Two Elkhart police officers on paid leave after deadly shooting

 

ELKHART, Ind. -- Elkhart police officers responded to a vandalism call that went out around 5:27am, with reports of a man attempting to throw a bicycle through a window of the Handy Spot Liquor store on Hively Ave. 

Four officers arrived on scene quickly-- 

"I think I got him in front of the Big Lots, in the parking lot," said an officer over the radio. 

The situation escalated.

"Signal 101, signal 101,"was heard on the police scanner, followed by "Shots fired!"

“Officers arrived shortly after 5:30am and engaged a male suspect," said Jessica McBrier, with the Elkhart Police Department. “During that engagement, two officers discharged their service weapons and the male subject was subsequently pronounced deceased.”

It's all still being investigated, but officials tell us an Elkhart police vehicle's window was broken during the engagement, and a handgun was found on the suspect at some point during the initial investigation. 

The two officers were wearing bodycams, and now it's all being looked into by Elkhart County Homicide.

“Over the next several hours, the homicide unit will be taking over and conducting interviews," said McBrier. 

And per protocol, the officers who discharged their weapons are on paid administrative leave, pending the results of the investigation. According to Elkhart Police Chief Kris Seymore, the investigators are still trying to learn what happened during the shooting. 

“The information that we have right now, there were two other officers who were witnesses to this—they’ll be interviewed as part of the investigation," Seymore said. "The investigators will have to figure out through video footage and interviews with the involved officers and other witnesses.”

The Elkhart Police Department has not yet released the identities of the suspect or the officers involved in the shooting.

ABC57 has put in a request for the bodycam footage.