Officer shoots man in Hamilton County park

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) - Police shot a man in a Hamilton County park overnight after more than two hours of trying to get the man to stop running from them, authorities say.

The incident began in a fairly innocent manner. A Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy was patrolling Lafayette Trace Park around 10 p.m. when he discovered a vehicle parked in the back near a boat ramp. The officer shined light on the vehicle, prompting a man to flee from the vehicle with a silver handgun, authorities say.

Despite the deputy’s attempts to get the man to stop, he kept running. Hamilton County’s K9 officers and Indiana State Police set up a perimeter and used thermal heat-seeking equipment to find him. Once he was found, he still wouldn’t listen to officer commands, Indiana State Police officials say.

At one point, the man fired a shot into the air. No one was hit, and shortly after ISP officials say he turned toward an officer in an aggressive manner and aimed his weapon at authorities. That’s when an ISP Emergency Response Service officer shot the man twice.

The man, identified Wednesday morning as 18-year-old Cory Michael Tucker, of Lapel, was taken by medical helicopter to St. Vincent Hospital – Indianapolis. He was in critical but stable condition. Police officials say he's expected to survive.

The ordeal began around 10 p.m. and the man was shot between 1:15 and 1:30 a.m.

Police say the man was despondent over a breakup with his girlfriend. He had posted suicidal notes on Facebook.