BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Two men accused of being involved in a shooting at an apartment complex in Bloomington Sunday night are facing felony charges as police continue investigating the incident.
Officers with the Bloomington Police Department were dispatched to the 1100 block of N. Crescent Road in response to reports of a shootout and an injured female. That is the listed address for an apartment complex named Union at Crescent Apartments.
Police arrived and discovered 23 bullet casings in the area. According to court documents, police detained a man identified as Devonjae Strong who they believed was a possible suspect in the shooting at the time.
Several bullets were fired into an apartment unit and a vehicle, Bloomington police said. Police did not share if any one was injured during the shootout.
The injured woman allegedly told police that Strong had struck her in the head with his handgun multiple times after being involved in a shooting with people she didn’t know, court documents said. She also confirmed to police that she personally knew Strong. Police reportedly observed two lacerations on her head as she complained of swelling, pain and bleeding, court documents described.
Strong was subsequently interviewed by officers at the Bloomington Police Department where he denied striking the woman with a weapon, according to court documents. Strong went on to tell officers that he was in the area at the time of the shooting, changed into a new pair of clothing and said “he was in fear for his life.”
As part of the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting, police reviewed surveillance footage at the apartment complex which allegedly showed Strong wielding a gun and “wearing some of the same clothing he had on at the same time he was detained and interviewed.”
Court documents go on to state that Strong was allegedly holding a weapon that police described as possibly being a semi-automatic handgun and firing multiple shots in the same area where the bullet casings were recovered.
The footage also showed Strong as he approached the woman and allegedly hit her multiple times, according to court documents.
Strong is prohibited from carrying any firearms after a previous felony conviction in 2010 in Chicago.
Strong was transported and booked into the Monroe County Jail where he was preliminarily charged with battery with a deadly weapon (level 5 felony), unlawful carrying of a handgun (level 5 felony) and criminal recklessness (level 5 felony).
Bloomington police also brought Ray Weems Jr. into custody for his alleged role in the shooting. Police reviewed surveillance footage which they said appeared to show Weems Jr. firing a semi-automatic handgun at a group of people.
“During the shots fired between parties the video shows Weems holding a gun while moving around and not retreating,” court documents said.
Weems allegedly admitted to police during an interview that he was involved in the shooting out of self-defense after originally being shot at. He allegedly told police that he was carrying a .380 caliber but denied that he fired any rounds from it during the shooting, claiming the safety was on and that it “prevented him from shooting.”
Weems Jr. went on to reportedly tell police that he gave the gun to others in the area and changed his clothes before trying to flee the area on foot, according to court documents.
Detectives proceeded to show Weems Jr. surveillance footage highlighting his alleged involvement in the shooting, court documents said. He then allegedly admitted to being involved in the shooting.
While he did not provide police with the location of his firearm, he did admit that he was not allowed to have one in his possession. Weems Jr. was previously convicted of a felony charge in 2019.
Weems Jr. was transported and booked into the Monroe County Jail where he was preliminarily charged with unlawful carry of a handgun, a level 5 felony.
