A single gunshot during a fight near Notre Dame’s South Bend, Indiana campus injured a woman and a police officer on Saturday night, authorities said.
The violence broke out at about 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time as people left the university’s tailgating areas, heading toward Eddy Street Commons. South Bend authorities reported that Notre Dame Police saw a male suspect armed and threatening people. However, when South Bend Police found someone fitting the description, no weapon was present.
“As approximately 20 South Bend Police Officers were working in Eddy Street Commons and responding to that call, a single gunshot was heard near Eddy Street and Angela Boulevard,” South Bend Police stated in a Facebook post.
Officers discovered a woman with a non-life-threatening leg injury and a South Bend Police officer injured by what might have been a ricochet or shrapnel.
Eddy Street Commons, near the Notre Dame campus, was closed down for a criminal investigation on Saturday night. Both victims were taken to a local hospital and are expected to fully recover. Police stated that the officer is “doing fine,” while the woman is “okay.”
Notre Dame officials reported that the suspect fled west from the scene. The suspect is described as a heavyset Black male with dreadlocks, wearing blue shorts, a black shirt with a red and blue design on the front, and missing one shoe. The suspect remains at large.
Following the incident, police evacuated surrounding businesses and parking areas. The South Bend Police Department secured the busy commercial district for an active investigation, advising the public to avoid the location as a substantial police presence was engaged at the scene.
Fox News Digital contacted the South Bend Police Department for further comments, but the spokeswoman only referred to the initial Facebook post.
Later that night, another shooting about a mile away resulted in two deaths and another person critically injured. Police did not link the two incidents.
Eric Mack is a breaking news reporter and writer who covers stories from Sunday through Thursday, focusing on politics, elections, foreign affairs, and government.