Local pastor alarmed over shooting near church INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In WISH-TV’s continuing coverage of our Youth Alternatives to Violence Crime (YATVAC) campaign, a local pastor is sounding the alarm about a recent shooting incident at a bar and lounge just steps away from his church. “Oh, I was very upset by that, very troubled by that. We had a non-fatal shooting next door to the church,” said Reverend Charles Harrison of the Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition and pastor of Barnes United Methodist Church (UMC) on Indianapolis’ east side. “That’s something the church is not going to tolerate, having it right next door to us, where it may cause not just people in the neighborhood to feel unsafe, but members of the church.” The shooting happened in the early morning hours of Dec. 27, 2025 outside the Fountain Lounge on West 30th Street, just off Martin Luther King Jr. Street near I-69. During daytime hours, the bar and lounge is quiet, but at night, it’s a place for parties of all kinds, including game nights, line dancing, and other events. Harrison said there’s a simple solution to that shooting location and any other place where large crowds gather and alcohol is being served. “I think it is across the city when people are at these nightclubs and they get a little alcohol in them, and there may be some kind of dispute or conflict that occurs it tends to end violently,” Harrison said. Harrison posted the following message on social media after the shooting: “I am not happy about the non-fatal shooting this morning at the Fountain Lounge next to Barnes UMC. Security at the Fountain Lounge needs to be addressed immediately. We cannot have that kind of violence in the neighborhood with all the other challenges we face.” An employee at the lounge who spoke to WISH-TV without revealing his name disputes Reverend Harrison’s claims, pointing to an IMPD online records search that shows there hasn’t been a violent incident inside the Fountain Lounge in more than a year. Records show there have been two car theft reports in the last year. The employee says the shooting on Dec. 27 had nothing to do with the Fountain Lounge, but started in a parking lot across the street and spilled over. Harrison said even one shooting is too many, and that his message is not about the Fountain Lounge specifically. “If people are having too much to drink, and they’re carrying guns, it tends to heighten the possibility that there may be violence,” Harrison said. His solution is more security, mandated by Indianapolis officials, as a requirement for bar parties and other large scale events where alcohol is served. The worker at the Fountain Lounge who spoke to WISH-TV said there are typically two guards inside, but none were on duty outside the establishment. Harrison said that’s not enough. “And that’s been a concern that the church has had for years, in trying to work with management there to make sure they have enough security so that they can help prevent that kind of incident from occurring where someone is shot right next to the church,” Harrison said. For Harrison, a extra layer of security is key for the Fountain Lounge, or any other club or hotspot in the city. He said driving down crime and violence numbers depends on it, along with the young lives who are too often caught in the middle. “We hope that the Fountain Lounge is putting an emphasis on security so that doesn’t happen again,” Harrison said. Harrison said he hopes that will be a deterrent, and convince those who are carrying guns will put them down and find another way to resolve conflict. Crime Resources Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana: 317-262-8477 P3tips app | Apple devices | Google Play ...read more read less