RAW: IN: STATE TROOPER SHOOTING: SUSPECT FOUND DEAD
Click here for updates on this story
MICHIGAN CITY, Indiana (WBBM) — An Indiana State Police trooper was shot multiple times after a pursuit in Michigan City Friday morning, and the suspect was later found dead in a wooded area nearby, state police said.
Around 5:30 a.m., the trooper was pursuing a suspect driving a stolen silver 2019 Ford F-150 on I-94.
Authorities say the chase began with a report of a stolen plate at a casino in New Buffalo. The suspect, later identified as 54-year-old Kevin W. Meyers of LaPorte, Indiana, left the state and Indiana State Police pursued the vehicle. They said during the pursuit, the suspect fired multiple shots from a rifle and also pointed the gun at pursuing officers.
The chase ended when both vehicles crashed near a Speedway gas station after exiting onto U.S. 421, according to Indiana State Police.
The suspect then fired at the trooper from inside the truck, hitting him multiple times, police said. The trooper returned fire as the suspect drove away.
Cameron Davis saw part of the massive police response from his property in Westville, Indiana.
“I seen two unmarked Indiana state troopers with chargers and AR-15’s and right outside my property when I pulled out of the driveway,” he said.
The trooper, Sergeant Justin Heflin, a 12-year veteran with ISP and a U.S. Marine veteran, was taken to Franciscan Health Michigan City by responding officers for emergency care before being taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, where his condition was stabilized after undergoing successful surgery, police said.
Just after 9:16 a.m., with help from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department aviation unit, police located the Ford in a wooded area near Wozniak and Joliet roads, approximately 5 miles south of the crash site. As additional officers moved in, police said gunfire was heard from a nearby cornfield. No officers were hit.
A perimeter was established, and a tactical team searched the area. Police later confirmed the suspect was found dead in the cornfield from gunshot wounds.
State police were joined by the Lake County Sheriff’s aviation and K9 units. All in all, around 100 officers were trying to stop the suspect. They said there is no ongoing threat to the community.
CBS News Chicago learned that Meyers was last booked in the La Porte County Jail on May 18 and released on June 17. An autopsy for Meyers is schedueld for Saturday, July 11, police said.
This is the third officer in northwest Indiana to be shot on the job in the last few months.
On May 22, La Porte County Sheriff’s deputy Jon Samuelson was critically injured after he was shot three times at Michigan City’s Franciscan Health Hospital.
Then, just four days later on May 26, an Indiana State Police trooper was shot and a suspect was killed in a shootout during a traffic stop in Hammond. According to state police, the trooper was shot in the chest, but was wearing a protective vest. He was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital for surgery and later released.
“We’re hurting as a profession, but this is something that we work through. Unfortunately, these things happen,” said Public Information Officer Glen Fifield.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.