Armed man shot and killed by officers while holding 1-year-old son, IN cops say
After an hours-long standoff with officers, a father ran out the back door of an apartment with his 1-year-old son in one arm and a gun in his opposite hand as officers fired shots his way, Indiana police said.
The 38-year-old man was struck and died at the scene, Gary police said in an April 9 news release. The toddler was unharmed.
The standoff started around 8:30 p.m. April 8 when a woman reported that her boyfriend was armed and using drugs when he locked himself in a room with their 1-year-old, police said.
Minutes later, the man’s 35-year-old cousin called police to say they were shot by the armed man when he tried to rescue the child from the apartment before police arrived. The cousin was treated at the scene but declined further medical attention, police said.
Officers approached the room where the father and son were locked in and could hear the child crying as they tried to convince the man to open the door, police said.
The dad became more aggressive, according to police, and shot four times through the door.
Gary police, Lake County deputies and SWAT teams surrounded the home in an attempt to coax the man out with the child, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department said in an April 9 Facebook post.
SWAT officers broke through the back door of the apartment and used tear gas, but the man refused to leave, deputies said.
Around 4:20 a.m. April 9, approximately eight hours into the standoff, the man ran out the back door of the apartment toward police and was shot and killed, authorities said.
The officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave, police said. Deputies are conducting an investigation.
Gary is about a 30-mile drive southeast from Chicago, Illinois.
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Armed man shot and killed by officers while holding 1-year-old son, IN cops say."
