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Deputy shot and killed in Indiana

Posted at 12:15 AM, Mar 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-20 13:12:11-04

HOWARD COUNTY, Ind. — A 27-year-old Sheriff's Deputy has died after he was shot overnight while serving a warrant in a small town north of Indianapolis. 

Deputy Carl Koontz, a 2 year, 8 month veteran of the department and Sgt. Jordan Buckley, 35, a 9-year veteran of the force were shot in Russiaville, Ind. early Sunday morning.

Both officers were taken to the hospital where Koontz later died. Howard County Sheriff Steve Rogers said he was the father of an 8-month-old.

Sgt. Buckley is in stable condition. 

The incident started around 12:30 a.m. when several Howard Co. sheriff's deputies went to deliver an outstanding warrant out of neighboring Clinton County for possession of a syringe.

The sheriff's department said the suspect didn’t respond when deputies knocked on the door – he simply started shooting, hitting two officers.

"When officers knocked on the door on the residence by announcing their presence, they received no response. Upon entering, the officers were confronted by gunfire, and the officers returned fire," Howard County Sheriff Steve Rogers said. 

"A Russiaville officer and other deputies were able to extract the wounded officer from the residence and provide first aid." 

A SWAT team responded to the scene and attempted to communicate with the suspect for two hours before entering the home, where they found the suspect dead.

The suspect's identity wasn't released.

"I'm pulling into my lot and the cop says, 'Get out now,' so I follow suit," said Jamie Phillips, who lives near the shooting scene. 

"It's scary, it is. You never know, you never know. And here I'm talking to this guy two weeks ago, waving at him," she said. 

Multiple agencies are assisting the Howard County Sheriff's Office in the investigation. The area around the crime scene has been rendered safe and there is no immediate threat to residents.