Jamel D. Woodard, 31, of Indianapolis, was hospitalized in critical condition Sunday after he was shot near the intersection of 25th Street and Georgetown Road just after 1 a.m.

Police said a woman heaved a beer bottle into the crowd, striking Woodard's cousin.

Woodard confronted a man who was with the woman, and the two began to argue.

"Our shooter had fallen to the ground with our victim going on top of him, and that's when the shooter pulled a gun and shot him in the chest," said Speedway police Lt. Trent Theobald.

For much of the past 36 hours, Debra Hyatt has maintained a prayerful vigil close to her son's bedside at Wishard Memorial Hospital, where he is now in stable condition.

"The gunshot to his chest was like two centimeters from his heart, so it was a blessing," she told RTV6's Jack Rinehart.

Police said it's possible that dozens of people may have witnessed the incident.

The shooter was described as a tall black man wearing a gray T-shirt and blue jean shorts. The man was seen walking with two other people -- a white man with no shirt and multiple tattoos and a short white woman wearing a pink bikini top.

Four police agencies contributed 200 officers to patrol near the speedway the night and morning before the race. But authorities blame incidents like Sunday's shooting on too many people and too much alcohol.

"You're going to have fights and you're going to have, whether a physical altercation or a verbal altercation, you're going to have problems," Theobald said.

Hyatt said she's hoping someone will come forward with information.

"It could be your brother, sister, mom," she said. "I'm just asking, if anyone saw anything that can identify the person, come forward and report it to the proper authorities."

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