Wounded officer expected to recover

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - The police officer shot during a bank robbery in northwestern Indiana is out of the hospital and should make a full recovery, the city's police chief said.

The 34-year-old officer was allowed to go home Sunday, two days after he was shot three times in the leg as he responded to a report of a bank robbery, Hammond Police Chief Brian Miller told The Times of Munster and the Post-Tribune of Merrillville.

"He's doing very well," Miller said. "He spent Christmas with his family."

David Hardin and Brealon Miller Jr. were arrested Friday following a high-speed car chase, and are being held in the Porter County Jail. The men, both 24 and from Gary, have been charged in the Hammond robbery and are scheduled to appear for detention hearings Thursday afternoon in federal court.

They could also face criminal charges for shooting the officer, Miller said.

Court documents say one of the men entered the BMO Harris Bank branch in Hammond and brandished a handgun. He ordered the bank's security guard to lie on the floor and took the guard's handgun, while the second man entered the bank.

An affidavit from a FBI agent says they stole about $202,000. Police found bundled money on one of the men and saw wallets in the car that they believed had been taken from bank employees, according to court records.

The Associated Press left messages seeking comment from their defense attorneys Thursday.

Miller was not releasing the wounded officer's name at his request, and court documents didn't identify him.

"It's a very difficult event for any police department," Miller said. "I think the officers are handling it extremely well. Part of it is because justice has been provided."