Orange County Deputy shot Friday morning, police still seeking suspect
The investigation into the Friday morning shooting of Orange County Deputy Sheriff Zac Andry remains under investigation, and the Indiana State Police continues to ask for assistance from the public.
The incident occurred Friday morning after midnight when Deputy Andry stopped to check on a Pontiac Grand Prix sitting partially in the roadway at U.S. 150 and State Road 56 in Orange County. While Andry was interacting with the occupants, he detected some illicit activity–police did not say what that activity may have been.
As Deputy Andry was speaking with the driver, identified as 33-year-old Austin Schepers, Schepers got out of the vehicle and shot Andry four times, including in the head, the neck, the shoulder and his vest. Schepers and a female passenger in the Pontiac fled the scene.
“He [Andry] didn’t have a chance to respond,” said Indiana State Police Master Sergeant Philip Hensley, public information officer at Sellersburg District, at a press conference Saturday afternoon speaking about how fast the incident escalated.
Andry was found by a French Lick Police Officer after failing to radio in about the stop he had made. He was transported to I.U. Paoli before being transferred to the University of Louisville Hospital in Louisville, Ky., where he is presently listed as critical but stable.
“He underwent surgery Friday morning. I spoke with the surgeon. She was very pleased with the outcome, but he has a significant road ahead,” said Hensley. “So right now, his condition is critical but stable. He is in intensive care, still on the ventilator, still sedated, but they’re trying to dial that back. So that’s a tremendous step. This guy’s a fighter. He’s a young officer. He has a family, he’s a member of his community, and he is fighting with everything he’s got to bounce back from his injuries.”
Orange County Sheriff Davy Henderson continues to ask the public for their positive thoughts and well wishes for Andry and his family as he fights toward recovery.
Later Friday morning, the vehicle Schepers was in was located in Orangeville. Police officers and SWAT units responded to the area and though Schepers was not located, police found the female passenger at around 8:00 a.m. She was taken into custody. Police have not released any information on her or the potential criminal charges she faces.
Schepers has since remained at large, though officers executed a search warrant in a home in downtown New Albany.
Investigators believe Schepers is in the New Albany, Indiana, area in Floyd County and within the Kentuckiana radius.
Hensley said anyone harboring Schepers would face criminal charges and should contact police regarding his location.
“Harboring a fugitive is a felony, and we take it very seriously, especially in a case of attempted murder, and that would be whether it was attempted murder of a law enforcement officer or attempted murder of your neighbor, [if] you’re hiding someone who attempted to take the life of another person that’s a felony, and that carries serious consequences,” Hensley said.
Schepers is armed and dangerous; investigators are asking that if anyone has information regarding the whereabouts of Schepers, they contact 911 with the information.
Schepers is 5 foot 7 inches tall, weighing approximately 150 pounds. He has numerous tattoos on his head, neck, face, arms, and body.
The Indiana State Police, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and all assisting agencies remain dedicated to locating Schepers and bringing him into custody.
