BLOOMINGTON — A 37-year-old Bloomington man is facing an attempted murder charge after a Tuesday night house fire left a woman in critical condition.
The Bloomington Police Department (BPD) arrested Shandor Jackson on Wednesday afternoon after tracking a stolen vehicle to a motel in Mitchell, Indiana. The arrest followed a dramatic rescue by officers who pulled a 54-year-old woman—identified by neighbors as Jackson’s mother—from a burning residence in the 2000 block of S. Rogers Street.
The incident began at approximately 11:50 p.m. on April 21, 2026. Officers arrived on the scene within three minutes of the initial 911 call to find the north and south sides of the home, as well as the entire roof, fully engulfed in flames.
Hearing a person yelling for help from within the inferno, officers kicked in the front door. Inside, they located the woman on the floor, surrounded by flames and unable to move. Officers carried her to safety and provided immediate medical care until the Bloomington Fire Department and Monroe Fire Protection District arrived.
The victim was transported to IU Health Bloomington Hospital and later transferred to an Indianapolis facility. She remains in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
As investigators worked the scene, neighbors noted that the victim lived with her son, Shandor Jackson, and that her tan Hyundai was missing.
Detectives utilized Flock license plate readers (LPRs) to track the vehicle’s movement. The system successfully flagged the car traveling through Greene, Orange, and Lawrence counties. However, police noted that a Flock camera located near the crime scene was unavailable to investigators because it had recently been vandalized—its cables were sliced and the lens spray-painted.
Despite the act of criminal mischief, data from other cameras allowed investigators to narrow their search to a motel in Mitchell, where the vehicle was located at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
After obtaining search warrants for the motel room and vehicle, BPD officers took Jackson into custody without incident around 12:30 p.m.
Jackson was transported to the Monroe County Jail and is being held on the following preliminary charges of attempted murder, a Level 1 felony; aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony; arson, a Level 4 felony; and vehicle theft, a Level 6 felony.
The Bloomington Police Department stated that the investigation is ongoing and no further details regarding a motive have been released.
Those facing criminal charges are considered innocent until proven guilty through a fair and due legal process. Accusations alone do not imply guilt; the judicial system will evaluate the presented evidence to reach a verdict.
