Man Shot and Killed by Deputies Outside Hendricks County Courthouse

UPDATE: The deceased man, identified as 65-year-old Mark Vawter of Plainfield Indiana, was outside the courthouse prior to the arrival of the transport van. 

HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind.–A man was shot and killed Monday by police outside the Hendricks County Courthouse shortly after investigators say he took out a gun and aimed it in their direction.

Two Hendricks County deputies were transporting a group of inmates to the courthouse for court proceedings.

“When they arrived at the courthouse, they parked out front and they unloaded all of the inmates and started walking inside. They were confronted by a man who was outside the courthouse already. The man displayed a firearm at which point the deputies were able to shoot the suspect and get all of the inmates inside a safe location back in the courthouse,” said Indiana State Police Sergeant John Perrine. State Police are now handling the investigation.

Perrine says it’s unclear if the man was aiming his gun at either the deputies or the inmates. The man with the gun was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We have a lot of boxes still to check. These are complex investigations,” said Perrine.

He emphasized that surveillance video will be a big part of the investigation, but he said the transport deputies did not have body cameras.