LAKE STATION, Ind. (WOWO): A preliminary report Friday from the Lake County Major Crimes Unit about Tuesday‘s fatal police-action shooting at Lake Station City Hall shows that the three officers were justified in using deadly force, and that their actions may have prevented other catastrophic events from happening.
It also offers some insight about 84-year-old John Laco of Portage. Major Crimes Unit spokesman Bob Byrd says Laco‘s friends described him as an angry, elderly man who was upset with city officials‘ insistence that he tear down his fire-damaged house, even though police had rescued him during the fire earlier this year.
Laco frequently made negative comments about Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist, and had a long-standing issue with police over their handling of an incident with one of his young relatives. He confronted three police officers in the City Hall parking lot on Tuesday, where he fired a shotgun and then aimed the gun at the officers.
The report will be turned over to the Lake County Prosecutor for an official review. Lake Station city officials will also review the Major Crimes Unit report.
