La Porte County-The Indiana State Police have been asked by the North Judson Police Department to investigate a shooting.
Preliminary investigation revealed that at approximately 4:05 p.m., this afternoon, a North Judson Police Officer recognized the driver of a 1997 Ford Ranger who was wanted on an arrest warrant. The North Judson Police Officer, who was in uniform, and driving a fully marked police car made a traffic stop on the pick-up in the area of the CVS Pharmacy on State Road 10. The driver, of the Ranger, gave false information to his identity and eventually fled from the stop. The North Judson officer began pursuing the vehicle.
At one point, the single male occupant in the Ford Ranger pointed a firearm out the back window (the window is a slider and was opened at the time) and shot twice at officers (two North Judson and a Starke County Sheriff’s Officer) in the pursuit. No officers were hit or injured. The pursuit continued until the Ranger came to a rolling stop in the area of 2300 South just east of US 421 in rural La Porte County when the male driver shot himself once in the head.
Emergency Medical Services were called and took the male driver to Indiana University Health Hospital in Knox. He was later airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. He is in life-threatening critical condition.
La Porte County Sheriff’s Department also responded and assisted in securing the scene until Indiana State Police Crime Scene Tech and detectives arrived.
The area where the self-inflicted gunshot occurred is rural/farm fields with no houses in the area.
The driver has been identified as Jeremy Lee Hansen, 34 of North Judson .
Questions pertaining to the pursuit should be directed to the North Judson Police Department.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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