Man reports violent attack in woods

The Bloomington Police Department collected evidence after a homeless man was reportedly attacked in a wooded area near West Third Street and Cory Lane.

The evidence is currently being retained and the investigation is still active, BPD Lt. Bill Parker said.

According to the report, the man was looking for a place to rest when he came across what appeared to be a vacated homeless camp.

The man was leaning against a tree and had momentarily shut his eyes when he heard the sounds of “twigs snapping,” Detective Sgt. John Kovach said.

The sound was the last thing the man remembers, according to the report, and he later woke up on the ground, his blood all around him.

Kovach said the man proceeded to walk from the scene and along West Third Street where he knew individuals at another nearby homeless camp.

The individuals saw him and approached him to help, one providing a T-shirt to wrap around what doctors would later classify as a 10-centimeter, posterior slash wound across the right side of the man’s neck.

The individuals who approached the victim called 911 at about 7:16 p.m., Kovach said.

After being transported to IU Health Bloomington Hospital and treated for his injuries, the man, fully conscious and alert, explained that the attack might have taken place between 4:30 and 5 p.m., Kovach said.

His claim indicates there was a two-hour gap between coming across the individuals from the other homeless camp and being transported.

The man said he had visited Backstreet Missions and a friend’s house prior to discovering the presumedly unoccupied resting spot.

A weapon has yet to be determined, Kovach said.
 
— Michael Majchrowicz