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IPD Officer, Gunman Slain In Gun Battle
Four Other Officers Injured; Gunman Suspected Of Killing Mother

POSTED: 4:46 am EST August 18, 2004
UPDATED: 1:05 am EST August 19, 2004

INDIANAPOLIS -- A man suspected of killing his mother shot and killed an Indianapolis police officer and wounded four others before being fatally shot Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Kenneth Anderson, 33, armed with an assault rife, fatally shot Officer Timothy "Jake" Laird, 31, around 2 a.m. on Indianapolis' southeast side, police said.

Officer Peter Koe -- one of four other officers injured by gunfire -- fatally shot Anderson with an assault rifle, which Koe had because he is a SWAT team member, police said. Most IPD officers don't have such rifles.

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 the home of Anderson's mother, located at 2704 Dietz St.

A man who said he was Anderson's brother told officers that Anderson had 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.

Anderson shot Laird from about 150 yards to 200 yards away, police said. Koe then fatally shot Anderson on the 1700 block of East Gimber Street, about 60 feet from Anderson's home, authorities said.

The wounded officers besides Laird were expected to recover, police said.

Grace Anderson was found dead in her home. Police said she suffered two gunshot wounds. An autopsy was scheduled.

Police said Laird was a member of the tactical unit in IPD's south district and had been on the job since March 6, 2000. He is survived by a wife and a 7-year-old daughter, police said.

Mayor Bart Peterson expressed his condolences to the family of Laird, who was the 56th officer killed in IPD's 150-year history.

"We lost a hero last night," he said.

Koe, 41, was shot in the knee.

Timothy Conley, 43, the first officer to arrive at the scene, was shot in the abdomen while sitting in his car. He underwent surgery at Methodist Hospital and was listed in good condition Wednesday afternoon.

Officer Leon Essig, 35, was treated for a gunshot that broke one of his arm in two places.

Officer Andrew Troxell, 25, was shot in one of his hands.

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.

Now for my 2 cents.

First off my prayers for my fellow brother in blue.  May you rest in peace.

Now it's time to vent.  Hopefully our POS mayor and "white shirts" will realize we are seriously out-gunned on the streets.  The FOP is calling for measures to help prevent anything like this to happen again, I.E. better equipping the officers who put their lives at stake every day and night.  Our own prosecutor even mentioned something to the effect of "Why aren't our officers better equipped?".

Rant mode off, I dunno what else to say right now.

God Bless the Laird family. Rest in Peace brother.

Prayers sent for friends and family.

Quoted: Now for my 2 cents. First off my prayers for my fellow brother in blue.  May you rest in peace. Now it's time to vent.  Hopefully our POS mayor and "white shirts" will realize we are seriously out-gunned on the streets.  The FOP is calling for measures to help prevent anything like this to happen again, I.E. better equipping the officers who put their lives at stake every day and night.  Our own prosecutor even mentioned something to the effect of "Why aren't our officers better equipped?". Rant mode off, I dunno what else to say right now.

They're also complaining about the "readily available" SKS assault rifle. I understand their (and your) pain, but misdirecting at an inanimate object is just plain stupid.....

Today, at the Indianapolis Police Department, SWAT team commander Lieutenant Dale True showed the type of bullet used to kill Officer Laird. “This is a 762 round, so you can see it's a rifle round that travels at over 2,000 feet per second, and it's very deadly, very high velocity,” said Lt. True. At a press conference this afternoon, Mayor Bart Peterson talked about possibly strengthening gun laws in Indiana. “Is our law adequate to protect us when it's required that the police department return weapons to an individual like this under those circumstances?” said Peterson. On the national front, the federal assault weapons law passed in 1994 is set to expire in September. There is currently legislation in Congress that would renew the law. There's also legislation that would not only renew the law but strengthen it to the point of banning the SKS rifle used to kill Officer Laird.

May he rest in peace.....

Quoted: Quoted: Now for my 2 cents. First off my prayers for my fellow brother in blue.  May you rest in peace. Now it's time to vent.  Hopefully our POS mayor and "white shirts" will realize we are seriously out-gunned on the streets.  The FOP is calling for measures to help prevent anything like this to happen again, I.E. better equipping the officers who put their lives at stake every day and night.  Our own prosecutor even mentioned something to the effect of "Why aren't our officers better equipped?". Rant mode off, I dunno what else to say right now. They're also complaining about the "readily available" SKS assault rifle. I understand their (and your) pain, but misdirecting at an inanimate object is just plain stupid..... Today, at the Indianapolis Police Department, SWAT team commander Lieutenant Dale True showed the type of bullet used to kill Officer Laird. “This is a 762 round, so you can see it's a rifle round that travels at over 2,000 feet per second, and it's very deadly, very high velocity,” said Lt. True. At a press conference this afternoon, Mayor Bart Peterson talked about possibly strengthening gun laws in Indiana. “Is our law adequate to protect us when it's required that the police department return weapons to an individual like this under those circumstances?” said Peterson. On the national front, the federal assault weapons law passed in 1994 is set to expire in September. There is currently legislation in Congress that would renew the law. There's also legislation that would not only renew the law but strengthen it to the point of banning the SKS rifle used to kill Officer Laird.

Yes, I was afraid it would come to that - blaming the firearm, possibility of tougher gun laws, etc.

Quoted:  Our own prosecutor even mentioned something to the effect of "Why aren't our officers better equipped?".

Hey, if it was up to some of the people here, we'd have a couple of bullets, no less than lethal options, and should just expect to be routinely  killed as  a routine part of our job doing a  job they wouldn't want to do themselves.....