INDIANAPOLIS — A man is dead after an officer-involved shooting involving the Lawrence Police Department Thursday.
Lawrence Police Department Chief Gary Woodruff confirms the shooting happened in the area of 30th and Shadeland around 3:14 p.m. following a pursuit that started in Lawrence.
“This is hard on everyone. It’s difficult on the decedent’s family. It’s going to be difficult for the officers that were involved,” said Woodruff. “Our hearts go out to everybody involved, of course.”
Initial information indicates just after 3 p.m. Lawrence police officers spotted a stolen vehicle near 56th Street and Pendleton Pike. Inside the vehicle, were three people.
The department says the driver initially complied by stopping the vehicle, but didn’t display his hands or exit the vehicle. He then drove away from officers, speeding off to the west.
“I did hear about speeds reaching up to 90 miles an hour. As far as the overall speeds throughout the pursuit, I don’t have that information as of right now,” said Woodruff.
When the driver got to Pendleton Pike and East 56th Street, the department said the driver slowed down enough to allow the 2 occupants to exit. They surrender to officers and were interviewed before being released.
After the suspect driver led police on a chase westbound on Pendleton Pike, LPD said the driver turned southbound on to Shadeland Avenue before crashing in the 3100 block of N. Shadeland Avenue.
The department said the driver refused to comply with officers’ directions to surrender, instead producing a weapon.
It was at that location where police said an officer-involved shooting happened. The department said a Lawrence police officer saw the weapon and fired, hitting the driver. The man was taken to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
“There was one shot that was fired by a Lawrence police officer and the individual who received that gunshot wound sadly did not survive their injuries,” said Woodruff.
The name of the man killed has not yet been released by authorities. Police said efforts were underway Thursday by the Marion County Coroner’s Office to confirm his identity.
“Lawrence police detectives, Marion County Prosecutor’s Office was here, now the Marion County Crime Lab and Marion County Coroner’s Office will all be involved in the investigation into the dynamics that led to the officer-involved shooting,” said Woodruff.
Indiana State Police troopers were also on scene assisting in a support role, with whatever resources were needed, Woodruff said. IMPD officers were also at the scene to assist.
“The matter will be thoroughly investigated no matter what. Of course it’s sad whenever there’s a loss of life. All the resources will be available to all the officers that were at the scene in particular, as well as the officer involved in the shooting,” said Woodruff.
Lawrence police said the preliminary investigation showed that the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle. It’s not clear whether the suspect was armed or if a weapon was recovered at the scene.
The area of N. Shadeland between 30th Street and 38th Street was closed for some time as investigators were processing the scene.
Although the shooting occurred in Indianapolis, because the pursuit began in Lawrence and involved LPD, Lawrence police are currently the lead agency on the investigation.
When asked whether the pursuit followed departmental policy, Woodruff said, “It’s too early to determine if everything was in compliance with pursuit policy, but there will be an ongoing review and process for that.”
Police said this remains an active investigation and more information will be released when it is available.
“We all know from previous incidents this is a very methodical approach to investigating these officer-involved shootings. Every detail is reviewed, including all camera footage, body cam footage, dash cam footage, and all resources that each investigating agency has at their disposal,” said Woodruff.
