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GARY, Ind. - Gary police have released video footage of a sting operation where a man attacked an undercover officer with a machete, leading to another officer fatally shooting the suspect.
The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon in the 3400 block of Maryland Street as police investigated a string of robberies tied to social media marketplace exchanges. The undercover officer, posing as a buyer, approached the suspect to complete a planned sale.
In the video, the suspect is seen swinging a machete toward the officer’s head. The officer ducks, narrowly avoiding the weapon. A second officer then intervenes, firing at the suspect.
The suspect, identified by the Lake County Coroner’s Office as 21-year-old Shahaud Richmond of Gary, later died at a hospital.
"Since late October, our Investigations Bureau narrowed down a suspect, and during that engagement, they also set up the undercover purchase of the items for sale. During this operation, the suspect attempted to rob our undercover officer and attacked him with the machete-style weapon," said Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon. "This resulted… in one of our officers firing upon this suspect."
Richmond's cause of death was gunshot wounds, but toxicology results are pending, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
The undercover officer was injured in the attack and taken to a hospital for treatment, where he was reportedly in stable condition.
Meanwhile, the officer who opened fire will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Lake County Sheriff's Department.