So This Happened Last Night

[Content Note: Violence; guns; self-harm.]

Last night, a couple miles from our house, more gun violence:

One man is dead and three are in custody at the Lake County Jail after they fled a home invasion in Porter County, crashed their car and led police on a foot chase near the Hobart Walmart. The incident Wednesday forced police to close portions U.S. 30 and Colorado Street to traffic.

Porter County Police Lt. Larry LaFlower said the incident started when three men in a silver car robbed a house in the 100 block of South County Road 450W in Porter County around 5:04 p.m. They battered the 52-year-old homeowner, a woman, and stole an undetermined amount of cash and guns. She was treated at Porter hospital. The homeowner's neighbor, who was driving a navy blue GMC Sierra truck, pursued the men as they drove west on U.S. 30, and he kept police posted as to their location.

Around 5:18 p.m. Hobart Police Chief Jeff White said the four men took a sharp right turn onto Colorado Street at a high rate of speed and crashed into three vehicles, including an SUV driven by an FBI agent.

Whoops.

At that point, three men jumped out and ran, while the FBI took the fourth into custody. The victim's neighbor continued to pursue them in his truck, so they shot at him, "striking him in the hand and shattering the windshield and the back window." Police eventually apprehended two more of the men.

The third man ran across U.S. 30 toward B.C. Osaka restaurant, with another FBI agent in pursuit, and fired his weapon twice before turning it on himself.

He died at the scene.

Remember how I mentioned being momentarily frightened while at the movies last weekend? Before A, M, Iain, and I went to the movies, we had lunch at B.C. Osaka.

This incident won't even register in the national news, not even a blip. It's one of many like it all over the country, increasing in number. And, still, we refuse to have a serious conversation about gun reform.