The Bloomington Police Department charged Dajhon Lee Branson-Orellana, 21, on Oct. 1 for four felonies related to a shooting on East Kirkwood Avenue on Sept. 6 that injured one person.
Branson-Orellana, was charged with aggravated battery — a level 3 felony — and battery by means of a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness, both level 5 felonies. He was also charged with pointing a firearm at another, a level 6 felony, according to public court records.
At 1:08 a.m. on Sept. 6, BPD officers responded to 911 calls reporting a shooting near Dave’s Hot Chicken on East Kirkwood Avenue. After speaking with staff at Dave’s Hot Chicken, officers identified the scene of the shooting at the southwest corner of the Monroe County Public Library, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, officers located a pool of blood on the sidewalk at the scene, but there were no victims present.
Shortly after, Monroe County Dispatch was notified that a man with a gunshot wound to his neck arrived at the IU Health Bloomington Hospital. When a BPD officer arrived at the hospital, the victim refused to provide information about the shooting but was in stable condition.
According to the affidavit, the officer reported that the victim alleged Branson-Orellana “tried to kill him.”
The victim said Branson-Orellana pointed the gun to his head and said “I’ll kill you.”
The victim’s girlfriend, who witnessed the scene, told the officer at the hospital that she and the victim hosted a party at their residence earlier that evening, during which “money” went missing from a drawer.
According to the affidavit, the police identified the “money” to be approximately three ounces of marijuana after speaking to other witnesses. The girlfriend corroborated the other witnesses’ statements after speaking to BPD again on Sept. 8.
The girlfriend told officers the victim and his friends arranged a meeting in downtown Bloomington with the individual, who they believed had taken the marijuana. The individual brought a friend, Branson-Orellana, to the meeting, per court records.
During this meeting, the victim’s girlfriend said a verbal dispute began between the victim and the male accompanying the individual, later identified to be Branson-Orellana.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the argument then escalated into a physical altercation as the victim and the accompanying male began pushing each other. Another witness of the altercation told officers that the victim had a knife in his waistband and pushed at the male. At this time, the male, later identified as Branson-Orellana, allegedly produced a handgun and fired a round at the victim, hitting his neck.
In surveillance footage taken by the Monroe County Public Library, a man later identified as Branson-Orellana can be seen being pushed and firing a handgun.
The affidavit then stated Branson-Orellana fled the scene in a white vehicle.
Two days following the shooting, BPD presented a double-blind photo lineup including a photo of Branson-Orellana to a witness of the incident. The witness identified Branson-Orellana’s photo with “100% certainty,” according to the affidavit.
On Oct. 1, the State of Indiana issued a warrant to the Sheriff of Monroe County for the arrest of Branson-Orellana. According to MyCase, he will be held without bond until a hearing is held in open court, where his bail will be determined.
Branson-Orellana’s whereabouts are currently unknown, and BPD is actively searching for him to arrest him, according to an email from BDP Captain Ryan Pedigo.
Anyone with information about Branson-Orellana can contact Detective Chris Scott at 812-339-4477 or scottc@bloomington.in.gov.
Branson-Orellana also has another pending case in which he was charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon, a level 5 felony, and criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, a level 6 felony, for an unrelated incident, according to public court records.
The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office said in an email to the Indiana Daily Student that they could not make a comment on Branson-Orellana’s previous pending case.
