3 arrested after Gary post-graduation shooting wounds 2

GARY — Three people were taken into custody following a Sunday shooting that wounded two people shortly after a graduation ceremony in northwestern Indiana, police said.

Two 19-year-olds were wounded about 6 p.m. CDT Sunday as more than 200 West Side Leadership Academy graduates and their families were leaving the U.S. Steel Yard stadium in Gary following the commencement ceremony, police said.

Gary police Cmdr. Jack Hamady said Lake County sheriff's police were working security during the ceremony. He said Gary police were initially dispatched to the stadium about 5:30 p.m. on a call about a fight but were told to disregard that call a short time later.

Hamady said police received a call about shots fired about 6:15 p.m., and officers found a 19-year-old Gary man with a gunshot wound to the chest in front of the stadium, The (Northwest Indiana) Times [nwitimes.com] reported.

A 19-year-old Gary woman was then found near a restaurant with a gunshot wound to her ankle, he said.

Two juveniles and a 20-year-old Hammond man were arrested by sheriff's deputies.

Gary Mayor Jerome Prince expressed anger over the shooting, saying it came "on a special night for our young people and their families." He promised a full police investigation of the shooting.