Man in custody in Valparaiso shooting

Man and woman wounded, police say

A Valparaiso man is being held at Porter County Jail in the Wednesday morning shooting of two people who were flown to area trauma centers because of their injuries, police said.

The man, 19, is being held at the jail on a preliminary felony charge of battery causing serious bodily injury with the use of a deadly weapon, according to Capt. Joe Hall, public information officer with the Valparaiso Police Department. The man may face additional charges, Hall said in a release.

Police located the man at the scene in the 600 block of Glendale Boulevard. The Post-Tribune is not naming the suspect because he has not been formally charged; a representative from the Porter County Prosecutor’s Office said he is at the jail on a 48-hour hold.

A male and a female were flown to area trauma centers as a result of their injuries. The male was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, and is in stable but critical condition, Hall said. The female was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center and is in stable condition.

“This is an isolated incident,” Hall said, adding there was no threat to the public and police continue to investigate the incident.

Police were sent to the scene to assist medics at 7:15 a.m., Hall said, adding medical flight helicopters landed at ValPlayso and Porter Regional Hospital to transport the alleged victims.

About an hour after police arrived, several officers and police cars still surrounded the scene, which was blocked off with yellow tape. Hall said police were still investigating whether the shooting occurred inside or outside the apartment building.

Though the facility and its parking lot were roped off with yellow crime scene tape, Hall said the nearby Family House, a social service agency that assists in parent visitation, was not part of the crime scene. No one was at the facility at the time of the shooting.

“The Family House is not involved. This is just a proximate location,” he said.

Indiana State Police, the Porter County Sheriff’s Department and the Porter County Prosecutor’s Office are assisting with the investigation.