State police: Trooper fires at suspect during chase near Columbus

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indiana State Police investigation is underway after a state trooper fired his weapon at a suspect during a Tuesday night police chase near Columbus.

Just before 10:30 p.m., an officer with the Hope Police Department tried to pull over a car in the town of Hope, which is just east of Columbus and about 45 miles southeast of Indianapolis.

State police say the driver of the car, 41-year-old Joseph Morrow, of Madison, refused to stop, leading police on a 30-minute pursuit that snaked through Bartholomew and Decatur Counties.

At around 11 p.m., Morrow’s vehicle entered a neighborhood on Peach Court, just east of Columbus.

State police say Morrow drove through several yards and circled a few houses before driving back toward the officers who were pursuing him.

“Evidence indicated that the vehicle drove towards an Indiana State Trooper who was standing outside of his car. The trooper fired at least one round,” state police said in a release Wednesday.

Neither Morrow nor the trooper were hurt.

State police say Morrow drove for another mile or so before he got out of the car and ran. Police caught up with him on foot and took him into custody without incident.

Morrow was arrested and taken to Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus for evaluation. He will later be transported to the Bartholomew County Jail, pending the filing of formal charges. A booking photo was not immediately available.

Online court records show Morrow has previous convictions for criminal confinement, intimidation, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

State police declined to share the name of the trooper who fired his weapon. He will be placed on administrative leave, per department policy, while the investigation into the incident is ongoing.