State investigators are reviewing a Friday night confrontation at a downtown transit hub that ended when nine law enforcement officers opened fire, killing a 67-year-old on-duty security guard.
The shooting occurred late Friday, Aug. 28, outside the Gary Metro Center station near Broadway and 4th Avenue.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the man killed as Kenneth Williams. His family is now demanding answers about the sequence of events that led to the fatal encounter while he was on the job.
According to the Indiana State Police, officers from the Gary Police Department and deputies from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the station just before 11 p.m. following reports of an armed security guard exhibiting "unusual and erratic behavior."
State police officials said responding officers initially attempted to de-escalate the situation. However, around 11:20 p.m.—roughly 25 minutes after police arrived—a confrontation took place that led to an exchange of gunfire.
Williams was struck and pronounced dead at the scene.
A preliminary investigation by detectives from the state police Lowell Post determined that nine officers discharged their weapons during the encounter: six from the Gary Police Department and three from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
Per standard protocol for officer-involved shootings, all nine officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the inquiry. State police have not released the names of the officers involved, stating that any disclosure of personnel identities will be left to their respective departments.
The Indiana State Police continues to lead the independent investigation into the shooting.
