Bloomington police and the McLean County Coroner's Office on Monday identified the young woman killed in Sunday's Halloween-party shooting near Illinois Wesleyan University as Giana Dettloff, 19, a North Central College student and cheerleader from Carol Stream — and raised the total number of people shot to nine, after a ninth victim came forward Monday morning with injuries police described as non-life-threatening. This is a major update to the shooting first reported on Sunday, when eight victims were known, the dead woman had not yet been named, and no conditions had been confirmed for most of the wounded.
The shooting happened at about 1:23 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, in the shared backyard of a house at 109 East Division Street in Bloomington, Illinois, across the street from Horenberger Field, Illinois Wesleyan's baseball field. Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington said an officer handling a nearby call at about 1:21 a.m. heard roughly 10 gunshots. Between 150 and 200 people were at the outdoor party, which officers who had driven through the area earlier in the night described as a jovial gathering with no sign of trouble beforehand.
The coroner's findings
McLean County Coroner Kathleen Yoder said Dettloff died from several gunshot wounds to the chest and pelvis, and that there was no evidence she was shot at close range. Yoder confirmed Dettloff was a North Central College student and a member of its cheerleading team, said she had met the family, and relayed the family's request for privacy, urging media not to contact them. Chief Simington, who also met Dettloff's parents on Sunday, said: 'For a parent, sending a child off to college is filled with pride, hope, and excitement for the journey ahead. To have that journey cut short in such a tragic way is a parent's worst nightmare. Our hearts are with Giana's family, friends, and everyone impacted by this tragedy.' Dettloff was visiting a close friend at Illinois Wesleyan when she was killed.
Source: WCIA / WMBD
Who the eight wounded are, and how they are doing
Police gave a victim-by-victim account on Monday. Two victims attend Illinois Wesleyan University: a 19-year-old man from Plano shot in the right arm, and an 18-year-old woman from Carol Stream shot in the leg. Two attend Illinois State University in neighbouring Normal: a 19-year-old woman from Grant Park shot in the ankle and listed in stable condition, and a 19-year-old woman from Hoffman Estates who was treated and released. A 19-year-old Quincy University student suffered wounds to her arm, abdomen and chest and was upgraded from critical to stable by Monday morning. A 22-year-old Bloomington man shot in the arm and abdomen was in stable condition. An 18-year-old Glenbard North High School student from Carol Stream was in stable condition, and a 16-year-old Bloomington High School student suffered a graze wound to the arm and was treated and released. Officers transported most of the wounded to hospital within minutes of arriving; the two victims first listed as critical are now both stable. The injured minors are not being named.
Chief Simington said the victims were Black and white, came from different hometowns and different schools, and many had no prior connection to one another. 'We continue to wish all those injured a full recovery and hope they have the support and care they need during this difficult time. We remain committed to conducting a thorough investigation, identifying those responsible, and ensuring accountability,' he said.
The investigation: FBI and ATF helping, no one in custody
No one was in custody as of Monday's briefing, and police said they were still working to sort out the 'whos and the whys' of the shooting. Simington said his department is being helped by the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with the McLean County Sheriff's Office and the Coroner's Office, and that no evidence details would be released while the investigation is pending. The only suspect information police would give publicly is that the suspected shooter or shooters were described to investigators as Black males; the chief would not say whether there was one shooter or more than one. Department spokesperson Bryce Janssen said police believe the shooting was an isolated incident and that there is no ongoing threat to public safety.
Source: NPR Illinois
Bloomington police have opened a community evidence portal (bloomingtonpdil.evidence.com) for home security video, cellphone photos and video, dash-camera recordings and relevant social-media posts from the area between Center Street and Franklin Avenue and Emerson Street and Apple Street. Janssen acknowledged some partygoers might fear coming forward because of underage drinking: 'What we are focused on right now is the shooting investigation and only the shooting investigation. We are not interested in underage drinking or anything.' Tips can also go to Bloomington police at 309-434-2532.
Background: the second campus-area mass shooting in Bloomington-Normal this year
NPR Illinois noted this was the second mass shooting near a college campus in the Bloomington-Normal area this year, which is why Monday's briefing drew the police chief, the coroner and federal agencies to the same table. Illinois Wesleyan said on Sunday it was working in close coordination with local authorities, and students from at least four institutions — Illinois Wesleyan, Illinois State, North Central College and Quincy University — were among the victims, underlining how a single off-campus house party drew students from across Illinois. Bloomington is a city of roughly 78,000 in McLean County in central Illinois, about 130 miles southwest of Chicago, and together with Normal forms a two-university metro area.
What happens next
The investigation remains open with no arrests announced. Police say the next steps are reviewing the video and digital evidence submitted through the portal, interviewing partygoers among the 150 to 200 people present, and completing the coroner's formal findings. Anyone with information is asked to contact Bloomington police at 309-434-2532 or submit evidence through the department's community portal. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if police name a suspect or make an arrest.