A La Porte County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was shot May 22 inside Franciscan Health Michigan City (Ind.) remains in critical but stable condition following surgery, authorities said.
Deputy Jon Samuelson was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind., where he underwent about eight hours of surgery that physicians later described as successful, according to a May 23 update shared on the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
Medical staff remain optimistic about his recovery, according to the update from Sheriff Ronald Heeg. Deputy Samuelson remains in the intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital.
Authorities are investigating the shooting, which occurred in the emergency department at Franciscan Health Michigan City. Mr. Heeg said during a May 22 news conference streamed by ABC affiliate WBND-LD ABC57 that Mr. Samuelson was shot three times.
According to Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield, the incident began when Mr. Samuelson stopped to assist a driver he believed was stranded near Westville, Ind. The deputy transported the individual, identified by police as Sharod Grafton Jr., 22, of Chicago, to the hospital at the individual’s request.
At the hospital, authorities said Mr. Samuelson learned the individual may have been connected to an earlier criminal incident. Mr. Fifield said an altercation later occurred in the emergency department, during which Mr. Grafton allegedly produced a firearm and shot the deputy.
NBC Chicago reported May 23 that prosecutors approved charges against Mr. Grafton, including attempted murder, battery against a public safety official and auto theft. According to the report, authorities said the suspect fled the hospital after the shooting and was later taken into custody in a wooded area nearby. Authorities also recovered a handgun, NBC Chicago reported.
Mr. Samuelson is a 12-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and serves in the agency’s Highway Interdiction Unit, according to the sheriff’s office update.
Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan Health previously said there was no active threat to patients, staff or the community following the incident.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on May 26.
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