An 85-year-old Crown Point man is behind bars after deputies say he shot his 69-year-old wife during a domestic dispute at their home Sunday night, leaving her wounded in the shoulder before he was taken into custody without further incident.
Lake County Sheriff's Police were dispatched to a residence in the 12200 block of Burr Street in unincorporated Crown Point shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, according to Region News Source. Deputies were told an armed man may have shot his wife, per CBS Chicago.
The 69-year-old woman managed to escape the home before officers arrived, suffering a gunshot wound to her shoulder, the station reports. Her husband remained inside the residence while deputies secured the perimeter and established contact with him, according to the same account. He eventually walked out the front door and was placed into custody without further incident, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said, per Region News Source.
Revolver Recovered, Wife Recovering
Officers who searched the home afterward recovered a revolver inside, per the CBS Chicago report. The woman was taken to an area hospital, where her condition was listed as stable, and she is expected to recover from the gunshot wound, the outlet notes.
Sheriff Martinez highlighted multi-agency cooperation in securing the arrest without further injury, according to Region News Source. Formal charges against the husband had not been detailed as of publication, leaving open the question of whether prosecutors will pursue domestic battery or a more serious felony count.
What Indiana Law Says About the Possible Charges
The cited legal source describes domestic battery involving a deadly weapon or severe injury as a Level 5 felony, punishable by one to six years in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to Keffer Hirschauer LLP. If prosecutors determine the shooting created a substantial risk of death or serious permanent disfigurement, the case could instead fall under Indiana Code § 35-42-2-1.5, which classifies aggravated battery as a Level 3 felony carrying three to 16 years in prison, per Myers & Wallace, LLP.
It remains unknown what specifically triggered the confrontation between the couple, and whether county Adult Protective Services had any prior contact with the household.
A County Grappling With Elder Safety and Domestic Violence
Lake County has an Adult Protective Services program, as referenced by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Lake County's demographics are included in state demographic profiles from IN.gov.
Crown Point is the county seat, according to Census Bureau data compiled by Data Commons. A FOX 32 Chicago report also covers a shooting in northwest Indiana.
A 32-year-old woman was charged with attempted murder after allegedly running over her husband with a car and stabbing him outside the Lake County Government Center, as Hoodline previously reported.
