Incident Details
Cause of Death:Lieutenant Thurman Sharp was shot and killed in the early morning hours on Christmas while working off-duty security in uniform at the Presidential Industrial Park.
He was found outside his patrol car with his service weapon holstered by his day-shift relief officer, having been shot three times at point-blank range.
Lieutenant Sharp was found in a remote area behind a retaining wall and his patrol car was hidden behind a Dumpster in an area with heavy equipment.
He worked the late shift Christmas Eve to permit an officer to be home with his family.
The suspects responsible for killing Lieutenant Sharp were never apprehended.
Lieutenant Sharp, from Indianapolis, was survived by his wife, six children ranging from 15 to 38 years in age, 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, born a few weeks before his death.
His brother-in-law, Deputy Chief Gary L. Martin, of the Lake County Sheriff's Department, was killed in the line of duty on August 22, 2006, along with Lieutenant Gary Dudley of the Indiana State Police.