INDIANAPOLIS — The owner of a large house in the 9000 block of Fall Creek Road in the Geist area has apparently fallen on hard times.
The property is in foreclosure and the owner has filed for bankruptcy, so recently the site has been signed over to a promoter on weekends who advertises the address as “Mansion II” to hold huge DJ-hosted parties that have resulted in quiet residential streets choked with more than a hundred vehicles, strangers roaming the neighborhood, gunfire breaking out and a woman wounded early this morning.
Emily Hortin lives just down the street from the party house.
”Loud parties with guests wearing questionable attire, we’ve got small kids here, playing loud music with lots of profanity, scantily clad women walking up and down the street and the most recently gunshots firing during any large gathering that happens at that property,” she said. ”Last week the entire street all the way to the west and then back up around this corner, all the way down this court and then around the corner, was probably 70 cars I would approximate between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., which was what the flyer for the party advertised.”
On Mother’s Day weekend, the promoter advertised a pool party that featured a $250 wet t-shirt contest, a minimum $20 cover charge but admission up to $500 and $750 for VIPs including bottles, wristbands and food.
Next weekend, the promoter is promising a Race Day pool party with a $650 cover charge for the “Balcony Pool House Section” including “2 Bottles 15 Wristbands” and the $500 “Poolside Section” including “2 Bottles 10 Wristbands.”
Typically, IMPD has shut down such commercial events held on private property that are not licensed as entertainment venues without liquor or food service permits.
“We believe they are charging and profiting off of whatever they’re doing down there,” said Hortin.
One resident said he encountered a promoter who traveled from Ft. Wayne to attend the Geist area party.
Personal security video provided to FOX59 News recorded loud voices and dozens of gunshots on the weekend of April 29th and again this morning.
Neighbors in the Lantern Hill and Harrison Run communities met in the street this afternoon to compare the damage done to their homes and vehicles by errant gunfire.
”There was screaming, cars flying through the neighborhood at a high rate of speed,” said Nicholas Blesch Clark. ”When we woke up, we realized some bullets hit our house. We found five so far, including one that went into our garage and then one that went all the way into the house and went into the back bedroom where my wife and children were sheltering.”
Blesch Clark’s house is more than 200 feet away and across Fall Creek Road from the party house.
Billy Faison’s house and new vehicles were closer to the action.
”I checked and I saw a bullet hole hit my daughter’s car close to her gas tank,” he said, walking along his driveway. ”I haven’t even had this truck three weeks yet and I came out this morning when daylight came and have a better vision of assessing things, and I saw that my truck was hit as well.”
Faison said the gunfire reminded him of the tours of duty he did in combat zones in the military.
”Heard multiple gunshots,” he said. ”Just a few minutes later after that, there was a whole bunch of suppressor fire going back and forth. Right then I knew that it was some kind of violent activity going on.
“Came out here last night and there were people in our yard, hiding between our vehicles.”
The neighbors say they have contacted City County Councilman Ethan Evans, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office and IMPD about the parties and the violence that accompanies them at the entrance to their community.
”Lots of loud parties and most recently gunshots, which is our biggest concern,” said Hortin. ”We can’t continue to beat these odds. Not at the rate these parties keep happening.”
IMPD officers were back in the neighborhood today taking reports as residents found more bullet holes in their homes.
”I don’t think anybody in the neighborhood wants to live under the constant threat of gunfire every weekend,” said Blesch Clark.
IMPD has been advised of the upcoming Race Weekend party at the big house.
A man who identified himself as the owner of the property told FOX59 News to, “contact the detective,” about this morning’s shooting.
He claimed not to know anything about past loud parties and gunfire that have disturbed his neighbors.
Those residents told FOX59 News if the owner doesn’t know about the disruptions the parties at his house have caused in the normally quiet neighborhood, he’s the only one.
