Kevin Ward Meyers was a man with a lengthy criminal record
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These are the events, in order, that have been confirmed:
- He stole a truck from a dealership in Michigan City, Indiana on Thursday, before noon.
- He attempted to steal a license plate in the parking lot of the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Michigan early on Friday morning.
- He led multiple police on a chase, crossing state lines multiple times.
- He crashed into a State Trooper's vehicle in a gas station parking lot in Michigan City, after exiting I-94.
- He shot a weapon, hitting the State Trooper multiple times.
- He again fled and was tracked by multiple police agencies to a location in La Porte County.
- He was found dead in a cornfield near his home with a weapon nearby.
At approximately 9:16 a.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s helicopter located the Ford F‑150 concealed in a tree line in the 7500 block of Joliet Road in rural La Porte County, just outside Westville. Neighbors were warned to leave the area or shelter in place inside their homes.
As additional officers moved in, gunfire was heard coming from a nearby cornfield. An armored vehicle, and dozens of armed officers moved in on Meyer's suspected location. No officers were injured at that time.
The body of Meyers was found dead in the cornfield, with multiple gunshot wounds, with what looked like an automatic weapon near the body. Officials will not confirm the shots were self-inflicted, and cause of death will be determined by the La Porte County Coroner.
Everything that occurred on Friday was between the hours of 5:30 - 9:30 a.m.
MEYER'S CRIMINAL HISTORY
After the scene was secured, the body removed, and the police presence started to lessen, ABC57 reporter Zakiya Jennings was able to speak to some neighbors who knew the man.
The neighbors report that Meyers was polite and had grown up in the area, but was known to have a substantial criminal history, including a prison stint in Florida, time served here in Indiana, and even a previous incident fleeing from police.
That incident occurred in 2019, and ended with a crash in North Liberty, Indiana, burnt-out vehicles, and a gunshot wound to the leg for the suspect. At that time, he ended up losing the injured leg, attempted to sue officials in 2021, but had the case thrown out.
Kevin Ward Meyers has a prior record consisting of more than 30 criminal cases. His most recent mugshot is from a booking on May 18 of this year. He was then released from custody on June 17.
Officials confirm that there was also a current active warrant for Meyers in La Porte County.