Photo/Kokomo Fire Department
Roads washed away and residents stranded; fatal shooting at motorcycle rally
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Father’s Day weekend was supposed to be filled with celebrations, recreation, and relaxation. It turned out to be a nightmare for thousands of local residents. Floods washed over roads and into basements from one end of Howard County to the other. Emergency response personnel were inundated with calls for help.
And then someone chose violence. One person – a 17-year-old – is dead. Another person is wounded. Gunplay erupted at a rally held by a local motorcycle club in and around Studebaker Park.
The Shooting
The tragedy appeared to have issued a warning of its impending arrival. Reports of a fight breaking out behind the Carver Community Center hit the airwaves, and the Kokomo Scanner Facebook page shared the information. That fight was reported around 7 p.m. Three hours later, reports of shots fired near Madison and Locke Streets came across the airwaves.
Police arrived to find one victim dead and another injured. According to scanner traffic, an airlift was requested, and at least one victim was transported to Ascension St. Vincent Hospital. Kokomo Scanner reported that people gathered at the hospital, and the crowd grew large enough to place the hospital on lockdown.
The next day, the Kokomo Police Department issued a release and asked for the community’s help, as detailed below.
On June 14, 2025, approximately 10:19 p.m., Howard County Dispatch received a report of a shooting in progress in the area of Studebaker Park. The area was crowded with people due to an annual motorcycle event.
Kokomo Police, Indiana State Police, and Howard County Sheriff's Deputies swiftly arrived on scene and located a 17-year-old male suffering from a single gunshot wound. Law enforcement officers attempted to provide lifesaving measures and requested immediate medical assistance. The 17-year-old was transported to St. Vincent Hospital in Kokomo where he succumbed to his injuries.
A female victim was also located with a superficial wound, but she refused medical treatment and was released.
Kokomo Police investigators recovered multiple spent and live casings in the vicinity of the shooting.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, June 16, 2025, by a forensic pathologist at the Howard County Coroner's Office. More information will be provided following the autopsy by the Kokomo Police Department and the Howard County Coroner's office.
Investigators are requesting the public's help and ask anyone with information regarding the shooting can remain anonymous. You can share tips, surveillance video, or cellular video of the incident anonymously using our tip411 App. You can download the "Kokomo PD" mobile app from iOS or Google Play stores. You can also text a tip to KPD by texting TIPKPD, then a space, and then your tip, and send it to 847411.
You can also contact the Kokomo Police Department hotline at (765) 456-7017.
Photo/Noel Wittenbach
The Flood
As morning arrived in Howard County on June 14, rain was still falling. The National Weather Service estimates that the community received between three and five inches of precipitation. That resulted in severe flooding of the sort not seen locally in more than a decade.
Public officials initially enacted an "orange" travel advisory as the floodwaters began to overwhelming area roadways. During that time, public officials urged only emergency travel; a warning that was wholly disregarded.
Crews of city workers rushed to respond to reports of flooded roadways, erecting barriers to warn away motorists from potentially life-threatening conditions. But their efforts were not enough. Multiple motorists ignored the road closures and barricades, only to end up overwhelmed by the water and in need of rescue or retrieval. The irresponsible behavior taxed emergency response units, placing the community at greater risk.
The incidences grew at such a rate that the Kokomo Police Department and Howard County Sheriff's Office both issued warnings and pleas to the community, asking them to please observe the closures as the water levels continued to rise throughout the day.
Photo/Noel Wittenbach
Law enforcement officials also asked people to avoid driving around to sightsee the flooding as increased traffic near the flooded areas hampered emergency response efforts.
It wasn’t just the floodwater that threatened motorist safety. In one area of Alto Road on the city's far west side, floodwater washed away an entire portion of the roadway, leaving a six-foot-deep hole in its wake. Sinkholes were reported in other areas along public roadways, including one in the 1900 block of South Bell Street.
Even major roadways were impacted by the floodwaters. State Road 26, just east of Ind. 931 became impassible and had to be closed due to flooding, and Center Road in that same region experienced similar conditions. Ind. 19 near the Howard/Tipton County line also flooded over, forcing its closure.
Photo/Kokomo Fire Department
Fortunately, much of the water receded almost as quickly as it arrived. But the damage it wrought remains. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office reported on June 16 that workers from the Howard County Highway Department managed to reopen most roads to traffic. The section of Alto Road that was washed away, however, still presents a hazard.
Alto Road between County Road 350 W and 400 W will remain closed until a replacement culvert pipe can be delivered and installed, and the pavement over it restored.
Staying at home didn't spare some residents from the brunt of the floods. The Orleans SW subdivision experienced significant flooding, as did the Chippendale subdivision. The Harbour Place subdivision, which sits along the shore of a man-made lake on the city's southwest side, was made completely inaccessible due to floodwaters which threatened to enter the row of expensive homes.
Photo/Kokomo Fire Department
Of the city's many residential subdivisions that were inundated by flooding, none seemed worse than Indian Heights. There, flooding exceeded three feet in depth in some areas, stranding residents in their homes and overwhelming their vehicles. The Kokomo Fire Department responded to the flooding attempting to extricate those caught in the water.
The flood warning was finally eased late in the evening of June 14, though many areas still remained inundated. And the travel advisory was changed to "yellow" overnight, warning motorists to use caution during travel due to the persistent flood waters.
However, as of Sunday morning, the flood warning remained in effect, especially in light of the chances for additional precipitation in the forecast. It was only time that brought relief to those affected, but the forecast doesn’t seem to be cooperating with the recovery.
Rain is in the forecast from Monday, June 16, until Thursday, June 19. Kokomo should avoid the Monday storms, though Tuesday morning might bring a few showers around 7 a.m. The afternoon on Wednesday should be stormy, with precipitation entering the area around 3 p.m. and persisting for approximately 12 hours. Less than one inch of rain is expected during this storm.