrus, 19, Tyjon Cowan, 18, and two minor girls.

Burrus, the driver, was allegedly found with a stolen .380-caliber handgun, which matched the shell casings found in the Twin Lakes parking lot. They also found marijuana in the vehicle, Parker said.

During questioning, Burrus told police he had been in an argument with another individual who was carrying a knife. Burrus fired the shot as a warning, Parker said.

Burrus initially told police the other individual had fired the shot, but when officers told Burrus about the Twin Lakes employee’s account, Burrus said he fired the shot.

Burrus and the other individual had begun the argument elsewhere, Parker said.

“They agreed to meet in that parking lot to have it out,” Parker said.

Police have identified a suspect as the second individual in the fight and are currently searching for him. They will not release his name or the cause of the fight until they have found and questioned him, Parker said.

Cowan, the passenger in Burrus’ vehicle, had recently consumed alcohol when police stopped them, and he and the two girls were also arrested. Cowan was booked for visiting a common nuisance and illegal consumption.

The girls were booked for a curfew violation because Bloomington has a curfew for 15, 16 and 17 year olds that prohibits them from being out between 1 and 5 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays without an adult guardian. They were also booked for visiting a public nuisance.

— Mary Kenney