An 18-year-old high school student who died in a shooting at a fall festival in Indiana was seemingly trying to protect the people around him, his classmates have shared. Bryce Gerlach, 18, was at the 2024 Harvest Homecoming Festival in New Albany, Indiana, when a dispute between at least two groups started.
Police believe multiple shooters fired from different locations, reported the Louisville Courier Journal. Gerlach was a bystander, and was not part of the dispute.
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His classmates believe he was looking out for the people around him.
Shots were fired at around 9:53 p.m. on Saturday, October 12. Two other bystanders were injured in the shooting, but their injuries were not life-threatening, per the Louisville Courier Journal. Gerlach’s classmates believe that he died doing something “very selfless” â trying to shield his classmates from a bullet, reported WAVE.
Gerlach’s friend, Tanner Chumbly, told the news outlet that Gerlach will be remembered for the heroic, selfless act “because thatâs what he was. He was a hero.”
The community is grappling with grief and shock.
Chumbly, who is also a student at Corydon Central High School, is now grieving the loss of a close friend as a result of the shooting. âI just sat in my bed for hours and thought, ‘Why him?’ Like, it shouldnât have been him. He didnât deserve that,â Chumbly told WAVE.
He explained that it’s hard going to school and not seeing Gerlach there. “Weâd pull in together every day and itâs just so different not seeing him pull in at the same time every day now,” he told the news outlet.
Superintendent Mark Eastridge described the impact “the senseless violence” had on the school and the community. “You had a young man that was just going out to enjoy himself with friends at a local festival, and to have his innocence and his life ripped from him by the senseless violence, it makes it all the more difficult to deal with as a school and a school community,” Eastridge told the news outlet.
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New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan released a statement.
After the shooting, the last day of Harvest Homecoming was canceled, WDRB reported.
New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan, said the community has been hosting Harvest Homecoming for “nearly 57 years” without dealing with tragic incidents like the recent fatal shooting. However, incidents like this one are now “too common” in the United States, Gahan said, per the Louisville Courier Journal.
“I want to offer my condolences to the family of the young man who lost his life last evening in New Albany,” Gahan said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with them today.â
Gahan’s statement continued with, “Gun violence at a family festival is heartbreaking and tragic, and our country must find a way to come together to stop this type of violence.â
The shooting suspects fled the scene.
After “multiple gunshots” rang out at the fall festival, the suspects fled the scene, reported WDRB.
The suspects remain at large and are considered dangerous due to their actions at the festival, reported WLKY.
Police have identified some persons of interest, but the investigation is ongoing and police cannot provide more information about the individuals at this time.
Bryce Gerlach was a student-athlete and was supposed to play his last home football game this week.
Gerlach should have played his last home football game on Friday, October 18, according to WDRB. Now, community members will wear blue, Gerlach’s favorite color, at the Senior Night game on Friday.
“The game will be a Blue-Out in memory of Bryce and we invite the entire community to join our student section in wearing Bryceâs favorite color. Additionally, we want to encourage ALL of our students to attend the game,” Corydon Central Athletics wrote in a Facebook post.
