By Tom Coyne, The Associated Press
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) -- Two people were killed and a city police officer shot Tuesday in a residential neighborhood, police said.
An off-duty officer on his way to work was investigating a report of shots fired. He tried to enter a house when he was shot, police said.
The officer was in stable condition at a local hospital, Police Chief Gene Simmons said.
Other officers arrived soon after and found the house on fire and a body lying out front.
Police later found a person dead inside the home.
Another woman was stabbed, Simmons said. Police said they were still investigating and gave sketchy details at a news conference.
Ricky Ford told reporters after the conference that the dead man outside was his brother Calvin Ford, 49, who lived in the home’s upstairs apartment.
Calvin Ford was leaving for work when he stumbled into a fight between the couple that lived downstairs, his brother said.
The woman had been stabbed by her husband, Ford said. His brother was shot when he tried to help. Police did not release the names of the downstairs couple.
Simmons said he would not comment on Ford’s story, but said the woman living downstairs had been stabbed.
What caused the death of the person found inside the home would have to be determined by an autopsy, Simmons said. He would not say whether the person was a man or woman.
He did not release the name of the 12-year department veteran who was shot.
“He’s a fine officer,” Simmons said. “He was talking, just in good spirits. ... He was commending all the other officers.”
Neighbors called police to say they heard shots about 7:50 a.m. CST.
Minutes later a caller told police he saw a man get shot. Smoke was coming from the house by the time police arrived, Simmons said.
The fire was at first intense, with flames coming through the windows and roof and thick smoke visible for miles. The fire was brought under control by 10 a.m. CST.
Police told residents in the neighborhood of this northern Indiana city about 30 miles east of Gary to stay in their homes.
Ricky Ford said he did not think his brother knew the couple downstairs very well, but that his brother was just trying to help.
“He was a loving, caring person, and he will be missed,” Ford said.