Man fatally shot by Gary police while holding baby, pointing gun at officers: Lake County sheriff

GARY, Ind. (WLS) -- A Gary police officer fatally shot a 38-year-old man, who was pointing a gun at police while holding his 1-year-old baby early Wednesday, the Lake County, Indiana Sheriff's Department said.

Lake County and Gary officers responded to an apartment in the 2200-block of Carolina Street about 9 p.m. Tuesday for a hostage incident, police said.

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The incident began when a woman reported her boyfriend was acting strangely inside their home after using drugs earlier, Gary police said.

She said he had a gun and locked himself in a room with their child.

An armed man inside an apartment had reportedly held at least two people hostage, a 35-year-old cousin and a 1-year-old boy, police said.

Shots were fired inside the home, and the 35-year-old man was shot in the arm, police said.

He was able to run out of the home, and was treated on the scene.

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The suspect, the 38-year-old man, refused to leave the apartment, and fired multiple rounds at police during the incident, police said.

At one point, the Gary SWAT team deployed tear gas inside the home.

Police said the man approached the front door several times with a gun in one hand and the baby in the other.

About 4:20 a.m. Wednesday, the man walked out the back doorway toward his vehicle, holding the child and pointing a gun at police, police said.

A Gary officer opened fire and fatally shot the man.

The 1-year-old was not harmed, police said, but was taken to Methodist Hospital Northlake as a precaution.

The man's identity has not yet been released, and the sheriff's department is investigating.

No officers were hurt, and police say there is no further threat to the public.

The officer involved 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," Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon said. "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."

Neighbors were terrified during the incident. Those living in the apartment complex community were stuck inside their homes.

"It was a lot of police cars, SWAT cars. It was up in the front and back, and they were blocking off the streets," neighbor Dajay Davis said.

Tracks were still visible in the grass later Wednesday, after the armored vehicle used by the SWAT team breached access into the house.

"It was a little nerve wracking; it was a lot going on. People were scared, and you couldn't even walk down the street," Davis said.