Witness to deadly triple shooting describes incident

NEW ALBANY, In. (WAVE) – New Albany police were back near the scene of Saturday’s deadly triple shooting at the Harvest Homecoming festival on Monday afternoon.

Marks that appear to be from bullets can be seen at the YMCA.

Dozens of people were enjoying the city’s annual Harvest Homecoming Festival on Saturday before gunfire dispersed the crowd.

“I heard ‘pop-pop-pop,’” said New Albany native John Fogel.

He stood just feet away from 18-year-old Bryce Gerlach, the high school senior who lost his life.

“It just broke my heart,” Fogel said. “It’s like I know my heart is there, but it’s not there right now.”

Bryce Gerlach, 18, of Corydon, Indiana, died after being shot at Harvest Homecoming.(WAVE)

On Sunday, the New Albany police chief said there were several people shooting in the area packed with attendees.

“We learned through witnesses that there were likely multiple shooters shooting in different locations,” said Chief Todd Bailey.

A businessman who spoke to WAVE News off camera and asked not to be identified said the crowd on Saturday night was different from the festival’s early days.

This person described the crowd as younger, starting around 8 p.m., ages 15 to 20. They described them as “mouthy” and “disrespectful”.

Police have not yet named any suspects.

“We have identified several persons of interest related to this case,” said Chief Bailey. “Due to the nature of the ongoing investigation, I am unable to disclose the details leading to this knowledge.”

Fogel says Saturday’s shooting left a scar on the city and believes new security measures should be used at future festivals.

“This is going to change a lot of people’s minds from falling for a while,” Fogel said. “I believe that with all my heart, because what happened should never happen.”

The other two shot, a 22-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, were hospitalized.

This isn’t the first time violence has disrupted the Harvest Homecoming Festival. In 2019, a fight on Saturday night caused the attractions to be closed.