Detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help in locating suspects in a shooting where a stray bullet wounded a man inside an apartment building nearby.
Police say it happened Saturday, April 13 sometime after 1:30 p.m. A group of young men, possibly in their early 20s had been playing basketball and gathering near the court at the Tiberon Trails apartment complex at 1240 W. 52nd Drive in unincorporated Merrillville. Surveillance images appear to show a disturbance beginning on the court. When one of the men walked away and drove out of the leasing office parking lot, a man who had also been on the court displayed a handgun, ran after the car and opened fire. It’s believed a second suspect also pulled a gun and opened fire, according to police.
At this time, it’s believed the gunfire missed the target of the shooting, but a 59-year-old man who was in a building near the front of the complex was wounded in the leg. He’s expected to recover.
One suspect is described as a black male with a medium complexion. He was wearing red sweatpants and no shirt and is believed to have left the area in an early 2000s model white, 4-door Buick sedan.
Another suspect is described as a black male wearing a red or orange hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants or jogging shorts. He’s believed to have left the area in a silver or light grey 4-door Toyota Camry.
Anyone with information on the incident or the location of the suspects or others who witnessed what happened is urged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Detective Bureau. Anonymous tips can be texted to our Tip411 hotline by texting the keyword LCSO and any details on the incident to 847411. People who prefer to leave a voicemail may do so on the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Report-A-Crime Hotline at 1-800-750-2746.
Police say several people were in the area at the time of this shooting and one of them appeared to have a young child with them during the violence.