East Chicago, IN – An off-duty East Chicago police officer and at least one civilian “person of interest” are fighting for their lives after being shot during a confrontation on Sunday night.
Police said the incident occurred at approximately 8 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the 4700-block of Indianapolis Boulevard , The Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez later said an off-duty police officer and a civilian were both shot during the altercation.
Another civilian who was across the street from the off-duty officer at the time of the shooting was also wounded, Sheriff Martinez said.
The officer and at least one “person of interest” were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition, the East Chicago Police Department (ECPD) said in a press release.
Police said a second “person of interest” was taken into custody.
The nature and extent of the second civilian’s injuries were not released.
The ECPD said the officer, who was shot multiple times during the “altercation,” was taken into surgery soon after he arrived at the hospital.
“Our Officer made it out of surgery,” the ECPD said in an update early Monday morning. “He is still in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit awaiting a second surgery.”
The officer was shot a total of five times and “has a long recovery ahead of him,” the department said.
“Please continue to keep him and his family in your prayers,” the ECPD asked.
The wounded officer’s name has not been released.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is handling the ongoing investigation into the shooting.
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