Indiana sheriff’s deputy shot three times in hospital ER after stopping to help stranded motorist
One indiana A sheriff’s deputy was shot three times at a hospital emergency room Friday morning by a driver who stopped to help him and later learned he may have been connected to an earlier crime, authorities said.
La Porte County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Samuelson, a 12-year veteran of the force, was airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital and remains in critical condition. The alleged gunman, Sharod Grafton Jr., was arrested in the woods near the hospital minutes after the attack.
Samuelson, 33, was on his way to a training session around 6:45 a.m. when he stopped to help a Grafton driver who was stranded on State Road 2, authorities said. At one point the MP picked up Grafton. Chicago Police said he went to Franciscan Hospital in Michigan City at the resident’s request.
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LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office deputy Jon Samuelson found Sharod Grafton Jr. at a hospital in Indiana on Friday, police said. He said he was shot three times.
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“Upon arrival at the hospital, the officer learned that the individual may have been involved in a previous criminal incident,” Indiana said. State Police Sergeant. Glen Fifield told reporters. “The officer returned to the hospital and an altercation occurred between him and the suspect in the emergency room, which resulted in the suspect pulling out a firearm and shooting the officer.”
Authorities did not specify the crime Grafton was allegedly connected to.
Authorities said Grafton fled into a nearby wooded area but was quickly arrested. Police said a gun believed to be in the man’s possession was found.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield tells reporters about the sheriff’s deputy who was shot hours earlier at a hospital.
“This is a senseless shooting that didn’t need to happen,” Fifield said. “Our officers and deputies from the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department and throughout the state of Indiana and Illinois risk their lives every day. This officer thought he was helping a stranded motorist and it turned into this. So once again he went to help someone and it turned into this.”
Samuelson, who is married and has no children, comes from a “long lineage in law enforcement,” police said. His grandfather was the police chief of the city of La Porte and his father was a retired Michigan City police officer, authorities said.
The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office called the attack an “isolated incident” and said there was no immediate threat to the public. Indiana State Police ahead An investigation has been launched into the shooting.
Charges remain pending against Grafton, who is being held in the Porter County Jail.
“Friends and neighbors of La Porte County, we ask that our community stand up, come together, and lift up Deputy Jon Samuelson and his family in prayer and support during this incredibly challenging time,” said Sheriff Ronald Heeg, La Porte County Sheriff.
Indiana State Police are investigating after a sheriff’s deputy was shot by a gunman inside a hospital.
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Franciscan Health said in a statement that the safety and health of its patients is always a top priority.
The hospital said, “The ambulance bypass system continues in the emergency department, but patients without an appointment are accepted through the main entrance of the hospital.” “Franciscan Physician Network’s on-site medical offices are currently closed. All other services and departments will remain open as normal.”
Original article source: Indiana sheriff’s deputy shot three times in hospital emergency room after stopping to help stranded driver
