INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A man hiding behind an apartment door shot and killed an Indianapolis police officer as he kicked his way in early Friday, authorities said, responding to a woman screaming for help after being held at gunpoint for three hours.
Officer Rod Bradway had been talking to the man for several minutes before the woman's screams prompted him to kick in the door, Detective Thomas Lehn told The Indianapolis Star. The man then ambushed Bradway, he said.
"When the officer ran through the door, (the suspect) reached out, pointed the gun and shot him in the side," Lehn told the Star.
He said the 41-year-old Bradway, who was pronounced dead at an Indianapolis hospital, had little time to react. A second officer rushed in and exchanged multiple shots with the gunman, eventually killing him. The Marion County Coroner's Office identified the alleged gunman as 24-year-old Steven Byrdo.
"There are bullet holes everywhere," Lehn told the newspaper.
The woman and a small child weren't harmed, police spokesman Lt. Christopher Bailey said. The child was taken by child protective services, said police spokesman Officer Kendale Adams, who had no additional information.
Indiana Department of Correction records show Byrdo had felony drug convictions in 2011 and 2013 and had been released from prison in June after serving a sentence for a cocaine-dealing conviction.
Officers were dispatched to the apartment complex on the city's northwest side about 2 a.m. after someone called 911 to report a disturbance.
Bradway, who was married with a teenage son and daughter, was a five-year veteran of the department, according to police. He was a native of the northern Indiana town of Nappanee.
Police Chief Rick Hite asked the public to pray for Bradway's family.
"He entered an apartment to save the life of a woman who was being assaulted and in turn gave his life," Hite told reporters. "Blessed are the peacemakers."
The department said Bradway was a highly decorated officer who had received its Medal of Bravery in February 2012.
A few dozen police squad cars escorted a vehicle carrying Bradway's body as it left the hospital on its way to the coroner's office.
Adams said Bradway had helped with relief efforts in the aftermath of the deadly May tornado in Moore, Okla. Bradway's wife, Jamie, wrote in the June issue of the city's Department of Public Safety newsletter that she and her husband helped collect supplies for pets displaced or found wandering after the tornado.
The couple took 28 pet crates, hundreds of pounds of dog and cat food, leashes, water bowls, animal toys and other items to Moore's animal shelter, she wrote. They were on hand when a family was happily reunited with their dog.
The shooting prompted Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard to cut short a trip to Germany for a business summit. In a statement, the mayor said Bradway "gave his life protecting the people of our community by charging ahead to confront the unknown."
Bradway is the first Indianapolis police officer killed in the line of duty since Officer David Moore was shot during a traffic stop on Jan. 23, 2011. He died three days later.
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Associated Press writer Tom Davies contributed to this report from Indianapolis.
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