Gary Man Charged in Liquor Store Shooting
A Gary man has been formally charged after a shooting inside a local liquor store earlier this month left a 47-year-old man in critical condition.
According to court documents, the incident occurred in the early morning hours of September 14, 2025, at Economy Liquors, located in the 400 block of Clark Road in Gary. Police responded around 1:55 a.m. after reports of a man shot inside the store.
When officers arrived, they found a 47-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound to the right side of his body near his rib cage. Citizens were attempting to render aid before Gary Fire Department medics transported him to Methodist Hospital, Northlake Campus. He was later airlifted to a hospital in Chicago for further treatment.
Witnesses and surveillance footage showed the suspect wearing a Domino’s Pizza uniform. The gunman fled the store in a maroon Pontiac Grand Prix with a female companion who was also dressed in Domino’s apparel.
Detectives used surveillance footage and license-plate reader technology to trace the vehicle to Jalen Lee Gordon of Gary. Investigators reported that Gordon’s driver’s license photo matched the suspect captured in the liquor store’s security footage.
The injured man told investigators from his hospital bed that he and a friend had gone to the liquor store after drinking earlier in the evening. He said he may have been flirting with a woman inside the store when a man believed to be her boyfriend pulled out a handgun and shot him.
Doctors at the Chicago hospital determined the man suffered a penetrating gunshot wound that lacerated his liver and raised concerns about kidney damage. He underwent emergency exploratory surgery described as high-complexity, during which surgeons found a bullet lodged near his spine and fragments across his abdomen and pelvis. He remained in critical condition following surgery and required intensive care.
Charges filed September 24,2025:
• Aggravated Battery — posing a substantial risk of death (Level 3 felony)
• Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon (Level 5 felony)
• Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (Level 5 felony)
• Pointing a Firearm at Another (Level 6 felony)
Gordon was lodged in the Lake County Jail on September 25, 2025 .
