Franklin County, IN — Early this morning, Detectives from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post began investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred in rural Franklin County, Indiana.
The initial investigation indicated the incident began shortly after midnight when the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department received a report of an adult male walking along State Road 1 near US 52, allegedly holding a small child. The temperature at the time was near zero degrees with much colder wind chills.
A deputy soon arrived in the area and located the man and the child. While attempting to speak to him, the man pulled a gun and fired it at the deputy. The deputy, who is a five-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, returned fire. The deputy was struck at least once in his body armor that he was wearing. Due to the protection of the body armor, the deputy was not injured. The suspect sustained at least one gunshot wound. He was provided immediate medical attention before eventually being transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The child was uninjured in the incident but was evaluated for cold weather exposure.
Due to information obtained by the sheriff’s department regarding the incident, deputies responded to a nearby residence on Colonial Heights Road to conduct a welfare check. Upon arriving at the home, Sdeputies located an adult female that had appeared to have sustained serious injuries from a possible gunshot wound. The deputies provided immediate medical care to her before she was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further treatment.
The condition of the two injured individuals is unknown at this time. The child was handed over to the Indiana Department of Child Services to receive additional care.
Detectives from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post were then requested by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department to investigate the incidents.
According to the Franklin County Sheriff, the deputy will be placed on administrative leave per normal protocol.
The names of the involved individuals are being withheld at this time.
The investigation is ongoing.
(Indiana State Police press release)
