St. John police officer charged in November shooting with off-duty Hammond officer, officials say

ST. JOHN, Ind. (WLS) -- A St John, Indiana, police officer has been charged in connection with a November police-involved shooting, officials announced Wednesday.

Officer Phillip Fabian, 33, has been charged with one felony count of criminal recklessness and a misdemeanor of criminal mischief, said St. John Police Chief Steven Flores.

Fabian is accused of opening fire on an off-duty Hammond police officer on November 29, 2022.

A St John, Indiana, police officer has been charged in connection with a November police-involved shooting, officials announced Wednesday.

Following the incident, officials said the St. John officer was "checking on an abandoned, unoccupied suspicious vehicle" near West 93rd Avenue and Cline Avenue, and as he was standing in the shoulder of the lane, the officer claims a car nearly struck him.

At the time, St. John police said the officer feared for his life and opened fire on the vehicle, which continued driving past the scene. The officer then chased down the driver and took him into custody.

That driver was said to be an off-duty Hammond police officer.

In a Facebook post by Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr., he said the Hammond officer was on his way to his home in St. John when he saw the St. John officer conducting a traffic stop. The mayor said the Hammond officer moved to the other side of the road to give space when the St. John officer opened fire at him.

The off-duty Hammond officer was uninjured and maintains he did nothing wrong, McDermott said.

McDermott said the incident end with the gunfire, which came so close to the off-duty officer it pierced the passenger seat of his personal vehicle.

"When our person identifies himself as a Hammond police officer, totally outfitted as a Hammond police officer, they cuff him in the back of a car for two hours. That's outrageous," the mayor said.

St. John's police chief could not say how many shots Fabian fired, or what that still-unseen body and dash camera footage shows.

"It was unfortunate," said Chief Flores. "I'll say that."

"I was told it's shocking how blatant and disproportionate the use of force was," McDermott said.

Fabian has been on administrative leave since the shooting, officials said, and remains on paid leave.

He has been with the St. John Police Department since June 2022 and previously worked for the East Chicago Police Department, Flores said.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting.