An Indiana State Police trooper was shot in the chest and a suspect was shot and killed at the scene just after midnight Tuesday on Interstate 94, just east of the Illinois state line, police said.
The shooting took place after what Sgt. Glen Fifield, public information officer for the Lowell Post, termed “a routine traffic stop,” the second shooting in less than a week in which an officer was injured.
A LaPorte County Sheriff’s deputy was critically injured during a shooting at Franciscan Health in Michigan City on Friday.
The trooper wounded Tuesday, who is not yet being publicly identified, is an eight-year veteran of the department, Fifield said during an early morning news conference Tuesday in Hammond. A Hammond Police officer drove the trooper to Community Hospital in Munster and he was then transferred to the University of Chicago Medical Center for surgery.
The trooper, who is a K-9 officer, is in stable condition, Fifield said. “No other officers were injured in the incident,” Fifield said, including the K-9.
The trooper is expected to make a full recovery.
The shooting occurred at the eastbound mile marker 2.4/Indianapolis Boulevard, according to a statement from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
The trooper stopped a grey Hyundai Elantra for a minor traffic violation and requested additional units. A man and woman, both 34 and from Gary, were in the car and the man was driving, Fifield said.
Two Lake County deputies and a Hammond Police officer responded as backup, Fifield said, when the man, who was the driver, produced a handgun and an exchange of gunfire took place. All four of the officers fired their weapons.
“The suspect was shot and died at the scene. Our trooper sustained a gunshot wound to the chest,” Fifield said, adding the trooper was wearing a bulletproof vest.
The Lake County Coroner has identified the deceased as Aaron Barnes, 34, from Gary, Indiana. An autopsy is pending.
The woman was taken into custody and transported to the Lake County Jail, where she will be held for up to 48 hours while the investigation takes place, Fifield said, at which point she will be charged or released.
The two Lake County Sheriff’s deputies who were not wounded were taken to an area hospital for evaluation. They are expected to be medically cleared and will be on paid administrative leave in accordance with department policy and procedure, according to a statement from Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr.
The shooting closed the busy stretch of interstate for several hours. While the shooting took place in the eastbound lane, Fifield said police gathered evidence in both lanes of “a very large scene.” A semi-truck received gunshots but the driver was not injured.
This is a developing story.
