A 21-year-old Bloomington man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he shot a 19-year-old in the neck during a confrontation on East Kirkwood Avenue near Indiana University's campus. Dajhon Lee Branson-Orellana was charged with aggravated battery, battery with a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness and pointing a firearm, according to online court records filed October 1. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, and it remains unclear whether he has been taken into custody.
The shooting happened around 1 a.m. on September 6 near the intersection of East Kirkwood Avenue and North Lincoln Street, close to the Monroe County Public Library, as reported by WTHR. The library's downtown branch sits at 303 East Kirkwood Avenue, occupying a full city block just two blocks west of IU's Sample Gates entrance, according to the Monroe County Public Library. Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch logged multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire in the 300 block of East Kirkwood Avenue at 1:07 a.m., prompting officers to cordon off the library sidewalk with crime-scene tape, per The Bloomingtonian.
Responding officers did not immediately locate the shooting victim, per WTHR, and found blood on the sidewalk, according to the probable cause affidavit cited by the station. The Bloomingtonian reports officers also found personal items and blood spots near a sidewalk parking meter, and discovered physical bullet damage to the exterior brick wall of an Old National Bank branch directly across the street from the library. The 19-year-old victim arrived separately at IU Health Bloomington Hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck; his condition was described as stable, per WTHR.
Victim Refused to Cooperate With Investigators
When police attempted to interview the victim at the hospital shortly after the shooting, he refused to cooperate or provide any information about what happened, the same account notes. The investigation instead moved forward through physical evidence and surveillance footage. According to the probable cause affidavit, several people had arranged to meet over allegations that roughly three ounces of marijuana had been stolen from an apartment, and witnesses told investigators the confrontation escalated into a fight between the victim and another man before Branson-Orellana allegedly pulled out a gun and fired the shot that struck the victim in the neck.
Investigators reviewed video from the Monroe County Public Library and interviewed multiple witnesses, one of whom allegedly identified Branson-Orellana as the shooter from a photo lineup, according to WTHR. Investigators said the library footage appeared to show Branson-Orellana firing a gun during the incident before leaving the area.
Campus Alerts Warned of Suspect Fleeing on Grant Street
Indiana University's IU Notify system dispatched emergency alerts at 1:18 a.m. and 1:39 a.m. warning the campus community of a shooting and reporting that a suspect had fled north on Grant Street in a blue or gray sedan, according to the Indiana Daily Student. Grant Street intersects Kirkwood Avenue near campus. IU police and public safety officials said there was no ongoing threat to the campus community, per WTHR.
Third Shooting on the Corridor in Five Months
The September 6 shooting marked at least the third person shot on East Kirkwood Avenue within five months, following an April mass shooting on the same downtown corridor that injured nine people, the Bloomingtonian reports. Hoodline previously covered that shooting, which left nine people hurt along the same stretch of bars and businesses that connects campus to downtown. Kirkwood Avenue has also seen other recent trouble, including an August purse-theft and car-break-in investigated by Bloomington police, and a shooting that same month on North Kinser Pike that prompted a parking garage search.
The Bloomington Police Department, headquartered at 220 East Third Street, serves a municipal population of 85,000 residents and swore in 11 new officers in June 2025 as part of its largest recruit class in over 30 years, Hoodline has reported. Officers from that department routinely patrol the high-density nightlife zones along Kirkwood Avenue.
Potential Penalties Under Indiana Law
Aggravated battery, the most serious charge Branson-Orellana faces, is a Level 3 felony under Indiana Code § 35-42-2-1.5 for knowingly inflicting an injury that creates a substantial risk of death, carrying a prison sentence of 3 to 16 years and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Justia Law. Battery committed with a deadly weapon is a Level 5 felony carrying 1 to 6 years in prison under Indiana Code § 35-42-2-1, per Keffer Hirschauer LLP. Intentionally pointing a loaded firearm at another person is a Level 6 felony under Indiana Code § 35-47-4-3, punishable by 6 months to 2.5 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, according to The Criminal Defense Team; that charge would drop to a misdemeanor if the firearm were unloaded.
Whether Branson-Orellana has been taken into custody on the active warrant remains unclear, as does the ultimate resolution of the marijuana theft dispute that investigators say triggered the confrontation.
