A routine traffic stop on the busy I-80/94 Borman Expressway in northwest Indiana early Tuesday morning turned deadly, with a suspect killed and an Indiana State Police trooper shot in the chest as authorities work to investigate the “large” crime scene near the Illinois-Indiana state line.
The incident unfolded just after midnight near Indianapolis Boulevard in Hammond, Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said, as an ISP trooper was conducting a traffic stop on a grey Hyundai Elantra.
“This was not part of extra patrol, “Fifield said during a press conference. “This was just him working his shift.”
The stop, Fifield said, was for a minor traffic infraction. “We stop everything from speeding, to following to close to someone, not using their headlights,” he said. “It could have been anything.”
While conducting the stop, ISP said the trooper immediately called for backup after the two people inside the car didn’t comply with the trooper’s orders. The trooper then held the two occupants of the car–a man and a woman–at gunpoint until additional units from the Hammond Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrived.
“Obviously, something that he observed during that traffic stop alerted him,” Fifield said “That resulted in him drawing his firearm and calling for backup.”
As the units approached the car, the driver pulled out a handgun, ISP said, and an exchange of gunfire took place. The state trooper, a Hammond police officer and two Lake County Sheriff patrol men all fired their weapons.
The driver of the Hyundai was struck by gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene, ISP said. He was later identified by the Lake County Coroner as Aaron Barnes, 34, of Gary.
A 34-year-old female passenger was taken into custody and brought to the Lake County jail where she remains on a 48-hour probable cause hold.
The ISP trooper involved, a K9 handler, sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to a nearby hospital. The trooper was then transferred to the University of Chicago Medical Center for surgery and was in stable condition. He was expected to make a full recovery. Fifield said.
According to Fifield, the trooper’s K9 partner was present during the incident but was not injured. No other officers were hurt, Fifield added.
Lanes on I-80/94 near the Illinois-Indiana state line were closed in both directions for hours Tuesday morning as investigators worked to canvas what Fifield described as a “large crime scene.” Photos and video from NBC Chicago showed dozens of evidence markers on the roadway, and drivers were advised to stay away.
“A lot of shots fired by both by the officers and the suspect,” Fifield said. He added that that a nearby semi truck was struck by gunfire during the shootout.
The incident comes days after a similar one in LaPorte County, when a deputy was shot inside a Michigan City emergency room by a 22-year-old man he was transporting to the hospital. According to officials, the deputy, a 12-year veteran of the force, was under the impression the man, from Chicago, was a stranded motorist.
“It’s the second time in a week that we are meeting for an officer-involved shooting,” Fifield said. “For a traffic stop, with very similar circumstances, where an officer was shot. It just needs to stop.”
“What becomes routine can turn tragic in the blink of an eye,” Fifield continued. “And that’s what’s scary about this job.”
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