Portage Man Arrested After Chesterton Shooting on Pam Drive
CHESTERTON — A Portage man is facing multiple preliminary felony charges after a man was shot during an overnight incident early Wednesday in a Chesterton neighborhood.
According to the Chesterton Police Department, officers were dispatched around 12:20 a.m. on March 4 to a residence on Pam Drive following reports of a shooting. When officers arrived, they located a 41-year-old man suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the shoulder.
Police say the injured man told officers that a 35-year-old woman had arrived at his home seeking refuge after allegedly being battered earlier in Portage by AJ Jularn Pingol, 32.
Authorities said Pingol later went to the Chesterton residence searching for the woman. A verbal confrontation reportedly took place outside between Pingol and the homeowner. Investigators say Pingol then ran to his vehicle and, before leaving, allegedly fired multiple shots toward the victim and the home, striking the man in the shoulder.
Pingol fled the scene with the firearm, prompting what police described as an “intelligence-driven search” for the suspect. After several hours, officers located Pingol at a location in South Haven around 7 a.m., where he was taken into custody without incident. Police also recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the shooting.
Pingol is currently being held on several preliminary felony charges, including:
- Aggravated Battery (Level 3 Felony)
- Criminal Recklessness (Level 5 Felony)
- Intimidation (Level 5 Felony)
- Domestic Battery (Level 5 Felony)
- Strangulation (Level 6 Felony)
Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson credited officers and investigators for quickly identifying and locating the suspect.
“Their thorough investigation at the scene and in the hours after paved the way for Det. Lt. Justin Frever to complete a timely follow-up investigation and subsequent arrest,” Richardson said. He also thanked the Porter Police Department, Portage Police Department, and the Porter County Sheriff’s Office for assisting in the investigation and apprehension.
Det. Lt. Justin Frever is the lead investigator in the case. Anyone with additional information about the domestic battery incident in Portage or the shooting in Chesterton is asked to contact him at 219-926-1136.
