One dead, two held for questioning from scene of Hancock County shooting

Just after 4 p.m. Tuesday, Hancock County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of 7600 West County Road 350 North, near the Hancock/Marion County line, for the report of a person shot inside a vehicle. The Hancock County 911 Center informed deputies an on-duty IMPD officer happened to be nearby, was flagged down, and on-scene had a male suspect in custody.

Deputies arrived on scene and located two vehicles stopped in the area. A single, male victim suffered an apparent gunshot wounds and was deceased. The victim was in one of the vehicles. The suspected shooter was with the second vehicle. Detectives and evidence technicians from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene.

The suspected shooter is an adult male. He was transferred to the custody of Hancock County deputies and taken to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office for questioning. An adult female witness was also present in the suspect’s vehicle and was transported to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office for questioning.

As of this report, the victim’s identity has not been confirmed so a name was not released. The name of the shooter also has not been released.

After initial investigation of available evidence, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office stated that it can assure the public that there is no danger to them, and no on-going threat. This appears to be an isolated incident between two individuals. Early reports indicate the incident may have originated from a dispute between the suspect and victim. It is unknown if they were familiar with each other prior to the incident. 

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office will work with the Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office as the investigation continues.