In the early morning hours of Saturday, December 13, 2003, a call regarding shots being fired on Battell Street in Mishawaka, Indiana, set in motion a tragic chain of events. Twenty-seven-year-old Patrolman Bryan Scott Verkler, a male officer with the Mishawaka Police Department, responded to the scene along with his colleague, Corporal Thomas Roberts.
The initial dispute involved a man who, after a disagreement with a neighbor, had discharged a firearm into the air.
The officers were directed to a house at 1012 Sarah Street, where the suspect was believed to be hiding. As they attempted to lure the man out of the residence, the situation escalated dramatically. When the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Raymond M. Gilkeson, emerged from the house, he opened fire on the officers with a 9mm handgun. Both Verkler and Roberts were struck by the gunfire. A third officer at the scene managed to return fire, hitting the suspect once.
Corporal Roberts succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Patrolman Verkler was critically wounded and rushed to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he passed away two hours later during surgery. The bullet had struck him just above his protective vest. Following the exchange of gunfire, Gilkeson retreated into the house. Shortly after, more gunshots were heard from inside the home. Investigators later determined that Raymond M. Gilkeson died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
