East Chicago detective has ‘a long recovery ahead of him’ after weekend shooting

An East Chicago police detective is recovering after he was shot during an altercation Sunday in northwest Indiana.

Detective Jeffrey Sanchez has had two successful surgeries to repair damage to his intestines and bowels, East Chicago police said Tuesday.

He has another surgery scheduled “and a long recovery ahead of him,” the department said on social media. He’s now in “critical but stable condition” while receiving intensive care in Chicago.

Sanchez, a 5-year veteran of the department, was off-duty and picking up pizza when an argument broke out and he was shot five times by two people he didn’t know in the 4700 block of Indianapolis Boulevard, police said.

Three people were shot in the altercation, including a suspect and another person across the street, police said.

One suspect was in custody at the Lake County sheriff department, while a second suspect was being treated for gunshot wounds at the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.

The sheriff’s office didn’t immediately reply to a request for details about pending charges.