Jon Samuelson, 33, a decorated La Porte County Sheriff’s Deputy, was shot three times inside an Indiana hospital emergency room Friday morning after he stopped to help a stranded motorist on the side of the road.
The deputy, a 12-year veteran and third-generation law enforcement officer, was airlifted in critical condition after being repeatedly shot at close range.
Sharod Grafton Jr., a 22-year-old man from Chicago, was captured minutes later hiding in nearby woods with the handgun believed to be the murder weapon.
Around 6:45 a.m., Deputy Samuelson was driving to a training session when he spotted a disabled vehicle on the side of the road.
Deputy Samuelson stopped to assist the driver, who claimed he was stranded and needed help.
The deputy ended up driving Grafton to the hospital at his request.
Once inside the hospital, Deputy Samuelson learned that Grafton “may have been involved in an earlier criminal incident,” so he went to the emergency room to speak with him.
“Once at the hospital, the officer learned that the subject may have been involved in an earlier criminal incident,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said during a press briefing. “The officer returned inside the hospital where an altercation took place in the emergency room between the suspect and himself, which resulted in the suspect producing a firearm and shooting the officer.”
Deputy Samuelson was stabilized at the scene, then airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, where he underwent emergency surgery.
“This is a senseless shooting that didn’t have to take place,” Fifield said. “Our officers and deputies from the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department and all over the state of Indiana and Illinois risk their lives every day. This officer thought he was helping a stranded motorist, and it turned into this. So once again, he was out helping somebody, and it turned into this.”
As of the latest reports, Samuelson remains in critical condition.
No other patients, staff, or members of the public were injured.
Law enforcement has not publicly released what earlier crime Grafton was believed to be tied to.
Grafton is currently being held in Porter County Jail pending charges.
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