Detective Sergeant Phillip D. Hochstetler

Phillip D. Hochstetler

Detective Sergeant Phillip Hochstetler was shot and killed while interviewing a suspect about a recent burglary. The suspect agreed to surrender his weapons to Detective Sergeant Hochstetler. At the last moment, the suspect turned one of the weapons on the officer. Detective Sergeant Hochstetler was shot in the throat and head. The suspect then murdered his two small children before fleeing the home.

Two days later, the suspect was recognized when he drove past the crime scene. The officers chased him into downtown Warsaw. When the suspect fired upon the officers, they returned fire. The suspect was shot and killed by Warsaw police officers.

Detective Sergeant Hochstetler had served with the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department for four years and had previously served with the Nappanee Police Department for two years. He was survived by three sons.