MICHIGAN CITY — A man accused of critically injuring a LaPorte County Sheriff’s deputy in a shooting at Franciscan Health Michigan City hospital on Friday, May 22, has been charged. The deputy remains in critical condition, officials say.
During a press conference Friday, officials said Deputy Jon Samuelson, 33, stopped to help what he thought was a disabled vehicle on Indiana 2 and 900 West in LaPorte County. Samuelson drove 22-year-old Chicago resident Sharod Grafton, the vehicle’s sole occupant, to Franciscan Health at Grafton’s request, police said, but the deputy reentered the hospital after learning Grafton had been involved in an “earlier criminal incident.”
When Samuelson reentered the hospital, police said, an “altercation” between Samuelson and Grafton took place in the emergency room. Officials said this resulted in Grafton producing a firearm and shooting Samuelson three times.
Samuelson was transported to Memorial Hospital South Bend on Friday, and officials said he was in critical condition.
Grafton fled the building, and police took him into custody in a wooded area east of the hospital. On Friday, officials said he had been taken to the LaPorte County Jail, but he would be taken to the Porter County Jail, where he’ll be held.
According to an email from the Indiana State Police on Saturday, May 23, Grafton faces charges of attempted murder, a Level 1 felony; battery against a public safety official, a Level 5 felony; and auto theft, a Level 6 felony. The police add that the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges could be filed if appropriate.
On Saturday, the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office also sent an update on Samuelson’s condition. After being airlifted to Memorial Hospital, they said, he received “advanced medical treatment,” undergoing around eight hours of surgery, which surgeons described as successful.
He remains in critical but stable condition in Memorial Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, officials say, and medical staff “remain optimistic regarding his recovery.”
The South Bend Police Department’s Peer Support Team has organized an online meal train to support Samuelson’s family, and community members are invited to sign up for a meal delivery time slot. Most time slots are already taken, but community members can also purchase digital or physical gift cards for local restaurants or food delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats.
The meal train drop-off location is the main entrance of Memorial Hospital, 615 N. Michigan St.
“Thank you to the surgeons and the entire medical staff at Memorial Hospital for the exceptional care being provided to Deputy Samuelson,” LaPorte County Sheriff Ron Heeg said in Saturday’s update. “Please continue to pray for Jon, his family and friends, and the entire law enforcement community.”
Email South Bend Tribune staff reporter Rayleigh Deaton at rdeaton@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Man charged in Michigan City shooting of LaPorte County deputy
Reporting by Rayleigh Deaton, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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