Lake County Prosecutor Explains Timeline of Events At Community Hospital
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter states the preliminary investigation reveals that in the early morning hours of June 16, 2020, retired police officers Ryan Askew and Benny Freeman were working at Community Hospital in Munster, IN. At that time, a patient in the hospital became combative with the nurses and staff of the hospital. The staff called for a code yellow (call for a combative subject) and Askew and Freeman responded. Upon seeing security arrive at his hospital room, the patient grabbed the nurse attending to him with one hand and began to strike her with his other.
Carter states that at this time the other nurses and staff began to pull the nurse away from the patient while the security officials tried to subdue that patient. The security guards were overpowered by the patient and Askew was placed in a chokehold by the patient. The patient lifted Askew, who was still in a chokehold, off the ground while striking him repeatedly with his free hand. Nurses and staff reported that Askew began to go in and out of consciousness. Freeman un-holstered his firearm and fired twice resulting in the patient being shot in the face and Askew being shot in his arm.
The hospital staff then began to attend to Askew but the bullet traveled into his chest. Carter says that Askew succumbed to the shooting shortly after.
