Watch: Indiana Man Ambushes Police After Allegedly Killing Neighbor
Police in Evansville, Indiana have released surveillance camera footage from a shootout Friday night that left two men — including the suspected shooter — dead and several police cars damaged by gunfire.
Barry Freeman, 51, was shot and killed by police after a standoff that lasted nearly an hour. During that time, Freeman used an AR-15 and a shotgun to shoot at police cars from his driveway.
Evansville police spokesman Sgt. Jason Cullum told the Evansville Courier & Press that investigators believe Freeman was aiming specifically at police officers and police cars. In the surveillance video, civilian cars can be seen driving past the suspect but he does not fire at them.
“He had a neighbor actually tell him to get back in because there was an active shooter,” Cullum said. “He told the neighbor that he was the active shooter.”
The standoff ended when Freeman was shot in the chest by an Evansville detective who had responded to the call. Freeman died Sunday night at a local hospital.
But at a press conference Tuesday, police said they now believe Freeman killed Kempf because he thought Kempf was a police officer approaching his home.
“We believe Mr. Kempf came out of his home to see what was going on” when he was shot, Cullum said.
When officers first arrived on the scene, they found Freeman standing in a driveway holding a rifle, Cullum said. As other officers arrived, Freeman opened fire on them.
“He went on a spree, mostly targeting police cars,” Cullum said.
Cullum: At least a dozen rounds were fired into this car. 23 points of impact. pic.twitter.com/uCwRDbEChx
— Tori Fater (@vrfater) May 15, 2018
Freeman evaded officers by moving through the dimly lit neighborhood and shooting at random. He had multiple weapons and fired dozens of rounds, Cullum said.
Cullum said law enforcement officials still do not know the motive for Freeman’s shooting spree.
“This is one of those cases where there’s never really going to be a reason why,” Cullum said.
Despite several police vehicles being hit by the gunshots, no officers were struck or injured. Four homes and two businesses were damaged in the shooting.
Freeman had been an all-star baseball player at North High School in Evansville in the 1980s, the Courier & Press reported.
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