A lack of physical evidence might help Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity avoid punishment after a fight and gunshots disrupted the organization's party, Ball State University officials said Wednesday.
Lynda Wiley, National Pan-Hellenic Council adviser, said she questioned fraternity members and worked with the Muncie Police Department to gather information about the incident.
Sgt. Sheryl Mench of the Muncie police said they were unable to locate suspects, and no arrests were made.
"There were somewhere between 400 or 500 people there," she said. "There was no way for us to determine who was doing what. By the time we arrived, they were all clearing out."
Mench said the department received about 20 phone calls reporting gunshots from neighbors and officials at the National Guard armory where the party was.
"I can say without a doubt that there were shots fired," she said. "I don't think 20 neighbors were incorrect."
Phone calls to the fraternity's president Wednesday evening were not returned.
Although there were phone calls reporting gunshots, Wiley said, the only piece of evidence is a computer file reporting the shots, she said.
"There's only a computer entry; there wasn't an actual police report made," she said. "Because of that, I don't actually have anything to go on. Really what that means at this point, given the information I have, there isn't any information that the organization violated any policy."
Mench said there also appeared to be alcohol and drug violations at the party.
"There was a strong [marijuana] odor in the air," she said. "It was just like a party in the sense that people were drinking and doing drugs. The size of it was the issue."
Wiley said she did not find evidence to indicate there were drugs or alcohol at the party.
"Conversations with the fraternity have really been centered on the incident," she said. "We've also discussed how we can continue to let groups have events like these that are safe for both them and their attendees."
In a previous interview, Capt. Mark Vollmar of the Muncie police said the police responded to calls about the party twice before the fight. The first call was about illegally parked vehicles and the second was because somebody at the party passed out, Vollmar said.
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