Man Holding 1-Year-Old While Pointing Gun at Officers Shot and Killed During Hostage Situation, Police Say

A man holding a 1-year-old boy while pointing a gun at officers was shot and killed during a hostage situation in Indiana.

According to a press release from the Gary Police Department, officers were first called to a home on the 2200 block of Carolina Street on Tuesday, April 8, after a woman reported that “her boyfriend was acting strangely inside their home after using drugs earlier, had a gun, and had locked himself in a room with their one-year-old child.”

Soon after, dispatch received another call about a shooting victim nearby, related to the incident. The victim was a 35-year-old cousin of the woman’s boyfriend, a 38-year-old male.

Police said that the cousin had gone to get the toddler before police arrived and during this attempt, the 38-year-old “became aggressive and shot him.”

“The cousin then left without the child, returned to his own home, and called the police,” the press release said. According to a press release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the cousin sustained a “minor injury” and refused medical treatment at the scene.

The Gary Police Department said that officers were then made contact with the 38-year-old and attempted to de-escalate the situation. He then allegedly fired approximately four times through the door at the officers. Officers said they could “hear the baby crying inside but couldn’t see the child.”

Given the situation, the Gary SWAT Team requested a Lake County Sheriff’s Department specialized tactical armored vehicle to help safely position officers closer to the scene, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department’s press release said.

The armored unit with four Lake County Sheriff’s Department SWAT Team members was deployed, while the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Drone Unit provided real-time aerial intelligence.

The home’s back door was removed with a ramming tool. This allowed the Gary SWAT team to deploy tear gas inside the property, but the suspect still refused to come out and had moved to the second floor, per the police department.

Authorities said the 38-year-old refused to respond to calls or commands from negotiators and “fired at them multiple times.”

“He was observed approaching the front door several times with a gun in one hand and a baby in the other,” according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department’s press release.

Around 4:20 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9th, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department said the suspect “walked out of the back doorway toward his vehicle holding the child and pointing a gun at police.”

A Gary police officer opened fire on the suspect, who was later pronounced deceased. The 1-year-old was unharmed but taken to Methodist Hospital Northlake as a precaution and the Department of Family Services was notified. 

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The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave, per the Gary Police Department. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting and said no further information will be released at this time.