Police: Man fatally shot by Lawrence Co. cops fired several shots

IL file photo

A man who was fatally shot Sunday during an exchange of gunfire that left two southern Indiana law enforcement officers wounded had fired several shots before he was killed, police said.

Indiana State Police said Anthony Richmond, 29, of West Baden Springs, was pronounced dead early Sunday in the Lawrence County city of Mitchell, about 75 miles southwest of Indianapolis.

The agency said Richmond fled on foot from officers as they were trying to handcuff him following the discovery of narcotics in his car, which police had stopped for a traffic violation.

When officers caught up with Richmond, he resisted arrest before he pulled a handgun and fired at the officers “at point-blank range,” state police said Sunday in a news release.

In a later update that identified Richmond and the officers, the agency said preliminary findings indicate Richmond “fired several rounds at the officers while they were physically apprehending him.”

Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Rhoades and Mitchell police Officer Christian Anderson were wounded by that gunfire but at least one of them was able to return fire, fatally wounding Richmond, state police said.

Rhoades suffered two gunshot wounds and was released Sunday from an Indianapolis hospital, while Anderson remained hospitalized Sunday in stable condition with a single gunshot wound.

An update on Anderson was not immediately available Monday morning. But Lawrence County Sheriff Greg Day said in a statement that both officers “will make full recoveries.” He said Sunday’s shooting highlights the dangers officers face every day.

“I am mindful that a family is mourning the loss of a loved one. The lives of many people were affected by a senseless criminal act,” he added.

Indiana State Police is investigating the shooting, which was captured on the officers’ body cameras. The agency said its investigators were reviewing that footage.