A report of a burglary led to a police-involved shooting in Elkhart.
It happened around 3:40 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4, when officers with the Elkhart Police Department were sent to a home in the 500 block of Capitol Boulevard in regard to a possible burglary, according to Sgt. Chris Snyder with the Elkhart Police Department.
During that investigation, officers heard sounds of gunfire coming from the area of the 1800 block of DeCamp Avenue. During an encounter with individuals leaving the DeCamp Avenue scene, two officers discharged their weapons as well, Snyder stated.
Investigators discovered one person dead and as many as three individuals injured, Snyder stated.
Those who were hurt were taken to the hospital for treatment. Neither of the police officers was injured.
There are several locations in which gunfire happened, Snyder stated.
“The officers ran on foot from the burglary to the sounds of the shots fired,” Elkhart City Police Chief Ed Windbigler said during a news conference on Sunday morning, according to 95.3 MNC’s reporting partners at ABC 57. “When they got to the 1800 block of DeCamp, they fired their weapons at a vehicle. That vehicle ended up crashing in the 1800 block.”
“There is one person that is deceased that was in that vehicle,” Windbigler added. “There is a second person that was in that vehicle that was injured; it’s unknown where the injuries occurred at; if it was from the officers or previous. While they were investigating that, they found a third victim who had been shot in the 1800 block of DeCamp. That person was taken to Elkhart General Hospital for their injuries. During this time, a fourth person showed up at Elkhart General Hospital who had gunshot injuries also.”
The officers were involved in a gun fight with the two victims seated in the car, according to Windbigler, but he said the officers did not shoot the two victims who were outside the car, and it is not known at this time who shot them, ABC 57 reported.
The Indiana State Police was called to help investigate, along with the assistance of additional local agencies.
Update: The man who died at the scene has been identified as Norman Gary, 29, of Elkhart. The Elkhart County Coroner says an autopsy will likely be performed Monday. Three others in their early-to-mid-20s from Elkhart were also identified as shooting victims.