The following comes from the Courier Journal:
Authorities are searching for two men tonight accused in an ambush and shooting of two Jeffersonville, Ind., police officers as they responded to a report of suspicious activity at a Motel 6 off Eastern Boulevard.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin said authorities were looking for Vincent D. Windell Jr., 22, who was considered armed and dangerous. He said Windell could still be in Southern Indiana or in the Louisville area.
Late tonight, Jeffersonville police Detective Todd Hollis identified the second suspect as Robert Datillo, 37, who he said had lived recent in Jeffersonville but also had numerous other addresses. He said Datillo was wanted on warrants in Jefferson and Hart counties in Kentucky.
Hollis said both suspects are believed to have been involved in the shootings, and police aren’t sure if one or both shot the officers. He said Datillo also is believed to be armed and dangerous.
Jeffersonville police Detective Charlie Thompson described Windell as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds.
Hollis described Datillo as a white male, 5-feet-9 inches tall and weighing about 170 pounds.
A spokesman for University Hospital in Louisville, where the officers were taken, identified them as Corporal Dan Lawhorn, 39, and Patrolman Keith Broady, 32.
Jeffersonville police Detective Todd Hollis said Broady was shot in the upper body, where his bullet-proof vest did not protect him, and Lawhorn was shot in the leg.
Both were in stable condition and were in surgery about 10 p.m. tonight. University Hospital spokesman David McArthur said both had arrived by ambulance and were conscious at the time.
He said Lawhorn had been on the force for 11 years and Broady had been on the force for 4½ years.
Goodin said Jeffersonville police were called to the hotel, at 2016 Old U.S. 31 East just north of Eastern Boulevard exit off Interstate 65, about 6:35 p.m. to investigate suspicious activity. When officers arrived, he said they were ambushed.
Hollis said a hotel clerk called police after seeing something in a bag that made her suspect drug activity in Room 204. Hollis said police were shot as they were approaching the room. Hollis said police did find drugs in the room.
Goodin said Windell is believed to be a resident of New Albany, Ind., but was staying at the Motel 6 last night.
Beginning about 8:30 p.m., an eight-member SWAT team began going room to room at the hotel. They were still searching the hotel a half-hour later.
When asked why the SWAT team was there, Goodin said it was to ensure the hotel was secure.
Goodin said that Windell is believed to have recently had a 2004 green, two-door Ford ZXR, but that a tan minivan left the scene shortly after the shootings.
He said other people were believed to have been with Windell earlier in the evening, and anyone with information about him is asked to contact police.
Goodin said Windell was familiar to police, but would not give any details of a prior record. He showed a photo of Windell that he said was from Harrison County and about three days old, but did not give further details. The photo appeared to be a jail mug shot.
Goodin said if Windell were to show up at a home, he should not be let in and police should immediately be called.
About 7:15 p.m., officers from the Clarksville and Jeffersonville police departments swarmed Old U.S. 31 near the hotel.
At the time, a Clarksville police dispatcher from Clarksville police described the situation as “hectic.” A Jeffersonville police dispatcher said the scene was not yet secure.
A person who answered the phone at the Motel 6 referred a reporter to the company’s corporate communications office.
Laura Rojo-Eddy, a spokeswoman for Motel 6, said, “We’re cooperating as much as we can with police but we don’t know the details.”
She said she did not know whether the shooting took place inside or outside the hotel.
“This is obviously a very shocking situation,” Rojo-Eddy said.
Eric Johnson, director of the group Supporting Heroes, was at University Hospital after the shootings tonight along with widows of slain officers to lend support to the two Jeffersonville officers’ families. Supporting Heroes provides support to families of police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services workers killed in the line of duty.
Among those at the hospital were Tara Denzinger, widow of Floyd County (Ind.) sheriff’s Deputy Frank Denzinger, who was shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute on June 18, 2007. His partner also was shot, but survived.
Also there was Rebecca Grignon, widow of Louisville Metro Police Officer Peter Grignon, who was shot and killed by a teenager on March 23, 2005.
Reporter Ben Hershberg can be reached at (812) 949-4032. Reporter Grace Schneider can be reached at (812) 949-4040. Reporter Harold Adams can be reached at (812) 949-4028. Reporter Emily Udell can be reached at (502) 582-4199.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin said authorities were looking for Vincent D. Windell Jr., 22, who was considered armed and dangerous. He said Windell could still be in Southern Indiana or in the Louisville area.
Late tonight, Jeffersonville police Detective Todd Hollis identified the second suspect as Robert Datillo, 37, who he said had lived recent in Jeffersonville but also had numerous other addresses. He said Datillo was wanted on warrants in Jefferson and Hart counties in Kentucky.
Hollis said both suspects are believed to have been involved in the shootings, and police aren’t sure if one or both shot the officers. He said Datillo also is believed to be armed and dangerous.
Jeffersonville police Detective Charlie Thompson described Windell as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds.
Hollis described Datillo as a white male, 5-feet-9 inches tall and weighing about 170 pounds.
A spokesman for University Hospital in Louisville, where the officers were taken, identified them as Corporal Dan Lawhorn, 39, and Patrolman Keith Broady, 32.
Jeffersonville police Detective Todd Hollis said Broady was shot in the upper body, where his bullet-proof vest did not protect him, and Lawhorn was shot in the leg.
Both were in stable condition and were in surgery about 10 p.m. tonight. University Hospital spokesman David McArthur said both had arrived by ambulance and were conscious at the time.
He said Lawhorn had been on the force for 11 years and Broady had been on the force for 4½ years.
Goodin said Jeffersonville police were called to the hotel, at 2016 Old U.S. 31 East just north of Eastern Boulevard exit off Interstate 65, about 6:35 p.m. to investigate suspicious activity. When officers arrived, he said they were ambushed.
Hollis said a hotel clerk called police after seeing something in a bag that made her suspect drug activity in Room 204. Hollis said police were shot as they were approaching the room. Hollis said police did find drugs in the room.
Goodin said Windell is believed to be a resident of New Albany, Ind., but was staying at the Motel 6 last night.
Beginning about 8:30 p.m., an eight-member SWAT team began going room to room at the hotel. They were still searching the hotel a half-hour later.
When asked why the SWAT team was there, Goodin said it was to ensure the hotel was secure.
Goodin said that Windell is believed to have recently had a 2004 green, two-door Ford ZXR, but that a tan minivan left the scene shortly after the shootings.
He said other people were believed to have been with Windell earlier in the evening, and anyone with information about him is asked to contact police.
Goodin said Windell was familiar to police, but would not give any details of a prior record. He showed a photo of Windell that he said was from Harrison County and about three days old, but did not give further details. The photo appeared to be a jail mug shot.
Goodin said if Windell were to show up at a home, he should not be let in and police should immediately be called.
About 7:15 p.m., officers from the Clarksville and Jeffersonville police departments swarmed Old U.S. 31 near the hotel.
At the time, a Clarksville police dispatcher from Clarksville police described the situation as “hectic.” A Jeffersonville police dispatcher said the scene was not yet secure.
A person who answered the phone at the Motel 6 referred a reporter to the company’s corporate communications office.
Laura Rojo-Eddy, a spokeswoman for Motel 6, said, “We’re cooperating as much as we can with police but we don’t know the details.”
She said she did not know whether the shooting took place inside or outside the hotel.
“This is obviously a very shocking situation,” Rojo-Eddy said.
Eric Johnson, director of the group Supporting Heroes, was at University Hospital after the shootings tonight along with widows of slain officers to lend support to the two Jeffersonville officers’ families. Supporting Heroes provides support to families of police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services workers killed in the line of duty.
Among those at the hospital were Tara Denzinger, widow of Floyd County (Ind.) sheriff’s Deputy Frank Denzinger, who was shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute on June 18, 2007. His partner also was shot, but survived.
Also there was Rebecca Grignon, widow of Louisville Metro Police Officer Peter Grignon, who was shot and killed by a teenager on March 23, 2005.
Reporter Ben Hershberg can be reached at (812) 949-4032. Reporter Grace Schneider can be reached at (812) 949-4040. Reporter Harold Adams can be reached at (812) 949-4028. Reporter Emily Udell can be reached at (502) 582-4199.
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