Two children were injured after being shot inside a bouncy house at an outdoor Fourth of July party Monday in Indianapolis, police say.
Police were notified of a shooting at a Fourth of July cookout around 7 p.m. at the Arlington Village Strip Mall located at the intersection of East 38th Street and North Arlington Avenue, Fox 59 reported. Authorities found 57 shell casings from multiple guns.
“We have initial reason to believe this was an unprovoked attack, that the suspects arrived on the scene and opened fire on a crowd that was having a Fourth of July celebration,” Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Capt. Mike Leepper said.
The two children, an 8-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl, were transported to a trauma center in critical condition and now appear to be in stable condition, the outlet reported. Police believe they were inside the bouncy house at the moment of the shooting.
#BREAKING: 2 children taken to the hospital, now said to be in stable condition, after a shooter opened fire in the area of 38th St. & Arlington, hitting them inside a bouncy house. A man, who was also shot, drove himself to a local hospital. Nobody in custody. @FOX59 @cbs4indy pic.twitter.com/nIsFBsAM3O
— Courtney Spinelli (@CourtSpinelliTV) July 4, 2022
“You have two innocent children that are just here trying to enjoy a Fourth of July weekend playing in the bounce houses when careless individuals come up and open fire into a crowd with absolutely no regard for human life whatsoever,” Leepper said.
Another man was reportedly shot and drove himself to a nearby hospital, according to the outlet. Police also spotted bullet holes in nearby buildings. (RELATED: 6 Children Shot And Killed Over 4th Of July Weekend)
“Bullets have consequences. When they leave guns, they don’t stop until they hit something,” Leepper said.
Police suspected this is an “unprovoked attack” where suspects opened fire into a crowd and fled the scene, WISH TV 8 reported. Authorities have not currently released any information about the suspects as they want to “vet the information that they’ve been given, that it’s accurate, before it’s given out to the general public.”
The IMPD is urging any witnesses or person with information on the suspect to contact Crime Stoppers or their department directly, WTHR reported.