On the night of Friday, September 26, 2025, a fatal encounter unfolded near the intersection of West Howe and South Morton streets in Bloomington, Indiana, claiming the life of 29-year-old Shawn Allen Sullivan, a white male. Sullivan, who was experiencing homelessness at the time, was walking with two women when a dark-colored car reportedly sped up behind them.
In response, Sullivan is said to have thrown a bicycle at the vehicle.
The driver of the car, later identified as 26-year-old Stephen Paul Dixon II of Bloomington, stopped and exited the vehicle. An altercation ensued, during which Dixon allegedly yelled at Sullivan before firing a single shot, striking him in the left side of his upper torso. Dixon then got back into his car and fled the scene. Witnesses reported hearing a woman screaming from inside the suspect's vehicle as it sped away. Emergency services were called to the scene around 9:40 p.m. after a caller reported hearing screaming, a gunshot, and seeing a person on the ground. First responders attempted life-saving measures before transporting Sullivan to IU Health Bloomington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:28 p.m.
The Bloomington Police Department launched an investigation, utilizing witness statements and reviewing security footage from a nearby gas station. The footage, captured shortly before the shooting, showed a man matching the shooter's description exiting a dark-colored Volkswagen Passat with a woman. Investigators connected this vehicle to another shooting incident that had occurred just days earlier. Through the investigation, which included tips from the public, police identified Dixon as the suspect.
On Monday, October 6, 2025, police located the Volkswagen, registered to 30-year-old Kaila Elizabeth Simms, and followed it. Officers observed Dixon and Simms in the car, at one point dropping off two children at an elementary school. Later that day, at a gas station in Bedford, Indiana, law enforcement surrounded the vehicle and arrested both Dixon and Simms. Dixon was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun at the time of his arrest.
Following the arrest, Stephen Dixon II was charged with murder, criminal recklessness, and two counts of unlawful carrying of a handgun with a prior conviction. The criminal recklessness charge stemmed from the earlier shooting incident on September 22. Kaila Simms faced a charge of neglect of a dependent.
