Man killed in Lawrence police shooting identified as Daylen Oatts
Update: Additional information about the decedent was added to this article on Jan. 12, 2023.
One man was killed, and an officer was injured when gunfire broke out as the Lawrence Police Department attempted to serve warrants Tuesday night.
“It was quite a chaotic scene and as bad as it was, it could have been much worse,” said Lawrence Chief of Police Gary Woodruff. “We are fortunate that it wasn't even worse.”
Officers and the police department’s SWAT team responded to a residence shortly before 8:30 p.m. in the 9400 block of Burrwood Circle to serve arrest and search warrants for individuals wanted in connection with a previous shots fired incident, Woodruff said.
More news:Indianapolis killings in 2023: Tracking every homicide
The man ran out the back of the residence and encountered officers on the perimeter of the property.
“My understanding is the suspect fired first,” Woodruff said. “He came out of the rear of the residence and engaged officers in gunfire and officers returned gunfire.”
An officer with the Lawrence Police Department was shot in the leg. Another officer applied a tourniquet to the injured officer’s leg. The injured officer was then transported by two officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to a hospital, Woodruff said.
The injured officer, a three-year veteran with the department, was released from the hospital just before midnight Tuesday after receiving treatment.
After the initial exchange of gunfire, the man ran back inside the residence and gunfire continued between police and the suspect, Woodruff said.
The man and a woman at the residence then got into a vehicle, opened the garage door and tried to leave. They were confronted by SWAT officers. The man was shot and killed, while the woman has non-life-threatening injuries to her legs and is being treated at a hospital, Woodruff said.
The man was identified as Daylen Oatts, 30, by the Marion County Coroner's Office.
More:Man killed in east side house fire identified as 70-year-old Charles Linstrum
“The investigation is still early and very much ongoing,” Woodruff said. “It will remain under investigation for the coming days and even weeks.”
The man and woman had active warrants in connection with an incident in which they are accused of firing shots into a neighbor's residence, according to Lawrence police.
Both were arrested in connection with the shots fired incident and bonded out jail. The man failed to appear in court for his initial hearing and the woman had a pretrial release violation, which led to warrants for their arrests being issued Jan. 3, Woodruff said.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lawrence police shooting: Man killed, officer, woman injured
