A Chicago man who allegedly shot a LaPorte County Sheriff’s deputy Friday at a Michigan City hospital was formally charged Saturday with three felonies, including attempted murder.
In addition to that Level 1 felony, Sharod Grafton Jr., 22, also is charged with battery against a public safety official, a Level 5 felony, and auto theft, a Level 6 felony, according to a release from Sgt. Glen Fifield, public information officer for the Indiana State Police Lowell Post.
Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Samuelson, 33, remains in critical but stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hospital after undergoing eight hours of surgery, according to a Facebook post from LaPorte County Sheriff Ron Heeg.
Officials have said that Grafton reportedly shot Samuelson three times in the emergency room of Franciscan Health Michigan City around 6:45 a.m. Friday.
Samuelson was airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital where, according to Heeg, “he underwent approximately eight hours of surgery, which surgeons later described as successful. Medical staff remain optimistic regarding his recovery.”
He remains in critical but stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hospital.
Deputy Samuelson is a 12-year veteran of the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office. He currently serves as a member of the agency’s Highway Interdiction Unit, is the handler for K-9 Bosco, and is designated as a US Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force Officer out of the Merrillville District Office.
“Thank you to the surgeons and the entire medical staff at Memorial Hospital for the exceptional care being provided to Deputy Samuelson,” Heeg said in his post. “Please continue to pray for Jon, his family and friends, and the entire law enforcement community.”
Officials said Friday that Samuelson was on his way to training in Michigan City when he stopped to help Grafton, a stranded motorist whose vehicle was disabled at LaPorte County Road 900 W. and Ind. 2, about a mile east of Westville.
The deputy agreed to the Grafton request to give him a ride to Franciscan Hospital in Michigan City.
After dropping Grafton off at the hospital, Samuelson learned that Grafton was a suspect in an incident in Illinois, officials said. Within minutes, Samuelson entered the emergency room and confronted Grafton.
Grafton pulled out a handgun and fired shots, with three of them hitting Samuelson, police said. Grafton reportedly ran west to a wooded nature preserve on the hospital grounds. He was arrested by police without incident and is being held at the Porter County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing.
Freelance reporter Jim Woods contributed to this story.
