18 hours ago
One injured, multiple businesses damaged in downtown Indianapolis shooting
Ryan Hite, the general manager of The Oceanaire in downtown Indianapolis, tried his best to welcome guests as they stumbled around repairmen who were fixing the front door of the restaurant.
One of the restaurant's glass doors had been destroyed in the early hours of June 15, when stray bullets hit it and the Starbucks located near The Oceanaire.
Guests were left puzzled as the main entrance to the restaurant was blocked off by workers vacuuming up the remaining shattered glass.
"It's upsetting," Hite said. "We work hard to give downtown a good reputation and reassure our guests that downtown is safe."
Hite learned about the shooting from the building's property manager a few hours after it occurred.
Between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., an altercation between a few "teenagers" escalated into the group opening fire on each other, with bullets ultimately hitting the front of the two businesses, according to Hite.
At about 3:50 a.m., the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department downtown unit received a report that a person had been shot in the area of 14 E. Washington St., which is about 400 feet away from the 30 South Meridian building, according to police.
When police arrived, they could not find anyone who had been shot.
However, shortly after 4 a.m., police were informed that a man had walked into Methodist Hospital with gunshot wounds that he received in a downtown shooting.
After investigating the scene, police later determined the damage at 30 S. Meridian St. was due to the shooting.
Although Hite was upset by the early morning chaos that left his restaurant without a front door and a gunshot hole through his sign, he didn't allow his frustration to interfere with his obligations to his customers.
By the afternoon, as guests started to enter the restaurant, Hite made sure to greet them with a smile and highlight the specialty menu item of the day.
Hite hopes to replace the missing door as soon as possible, but he believes it may take up to a week to replace, due to the specialized engraving needed for the entrance and the size of the glass.
Either way, Hite and his team still plan to serve their guests this upcoming week and won't allow the issue to disrupt their business.
It's unclear if hours of operation at the Starbucks that was also damaged will be affected by the missing window. Repairmen were planning to install a piece of plywood as a temporary solution.
Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@ follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: One injured, multiple businesses damaged in downtown Indy shooting
