Anthony Polnitz, a 22-year-old African American man from Peoria, Illinois, was fatally shot during an off-campus house party near Bradley University on April 8, 2018. The shooting occurred about 3:30 a.m.; two people were killed, including 18-year-old Nasjay Murry, a freshman pre-med student, and another woman suffered a gunshot wound to her hand.

Investigators say the shooter, 16-year-old Jermontay Brock, opened fire intending to target a high-ranking member of a rival gang to boost his standing in the Bomb Squad. The bullet that struck Polnitz passed through him and then fatally struck Murry. Brock was arrested and charged in connection with the attack; prosecutors argued he had deliberately targeted the party.

The community was left reeling by the violence and the victims’ families spoke about their grief.