6 Shot Near Illinois State University Campus, Including 2 Students
A mass shooting in the early morning hours of Sunday left six people injured near the Illinois State University campus in Normal, Illinois, including two ISU students and two minors. All six victims were treated at area hospitals and are in stable condition.
What Happened
Normal Police responded to reports of multiple shots fired at approximately 2:40 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Franklin Avenue, a residential area south of the ISU campus. Officers arrived to find six people with gunshot wounds — two boys, two men and two women.
Four of the victims were transported to Bloomington-Normal hospitals by private vehicle. The Normal Fire Department transported the remaining two. All six were treated for injuries not considered life-threatening.
The victims range in age from 17 to 19 years old. Four are from the Bloomington-Normal area. Two are enrolled at Illinois State University, a university spokesperson confirmed.
The shooting occurred at the site of a large off-campus party. Normal Police have described the incident as isolated. No arrests have been made.
No Emergency Alert Issued
The shooting drew criticism after Illinois State University did not issue a campuswide emergency alert in the immediate aftermath.
ISU Police Chief Aaron Woodruff said the decision came down to confusion about the precise location of the shooting and the time it took to verify the details. "I think there was just a lot of confusion of where it happened and what happened," Woodruff said.
Because the shooting occurred off campus, Normal Police led the investigation — a factor Woodruff said added another layer of verification that slowed the process. "If this same incident happened on campus, an alert probably would have been issued, and it probably would have been issued pretty quickly," he said.
Normal Police issued a media advisory at 8 a.m. ISU Police issued its first public statements later that morning.
Woodruff said he fully supports the decision made by the on-scene supervisor not to issue an alert. "They are the ones at the scene, weighing all that information in trying to make a judgement call," he said.
Criticism From State Officials
The decision not to alert students drew a public rebuke from Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who said she has a personal connection to one of the victims — an ISU freshman.
"I am also disappointed that apparently ISU did not issue an emergency alert as administrators have done in other shooting incidents near campus," Mendoza wrote on Facebook. "Parents should feel safe sending their children off to college, not worried they won't make it home one night."
ISU issues campuswide alerts when there are threats to public safety, but Woodruff said those determinations are made on a case-by-case basis.
St. Patrick's Day Weekend
The shooting took place on a Saturday night when multiple off-campus parties were underway. Woodruff acknowledged the timing — close to St. Patrick's Day — may have contributed to the number of gatherings in the area but stopped short of drawing a direct connection.
"I'm not quite sure if it mattered. I think it was a combination of nice weather and probably Unofficial St. Patrick's Day," he said. "People will look for any opportunity to celebrate something."
Normal Police Chief Steve Petrilli has declined repeated requests for an interview. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with home security footage, cell phone photos or videos, dash camera recordings or social media posts related to the incident is asked to contact Normal Police at 309-454-9535 or Detective Kyle McComber at 309-433-3415.