Juvenile is sent to the hospital after a Norfolk police involved shooting
A juvenile is recovering from serious injuries after a crime scene, started as a traffic stop and ended with an officer firing shots.
ABC57 first broke the news Monday morning. Now State Police are currently investigating, while witnesses are dealing with what they saw.
The prosecutor’s office is looking into the case. Investigators have not yet released the name of the juvenile and according to ISP the suspect is being treated for a serious injury that’s not life-threatening.
Scott LePla, a witness didn’t see the shooting, but witnessed everything else.
“He came through here that’s his set of tire tracks and the first police officer, those are his then the other one came from the corner,” he said.
LePla has been living in this area for 14 years and for the first time he witnessed the aftermath of a police involved shooting.
“Sirens kept getting louder and louder and were not going away,” said LePla.
According to officials moments after 11 p.m. on Sunday an Elkhart officer started a pursuit of a vehicle after a traffic violation.
That pursuit ended near C.R. 20 and C.R. 100 in Elkhart County, right on LePla’s front yard.
“Three police officers and the suspect and he was already lying on the ground outside his car. They were getting ready to apprehend him at the time,” says LePla.
According to State Police the driver, a juvenile, attempted to flee the area again. That’s when a Norfolk Southern Officer opened fire, striking the driver.
Exactly how many shots were fired is unknown. LePla tells me at first he didn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I knew what it was but I didn’t want to think that’s what it was. I was hoping firecrackers or something, but no,” LePla explains.
Again, Indiana State Police is investigating what lead up to this incident, with cooperation from the Elkhart Police Department and the Norfolk Southern Police Department.
LePla says he was watching for a couple of hours and saw the suspect put on a gurney and taken to the hospital.
The prosecutor’s office will have a press conference on Tuesday morning to discuss the shooting.