ISP trooper shot, suspect killed during I-94 traffic stop in Hammond

HAMMOND, Ind. (WISH) — An Indiana State Police trooper was shot, and a suspect died after shots rang out during an interstate police shooting in Hammond early Tuesday.

Indiana State Police identified the suspect late Tuesday morning as Aaron Barnes, 34, of Gary.

The Hammond Police Department says the incident unfolded just after midnight on I-94 eastbound, just east of the Indiana-Illinois border.

A trooper had pulled over a suspect during a traffic stop for a traffic violation. While stopped, ISP says the trooper requested “immediate assistance after encountering two non-compliant occupants inside the vehicle.” The trooper held them at gunpoint until backup arrived.

A Hammond police officer and two Lake County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived at the scene first. As they approached the suspect vehicle, Barnes, the driver, pulled out a gun.

Both parties exchanged gunfire; at some point, the suspect and the trooper were shot.

Barnes died at the scene.

The trooper sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, ISP Sgt. Fifield said in a press conference. The trooper was taken to a hospital for treatment and is reportedly in “stable condition” as of 8 a.m. ET.

On Tuesday evening, state police sent a release saying, “The Trooper underwent successful surgery at the University of Chicago Hospital and has since been released.”

He is now ...