BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A man who was found not guilty in relation to a July 2023 shooting outside a Subway in Bloomington has been charged with a weapons-related felony after he reportedly fired a gun in the air near a Bloomington apartment complex on July 5.
According to court documents filed on Tuesday in Monroe County Court, Sean Rivers was charged with one count of criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, a Level 6 felony, and a misdemeanor count of false informing.
At around 11:31 p.m. on July 5, officials with the Bloomington Police Department were dispatched to an apartment complex on Northlane Drive in reference to a weapons-in-progress call.
A caller told police that he observed a shirtless man come out of his apartment and fire a handgun into the tree line south of the apartments. The court documents said that the caller provided police video footage that showed a man, later identified as Rivers, reportedly shooting the firearm into the tree line.
In the video, the court documents state that Rivers said, “I gotta wait ’till the fireworks come back on so I can pull this b—-,” referencing his firearm.
Later in the video, Rivers reportedly sets up around a car length away from the wood line, raises the firearm above his head and fires one round south. Rivers later discharged three more rounds into the wood line.
Officers with the department specify a few apartment complexes are located in the direction where Rivers reportedly fired his gun.
In an interview with police, Rivers reportedly confirmed that the firearm in the video was his and told police he had picked up two shells that he had shot from the area.
Court documents state that Rivers was released on his recognizance after he entered a not-guilty plea. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 19, while a jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 25.
