Business owners call to make Broad Ripple safer - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Business owners in Broad Ripple are working to keep people safer after the holiday shooting of an innocent bystander.

A stray bullet hit a 38-year-old man during a street fight early Thursday morning.

Indianapolis mother Katie Kannenberg and her family spent part of Thursday afternoon in Broad Ripple. She says safety in the area, particularly when the bars and restaurants fill up at night, is a concern.

"We come here on the weekends, mainly to run on the Monon Trail and we have noticed that there have been stepped up patrols," Kannenberg said.

She isn't alone.

Broad Ripple business owners would also love to put an end to the violence. Someone started shooting around 2:30 a.m. Thursday as partygoers celebrated Independence Day. A stray bullet during a fight struck 38-year-old Scott Orington. He stumbled to the Vogue nightclub for help.

Police eventually arrested a 19-year-old for the shooting.

Part of a statement from the executive director of the Broad Ripple Village Association says "they have increased security and patrols during late night hours in response to an increase in loitering and other criminal activities."

Although word about the shooting spread fast to people like Steve Dobbs, he and his friends remain open-minded about it being a safe party place.

"I just heard about that. I would never expect that to happen. I guess sometimes late, it can get kind of sketchy," Dobbs said.

"That can happen anywhere. It doesn't just happen in a place like this, which attracts people who do things like that sometimes," said Christina Mulrey of Broad Ripple.

Meanwhile, new development like a parking garage with retail space on the corner of College and Broad Ripple Avenue may give police an even bigger presence in Broad Ripple. There is talk about opening a police substation in the retail space. That would put police in the heart of the nightlife and help officers respond faster to potential problems.