Overnight Standoff Leads To Officer Involved Shooting Investigation
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened in Gary Wednesday morning, according to Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez. The suspect in an armed hostage situation exited an apartment holding a 1-year-old boy and waving a gun. The suspect was then fatally wounded, Martinez stated.
On Tuesday, April 8th, 2025, at approximately 8:38 PM, Gary Police responded to an agency assist call in the 2200 block of Carolina Street. Upon arrival, 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, according to Gary Police.
At about 8:57 PM, dispatch received another call about a shooting victim nearby in relation to the above mentioned call in the 2100 block of Carolina Street. Officers located a 35-year-old Gary man with a minor arm wound, sustained after being shot by his armed relative at the residence where police had just previously responded. The Gary Fire Department treated him at the scene, but he declined further medical attention.
Investigation revealed that the shooting victim was the cousin of the armed man and had gone to the house to get the child before police arrived. During this attempt, the armed man became aggressive and shot him. The cousin then left without the child, returned to his own home, and called the police.
Officers made contact with the armed man at the 2200 block of Carolina Street residence. They could hear the baby crying inside but couldn’t see the child. Officers tried to speak with the man through the rear door, attempting to calm and de-escalate the situation. However, the man became more aggressive and shot approximately 4 times through the door at the Gary Officers. Officers retreated and set up a perimeter around the residence and notified the Gary Police Department Swat Unit.
Gary Police SWAT and negotiators arrived shortly after but were unable to get the offender to respond through calls or commands. The offender continued to ignore commands and actively resisted all de-escalation efforts, prompting Gary SWAT to attempt to breach the residence. The offender fired at them multiple times at this time as well.
At approximately 9 PM, police officers with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department responded to an apartment in the 2200 block of Carolina Street to assist Gary police with securing a perimeter around the building.
The Gary SWAT Team requested the use of a Lake County Sheriff’s Department specialized tactical armored vehicle in an attempt to safely position officers closer to the scene. The sheriff’s department deployed the armored unit with 4 Lake County Sheriff’s Department SWAT Team members. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department Drone Unit provided real-time aerial intelligence during this.
A ramming tool on the armored unit was used to breech the back door to the home and it was removed, Martinez said.
The Gary SWAT Team deployed tear gas inside the home, but the suspect refused to come out. He was observed approaching the front door several times with a gun in one hand and a baby in the other.
Sometime around 4:20 AM, on Wednesday, April 9th, the suspect walked out of the back doorway toward his vehicle holding the child and pointing a gun at police. At that time, a Gary police officer opened fire and the suspect was wounded. He was later pronounced deceased. The one-year-old was unharmed.
The suspect is identified as a 38-year-old male.
Lake County CSI collected evidence at the scene. The investigation of the incident is ongoing and the officer who fired the shots was put on administrative leave. No further information will be released at this time.
“Our community is deeply saddened by this tragic incident that began as a family matter but escalated into a critical public safety situation involving a young child,” stated Chief of Police, Derrick Cannon. “I commend the officers who responded to this dangerous scene where the subject repeatedly fired at officers. I also extend my sincere gratitude to Lake County Sheriff, Oscar Martinez for providing additional resources, including their Police Assisted Recovery Initiative (PARI) team with licensed social workers who supported our negotiators’ de-escalation efforts.”
