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Officer Timothy Laird was shot and killed after responding to a call of a man walking in the 2700 block of Dietz Street firing a rifle into the air.
The first officer to arrive was shot and wounded before he exited his patrol car. When Officer Laird drove into the 2800 block, he came under fire as he exited his patrol car and was fatally wounded when he was struck in the chest above his bullet-resistant vest. He was rescued by another officer and taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital where he died.
Officers engaged the 33-year-old suspect in a gunbattle at Tindall and Gimber streets where three more officers were shot and wounded. Officer Koe, who was wounded in the knee, returned fire and killed the suspect after striking him in the head and chest.
It was later discovered the man, who was also carrying two firearms, had just killed his 66-year-old mother in their home nearby and that he was not taking his prescribed medication for schizophrenia. All four wounded officers recovered from their injuries.
Officer Laird was assigned to the South District. He was posthumously awarded the department's Medal of Honor and Purple Heart. Officer Laird was survived by his wife, 7-year-old daughter, five brothers, two sisters, parents and grandparents.
Military Service
United States Marine Corps |
Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Indianapolis Police Officer Peter Alfred Koe
On March 16, 2006, Indianapolis Police Officer Peter Alfred Koe, who shot and killed the suspect, was presented the award by President George W. Bush at the White House. The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, created by the U.S. Congress in 2001, is the highest national award for valor by a public safety officer honoring heroic action performed above and beyond the call of duty. |
