Bloomington police: Man arrested on charge of attempted murder with aid of Flock cameras

A 37-year-old man has been arrested and booked into jail on charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery, and arson in connection with late Tuesday (April 21) fire in the 2000 block of S. Rogers Street, according to a news release from Bloomington police on Wednesday (April 22).

According to the news release, Flock cameras equipped with automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) played a role in the apprehension of the suspect, Shandor Jackson.

At its regular Wednesday night meeting, Bloomington’s city council is due to get a briefing from chief of police Mike Diekhoff on the city’s use of ALPRs. The briefing comes in the context of an announcement last week from Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson that the city had allowed its contract with Flock Safety to expire.

The news release recounts the events of Tuesday night. Around 11:50 p.m. there was a call about a fire on Rogers Street.

When the officers arrived, a big part of the house was on fire, as was the whole roof. Officers could hear someone inside yelling for help, so they kicked in the front door. They found a 54-year-old woman on the floor surrounded by fire. Officers carried the severely injured woman outside, as she couldn’t move on her own. Officers then checked that there wasn’t anyone else inside.

Until firefighters from Bloomington’s fire department and the Monroe Fire Protection District arrived, police officers provided medical care to the woman. She was taken by ambulance to IU Health Bloomington Hospital, and later transferred to an Indianapolis hospital. The release says the woman is in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

The use of ALPRs factored into the search for the woman’s son, according to the release. Neighbors told officers that the woman lived at the home with her 37-year-old son, Shandor Jackson. They also told officers that the woman drove a tan Hyundai passenger car. Investigators then used Flock automatic license plate readers (LPRs) in an effort to find the woman’s vehicle, which was successful.

Specifically, the Hyundai was spotted by Flock ALPRs traveling in Greene County, Orange County, and Lawrence County. Investigators were able to use the Flock data to narrow their search for the car and located it soon after that, parked at a motel in Mitchell, Indiana around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The news release says that a Flock Safety ALPR close to the scene of the crime on Rogers Street was of no use, because it had been vandalized, with its cables sliced and the camera lens spray painted.

After search warrants for the hotel room and the car were obtained, around
12:30 p.m., officers took Jackson into custody. He was then taken to the Bloomington Police Department for questioning. He was booked into jail on the following charges: attempted murder (level 1 felony), aggravated battery (level 3 felony), arson (level 4 felony), vehicle theft (level 6 felony).

According to the news release, the investigation is still underway, and no further information is available for release at this time.