The 911 call came from a resident in New Whiteland, telling police that a juvenile who had runaway was back home, and he had a gun.
The home at 719 Harvest Meadow Way was one mile from where an overnight pursuit ended with at least one person firing shots at police officers. Police were still investigating and trying to find the suspects.
Officers raced to the home, and the resident came outside to warn them again. But the 17-year-old was right behind him, and raised his arm to point a gun at the officers, Sheriff Doug Cox said.
Two New Whiteland police officers fired several shots, striking him more than once outside the home in the 700 block of Harvest Meadow Way, which is in the Country Gate subdivision northeast of U.S. 31 and Tracy Road, Cox said.
Officers immediately started rendering aid to the injured teen, and he was rushed to an Indianapolis hospital and was undergoing surgery on Friday afternoon, Cox said.
Two hours later, while police were still investigating at the scene, and with drones flying overhead, officers were seen darting between houses with their guns drawn. Seconds later, a second suspect, an adult male, was arrested in an industrial lot behind Mayes Trailer Sales on U.S. 31.
Jordan Fulkerson, 19, has been arrested on charges in unrelated cases — of invasion of privacy and has had his bond revoked. He was being questioned by investigators on Friday afternoon, Cox said.
None of the names of the officers involved in either of the incidents have been released. The condition of the teen, why the suspects fled from police and fired shots 12 hours earlier and what evidence police have gathered so far is unclear. The 14-hour ordeal in the New Whiteland and Whiteland area included a car and foot pursuit through two different neighborhoods, multiple shots fired at two locations, residents not being allowed in their homes and four Clark-Pleasant schools being placed on lockdown.
No police officers were injured in the shooting. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation.
The entire incident started about 12:45 a.m. Friday with a traffic stop.
A New Whiteland police officer tried to stop a car at Tracy and Sawmill roads, New Whiteland Police Chief Joe Rynerson said. The driver sped up, leading police on a 15-minute chase through town that involved several illegal maneuvers by the driver, he said.
The vehicle eventually entered a residential neighborhood southwest of U.S. 31 and Tracy Road. When the driver turned a corner in the 300 block of Deville Place, two men jumped out of the car with it still in drive, Rynerson said. The car hit a sign and coasted into a yard, barely missing the house and a tree before stopping, he said.
Two officers — one from New Whiteland and one from Whiteland — began to chase the suspects on foot. One of the suspects turned around and shot at the officers, Rynerson said. Neither were injured.
The suspects jumped a fence and got away, he said.
Indiana State Police were called to help find the suspects, and drones and a helicopter were used to search for the men from the air. An officer and a specialized police dog that can track weapons came from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and the dog found two shell casings.
Detectives used the car the suspects were driving, a pair of shoes left behind and two shell casings found in a yard to aid in the search. By 10 a.m., New Whiteland police had a lead on one of the suspects, Rynerson said.
What evidence police had gathered before the 911 call was not clear.
The homeowner called 911 about 12:30 p.m. to report that a runaway had returned home with a weapon, Cox said. It is unclear if the boy is a relative of the homeowner, but he did live at the house at one point, he said.
When New Whiteland police arrived at the house, the homeowner came outside to tell them the boy had a weapon. The boy followed him out and pointed his weapon at the two officers. They shot the teen several times, Cox said. The homeowner was not injured, he said.
Dozens of police from across Johnson County and the southside raced to the scene, and cordoned off an area in the 600 and 700 block of Harvest Meadow Way, which included at least a dozen houses. Those residents were not allowed in their homes.
Some investigators and police department leaders huddled inside a mobile command center while drones operated by the Bargersville Community Fire Department continued to fly overhead.
About 2:40 p.m., just as police were granted a search warrant for the home, police spotted a man running through a field behind the houses. Officers drew their guns and ran after him. Dozens of police from several agencies were seen darting between the homes.
Police are unsure if Fulkerson had fled the residence, or was returning to the home when he saw the officers, Cox said.
Fulkerson was most recently arrested in November during a county-wide effort to find and arrest suspected drug dealers. He was arrested on charges of dealing methamphetamine, conspiracy to deal methamphetamine and dealing marijuana at that time.
This is at least the fourth police-action shooting in about five years in Johnson County. In all cases, police officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.
In 2016, a Greenwood police sergeant shot and killed a man who had stabbed his girlfriend and was preparing to stab her again.
Also that year, Greenwood police shot a man after a pursuit when the driver pulled a gun after crashing into a line of vehicles. That suspect survived.
In 2014, two Johnson County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man who shot at them in a cemetery.
In 2007, two Greenwood police officers were injured when a suspect opened fire. That suspect was killed.
Timeline
12:45 a.m. Friday — New Whiteland police tried to stop a car that was speeding near Tracy and Sawmill Roads. The car fled, leading police on a 15-minute chase through town.
1 a.m. —The car chase ended when two suspects jumped out of the car while it was still in drive in the 300 block of Deville Place. The suspects fled on foot. At least one shot at police before jumping over a fence.
10 a.m. — Four New Whiteland detectives were searching for the two suspects. They had a lead on one suspect who was not from Johnson County.
12:30 p.m. — A resident at 719 Harvest Meadow Way in the Country Gate subdivision called 911 to report that a runaway had returned home with a weapon. When police arrived, the resident warns them that the teenager had a gun. The teenager followed the resident out and pointed a gun at officers. Two officers fired their weapons, striking the 17-year-old several times. The boy was rushed to the hospital.
2:40 p.m. — While police worked to get a search warrant for the house, the second suspect was seen running in a field behind the house. Police caught him in an industrial lot behind Mayes Trailer Sales on U.S. 31. He was arrested.
6 p.m. — The sheriff’s office identified the second suspect as Jordan Fulkerson. He is being held at the Johnson County jail without bond.
