Hammond Stop Ends in Gunfire; Trooper Hurt, Suspect Killed

HAMMOND, Ind. — A driver is dead and an Indiana State Police trooper was shot in the chest after a traffic stop early Tuesday in northwest Indiana.

The incident began just after midnight along eastbound Interstate 80/94 in Hammond. A state trooper pulled over a vehicle for a minor traffic violation just east of the Illinois-Indiana state line.

Following an initial investigation, the trooper called for backup and held the car’s two occupants at gunpoint. When the Hammond Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrived to help, the driver pulled out a gun and started shooting. That’s when officers shot back.

The driver, a 34-year-old man from Gary, died at the scene.

The man shot the state trooper, a K9 officer, in the chest. The trooper was wearing a bulletproof vest, and he was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for surgery, where he is stable. The police K9 was not injured.

No other officers were injured, though the two sheriff’s deputies went to a hospital for evaluation before going on standard paid administrative leave.

Police took a 34-year-old woman to the Lake County Jail. The case remains under investigation.