On Sunday morning around 2 a.m., as students emptied out of the bars downtown, a gunman fired shots into the back and leg of a 27- year-old man on East Main Street.
The shooter fled, leaving the victim on the street near Fog & Flame. The victim was later taken to Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital. Officers are seeking three male suspects.
Sam Brady, a BU student who lives near the scene of the shooting, says “It was very random and terrifying because that doesn’t happen in Bloom.” She explained that she and her roommates went to go investigate, saying “there were cops everywhere and everything was taped off.”
Another BU student, Brooke McCoy, commented on the shooting saying, “This was right outside my apartment, [my roommates and I] wanted to go out… But I was honestly scared because I heard gunshots.” She was able to hear the commotion from her room and was “scared sh**less.”
Joshua Lloyd, a senior BloomU student, says “It shows how prevalent and how pressing the issue of gun violence has become. Taking recent events into account, it’s something that can happen anywhere at any given time. We can’t pretend that things like this don’t happen, even in places we would usually consider safe.”
Some students claim that the alley alongside Fog & Flame is a known drug-dealing spot at night. A student who has chosen to remain anonymous says she was confronted by a drug dealer a couple years ago at this specific spot.
Many Bloomsburg residents are commenting on Facebook, blaming college students for this incident. One comment reads, “So when are we shutting the college down?”
At this time, there is no proven connection between the shooting and Bloomsburg University.
A statement on the Bloomsburg Police Department website reads that this shooting was an “isolated incident and no risk to the public.” Bloomsburg residents commented on this statement, stating that there are still men with guns out there who pose an absolute risk to the public.
The investigation is ongoing by town police. Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact the Bloomsburg Police Department at (570) 784-4155.
The corner of East Main Street and Miller Avenue, outside of Fog & Flame Craft Coffee and Espresso Bar, was the site of a shooting early Sunday morning.