IU Media School student Ethan William’s life was tragically cut short on October during what was supposed to be a dream trip to New York City.
Police say 20-year-old Ethan was among friends sitting on a stoop in Brooklyn when at least seven shots were fired. As the men tried to run inside for cover, officials say Ethan was struck in the chest by a stray bullet. He was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.
Ethan was a sophomore studying film at the IU Media School. Media School Dean James Shanahan said he was saddened to hear the news of the loss of one of his students.
“I’ve been working in academics for a long time now. Thankfully something like this is a rare occurance but when it does happen to somebody so young, of course you’re absolutely saddened by that,” Shanahan said.
The full interview with IU Media School Dean James Shanahan
Ethan’s death was the second shooting death of an IU student in just two weeks. IU Sophomore Schuyler Bradley was shot and killed after stepping in to break up a fight near the University of Alabama two weeks ago. Dean Shanahan says these two tragedies occurring one after the other is a reflection of the issue of gun violence in our country.
“These things happening right in a row draws our attention to problems of violence. We’ve all got to come to terms with that I think no matter what school we’re in here there are ways to study that and obviously communicate about that from a media school perspective.”
Brooklyn police are looking at surveillance video to try to find the source of the stray bullet that killed Ethan. Officers have not yet made any arrests or released information about a possible suspect. You can donate to Ethan William’s memorial fund at gofundme.com.
