3 men dead after shooting at unincorporated Griffith, Indiana home, Lake County sheriff says

Lake Co. Coroner has identified all 3 victims

ByEric Horng and ABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Monday, March 18, 2024
3 men dead after shooting at NW Indiana home, sheriff's office says
A Griffith, Indiana shooting on Friday left three men dead at a home in the 600 block of Colfax Street, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

UNINCORP. GRIFFITH, Ind. (WLS) -- Three men were found dead after a shooting at a Northwest Indiana home on Friday afternoon, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

Chopper7 flew over a home in unincorporated Griffith's 600 block of Colfax Street, where the sheriff said the shooting happened.

The shooting brought a swarm of police, including officers in an armored truck. The violence was a shock to neighbors.

"We went to look out the window where we could actually see the driveway better, and there was a man laying there," neighbor Rhonda Fierro said. "And then the police come and the helicopters and the SWAT... they just broke open the door."

Officers responded to the home just before 2 p.m., and found three men with apparent gunshot wounds. Two of the victims had died.

The third man was transported in critical condition to a local hospital, where he later died.

"Insane. It's crazy," neighbor Patty Estrada said. "I cannot believe this is happening in our town... anywhere."

Before police arrived, Estrada said she looked out her window after hearing two gunshots and she could not believe what she saw across the street.

"I seen a man laying in the driveway, another man straddled over him going through his pockets," Estrada said.

She said the apparent shooter then went inside the house.

"Maybe three to five minutes after he went back in the house, I heard one gunshot," Estrada said.

The sheriff's office said detectives are investigating several factors, including whether the shooting may have been a murder-suicide.

Investigators said there is no current threat to anyone in the surrounding area. No arrests have been made.

"Oh my gosh, what is going on with this world today?" Estrada said. "It doesn't matter where you are or who you are, or what you have or what you don't have. There's just violence anywhere."

The Lake County Coroner has identified the three men.

69-year-old Marshall Lawson of Hammond died at Methodist Northlake Hospital. His death has been ruled a homicide from gunshot wounds

63-year-old Robert Secviar who lived and died at the scene in Griffith. HIs death was also ruled a homicide from gunshot wound.

67-year-old John G. Stefanich of Highland died at Munster Community Hospital. His cause of death is a gunshot wound. His manner of death is still pending, according to the coroner.