Fox 59

Police: Woman shot in head at Subaru Lafayette; gunman identified

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A 36-year-old Lafayette woman was shot in the head at Subaru of Indiana Automotive on Monday afternoon by an armed suspect who ended up fleeing from the plant and committing suicide.

A spokesman with Subaru of Indiana Automotive confirmed that officers responded to an active shooter situation at the Subaru plant in Lafayette at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Monday.

The Lafayette Police Department stated that when officers arrived at the Subaru plant’s parking lot they located the 36-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Police said the woman ended up being flown by helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital where she is in critical condition.

Investigators said that after the shooting the armed suspect fled the scene on foot but was later located near a pond just east of the Subaru property. The suspect was dead when officers found him. Investigators said he died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office identified the shooter as 57-year-old John Mark Jones of Lafayette. The coroner confirmed Jones killed himself. Toxicology results were pending and could take up to six weeks.

According to detectives with the Lafayette Police Department, the shooting appeared to be targeted at the victim as detectives learned the suspect and the victim had been previously involved in a relationship.

An alert was sent to SIA employees quickly after the armed suspect was spotted on the premises that warned employees to lock themselves in the nearest room and take shelter. Second shift was canceled on Monday.

The SIA spokesman said shortly afterward that the incident had ended and there was no further danger to the public.