The Bloomington Police Department arrested 18-year-old Lewis James May on Tuesday as a suspect in a shooting on Kirkwood Avenue during Little 500 weekend.
May, a Bloomington resident, was charged with criminal recklessness and two counts of battery by means of a deadly weapon, both level 5 felonies. He was also charged with pointing a firearm at another, a level 6 felony, according to a BPD release Wednesday.
At 12:25 a.m. April 26, BPD officers stationed on Kirkwood Avenue heard what they believed to be gunshots. The crowd scattered and officers began to locate the wounded.
One victim suffered a bullet wound and injuries from bullet fragments and four victims were injured from bullet fragments. All are in stable condition and have been released from the hospital.
According to the release, investigators are continuing to examine the events that occurred on April 26. BPD now believes that shortly after the shooting near Five Guys, a second shooting occurred near the Kirkwood Avenue Chipotle. Investigators do not yet know if the two shootings are connected.
In the press release, BPD said it believes the Five Guys shooting injured two and the Chipotle shooting injured at least three.
Investigators are looking for video from Chipotle that morning and request anyone with footage or information to contact Detective Chris Scott at 812-339-4477.
Following the shooting, investigators reviewed cell phone and video footage from nearby businesses. They determined a fight broke out between two females near Five Guys. According to the release, detectives interviewed one, a 20-year-old IU student, on April 27. She told detectives she was in a physical altercation with multiple people she didn’t know after someone threw water on her.
In the footage taken near Five Guys, a man police later identified as May can be seen waving a handgun toward the crowd surrounding the females. He confronted one of the females involved in the fight and discharged a round from the handgun into the sidewalk near the restaurant entrance, according to the release.
On April 30, BPD released photos of the man in the video. Within an hour, multiple callers identified May in it. Investigators eventually located May at his residence in Bloomington on May 5. Officers observed May leave in a vehicle at 5:15 p.m.
He exited the car at a downtown restaurant and was “taken into custody without incident,” according to the release.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for May’s residence and found and confiscated a Taurus 9mm handgun and a backpack that resembled a shark, which was pictured in the April 30 photo release.
May was transported to the Monroe County Jail. His initial hearing was scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday.
