Gary police officer shoots man who tried to hit him with car

A police officer in northwest Indiana shot and seriously wounded a man who tried to run him over with a vehicle early Friday, police said.

About midnight, the 10-year veteran officer was called to a report of a suspicious vehicle near 15th Avenue and Colfax Street in Gary, according to a statement from Gary police.

When he arrived, “the suspect attempted to run the officer down with his vehicle,” police said. The officer fired his weapon and struck the driver, who was the only person in the car.

Police did not say where on the body the man was shot.

He was taken to Methodist Hospital NorthLake Campus in Gary in critical condition, and later transferred to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in “serious but stable condition,” according to police and the Lake County sheriff’s office. The officer was not injured.

The sheriff’s department is investigating the shooting, and said the Gary Police Department does not use body cameras or dash cameras.