Beech Grove officer injured, suspect fatally shot after custody dispute early Wednesday

To update: This article was updated on May 2, 2024 with information about the person killed and the officer involved.

BEECH GROVE – What started as a custody dispute ended with a Beech Grove police officer fatally shooting a man who officials say stabbed a police officer.

Just after 6 a.m. Wednesday, Beech Grove officers responded to the 4400 block of Willow Bend Drive at the Willow Glen apartment complex to conduct a welfare check. According to Indiana State Police, dispatchers were notified of an ongoing custody dispute and threats of violence.

When they arrived, officers encountered a man armed with a knife in the parking lot of the apartments. He aggressively approached the officers, who attempted to de-escalate the situation by backing away and speaking to the man.

The man ignored the officers' requests to drop the knife and stop approaching them. According to ISP, three officers were “physically assaulted” by the man who was Lt. Jeff Bruner then cut his face with the knife.

Bruner, a 19-year veteran of the department, shot the man, later identified as 26-year-old Joshua Richard of Noblesville. Bruner was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

State police are investigating the shooting. The three Beech Grove officers involved are on administrative leave as per procedure. All were wearing activated body cameras, ISP Sgt. John Perrine said.

The shooting happened about a half-mile north of an elementary school in Perry Township. A district spokesman said the shooting did not result in a lockdown.

A Beech Grove officer was injured and the suspect was fatally shot by police early May 1, 2024. Police initially responded to a residence at 4448 Willow Bend Drive for a custody dispute.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Beech Grove officer injured, suspect fatally shot after custody dispute