Man killed in police-involved shooting in Northwest Indiana, officials say

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Thursday, January 16, 2025
Man killed in police-involved shooting in NW Indiana: Officials
A man was wounded in a police-involved shooting Wednesday at a home on West 93rd Place in St. John Indiana, Lake County officials said.

ST. JOHN, Ind. (WLS) -- A man was killed in a police-involved shooting Wednesday morning in Northwest Indiana.

The shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. in the 14000 block of West 93rd Place in St. John, Indiana, the Lake County, Indiana Sheriff's Department said.

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A St. John police officer had responded to a home at the location for a call of a domestic disturbance, the sheriff said.

After a physical altercation, shots were fired and a 40-year-old man was wounded, the sheriff said. The man, who neighbors say was barefoot and wearing pajamas, was taken to a hospital. The Lake County coroner's officer later confirmed they are investigating a death related to the incident.

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"Just intense. I mean, caught everybody off guard," St. John resident George Jaksich said. "The neighbors were all freaked out."

Residents in the Bramblewood subdivision who heard the gunfire said they watched as officers performed CPR on the man after the shooting.

"I looked out, and I see a guy falling backwards," Jaksich said. "I see some cops on the west side of him... and yeah, then right away they kicked something away. It turns out those were dumbbells when I walked over there, but they were giving him CPR."

Video from the scene showed a couple of hand weights sitting in the street, but it's unclear if the man who was shot had those in his possession.

"We're all on edge," St. John resident Michelle Dobrzeniecki said. "You know, the firing of the gunshots was scary. I didn't know it was gunshots, but they were."

In the tree-lined neighborhood of families and familiar faces, few can remember anything like this ever happening.

"He looked familiar. I definitely could pinpoint the house that I've seen him at, and I saw what I thought was his parents in the driveway, and my heart just shattered, because I didn't know what happened," Dobrzeniecki said. "Crazy world we live in, I get it, but I'm just happy really honestly that my kids did not see this."

No further information about the shooting was immediately available.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department Detective Bureau continues to investigate.

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