ANDERSON, Ind. — A Pendleton police officer is in the hospital after a passenger reportedly shot them during a traffic stop at an Anderson gas station. The suspect was then wounded when police returned fire.
Anderson Police Department PIO Caleb McKnight said that officers were called Tuesday afternoon to a shooting involving police at a GetGo on Broadway Street in north Anderson.
McKnight said that around 2:30 p.m. a Pendleton Police Officer pulled over a female who was driving a car involved in a criminal investigation. While the officer was detaining her, a male in the passenger seat reportedly started shooting at the officer from inside the car.
Police said the officer pushed the female driver to safety before returning fire and shooting the passenger, who eventually exited the car and fell to the ground. McKnight said multiple shots were fired during the incident and that the female driver was unharmed.
The officer in the incident was hit in the upper body and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at an Anderson hospital. The male suspect in the shooting suffered life-threatening injuries and was ultimately taken to an Indianapolis hospital in serious condition, McKnight said.
McKnight said APD will lead the investigation. He was unable to immediately confirm whether or not the officer was wearing a body camera or if a handgun was recovered from the scene. He said investigators will be looking into what exactly led up to the initial traffic stop.
Anyone with information on the shooting or what led up to it is being encouraged to call APD Det. Brett Webb at (765) 648-6731. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.