Norman Bailey celebrated West Side basketball win
Gary school official and businessman Norm Bailey is homicide victim
Contributed By:The 411 News
Police investigating cases of another homicide and a gunshot victim for connections
The Gary Police Dept. is investigating cases of two homicides and a gunshot victim that occurred in the early morning hours of Friday, January 14th.
Reports on social media of the passing of Norman Bailey, a member of the Gary Community School Corp. Advisory Board connected him to a homicide that police responded to around 3:00am Friday.
A press release from GPD Commander Jack Hamady said the department received a call for service in the 200 block of East 16th Ave, referencing a possible gunshot victim at approximately 2:59am. That is the address of the establishment owned by Bailey – The Blue Room Lounge.
Bailey was serving his second term on the school advisory panel, re-elected in 2020. He was a member of the Gary Board of School Trustees when the school district was taken over by the state in 2017 and the board was reduced to advisory status in 2018.
Friends of Bailey said he was in the middle of renovating a building in downtown Gary to open a new restaurant.
When officers arrived, Cmdr. Hamady said, they were met by patrons who said an individual was inside and had been shot. Inside, officers located an unresponsive male on the ground.
Gary Fire Department arrived on the scene, determining that the male was deceased and had suffered from injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.
Cmdr. Hamady said at approximately 3:20am Friday, GPD received a call for service referencing a gunshot victim being treated at Methodist Northlake Hospital for his injuries.
Officers arrived at Methodist Northlake and met with the gunshot victim, a 28 year-old male from Gary. A witness told police the male had been inside the Blue Room when they heard gunfire.
The witness said people began running out of the establishment and that is when they discovered the 28 year-old male had suffered from a gunshot wound to the leg and buttocks. The man was transported to the hospital by private auto.
At approximately 5:06am Friday, Cmdr. Hamady said, police received a call for service in the 2400 block of Broadway, referencing shots fired. In route to the call, information was received that a male subject may have been shot and was on the ground.
When officers arrived at the location, they searched the area and located an adult male on the ground next to a building.
Gary Fire Department arrived on scene and advised there were no signs of life. The male had suffered from injuries that were consistent with gunshot wounds to the torso.
Lake County Coroner's Office arrived on scene as well as Gary Police CSI and Lake County Crime Lab.
According to the NWI Times, the man was identified by the Lake County coroner's office as Lamontrell McFarland, 42, of Gary.
Word on the street, but not verified, is McFarland was in the Blue Room Friday morning. A confrontation ensued, with McFarland firing a gun. In the chaos, it says, Bailey may have been accidentally shot by a security guard. According to this account, McFarland was followed by some people when he left the Blue Room.
Story Posted:01/14/2022
|