Overview
- Sgt. Justin Heflin was shot while responding to a stolen-vehicle call and engaged in a gunfight with the suspect during a highway pursuit.
- The chase ended in a crash near a Speedway gas station after the vehicle exited the interstate and the suspect fired at pursuing officers.
- Officers later found the stolen pickup in a wooded area roughly five miles from the crash and say the suspect died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot as they moved in.
- Heflin received emergency care at Franciscan Health Michigan City, was transferred to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for successful surgery and stabilization, and has been discharged to recover at home.
- Heflin is a 12-year Indiana State Police veteran and a U.S. Marine veteran, and police statements remain the primary public record of the sequence of events and the suspect’s death.