Indianapolis had a violent weekend, but not near NBA All-Star events

A shooting at a Waffle House. Drone shut-downs. Parties escalating into gun violence.

These are a few events that erupted in Indianapolis as the city hosted the NBA All-Star game. Before the star-studded event descended onto the Circle City, leaders announced officers would monitor the streets in full force, security cameras would be watched and fire marshals would linger for crowd management as part of the extensive public safety plan.

Doyel: IMPD working to protect 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indy from K.C.-like mass shooting

The result of that plan and its effectiveness haven't been announced. But, looking at police records spanning the peak dates of the event, from Thursday, Feb. 15 through Sunday, Feb. 18, downtown appears to have remained relatively quiet with vandalism topping the list of responses.

Outside of downtown, however, Indianapolis experienced a series of shootings with multiple people injured or killed.

Shootings across Indianapolis

Between Friday and early Monday at least 19 people were shot, according to IndyStar and police data.

Two of the shootings over the weekend erupted at large-scale parties promoted on social media − a stubborn problem for the city.

Sunday at 12:15 a.m.: A shooting at an event center left one person dead and two others injured. Officers responded to Onyx Event Center, 7545 Rockville Road, to reports about a person shot. When they arrived, they found a man with gunshot wounds near the back of the building. Medics pronounced him dead.

Soon after, police were told a 32-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman showed up at separate hospitals in the city because of the event. The man was in critical condition and the woman was in stable condition.

The Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission (ATC) said officials learned two unauthorized public events were being advertised for Friday and Saturday, and sent the permittee a cease-and-desist letter on Feb. 7.

"Despite being served with the cease-and-desist letter, the permittee still hosted the event on Saturday," the ATC said in a statement.

Excise officers were already on the premises waiting for additional backup when the shooting occurred, allowing them to respond quickly.

Onyx Event Center carries a catering hall permit, only authorizing private events on licensed premises.

The event center's permit holder is scheduled for a revocation hearing on Feb. 28.

More: Big parties at short-term rentals becoming tall problem Indy police want you to help solve

Sunday at 12:53 a.m.: Not long after the shooting at Onyx, gunfire erupted at 5000 West 71 St., an address listed as Venue 56 Event Center.

Responding officers found two people suffering gunshot wounds. They were awake and breathing, police said.

The shootings mark the latest cases of gun violence striking such large-scale events. Police last year asked for the public's help reporting the parties, which are often advertised as open-invite events on social media and have often led to violence in previous years.

In a prepared statement, Indianapolis police said cracking down on these illicit events and large gatherings remains a priority.

"We continue to ask for the public's assistance in reporting such incidents," Officer Samone Burris said.

No arrests have been announced in either shooting.

The parties were not the only examples of gun violence in the city this weekend. Early Sunday morning, police found a man shot dead in a parked car in the 5700 block of Little Creek Drive. The vehicle was parked in the parking lot of an apartment complex but was not in a parking spot.  Details about a suspect or what led to the shooting have not been released.

Not long after that killing police again started investigating shooting scenes involving several victims.

Sunday at 10:17 p.m.: Police were called about shots fired near Roache and Radar streets on the north side of the city. Responding officers found three people with gunshot wounds. They were reported to be in stable condition.

Waffle House shooting

Monday at 12:40 a.m.: At least one person died and five others were injured in a shooting at a Waffle House on the southwest side of the city near the airport.

Police said an altercation between two groups at the restaurant, at 2621 S. Lynhurst Drive, that escalated into gunfire preceded the shooting. Three men and one woman were taken in stable condition to hospitals for treatment. Another woman was taken in critical condition to a hospital, where she died.

Another man, with critical injuries, either took himself to a hospital or was taken by someone else, reports said.

More: Stray mattress on Highway 67 may have led to crash injuring IMPD officer

Downtown: Drones, drunks and disturbances

Drones flying in prohibited areas proved a problem numerous times for Indianapolis police throughout the weekend, records show. Officers responded to at least 12 cases of drone operators flying the devices in a flight-restricted area, despite warnings not to do so in the days before the games.

Records also show only three people were arrested on preliminary public intoxication charges from Thursday through Sunday, though police leaders said the number may be limited because such an arrest could be categorized as another type of call, such as trouble with a person or disturbances.

State troopers made seven DUI arrests in the Indianapolis district from Thursday through Sunday, according to Sgt. John Perrine. Five of those arrests occurred on interstates. One occurred in Shelbyville and the other on East Washington, east of I-465.

Safety and travel

A storm that blanketed the city with several inches of snow also impacted flights and caused travel issues for many arriving in the city.

Two flights were canceled and 73 flights were delayed at the Indianapolis International Airport on Friday.

Despite the cancellations, the Transportation Security Administration reported no major issues or weapons found at the airport. A record number of firearms were found on travelers at the airport last year, including the high-profile case where Mike Epps was found with a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber gun that the comedian said he forgot was in his backpack.

'World is crazy ... Stay strapped': Mike Epps responds to gun seizure at Indy airport

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis had a violent weekend, but not near All-Star events