LA PORTE, Ind. (WBBM Newsradio) – The man accused of shooting an Indiana State Police trooper following a pursuit in LaPorte County died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the county coroner.
LaPorte County Coroner Lynn Swanson said an autopsy determined that 54-year-old Kevin W. Meyers fatally shot himself in the chest. Toxicology results are pending before an official ruling is issued.
Meyers was found dead in a cornfield near his home outside Westville several hours after authorities said he shot Indiana State Police Sgt. Justin Heflin multiple times.
The incident began last Friday morning when authorities pursued a silver 2019 Ford F-150 that had reportedly been taken from a Michigan City dealership during a test drive and not returned.
The pursuit began in Berrien County, Michigan, and continued across the state line into Indiana. Police said Meyers exited Interstate 94 onto U.S. 421, where Heflin located the truck.
The vehicles collided as the pursuit entered a Speedway gas station parking lot near Michigan City. Police said Meyers then fired from inside the pickup, striking Heflin several times. The trooper returned fire.
Evidence markers at the scene identified at least 28 shell casings, many near the driver’s side of Heflin’s patrol vehicle.
Other troopers took Heflin to a nearby hospital before he was transferred to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. He underwent surgery and was last reported in stable condition.
Meyers fled south in the pickup. Investigators later found the truck abandoned near a tree line about 5 miles from the shooting scene and close to Meyers’ home in New Durham Township.
Law enforcement officers searched the surrounding area for several hours before finding Meyers’ body shortly after 11 a.m.
Court records show Meyers had an outstanding arrest warrant after he allegedly failed to return to a LaPorte County community corrections facility following work release in June. He had previously faced multiple theft and auto theft charges.
