Gary, IND.- On Tuesday, April 8th, 2025, at approximately 8:38pm, 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.  

At about 8:57pm, 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 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. The Lake County Sheriff's Department SWAT Unit was requested for use of its armored vehicle.

After Lake County Sheriff's SWAT arrived, SWAT teams successfully breached the residence using a ram. A drone deployed in the residence showing the offender had moved to the second floor with his child and several more attempts were made to communicate with the offender. Officers deployed CS/CN (tear) gas. The offender then exited through the rear of the home carrying the child in one arm and a gun in the other hand. As he ran toward his vehicle and in the direction of officers, an officer-involved shooting occurred.

Medical assistance was administered by Gary Fire Department paramedics, who pronounced the armed man deceased at the scene. The child was unharmed but taken to Methodist Hospital Northlake as a  

precaution, and the Department of Family Services was notified. Lake County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting, and the officer has been placed on administrative leave.

"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."

Media Contact:

Commander Thomas Pawlak

Patrol Commander

GPDPIO@gary.gov

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