South Bend vandals caught on tape

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Police in South Bend are investigating a shooting on the west side that happened early this morning around 12:10 a.m. that left a 20-year-old woman injured.

Police say Jaidyn Heilman and her boyfriend, 22-year-old, Evan Vanator heard a noise outside and opened the front door to check it out- and that is when she was shot. 

The incident unfolded in the 400 block of Sheridan, right by the intersection of Western Ave and Sheridan.

Police are investigating two incidents, they now believe they are connected.

This morning's incident started with vandalism but ended when shots were fired....and most of it was caught on tape.

ABC 57 News has surveillance video taken from the corner of Sheridan St and Western Ave...right where the trail of vehicle vandalism started on Thursday morning.

The video was recorded just after midnight, at 12:06 a.m. a group of four males were seen  walking west on Western Avenue. As the group reaches the corner car lot, one of the men straggles behind, and bends down towards the tires of several vehicles in the parking lot. The man appears to be slashing the vehecles tires.

Four minutes later and four houses south from the intersection, the cops are seen in the video turning on Sheridan pulling up at 426, where Heilman and Vanator reside.

Captain Phil Trent with South Bend Police Department said, "We got a shots fired call and we got to the scene and found a 20-year-old female shot in the leg."

The woman and her boyfriend told police they heard noises outside and that when they opened the door her boyfriend saw a group of people by his car and his rear tire was also stabbed. That's when things got ugly.

Capt. Trent said, "And at some point and time there is a shot fired, perhaps by the boyfriend, and it appears that our assailants return fire and that's when the female was struck."

Police say they arrested the woman's boyfriend 22-year-old Evan Vanator, not for the shooting , but for possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance. Now they are looking for the guys who were messing with his car and shot his girl friend.

If you recognize any of the men in the surveillance video SBPD ask you contact them at (574) 235-9201.