BARTHOLOMEW CO. – A man in a multi-agency pursuit was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon after fleeing and firing at officers during the pursuit.
According to an Indiana State Police investigation around 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, Brown County authorities contacted neighboring agencies and requested officers be on the lookout for 30-year-old Martin Louis Douglas Jr., of Nineveh.
Authorities said Douglas was despondent and may be armed. He was reportedly driving his Maroon Ford Pickup truck eastbound towards Bartholomew County and possible intent to harm one or more acquaintances.
An officer with the Columbus Police Department spotted Douglas’s truck near County Road 450 South and County Road 300 West in Bartholomew County and attempted to stop the vehicle. However, Douglas refused to stop and fled from the officer.
Other officers soon joined the pursuit, including troopers from the Indiana State Police Versailles Post and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department. The pursuit continued on area roads in southwest Bartholomew County and in northern Jackson County, where Jackson County Deputies also joined in the pursuit.
Douglas was reported to be driving erratically and at high speeds. He successfully avoided tire deflation devices placed in an attempt to stop his truck.
The pursuit continued toward County Road 300 West and State Road 58 south of Columbus, where the truck eventually struck a tire deflation device. Martin Douglas then allegedly stopped in the roadway and fired approximately fifteen rounds from an AR-15 style rifle at pursuing officers. Officers then returned fire.
Investigators believe at least three police vehicles were struck by rounds from Douglas’s weapon in the altercation, including two Columbus Police Department vehicles and an Indiana State Police SUV.
Douglas then continued driving north and entered a cornfield near County Road 300 West and Deaver Road, stopping his truck several hundred feet off the roadway.
Officers surrounded the truck, and the Columbus Police Department SWAT team arrived a short time later. The South Zone Indiana State Police (ISP) SWAT team also responded to the scene as officers attempted to negotiate with Douglas.
Around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, and after an approximate five-hour standoff, Douglas exited his vehicle and picked up a second AR-15 style rifle from a box in the rear of his truck. ISP SWAT team members then fired and struck Douglas.
Douglas was pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner’s office. ISP Sellersburg Post detectives and crime scene technicians were called to investigate.
No officers were injured in the incident.
This information is the result of a preliminary inquiry and this case remains under investigation as ISP detectives will conduct multiple interviews in the coming days and review any pertinent information and any possible video.
No further information is currently available.
The Indiana State Police received assistance from the Columbus Police Department, The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and the Decatur County Coroner’s Office.
