Tragedy struck in Evansville earlier yesterday when gunshots erupted following a large party, resulting in one fatality and several injuries. According to WISH-TV, multiple 911 calls reported the chaotic scene at the 300 block of Taylor Avenue, painting a picture of what started as a celebration quickly descending into chaos as partygoers scrambled to escape the gunfire, and during the tumult, one person was struck by a car attempting to flee the area.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner's office identified the shooting victim as 19-year-old Israel Mays, whose life was tragically cut short, while the driver involved in the hit-and-run was apprehended and identified as 21-year-old Alexis Wilhite, witnesses described more than one shooter but so far no arrests have been made in connection with the gun violence itself. The Evansville Police Department, which arrived at the scene around 12:30 a.m., found multiple people injured by gunfire, and are still piecing together the events leading up to the shooting.
The incident has sparked an ongoing investigation with the Evansville Police Department renewing calls for any witnesses to come forward with information. Police, piecing together clues, have taken to combing the area for camera footage that might have caught the tragic incident on tape; in a Facebook post cited by WISH-TV, detectives have spoken to local residents in the hopes of gleaning insights into the series of events that occurred that fateful night.
Reflecting the gravity of the situation and the frenzied attempts at sense-making, the Evansville Police Department has emphasized the seriousness of the incident, acknowledging that they learned of numerous injuries due to the shooting and a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the confusion that followed which all speaks to the chaotic nature of the violence which tore through what was just moments before filled with life, and laughter, according to a report by WTHR.
