Trooper John Streu and St. John Marshal James Larimer were shot and killed while arresting two suspects for kidnapping, robbery and auto theft. At 7:00 am, the two officers had responded to a report of two suspicious men sleeping in a vehicle behind Kolling Elementary School. The officers handcuffed one of the men and placed him in the cruiser when the second man opened fire, striking Marshal Larimer.
Trooper Streu returned fire, striking the suspect. He then left his gun in the front seat and went to the aid of Marshal Larimer. When he did so the handcuffed suspect reached over the seat, picked up Trooper Streu's weapon, and shot him. One suspect, who had escaped from a penal farm, was sentenced to two life terms and died in prison in 2009. The other suspect was sentenced to life in prison and was again denied parole on February 8, 2011.
Trooper Streu had served with the Indiana State Police for only 10 months and was assigned to the Schererville post. He was also a member of the Indiana National Guard. Trooper Streu was survived by his wife of three weeks. In 2001, the John J. Streu Memorial Bridge, formerly the Sixth Street Bridge was dedicated in his honor in Logansport, Trooper Streu's hometown.
Related Line of Duty Deaths
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Marshal James E. "Red" Larimer |
