ELWOOD, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana police officer was killed early Sunday when a man got out of his car during a traffic stop and opened fire, authorities said.
The suspect was caught roughly 30 minutes later after a car chase, state police said.
Officer Noah Shahnavaz worked for the Elwood police department, 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Just after 2 a.m., he stopped the driver of a Buick LaCrosse.
“For an unknown reason, the suspect exited the Buick and fired multiple rounds, striking the officer at least one time,” state police said.
The man has a criminal record, which includes a conviction in 2006 for firing a gun at Indianapolis officers, said Andrew Hanna, Madison County's chief deputy prosecutor.
The 24-year-old officer was a five-year veteran of the United States Army and had served with the Elwood police department for the past 11 months.
Sheriff Scott Mellinger told The Herald Bulletin that the shooting made him go “from being prayerful to being angry.”
"Prayers. Senseless act. Please join us in holding up Elwood PD’s officers and their families," the sheriff's office said on Facebook.
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