Cheerleader killed at Halloween house party was visiting a friend, police say

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WBBM) — No one is in custody after nine people were shot, one fatally, at a Halloween house party in Bloomington, Illinois, over the weekend.

Teammates and friends of Giana Dettloff carried flowers through the campus of North Central College on Monday.

Detloff, 19, was a freshman cheerleader from Carol Stream. She died while attending the party near Illinois Wesleyan University.

Police respond to shooting

Police responded to a house party after a shooting was reported around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Nine people were shot in the backyard.

The victims ranged in age from 16 to 22.

Detloff graduated from Glenbard North High School. Police said she was visiting a friend in Bloomington.

Police chief describes victim

Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington said Detloff was her parents’ only daughter.

“According to her parents, she was their only daughter. She was described as full of life, a sweet girl with a very bright future and an athlete who was visiting one of her best friends,” Simington said.

Simington said he was with Detloff’s family when they learned of her death.

“I witnessed the heartbreak of her parents and other family members when they learned that their daughter had been murdered,” he said.

Team remembers cheerleader

A social media post from the North Central College cheerleading team said Detloff was an amazing friend, teammate and a pure soul.

No warning signs before shooting

Simington said he patrolled the neighborhood of the house party and saw no warning signs of trouble.

“This party was noticeably peaceful, jovial and there were no disturbances witnessed or reported prior to the shooting,” he said.