JENNINGS COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) -- Indiana State Police are investigating after a Jennings County sheriff's officer shot and killed a man while serving an arrest warrant Friday afternoon.
ISP Spokesperson Sgt. Stephen Wheeles said it happened around 2:30 p.m. at an abandoned building on West County Road 175 North, about four miles northwest of North Vernon.
Wheeles said the officer was serving an arrest warrant with SWAT officers when they "encountered two individuals." One of them, identified as Devon Lark, 29, fled on foot.
Deputies pursed Lark, who "produced a handgun at some point" while officers were trying to take him into custody, Wheeles said, and "refused to drop it when ordered to by a deputy."
During the interaction, one deputy fired a shot, hitting Lark. Deputies "provided immediate first aid" to Lark, who was transported to St. Vincent-Jennings Hospital in North Vernon where he died, Wheeles said.
Wheeles said Lark was wanted on several felony charges, including a burglary charge in Jennings County that he was on trial for this week. Wheeles said he walked away on the first day of the trial and hadn't been seen until Friday. Additional warrants were then issued, including warrants out of Clark County.
The other person was taken into custody on drug-related charges not related to Friday's incident.
Wheeles said no officers or troopers were injured in the shooting.
The officer who fired the shot is a veteran with the sheriff's department, Wheeles said, adding that it would be up to them to determine what type of administrative leave he would be put on during the investigation. The name of the officer hasn't been released.
ISP will handle the investigation, per a request by the Jennings County Sheriff.
This story may be updated as more information becomes available.
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