Lake County Officer Shot In Gary
Around noon Thursday a Lake County Sheriff Officer in the Civil Division was struck by gunfire on the 600 block of Hanley in Gary while serving a civil warrant, according to Indiana State Police. The officer returned fire to the suspect hitting him fatally.
The lieutenant was assigned to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Civil Division and was wounded while executing an Order of Replevin (court-ordered seizure of property) at a home with Rent A Center, stated Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. The lieutenant had attempted to make contact at the residence and announce his presence. There was no answer, Martinez said. Indiana State Police later told outlets they were there to recover appliances for RAC.
While the officer was executing the court order, the suspect opened fire, wounding the officer. The officer then returned fire, striking the suspect at least once, Martinez said. The Officer sustained non life threatening injuries according to Indiana State Police.
The suspect fled from the residence and collapsed a short distance away, Martinez told RNS. The resident of the home, a male in his 20’s, was transported to Northlake Methodist Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The Lake County Coroner has identified the deceased as Whitney J. Crawley, 23, of Gary.
The lieutenant is 59 years old and he is a 30-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Indiana State Police are handling the investigation from this point.
We will continue to provide updates as they come in.
