Police are searching for a man who reportedly forced himself into a Bloomington apartment, fired gun shots into the floor and hit his girlfriend in the face with a handgun.
Authorities have not yet arrested Shawn Starlin, who is believed to have fled Bloomington after committing the crime, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Steve Kellams said.
The 48-year-old could face charges of burglary and robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of intimidation, theft, criminal recklessness, battery, domestic battery and two counts of pointing a firearm.
Officers first responded to the scene when they came across a witness screaming for help on the 2300 block of South Winslow Court at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday.
A neighbor told police a man had forced himself into a nearby apartment and injured her friend inside.
Starlin’s girlfriend, a 38-year-old Bloomington resident, received medical treatment for her injuries.
Starlin allegedly kicked open the locked front door and forced entry into the apartment.He pointed a small, black handgun at the people in the apartment and demanded to know where his girlfriend was, Kellams said.
He then went into the back bedroom and fired a round into the floor. Finding his girlfriend, he demanded money from her and struck her in the forehead with his handgun, which caused cuts and bleeding.
He then stole the woman’s purse and car keys and ran away from the apartment. Starlin may have fled Bloomington in his girlfriend’s white Honda Civic with a California license plate, Kellams said.
Starlin is described as a light-skinned black male weighing 160 to 170 pounds and measuring 5 foot 7 inches in height. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to call BPD at 812-339-4477.
Samantha Schmidt
