South Bend police are investigating two shootings that took place within a mile of each other Saturday night.
Around 7:30 p.m., a shooting at Eddy Street Commons triggered a large police response near the start of Saturday’s Notre Dame football game. A woman was reportedly hurt, and a police officer was apparently hit by shrapnel or a ricochet.
The University of Notre Dame says the suspected shooter left on foot, heading west. He’s described as a “heavyset Black male with dreadlocks, wearing blue shorts, a black shirt with a red and blue design on the front and one white shoe.”
South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski says at this point, it appears only one shot was fired. He told reporters Saturday night that both the officer and the woman were doing fine. Police later said the woman was taken to the hospital, while the officer was treated on-scene.
Ruszkowski said the shooting followed an altercation that broke out near Eddy and Angela, as crowds arrived in the area, after pre-game tailgating. He said, at the time, officers were responding to a report of a different person pointing a gun at people, but it turned out that person wasn’t actually armed.
Another injury was reported nearby, but not from gunfire. Ruszkowski said 35 to 40 officers were on the scene, including 20 off-duty officers who were assigned to the area. The area was cleared and businesses were closed, as police investigated.
A second shooting around 11:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Bissell Street reportedly left two people dead and a third in critical condition.
Police believe it started with a large fight. Officers say that when they got there, they found three victims with serious injuries. Two of them later died.
Anyone with information about either shooting is asked to contact Michiana Crime Stoppers.
