Indiana Trooper Dodges Gunfire, Sparks Hours-Long Manhunt That Ends With Suspect Dead in a Basement
A roadside stop turned into a shootout and a four-hour search across rural LaPorte County before a SWAT team found the gunman dead of a self-inflicted wound.
An Indiana State Police trooper narrowly escaped gunfire and triggered a four-hour manhunt through rural LaPorte County on Friday after a roadside encounter with two suspicious individuals turned violent, state police said.
According to ABC7 Chicago, the trooper was flagged down around 3:15 p.m. by someone reporting that two people had approached a family member near County Road 125 East, south of County Road 900 North. While the trooper sat in his patrol vehicle, the man allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband; the trooper drove off, and the suspect opened fire, striking the patrol car twice. The trooper was not hurt.
A Search Through the Woods
Police said both individuals then fled into a wooded area, prompting a large-scale response from multiple law enforcement agencies that shut down roads and warned residents to shelter in place, per NBC Chicago. Roughly four hours after the initial gunfire, an Indiana State Police SWAT team entered a home in the 8300 block of North 125 East and found the male suspect dead in the basement of what state police described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
SCENE DEEMED SECURE AFTER A FOUR-HOUR SEARCH INVOLVING MULTIPLE AGENCIES.
A woman identified by state police as Erica D. Bowman, 20, of Elkhart, was taken into custody at the scene and booked into the LaPorte County Jail, according to 95.3 MNC. Her connection to the male suspect and any charges she may face have not yet been detailed by investigators.
Investigation Continues
Indiana State Police have not released the identity of the deceased suspect pending notification of next of kin, nor have they detailed what, if anything, prompted the initial confrontation with the family member who flagged down the trooper. The rural stretch of LaPorte County where the standoff unfolded sits roughly 15 miles south of Michigan City, and residents in the area were kept away from the search zone for much of Friday afternoon.
State police say the investigation remains active, with detectives working to establish a timeline connecting the initial approach to the family member, the gunfire at the trooper, and the hours the suspect spent evading searchers before he was found.