Bloomington Police arrested Stephen Dixon of Bloomington on Monday in connection with the shooting death of Shawn Allen Sullivan, according to statement from BPD Captain Ryan Pedigo.
Read more: Police ask public for help after deadly Bloomington shooting
Sullivan, 29, was the unhoused man killed near the intersection of West Howe and South Morton streets on Friday night, Sept. 26.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson announced the arrest Monday night at a town hall, and Pedigo released details on Tuesday.
On the night of the Sullivan’s death, police responded at 9:40 to a call of a possible shooting, according to Pedigo’s report. The caller heard screaming and could see a person on the ground.
Sullivan was shot on the left side of his chest. When officers found him, they made life-saving efforts until emergency responders arrived. They took Sullivan to IU Health. Sullivan was declared dead less than an hour later.
Pedigo’s Tuesday report said police reviewed security footage, relied on witness testimony, and followed tips to find the shooter.
Witnesses told investigators that Sullivan was walking down Howe Street with two women on the night he was shot. According to police reports, a dark-colored four-door car sped up behind them, and Sullivan threw his bike at the car in retaliation.
A man got out of the car and yelled at Sullivan, police said. The man shot Sullivan and drove away.
Just minutes before the shooting at 9:24 p.m., Circle K security footage reviewed by a detective shows a dark-colored Volkswagen pull into the gas station on Kirkwood and Rogers.
The driver, a white man, got out of the car and went into the gas station with a woman. Footage reviewed by the detective shows the driver and woman leaving the gas station 10 minutes later, driving toward the area of the shooting.
The driver matched witnesses’ description of the shooter, according to Pedigo’s statement.
Another shooting happened just four days before a couple miles away, on North Willis Drive, where a driver shot at a residence from a car before driving off.
Detectives also noted that the Volkswagen in the Circle K video matched the description of the car from the Sept. 22 shooting. Pedigo said detectives got that car’s license plate number from security footage of the area, and found it was registered to Kaila Simms.
Pedigo said during the investigation, police started to get tips from the public accusing Dixon of the shooting..
On Monday, police found and followed the car registered to Simms, according to Pedigo.
It dropped off children at an elementary school before parking in an alley near the Sept. 26 shooting. According to police, Simms and Dixon were both in the car.
Police followed them when they drove into Lawrence County. When they pulled into a gas station in Bedford, officers surrounded their car and arrested them.
According to Pedigo’s report, Dixon had a loaded handgun on him.
Dixon is charged with murder, unlawful carrying of a handgun, and criminal recklessness. Simms is charged with neglect of a dependent.
