Shots were fired after an argument broke out on the 900 block of W. Marsh Street in the early hours of the morning on Oct. 3.
The Muncie Police Department arrested 22-year-old Antonio Offitt after he pointed a handgun in the air and fired three rounds, according to an MPD police report.
Witnesses in the report said Offitt was in a large group of subjects outside of a home when an alleged fight began. Offitt was seen holding a gun over his head and firing shots into the air before the crowd of people outside of the home ran for cover.
MPD Sgt. Joe Krejsa reported hearing gunshots around 2:55 a.m. near the intersection of Marsh Street and Wheeling Avenue, according to the case report by MPD officer Brian Jackson. Authorities responded to the scene within minutes, Jackson said, but officers split up once on the scene.
Jackson said he was directed to the 800 block of W. Marsh Street on a report of a person with a potential gunshot wound while Krejsa pursued subjects down a nearby alley. No victims were identified, and after finding other officers with subjects with their hands up, Jackson said he approached the 909 W. Marsh Street.
An unidentified University Police Department officer assisted Jackson at the front of the home, and after addressing those inside, Offitt reportedly ran out the back door where Krejsa apprehended him.
“The witnesses at the scene told me simultaneously without hesitation that they were positive Offitt was the shooter," Jackson said.
MPD officers arrested Offitt for criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and transported him to the Delaware County Jail. Offitt had a gun permit, so he was not arrested for possession.
A .40 caliber handgun with a loaded magazine and a handgun holster were recovered from the scene, as were three spent shell cases.
Three houses down from the incident, sophomore music media production major Jon Bell said he wasn’t aware of any shouting or arguing outside, but he did call police after hearing three loud “pops” nearby.
“I thought they were fireworks at first,” Bell said. “I started to see people running away, and that’s when I knew it was definitely gunshots.”
Bell said crowds dispersed quickly, but he was still “a little taken aback” by the aftermath.
“I could hear people yelling, ‘You gotta help us,’ in the distance,” Bell said. “I was like, ‘Oh shoot, this could be serious,’ so I started telling people they should go home.”
Although the shots were fired about half a mile from campus, university spokesperson Joan Todd said there was not a need to release an emergency notification.
“There has to be a potential threat to the campus for an alert to be sent out,” Todd said. “Officers handled the situation very quickly, and students were not in danger after the incident was handled.”
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