GARY, Ind. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A man is now charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing more than 45 times at a Gary police officer on Monday, shooting the officer twice.
Kameron Tremar Cooks Jr., 22, of Gary, faces one count of attempted murder and additional felony charges of aggravated battery and resisting law enforcement, Lake County Indiana prosecutors announced Wednesday. He was charged with striking a law enforcement animal.
Lake County, Indiana prosecuting attorney Bernard Carter said those charges stem from the initial encounter with Gary Detective Sergeant William Fazekas, who was shot twice in the shoulder around 1 p.m. Monday near 4th Avenue and Johnson Street, police said.
The charges also stem from the chase that ensued.
Detective Sergeant Fazekas, who was in the area at the time of the incident, saw a vehicle strike another vehicle and activated his emergency lights. He was following a vehicle in the 400 block of Johnson Street when the driver opened fire, police said.
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Meanwhile, two other officers in the area heard the shots and rushed to the scene to render aid, said Gary Police Chief Brian Evans. While one of the officers, Sgt. Donald Brigs, helped Detective Sergeant Fazekas, who was “bleeding out," the other officer, Reserve Officer Gutierrez, followed the fleeing suspect to an abandoned house a short distance away. A police K9 was able to find Cooks, who had left items in the abandoned home.
"We filed an additional count of striking a law enforcement animal," Carter said.
Detective Sergeant Fazekas was rushed to an area hospital following the shooting. He is currently at University of Chicago Medical Center and has undergone surgery to repair his shoulder, so that he can regain the use of his arm. It is not yet known if additional surgeries will be needed, Chief Evans said.
Detective Sergeant Fazekas, just three months shy from retirement after 32 years on the force, may need a shoulder replacement.
“We expect him to have a long road to recovery and we’re thankful he’s still with us,” Evans said.
Meanwhile, the police K9 seems to be doing okay. Cooks was treated for dog bite wounds.
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