Indianapolis Police Department, Indiana
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: 4 years, 5 months
Badge Number: 2479
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 18, 2004
Weapon Used: Rifle; SKS
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Officer Timothy Laird was shot and killed after responding to a call of a man walking in a neighborhood street with a rifle.
At approximately 2:00 am, calls were received that there was a man in the 2700 block of Dietz Street with a rifle, and several officers responded. The first officer to arrive was shot and wounded before he exited his patrol car. The suspect then began walking down the street, firing the rifle into the air. As Officer Laird drove into the 2800 block, he came under fire, and as he exited his patrol car, he was fatally wounded when he was struck in the chest above his bullet-resistant vest.
As additional officers responded, they engaged the suspect in a gunbattle where three other officers were shot and wounded. One of the wounded officers returned fire, striking the suspect in the head and chest, killing him. It was later discovered that the suspect had just murdered his mother in their home and that the suspect suffered from schizophrenia. All four wounded officers recovered from their injuries.
Officer Laird was a United States Marine Corps veteran who had served with the Indianapolis Police Department for nearly 4½ years and was assigned to the South District. He was posthumously awarded the department's Medal of Honor and Purple Heart. Officer Laird is survived by his wife and 7-year-old daughter.