A man suspected of killing his mother fatally shot an Indianapolis police officer and wounded four others before dying in the gun battle with police Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Kenneth Anderson, 33, armed with an SKS assault rife, fatally shot Officer Timothy "Jake" Laird, 31, in a shootout that began around 2 a.m. on Indianapolis' southeast side, police said.
Officer Peter Coe -- one of four other officers injured by gunfire -- fatally shot Anderson with an assault rifle, police said.
Laird, the first Indianapolis Police Department officer to be fatally shot in 16 years, was one of several officers who responded to 911 calls about shots being fired at 2704 Dietz Street.
A man who said he was Anderson's brother told officers that Anderson had shot and killed their mother, Grace Anderson, 66, according to police.
When police arrived, Kenneth Anderson "left the house and was running westbound while he continued to shoot at the officers as they were coming to the scene," Indianapolis police Lt. Paul Ciesielski said.
Officer Timothy "Jake" Laird was 31
Timothy Conley, the first officer to arrive at the scene, was shot while sitting in his car. He underwent surgery at Methodist Hospital.
Officer Leon Essig was treated for a gunshot wound and fractures to his arm and Officer Andrew Troxell was shot in the hand.
Officer Timothy "Jake" Laird
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Police say Laird, a four year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department, was fatally shot in the neck by Kenneth C. Anderson while Laird was in his patrol car. Laird served in the U.S. Marine Corps for eight years until he was hired by IPD on March 6, 2000. He was assigned to IPD's south district and received two commendations. He is survived by a wife and a 7-year-old daughter.
Kenneth C. Anderson, 33, of Indianapolis
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Authorities say Anderson shot five officers, killing Officer Timothy Laird, before being fatally shot by police.
Police said that darkness put them at a disadvantage. One of the other officers who were on the scene, Mark Fagan, said gunfire hit his car, but he didn't immediately realize it.
"We couldn't locate (Anderson) exactly where he was," Fagan said. "I didn't even realize a round had gone through my car until later."
Police records show that officers in January had confiscated weapons at an Indianapolis home where Anderson reportedly had been living with his brother.
At that time, Anderson was identified by authorities as a "combative patient" and was taken to St. Francis Hospital for a mental evaluation.