LaPorte County deputy Jon Samuelson shot, critically hurt at Franciscan Health hospital in Michigan City
A LaPorte County Sheriff's Office deputy is in critical condition after being shot at a hospital in Michigan City, Indiana, on Friday morning.
LaPorte County Sheriff Ron Haeg identified the deputy as 33-year-old Jon Samuelson.
According to Indiana State Police, around 6:45 a.m. Deputy Samuelson stopped to help a disabled vehicle on State Road 2 about a mile east of Westville, Indiana. The driver of the car, who was the only person in the car, asked Samuelson to take him to Franciscan Health Michigan City, which the deputy did.
State police said, after dropping the driver off at the hospital, Samuelson was notified that the man was a suspect in previous criminal activity overnight. Samuelson returned to the hospital to speak to the driver in the emergency room, at which time there was a physical altercation and the driver pulled out a gun and shot Samuelson three times, police said.
The shooting did take place inside the emergency department building, though Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen. Fifield said he did not know exactly where inside it happened.
The suspect ran away from the hospital and into the woods nearby. A short time later, officers responding to the shooting found him and took him into custody.
Sheriff Haeg identified the suspect as 22-year-old Sharod Grafton, Jr., of Chicago. Neither Haeg nor Fifield had any details about what criminal activity Grafton Jr. had been suspected of being involved in. CBS News Chicago has learned he was wanted for stealing his mother's car at gunpoint in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.
Grafton was taken to LaPorte County Jail and will be transferred to Porter County Jail, where he will remain in custody, Fifield said. Charges are still pending as of 5:30 p.m.
Fifield said Grafton had a handgun on his person when he was taken into custody.
Samuelson was taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital in critical condition for treatment.
"This is a senseless shooting that didn't need to take place," Sgt. Fifield said. "This officer thought he was helping a stranded motorist, and it turns into this."
Fifield said the investigation is still in its preliminary stages and there are many question still unanswered, including whether Grafton was patted down or searched in any way when he got to the hospital.
"That's a question that we have, and that'll be a part of the investigation that we'll focus on, and I'm sure that will come out in the investigation," Fifield said.
In Indiana, according to the State Police firearm licensing office, state law prohibits firearms in places like schools, state fairgrounds, and airports, but there's no specific statewide policy regarding guns in hospitals.
Officials said each hospital has the ability as a private entity to set their own rules. Franciscan declined to answer any questions regarding their policy.
Samuelson has been with the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office for 12 years and worked as a K-9 officer, though his K-9 was not with him Friday morning. He is married with no children, and comes from a family with a long law enforcement history. Haeg said his grandfather was the Laporte City Police Chief, and his father is a retired from the Michigan City Police Department.
Haeg said Samuelson's father works part-time as a security officer for Franciscan Health and was at the hospital at the time of his son's shooting.
Police said they will continue to give updates as information becomes available. They said all persons involved in this shooting are in custody at this time and there is no ongoing threat to hospital staff or the community.
Franciscan Health Michigan City confirmed the emergency department remains on ambulance bypass, but walk-in patients are being accepted through the main entrance to the hospital.
"The health and safety of our patients and staff is always our top priority. There is no active threat to patients, staff, or the community at this time," the hospital said in a written release. "Franciscan Physician Network medical offices on site are closed at this time. All other services and departments remain open as normal."
This is the third hospital shooting in the past month in the Chicago area.
The first was at Swedish Hospital, in which a suspect is accused of shooting and killing a Chicago police officer and critically injuring his partner. In that case, the hospital said they had wanded the suspect, who was already in custody when he got here.
The second was in Gary, Indiana, in which the hospital said a man had a gun and was threatening to hurt himself or others when a security officer shot him.
The third was this incident in Michigan City. It's not entirely clear how Grafton got a gun into the ER. CBS News Chicago reached out to the Indiana State Police Firearm Licensing Office and learned state law does prohibit firearms in some areas, like schools, state fair grounds and airports. But the office said there is no specific statewide policy about hospitals.
Officials said each hospital has the ability, as a private entity, to set their own rules. When we asked Franciscan Health what they'r firearm policy was, they said they wouldn't be answering any additional qestions.
Police said it was not clear yet if Grafton was searched before entering the ER. At the time he was brough to Franciscan Health he was not a known suspect in criminal activity; it wasn't until after he'd been dropped off that Samuelson was notified.
