PALMYRA, Ind. — Two men were fatally shot after a police officer and two good Samaritans stopped along a southern Indiana highway to help a driver who was stopped in the roadway, police said.
The shooting happened Monday night after an officer with the Palmyra Police Department stopped to assist the “apparent stranded motorist” on State Road 135, Indiana State Police said, but they didn’t say what precipitated the gunfire or who fired the shots.
As the officer arrived, two good Samaritans also stopped in a pickup truck to help, but “within seconds of exiting their cars, shots were fired” at the scene just south of Palmyra, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Louisville, Kentucky, police said in a statement.
State police did not provide additional details, saying in the news release that investigators have not said how many weapons were involved, how many shots were fired, or who fired the shots.
The shooting killed the SUV’s driver, 31-year-old Justin Moore of Owensboro, Kentucky, and one of the good Samaritans, 24-year-old Jacob Tyler McClanahan, of Corydon, Indiana, police said.
The officer had what were described as minor injuries, police said.
Autopsies were scheduled for Wednesday, said Indiana State Police, who were investigating at the request of Harrison County authorities.
A message was left Tuesday morning with state police by The Associated Press seeking additional information.
