Shooting violated council member’s “sacred space”

BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) – An elected official said the shooting struck too close to a home in northwest Bloomington.

In fact, a bullet struck the home of Ward 7 Councilwoman Mollie Ward, shattering the glass on the front door, just feet from where her family was relaxing on the rainy Friday night.

Ward said a man suffered two gunshot wounds in the 300 block of West Graham and a neighbor's car window was shot out.

Ward told her story Monday night as the Bloomington City Council listened to a presentation about the commission she championed last year to investigate the root causes of gun violence in the city.

The Safe Communities Task Force was established in June last year by a narrow 5-4 vote.

She urged the council to examine the social causes that lead to shootings like the one on Friday night.

Ward said the commission is necessary even though there were no gun homicides in the city last year. She believes shootings that do not result in death have a significant impact.

“The fear of random violence destroys communities in ways that are not always measurable on a crime heat map, and the trauma of witnessing violence leaves people with scars that are not always visible,” said Ward, showing a piece of broken glass from her damaged front door.

“What happened to us in northwest Bloomington can happen to any of us in this room, on this podium, and we have a duty as a city council to make sure it stops with us,” Ward said.

The councilwoman praised the Bloomington police highly for their quick response and their kindness and compassion.

She said Police Chief Jamal Simington and his officers viewed the shooting as a “violation of sacred space.”

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