MORGAN COUNTY — The Morgan County Sheriff confirmed that the suspect and a K9 officer were injured in an officer-involved shooting on Monday afternoon. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office held a conference at 5 p.m. at the Sheriff's Office to provide more details.
According to the Morgan County Sheriff's Office, the incident happened on 4200 Belt Lane in Martinsville around 1 p.m.
Officers were dispatched to the residence of a suspected break-in. There, they saw signs of a forced entry.
The Morgan County Sheriff stated that officers then established a perimeter around the residence. When the suspect appeared in the doorway, he began to scream at officers.
Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, but the suspect refused to comply and would not show his hands to the officers, according to the Morgan County Sheriff.
Officers sent the K9 into the residence to apprehend the suspect. The suspect then grabbed a set of four-foot-long tree loppers and struck the dog on the head, knocking it unconscious. The officers then used lethal and non-lethal methods of gunfire and bean bag rounds on the suspect after the suspect continued to hit the dog. The Morgan County Sheriff could not confirm how many times the suspect was hit.
The suspect was flown to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment. He is reported to be in stable condition.
The K9, named Bullet, was also taken to Carmel for medical treatment and is expected to be OK.
In a social media post shared by the Sheriff's Office, Bullet is neurologically intact, but has a fractured frontal sinus bone and 2 broken teeth.
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office has not released the suspect's name at this time because they are trying to confirm his identity. The officers involved in this incident have been placed on administrative duty as per protocol.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation.
In November of 2023, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office posted this photo of Bullet on social media, who received a donation of body armor.
