Heroic Indiana Sheriff’s Deputy Survives Triple Shooting in Hospital ER After Aiding Stranded Driver

In a shocking turn of events in Indiana, a sheriff’s deputy was shot multiple times on Friday morning within the confines of a hospital emergency room. The assailant was a motorist whom the deputy had initially stopped to assist, only to later suspect of involvement in an earlier crime, as confirmed by authorities.

The deputy, Jon Samuelson, a dedicated 12-year veteran with the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department, was urgently airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital and is currently in critical condition. The suspect, identified as Sharod Grafton Jr., was apprehended swiftly in the wooded area near the hospital shortly after the incident unfolded.

The troubling incident began around 6:45 a.m. when Deputy Samuelson, aged 33, was en route to a training session. Along State Road 2, he encountered Grafton, who was stranded and in apparent need of assistance. Demonstrating his commitment to public service, Samuelson offered help and, at Grafton’s request, transported him to Franciscan Hospital in Michigan City.

Upon arrival, Deputy Samuelson became aware of potential implications linking Grafton to a previous criminal event. According to Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield, “Once at the hospital, the officer learned that the subject may have been involved in an earlier criminal incident.” This revelation prompted Samuelson to return inside, where an altercation erupted in the emergency room.

“Once at the hospital, the officer learned that the subject may have been involved in an earlier criminal incident,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield told reporters. “The officer returned inside the hospital where an altercation took place in the emergency room between the suspect and himself, which resulted in the suspect producing a firearm and shooting the officer.”

Authorities did not specify the crime Grafton is allegedly connected to.

Grafton fled into a nearby wooded area but was quickly arrested, authorities said. A handgun believed to have been in his possession was found, police said.

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“This is a senseless shooting that didn’t have to take place,” Fifield said. “Our officers and deputies from the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department and all over the state of Indiana and Illinois risk their lives every day. This officer thought he was helping a stranded motorist and it turned into this. So once again, he was out helping somebody and it turned into this.”

Samuelson, who is married with no children, comes from a “long lineage of law enforcement,” police said. His grandfather was the chief of police for the city of La Porte, and his father is a retired Michigan City police officer, authorities said.

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office called the shooting an “isolated incident” and said there was no immediate threat to the public. The Indiana State Police are leading the investigation into the shooting.

Charges are pending against Grafton, who is being held in the Porter County Jail.

“La Porte County friends and neighbors, we are asking for our community to rise up, rally together, and lift Deputy Jon Samuelson and his family in prayer and support during this incredibly challenging time,” La Porte County Sheriff Sheriff Ronald Heeg. 

The Indiana State Police is investigating the shooting of a sheriff’s deputy by a gunman inside a hospital.  (Indiana State Police)

In a statement, Franciscan Health said the safety and health of its patients are always the top priority.

“The emergency department remains on ambulance bypass, but walk-in patients are being accepted through the main entrance to the hospital,” the hospital said. “Franciscan Physician Network medical offices on site are closed at this time. All other services and departments remain open as normal.”