Indianapolis Officer Shot, Wounded During Welfare Check

An Indianapolis police officer was injured early Sunday morning while checking on a man's welfare, IMPD reported.

Officers were called to the city's southeast side — in the 6500 block of Knobstone Way — about 2 a.m. to check on a man experiencing a "mental/emotional crisis" and suicidal thoughts, according to IMPD.

After contacting family members and speaking with the man outside the home, they waited for an ambulance to transport him to the hospital for evaluation. That's when the man lunged at the officer, "unprovoked," and grabbed the officer's gun, a news release stated.

"During the struggle for the gun, it discharged injuring the male suspect's finger and the officer's leg," IMPD said in a news release.

After the weapon was fired, the man ran before being apprehended by other officers, IMPD said. Both the man and the officer were taken to nearby hospitals in stable condition. The fired round did not penetrate the officer's skin, according to IMPD, and he has since been released from the hospital.

The man is still in the hospital as of Sunday morning, IMPD said. He is facing preliminary charges of battery on a police officer, criminal recklessness, disarming a law enforcement officer and resisting law enforcement.

The officer whose weapon was discharged is on administrative leave while IMPD conducts an internal investigation, as per standard procedure.

Mayor Joe Hogsett tweeted about the incident Sunday morning.

"Events like this are another reminder of the risks faced by our (IMPD) officers, and their bravery in responding despite that danger," he said.

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