Friday shooting on Wayne Avenue leaves two injured, three at large

For The Penn - 02/17/20

Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) responded to an incident involving robbery and gunfire Friday night about two blocks from campus.

According to an official PSP-Indiana press release, around 8 p.m., three men wearing ski masks approached two side-by-side homes along the 800 block of Wayne Avenue, 835 and 841, in an attempt of armed robbery. Items were stolen from one residence while an altercation occurred at the other.

It is not confirmed which houses hosted which crime.

While officers responded to the scene, a second call was received with claims of gunfire heard in the area. The gunfire was confirmed, leaving one injured with undisclosed injuries and one with a gunshot wound to the neck.

The victims’ identities have not been released, and the suspects involved fled the scene and still remain at large.

Two separate cases are ongoing, one for the robbery and one for the altercation.

Indiana Borough Police sent an update saying this attack was planned for one house but went awry for the other, resulting in the physical altercation. They also said there was no risk for public safety during these events.

Indiana Borough Police, along with PSP and IUP campus police are involved in the investigation, with help from the Indiana County District Attorney’s office.

Throughout the evening, facilities at IUP were placed under lockdown as the suspects were still free. Students were inside buildings for nearly three hours.

Aura Weaver (senior, biology), along with some friends, were preparing for lab work when the notification went out.

“My roommate and I were in the science building to do some lab preparation work when we got the notification on our phones,” she said. “We were a little scared since it wasn’t too far away from us, but at the same time, we were safe. We stayed in the building until were given the OK to go home.”

In response to the incidents, Dr. Thomas Segar, IUP’s vice president for student affairs, sent an email to the student population that emphasized heeding reliable information and following protocol put in effect by police.

“We are working with community law enforcement to find those responsible for the incident,” he said in the Friday email. “We know events like tonight are frightening, and inaccurate information can be spread that causes unnecessary concern. Please rely on the official information that we provide to you.”

Segar sent a follow-up email the next morning addressing the issues that unfolded and the variety of resources IUP has to help students through the traumatic events.

Michelle Fryling, IUP’s executive director of media relations, commented on how the university plans on incorporating safety measures into the following class week.

“We are always looking at our procedures and policies in order to make our campus as safe as possible,” she said. “This is a continual process.

“We do not have specific measures in place for classes next week,” she said Friday. “We trust the judgement of our police officers as stated in the message [Friday]: Indiana Borough Police report that tonight’s incident was not random and do not believe there is a current risk to community safety. Please remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to police or 9-1-1.”

Indiana Borough Police released more information Monday at 3 p.m., stating that they are currently processing “a significant amount of physical evidence” as per the press release.

During this processing, PSP-Indiana will conduct follow-up interviews and are pursuing as much information as they can to capture the suspects.

They also said that barring a breakthrough, this will be the last bit of information released until Wednesday around 3 p.m.

State police encourage anyone with information on the suspects and their wherabouts to contact local law enforcement.