State police release more details of Sunday Columbus shooting

Indiana State Police are releasing more information about a Sunday morning shooting involving a Columbus police officer, that left a suspect in critical condition.

According to police reports, an out-of-town homeowner was alerted through remote security video that an unknown man was on his property. The homeowner called 911 and Columbus police Sgt. Lukas Nibarger was called to the home in the 3300 block of Woodland Parkway at about 4:12 a.m.

Nibarger encountered a man at the residence who refused to comply with commands and began to run away. Nibarger chased the man, later identified as 38-year-old Jacob D. Rice, into the back yard where Rice fired a shot towards the officer, troopers say. The shot missed and Nibarger returned fire with his department-issued handgun, striking Rice once.

Nibarger called for an ambulance and provided medical care to Rice until the ambulance arrived. Medics then transported Rice to Columbus Municipal Airport where Lifeline transported him to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he remains in critical condition.

Troopers say that the gun Rice used in the shooting had been stolen from a car in Columbus.

The investigation is still ongoing. The Indiana State Police will forward their report to the Bartholomew County Prosecutor when completed.