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A night of celebration turned into a scene of terror early Sunday morning as a mass shooting on Bloomington, Indiana\u2019s popular Kirkwood Avenue left nine people injured. The violence broke out just after midnight during the university\u2019s famed \u201cLittle 500\u201d weekend, a period that typically draws tens of thousands of visitors to the area.<\/p>\n
Billed as \u201cThe World\u2019s Greatest College Weekend,\u201d the Little 500 is the largest collegiate bike race in the United States. Founded in 1951, it has become a defining cultural event for Indiana University and the Bloomington community. Modeled after the Indianapolis 500, the race features 33 teams of four riders competing relay-style on a quarter-mile cinder track at Bill Armstrong Stadium.<\/p>\n
To ensure a level playing field, all teams must use identical, single-speed \u201cLittle 500 bikes\u201d provided by the IU Student Foundation (IUSF).\u00a0These bikes have coaster brakes (no hand brakes) and no add-on accessories.<\/p>\n
The race gained international fame through the 1979 Academy Award-winning film\u00a0Breaking Away<\/em>, starring Dennis Quaid (in his breakout role), Dennis Christopher, Daniel Stern, and Jackie Earle Haley, and which centers on a group of \u201cCutters\u201d (local Bloomington residents) competing against fraternity teams.<\/p>\n According<\/a> to the Bloomington Police Department (BPD), officers were already stationed on the 400 block of East Kirkwood Avenue monitoring a large crowd when gunfire erupted at approximately 12:25 a.m. Witnesses described a festive atmosphere that disintegrated into \u201cpure chaos\u201d as dozens of shots sent revelers diving for cover and fleeing toward the Indiana University campus.<\/p>\n While the investigation is in its preliminary stages, witnesses reported that the violence appeared to stem from a physical altercation. One witness recalled<\/a> seeing two women fighting in the street shortly before one of them reached toward her leg, produced a firearm, and began shooting into the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t think too much of it at first,\u201d the witness told local reporters. \u201cI figured the police would get to it. But then I saw a girl \u2026 start firing. By then, I was already running the other way.\u201d<\/p>\n