Southport police officer shot, killed responding to crash
HOMECROFT, Ind. (WISH) — A Southport Police Department officer was shot and killed in the line of duty Thursday afternoon in southern Marion County.
Investigators said Lt. Aaron Allan was responding to a crash when someone inside the car opened fire and fatally shot him. He was 38.
Two other officers returned fire, injuring one person in the car. Another person in the car was hurt in the crash. Their injuries were not life-threatening. Both were taken to Ezkenazi Hospital, said Kendale Adams, a spokesman for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
According to an IMPD report, 28-year-old Jason Brown is listed as being arrested in the shooting death of Southport Lt. Aaron Allan. His mugshot has not been released by investigators.
The crash left an overturned vehicle in a house’s yard at Madison Avenue and Maynard Drive, Adams said. Allan was pronounced dead at Ezkenazi Hospital, where authorities including the city’s police chief gathered to announce the officer’s death at 7:30 p.m.
Allan had been with the Southport Police Department for six years and a law enforcement office for 20 years. Southport Police Chief Thomas Vaughn described Allan as a hardworking man. He also spent time at Franklin Township Schools. The chief said Allan responded to Thursday’s crash with urgency and always worked to protect the members of his community.
Red and blue flashing lights filled the street as fellow officers left Eskenazi and escorted Allan’s body. It was just hours after emergency responders were called to the scene of the shooting.
Police from Southport and Homecroft were dispatched to a property-damage accident call at 2:38 p.m. along Madison Avenue in Homecroft. Homecroft is a town of 745 residents and Southport is a city of 1,750 residents, according to Stats Indiana.
As Allan approached the inverted car to assist, shots were fired by one of the car’s occupants. They struck the Southport lieutenant.
A Homecroft police officer and an off-duty Johnson County sheriff’s deputy, who had stopped to help, returned fire that struck one of the suspects.
Authorities have not identified the Homecroft officer and the Johnson County deputy involved in the shooting.
A witness told 24-Hour News 8 that he heard around 20 shots after the car turned over.
“We appreciate the community support as we continue to work through the loss of our brother,” Vaughn said as authorities announced Allan’s death from the hospital.
Allan is the first Southport officer to die in the line of duty, IMPD tweeted Thursday night.
Funeral arrangements had not been announced Thursday night.
Some neighbors said they know Allan as he frequently patrols their neighborhood.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Lt. Allan’s family.