MEMPHIS, Ind. — MEMPHIS, Ind. (WHAS11) –- A man sent to the hospital after a police-involved shooting at a Memphis, Indiana-area truck stop has died, according to ISP.
According to police, officers with the Clark County Sheriff’s Department responded to the Love’s Truck Stop off I-65 at the Memphis exit at the request of Charlestown Police.
Police were working a missing persons cases involving a male, later identified as Stephen Fischer, 62, of Charlestown, Indiana, who was believed to be suicidal and in possession of a handgun. They believed Fischer was at that truck stop.
When they arrived, police located Fischer armed with a handgun near his car. They say they also witnessed him fire his gun into the pavement of the parking lot.
"He walked in front of the vehicle, sat down on the curb and fired a shot into the ground pointing towards the store," Justin Money, who was yards away from the incident, said.
Officers say they attempted using less than lethal options and were unsuccessful. At one point in the incident, an officer fired upon and struck Fischer.
"They had multiple opportunities to fire on him because he pointed the gun at them several times and at several different officers," Money said. "He lifted the gun towards police and that's when you heard the shot and the guy hit the ground."
Police performed first-aid and Fischer was sent to the hospital where he later died. No one else was hurt during the incident.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Carey Huls said this at least the fifth officer-involved shooting in Southern Indiana that ISP has investigated this calendar year. Two weeks ago, ISP investigated an officer-involved shooting in Salem, Indiana, where the suspect also died.
"It's just a poignant reminder of how times have changed, even in an area like this where things like this were unknown for long periods of time," Huls said. "In the past 24 years prior to this, it wasn't something that happened all that often. It wasn't something that I thought in this position I'd be reporting unfortunately on."
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who has information or was present at the shooting is asked to contact Detective Matt Busick at 812-248-4375.
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