Trooper Scott Alan Patrick

Scott Alan Patrick

Trooper Scott Patrick was shot and killed at approximately 4:30 am when dispatched to assist a stranded motorist at the Grant Street exit of Interstate 80/94 in Gary in Lake County.

Upon his arrival, Trooper Patrick saw the vehicle parked with two flat tires and observed a man walking up the nearby exit ramp. When Trooper Patrick approached to offer help, the suspect pulled a handgun and opened fire. Despite being shot above his bullet-resistant vest, once in the neck, Trooper Patrick was able to radio for assistance and return fire. He was unaware that the vehicle had been stolen the previous week and died less than a half-hour later while in surgery at Northlake Methodist Hospital.

The suspect then hid behind the double set of tires of a flatbed trailer that had stopped at the scene. An assisting trooper arrived and was directed to where the suspect was hiding, who then fled on foot and jumped into the cab of another semitrailer. The suspect attempted to put the vehicle into gear and, after making threatening gestures toward the trooper, was shot multiple times but survived.

At the time of the incident, the suspect was on parole for selling crack cocaine near a school and, although being sentenced to two years in prison, had been released after 90 days. The suspect was arrested and convicted of murder and auto theft. In July 2006, the suspect was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The Indiana Supreme Court, in June 2008, affirmed both the conviction and sentence of the offender.

Trooper Patrick had served with the Indiana State Police for nearly 3½ years and was assigned to the Lowell post. He was survived by his wife, a son who was born six months after his death, parents, a sister, and two brothers. His father serves as chief deputy for the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department, one of his brothers serves as a conservation officer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and his other brother serves as an officer with the Indiana State Excise Police.

In 2006, State Road 10 between Wheatfield and DeMotte in Jasper County was dedicated as the Trooper Scott A. Patrick Memorial Highway in his honor.