An Indiana State Trooper was hospitalized in stable condition Friday after he was shot this morning in northwest Indiana.
It all started around 5:30 a.m. near the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo where Berrien County police tried to pull over a reportedly stolen vehicle, a silver Ford F150 pickup. The driver crossed into Indiana as police chased him, and at a Speedway gas station in Michigan City, south of the U.S. 421 interchange with I-94, he stopped and exchanged gunfire with the trooper, hitting him.
Over 100 officers from area departments joined a hunt for the suspect, and found his vehicle near Westville, where they urged people to stay in their homes. Police said the suspect was found dead but they have not said how he was killed.
The trooper, 11-year-veteran Sgt. Justin Heflin, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, where police say he underwent successful surgery and was surrounded by family.
The suspect, 54-year-old Kevin W. Meyers of LaPorte, was found dead in a cornfield from an apparent gunshot wound. His autopsy is set for Saturday morning.
Responders first brought Heflin to Franciscan Health Michigan City, the hospital where a Chicago man, seven weeks ago, shot LaPorte County sheriff’s deputy Jon Samuelson, who is recovering. That case also involved an officer investigating auto theft.
In a statement, State Rep. Randy Novak, from Michigan City, thanked police for risking their lives daily. He said, “We see you, we are grateful for you and we will not accept violence against you as normal. Two shootings in two months is two too many. This has to stop.”
