UPDATED: East side shooting triggers safety alert

Posted on February 26, 2019

*Bloomington Police, including a crime scene unit, were seen late Tuesday afternoon outside a residence in the 700 block East Jefferson Street after a shooting nearby. (Photo by Howard Packowitz/WJBC)*

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Police are declining for now to release details about a Tuesday afternoon shooting near Clinton Boulevard and East Washington Street that led to a safety alert in the area.

No one was wounded, but officers urged the public to stay away from the area near the 800 block of East Washington Street for a little more than two hours. District 87 school administrators were also in touch with BPD, which determined it was safe to release students at the end of the school day.

After police gave the all-clear, several unmarked squad cars and a crime scene vehicle were seen outside a residence in the 700-block of East Jefferson, close to the shooting scene.

McLean County Jail records indicated three men were being held for mob action, including a man, 23, who lived at the East Jefferson Street address. It was not clear whether the arrests were directly tied to the shooting.

Police say they’re still investigating.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…