PORTER COUNTY- On Sept 29th at approximately 2:00 a.m., Probationary Trooper Luis Alvarez was patrolling the Indiana Toll Road when he stopped to check on a disabled vehicle at the 31 mile-marker (Chesterton/Valparaiso Exit). The vehicle, a green 2004 Toyota Camry had sustained a flat tire and was occupied by four individuals. Trooper Alvarez contacted a local tow company to respond to the scene to assist with the vehicle. As the tow operator was preparing to tow the vehicle, a gunshot was heard coming from inside the Camry. Two individuals exited and began yelling that someone had been shot. As Trooper Alvarez observed the vehicle, he saw a female passenger bleeding from her leg. The female, later identified as Teylor Shi Ann Anderson, 20, from South Bend, IN, had accidently shot herself in the left leg.
Trooper Alvarez immediately began to render first aid to Ms. Anderson and determined a tourniquet was needed due to the severe bleeding. Trooper Alvarez then observed that the patient’s right leg was also bleeding because of the single gunshot. A tourniquet was then also applied to the patient’s right leg. It was later determined that the firearm discharged as she attempted to place the handgun in a bag. A one-year-old child was sitting next to her when the firearm was discharged. The infant was not injured.
Ms. Anderson was then transported from the scene to Porter Regional Hospital by Porter County EMS. Due to the severity of her injuries, she was later transported to South Bend Memorial Hospital for treatment. She is expected to survive the incident.
The gun is a 9mm Glock 19 handgun. Ms. Anderson was not the owner of the handgun as it belonged to one of the passengers in the vehicle.
All Indiana State Troopers are issued tourniquets and are trained on their proper usage when responding to emergencies.
Assisting at the scene was Porter County EMS and Cloverleaf Towing.