No arrests 1 year after deadly shooting at party near IUP campus

State police remain tight-lipped a year later as they continue to investigate a deadly shooting at a community center in Indiana County that killed one person, injured eight and sent more than 150 partygoers fleeing into the night to escape the gunfire.

No arrests have been made, Trooper Cliff Greenfield said.

“Because the incident is still under active investigation, we’re not able to provide specific details of the investigation,” he said. “Please know that a considerable amount of resources have been and are continuing to be devoted to this investigation.”

The 2024 homecoming last weekend passed without any significant incidents, according to university and law enforcement reports.

Troopers have said they believe the shooting in 2023 stemmed from a confrontation among several individuals during a party at the Chevy Chase Community Center and involved more than one shooter. Bystanders who were not involved in the fight were among those injured.

Police were called around midnight between Oct. 7 and 8, 2023, to the North Fifth Avenue center in White Township for a noise complaint at a private party. As a state police mounted unit arrived to monitor the large crowd inside, they heard dozens of rounds being fired.

Partygoers escaped from the chaotic scene and into the Chevy Chase neighborhood, about 2 miles from Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s campus and just outside Indiana Borough. Billed as an after-­homecoming party by the group that hosted it, the gathering was not associated with the university.

Police helped the injured, and Jamar M. Porterfield Herriot Jr., 22, of Homestead was found dead inside. He was not a university student. Eight others were taken to hospitals.

Some of the injured were college students. Police have not publicly identified any suspects in the shooting, those hurt or the person who rented the center for the party.

Since then, police have served a number of search warrants and sifted through tips, though they are still accepting information at 1-800-4PA-TIPS or online here.

Experts previously told TribLive it is not unusual for such an investigation to take time.

Officials in the Indiana Area Collaborative Team, composed of university, law enforcement and government officials, braced for a deluge of visitors in town for the 2024 homecoming weekend. The team was formed in 2014 in response to large gatherings and dangerous behaviors in the community.

The homecoming parade snaked through town Saturday morning followed by an afternoon football game against rival Slippery Rock University. Police upped their presence in town.

Indiana university spokesperson and I-ACT team public information officer Michelle Fryling said that, in advance of the weekend, safety tips were shared with students and letters were sent to businesses that may be asked to host large parties or gatherings during the weekend. Those businesses were asked to contact police with the contact information of the requester.

“As IUP homecoming weekend is upon us, we can all anticipate indoor and outdoor celebrations to occur in greater number, at higher capacities and with more out-of-town guests than other times of the year,” said the joint letter sent by Indiana Borough police Chief Justin Schawl, IUP police Chief Tim Stringer and Indiana County Sheriff Robert Fyock. “Unfortunately, not everyone has the best interest of our community at heart.”

State troopers were helped by horse and canine units, liquor control enforcement and other resources, and they asked people to be on alert for suspicious activity, Greenfield said.

According to an IUP report following this year’s homecoming weekend, crowds were out for the homecoming parade both on and close to campus, “but no major large gatherings were reported.” There were two room parties, however — one with 16 people and one with 12, IUP reported. All individuals, students and nonstudents, were referred to the university’s Office of Community Standards.

State police said one large gathering was reported, but it did not result in any arrests, according to the homecoming weekend report.

Indiana Borough police said investigations throughout the weekend included theft, hit and run, domestic, DUI, medical emergency and traffic safety. One male, who is not an IUP student, was charged with a DUI and drug offense, the report said.

The Chevy Chase Community Center, which serves community meals and provides space for gatherings, reopened Nov. 8. It was built in 1971 and renovated in 2000 after being established by a group of citizens who formed the Chevy Chase Community Action Council, according to its website.