LAKE STATION | Lake Station police were justified in the fatal shooting of an armed, elderly man outside of City Hall on Tuesday, an investigation by the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force concluded.
"Their actions potentially prevented other catastrophic events from occurring," the report said.
John Laco, 84, of Portage was shot and killed at 10:29 a.m. Tuesday outside of City Hall after allegedly firing a shotgun in the parking lot there, police said.
The Friday report paints a picture of Laco as a depressed, angry man who resented city officials' directives to demolish his fire-damaged home and who kept a journal logging his stalking of former Lake Station Police Chief Michael Stills.
The Major Crimes Task Force report said City Hall employees heard a gunshot at 10:29 a.m. Tuesday and looked outside to see an armed man standing in the middle of the parking lot. Laco then walked to his vehicle, got inside and sat there.
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Lake Station police Lt. John McDaniel, Detective Dennis Dover and Detective Glenn Gulley left the Police Station, which is housed at City Hall, and went outside to investigate. The officers found Lack sitting in his vehicle with the window rolled down and the barrel of a shotgun pointed outside the window.
"With weapons drawn, the police officers ordered Laco to drop the gun and to display his empty hands," the Task Force report stated. "Laco responded by exiting his vehicle and pointing his shotgun at the police. All three police officers fired their weapons at Laco.
"From a distance of approximately 15-20 yards, 11 shots were fired by the police and Laco sustained three gunshot wounds (head, chest and right hand)."
Laco was pronounced dead at the scene by Lake County coroner's office investigators.
The Task Force report said Laco died with his finger on the trigger of a loaded 16-gauge pump shotgun. He also had an inoperable pellet handgun in the front pocket of the sweatshirt he was wearing, the report said.
The report details Lake Station police officers rescuing Laco from his burning home at 2701 Central Ave. on Feb. 20, saying since the time of the fire, Laco rented a room at the home of a friend in Portage.
The home became a point of contention between Laco and city officials, who deemed it a public health hazard. Lake Station ordered him to demolish the building and he was scheduled to appear Monday in City Council chambers for a hearing on the issue in which he was to provide a status report on the property.
Laco did not appear at the hearing, the Task Force report said.
"Associates of Laco described him as an angry, elderly man who at times suffered from depression," the report said. "He frequently made negative comments about the Lake Station mayor and how the city was trying to force him to demolish his fire damaged residence."
The Building Commission determined Monday that Laco's home needed to be demolished and removed. A notice of demolition at a cost of $9,500 to Laco was set to be mailed the day Laco was shot and killed, the report said.
The report said at 4:30 p.m. Monday, one of Mayor Keith Soderquist's neighbors heard a gunshot and saw a small, dark-colored SUV driving away. Soderquist was not home and did not notify police.
"While investigating Laco’s death on Tuesday, detectives learned about the report of gunfire near the mayor’s home the prior night," the Task Force report said. "Detectives went to the mayor residence to search for evidence and it was determined that the house had not sustained any type of damage. However, the internal portion of a fired shotgun shell was located in the mayor’s front yard."
The shotgun shell found in the mayor's yard matched that of a shotgun shell found in the City Hall parking lot after the shooting there, the report said.
"Furthermore, it is noted that the vehicle Laco owns, a black Dodge Caliber, is similar in appearance to the vehicle witnessed driving away from the mayor’s house after a gunshot was heard," the report said.
Investigators said they can not definitively say whether Laco shot at the mayor's home.
"Mayor Soderquist did not know John Laco and had no known prior contact or interaction with him," the report said.
The investigation revealed a 2007 journal Laco kept detailing his stalking of former police chief Michael Stills, including dates, times and locations of Stills.
An audio tape of a recorded conversation between Laco and Stills was also discovered in the investigation.
"The stalking acts allegedly were a result of Laco’s displeasure with how police handled a juvenile assault case involving a family member," the report said. "The stalking stopped when the police chief discovered Laco parked outside of the chief’s residence and the chief confronted him. A handwritten, undated letter of Laco’s provided instructions for family members to follow in the event of his death."
A formal report will be issued to the Lake County Prosecutor's office for review and the Lake Station Police Department will also conduct its own internal review, the report said.
