On Sunday, April 14, 2024, at 5:36 PM, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of the University of Southern Indiana campus for a report of “shots fired”. Multiple reporting parties indicated someone was target shooting nearby and may be shooting in an unsafe manner, given the proximity to the college campus.

Deputies and USI Public Safety Officers arrived on the scene and began checking the area. Sheriff’s deputies located six (6) individuals shooting behind a residence in the 1500-BLK of Schutte Road, which is east of the campus. The individuals were cooperative, showed deputies where they had been shooting from, and gave individual statements to the investigating deputies. Deputies continued checking the area and located a spent projectile lying in a campus parking lot off Bluff Lane.

A preliminary investigation into the incident indicated that the backstop that the amateur shooting range was using was not suitable for target practice.

All six (6) involved individuals surrendered their firearms to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office for a ballistic examination. A total of twelve (12) firearms of various calibers were seized.

When the investigation is concluded, a case file will be presented to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

Sheriff Noah Robinson stated, “The matter is still under investigation, so I will refrain from making any statements regarding the culpability of the individuals involved. I must commend the response of our sheriff’s deputies and USI’s public safety personnel. The odds of a sheriff’s deputy finding a bullet lying on the ground that was fired from 1000 feet away are very long indeed. Locating the shooting position and the final resting position of the projectile, based solely on a report of shots fired in the area, is some solid police work.”