Suspect killed in Shelbyville SWAT standoff
Justin L. Mack
justin.mack@Indystar.com
A man accused of shooting at police after a nine-hour SWAT standoff in Shelbyville was fatally shot early Sunday by officers who returned fire.
About 8:20 p.m. Saturday, officers from the Shelbyville Police Department were called to a home in the 800 block of West Washington Street for a citizen dispute, according to Sgt. Rich Myers of the Indiana State Police.
A Shelbyville police officer contacted the female caller and was preparing to leave the residence when a man stepped onto the porch and began waving a handgun, Myers said. The man then went back into the home.
The woman who called police ran to a neighbor's house, and a SWAT team was called in to surround the home of the armed man.
Myers said officers tried to communicate with the man throughout the evening and early morning by loudspeaker and cellphone but got no response.
Police then sent a remote-control robot that lets officers listen to and speak with a suspect into the home, Myers said. The man shot the robot twice with a long gun to disable it.
Shortly before 5:30 a.m. Sunday, the man came out of the house and fired two shots from a handgun at a Shelbyville Police Department tactical vehicle. Myers said the man then pointed the gun at police.
Officers from the Shelbyville Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff's Department then shot the man, Myers said. He was transported to Major Hospital in Shelbyville, where he was pronounced dead.
The names of the officers and the deceased are not expected to be released for at least 24 hours, Myers said. The Indiana State Police will be conducting the investigation at the request of the Shelbyville Police Department.
"Police action shooting investigations can take several weeks or more to complete, depending on the complexity of the investigation," Myers said in a statement. "Once the investigation is completed, it will be submitted to the Shelby County prosecutor's office for review and action as deemed appropriate by that office."
Call Star reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter:@justinlmack.