Indiana State Police, Indiana
End of Watch: Saturday, February 20, 1971
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 10 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 20, 1971
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Died in prison
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 a.m., 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 man. 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 subject, who had escaped from a penal farm, was sentenced to two life terms and died in prison in 2009. The other man was sentenced to life in prison. He was denied parole several times and subsequently died in prison in 2015.
When another Trooper arrived on the scene, the handcuffed suspect shot him through the windshield of his patrol vehicle. Despite being shot in the shoulder, he was able to apprehend the suspect.
One man, who had escaped from a penal farm, was sentenced to two life terms and died in prison in 2009. The other suspect, who was 17, was sentenced to life in prison and was denied parole several times. He subsequently died in prison in 2015.
Trooper Streu was a National Guard veteran who had served with the Indiana State Police for only ten months and was assigned to the Schererville post. He 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.