Indiana State Police sergeant shot, injured near Michigan City; suspect found dead ID'd: officials

LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) -- An Indiana State Police sergeant was wounded in a shooting Friday morning in northwest Indiana and a suspect has been found dead, police said.

A Speedway gas station later reopened after the shooting and the scene was cleared after a chaotic morning in northwest Indiana.

The entire incident stretching across state lines beginning in Michigan and ended with the suspect found dead in a rural area of LaPorte County, Indiana.

Both the injured sergeant and the deceased suspect have now been identified by officials.

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Indiana State Police said at a press conference that there was a report of a stolen vehicle traveling from Berrien County, Michigan.

The Berrien County Sheriff's Office in Michigan told ABC57 News in South Bend, Indiana that a suspect had allegedly taken a car for a test drive from a dealership in Michigan City, Indiana and never came back. He then allegedly brought the car to Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Michigan to steal a license plate.

There was then a pursuit on I-94, and the suspect in a silver Ford F150 stopped around 5 a.m. at a Speedway gas station, 2884 U.S. Highway 421, near Michigan City, police said.

There was a collision between the suspect and a state sergeant, and the suspect shot and wounded the sergeant multiple times, police said. The sergeant also returned fire at the suspect.

Indiana State Police said the sergeant was taken to Franciscan Health and transferred to a hospital in South Bend, where he was in stable condition.

Police later identified the injured officer as Sgt. Justin Heflin, a 12-year veteran of the Indiana State Police, who is now recovering after a successful surgery at a hospital in South Bend while surrounded by his family. Heflin also served in the United States Marine Corps.

Chopper 7 flew above the scene of a Speedway gas station where evidence markers surrounded an Indiana State Police SUV.

A witness, Robert Pahs, said he was driving near the scene as the shooting unfolded.

"I heard this crinkling sound at first I wasn't sure but those were gunshots, and by the time I pulled into the Speedway, the officer must have rear ended into the suspect," Pahs said.

The suspect then managed to get away again, driving through county roads and cornfields. Their vehicle was then located about five miles south in a wooded area near Westville in LaPorte County, police said.

Police say that is where the suspect continued to hide, and additional gunshots were fired in that area. He was found dead shortly after from apparent gunshot wounds, officials said.

State police later identified the suspect as 54-year-old Kevin W. Meyers of La Porte, Indiana. The LaPorte County Coroner has scheduled an autopsy for Saturday morning.

"To my knowledge, the tactical teams that were down there located him in the field," Indiana State Police Sergeant Glen Fifield said. "But we were using aviation drones, canines, all those resources were being used during the search for him."

ABC7 uncovered Meyers' lengthy criminal history, with cases out of Tennessee, Texas, Florida and Indiana, and charges including theft, motor theft, burglary, DUI and others. Records show Meyers was last booked into the LaPorte County jail in May and was released a month later.

As many as 100 officers and SWAT units had been searching for the suspect Friday and were seen leaving at around 11 a.m.

Police investigate at a Michigan City, Indiana gas station.

The shooting adds to what has been a difficult time for police in northwest Indiana, marking the third time an officer has been shot in the line of duty since May 22.

"The Polk County Sheriff's deputy was shot a half mile from here at the hospital. Then we had our trooper shot by 94 over in Lake County, and now here today," Sgt. Fifield said. "So, yeah, so we're hurting... as a profession."

Meanwhile, there was a court hearing for the man charged with shooting a LaPorte County Sheriff's Deputy in May.

The court was informed that suspect Sharod Grafton has hired a defense attorney.

Prosecutors say Grafton shot and wounded LaPorte County Deputy Jonathon Samuelson at a hospital in Michigan City on May 22.

Samuelson started rehab in Chicago last month. Grafton's case is back in court in August.

Just days after Samuelson was shot, an Indiana State Police trooper was shot in Hammond on May 26.

Police say the trooper called for backup after a making a traffic stop on I-80/94. When the other officers arrived, the driver pulled out a gun and there was a shootout.

The trooper was hit in the chest. His bullet proof vest helped to save him. The driver was killed, officials said.