Inmate escape from the Criminal Justice
Center in downtown Indianapolis.
We're about to hear a
live update from police.
Let's listen in to Chief Bailey.
Sure. Thanks, Lieutenant.
Again, I'm Kerry Forest off Shef
Marion County and have the tragc
responsibility of informing you about
a death of one of our deputies.
Today, there's an escape attempt
the CJC Community Justice Campu.
A prisoner was being returned
from a hospital visit.
When the prisoner made the escae
attempt and attacked our deputy during
that period of time, he nearly ,
was transported here to the
hospital where he was declared .
John Durham's been with us for
nearly forty years, about 38 ye.
He's got an extended family
and law enforcement.
His wife works for us.
His son just started as a
detention deputy about a month .
He's going through the training Academy.
He's got other family members tt
retired from our department and
went over to our sister agency
at I MPD and retired from there.
I want to thank the fact that the prosecutor,
as I understand it,
has already been to the scene ad
reviewed some of the video thate
have of the incident tragically or otherwise.
We do have video of what occurred and
we'll let Indianapolis Metropoln
Police Department use that as
they need necessary for their
homicide investigation.
That's all I have specifically
to say at this time,
but if somebody has a question
just about the deputy,
otherwise I'm going to let Deputy Chief
Bailey talk to you about
the homicide investigation.
Another tragic day for our community,
law enforcement generally.
Our condolences.
Chief Taylor's condolences go
out to the Durham family and the
deputy who lost his life today.
Serving this community like,
the sheriff said.
At around 11:30 AM this morning,
Deputy Durham was returning from
Eskenazi Hospital with a prisonr
who needed medical attention whn
he was attacked outside of the .
That suspect then was able to gt
into the jail wagon, drive it through,
I believe through the gates of
the criminal justice complex.
Where he crashed into a utilitye
in the 3000 block of Prospect A.
He was quickly apprehended by Mn
County Sheriff's deputies with
the assistance of I MPD officer.
EMS, like the sheriff said,
transported the deputy here to Eskenazi
Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
He will get all the honors and fitting
a fallen hero and those will stt
here at the hospital this after.
The suspect received minor injus
and was transported also to Eski
Hospital and he will be released to a
jail at some point in the near future.
His name will be released at
some point in the near future.
I just don't think this is the
appropriate place because who are all
of our attention needs to be on Deputy
Durham and not the person that e
believe is responsible for this.
I want to make something clear,
the investigation to this point.
Shows clearly that this was an
intentional act of homicide and
will be investigated as such.
Our Critical Incident Response
Team is investigating this case.
Marion County Prosecutor's Offie
is on scene.
Marion County Sheriff's Office will do
their own internal look at the events
and then the case will be turned over
to the Marion County Prosecutoro
will make a final charging deci.
That's what we know right now.
Preliminarily,
I'm not going to go into the details of
the assault or topic of assault today.
Wouldn't be appropriate at this at this time.
That information will be comingt
in the near future as this is an
ongoing and active investigatio.
Thank you
Sheriff for Straw.
You talked about this legacy
of service for Deputy Durham
more than four decades.
What does that mean for the department?
I mean, this is a tragic loss already
but someone who has dedicated his life
just give give back to his commy
and his family and it's tragic t
happens with anybody in this community.
I mean, we didn't put this on for today.
This is from the trooper just a few days ago.
You know, it's happens just too often
in the lines of law enforcement.
We appreciate when the community
stands up and supports and remes
that the people who do this wor,
I mean, they're walking in,
the deputies who walk into the jail every
day are walking into a place where there's
over 180 people charged with mu.
There's 2400 prisoners out over there,
and a lot of them think that
they want to escape.
And some of them take the extree
measures like this guy did toda,
which isn't his first alleged.
Violent act in this community.
So we'll remember that he should
be held accountable in court.
John just a good guy.
It really was. I mean, I
mean he's 38 years.
You can't give that much law enforcement
to your community and not have
meant something and to pass it n
to his family and to his brothe.
I mean there's law enforcement
all across his family.
Have you talked with the family?
What was your message to them? I did.
Needless to say, they're in sho.
I mean, his son is out there at
the detention deputy Academy to,
and I'm sure we went there todao
follow in his father's footstep.
And at the end of the day, he s,
I don't know what I'm doing now.
You know, he started a day thing
he had a new career and somebod,
some other inmate, ended his father's life.
On a day that he was probably
celebrating in a month from nowo
have him come to that graduatio.
And his wife has been here sinc,
I believe. So.
Ramona's been here a long time,
She knows it's dangerous,
she works in there,
but still didn't expect to think
that would happen to her husban.
So they're shocked and we've had
our chaplains who unfortunately
have a very difficult job bringg
information like this to the fa.
He also has two sons in the military.
They're in the Air Force in Ger.
So we had to make contact with
them over there,
make arrangements for them to come back.
So it's going beyond just here,
where he served the community.
His wife went what?
What did she do for your office?
She works up in our medical
office as a deputy and
share force. Or what? Training Academy.
One more time is his, the detenn
deputy Academy? Ones that eventy
work at the adult detention
center where this occurred toda.
So in other words he would be probably doing
the same job eventually
as his father he would.
OK, more question, can you talk about just
I mean we've had today is a funl
for an officer down in southern Indiana.
We just had a funeral for Troopr
Smith and now you have one of yr
deputies that was. I mean, this
is not in a good two weeks.
Can you sort of just speak to wt
the law enforcement community in
this state is feeling right now?
Well, I'm sure it just could
be overwhelming at times.
I mean, of course, you know,
you'd expect, you know,
phone calls from people,
but offers of help and assistan,
I mean, I got a call from Rick Snyder,
President FOP,
as they're just heading back from tell
city from the funeral Superintendent,
state police coming from another incident.
So they're traveling from the o.
Danny Overlease, who who is very
important to a lot of Line of Duty deaths.
Tragically, it's some expertiset
he has that helps people in that time,
but he's going from one death te
other and puts a strain on ever.
How's your department feeling t?
I think you could just see a kind of a
STEM look on most people in the hallway.
Thanks.
And so you heard Marion County Sheriff
Kerry Forrestal talking about wt
a tragic day this is for the Man
County Sheriff's Department andw
enforcement in general after losing a
long time sheriff's Deputy John Durham,
a veteran of the Sheriff's Department
38 years and and really a a legy
of service from the Durham fami.
Deputy Durham's wife also workig
in the Sheriff's Department,
in the medical department and
his son right now.
You heard Sheriff Forrestal say
his son right now is at the adut
detention Academy training to
follow in his father's footstep.
And deputies had to go there
today and tell this young man tt
his father had passed away after
being attacked by this inmate.
We're also hearing that.
John Durham,
Deputy Durham has two sons servg
in the military in Germany and and of
course this comes just after a a a very,
very difficult two weeks for law enforcement.
On Friday Indianapolis IN state
trooper Aaron Smith was laid to rest.
After being killed in the line f
duty about a week and a half ago
and then today is the funeral fr
that tell city police officer ws
being laid to rest after being t
by a suspect and an I MPD deputy
Chief Bailey saying this is happening
far too often to law enforcement
in this community in this state.
And here we have another law enforcement
agency grappling with a tragic death Scott.
All right,
Emily Longnecker reporting
live outside Eskenazi Hospital following
this tragic new development that came
out of this attack by an inmatef
this morning, Deputy John Durha,
losing his life after an inmate escaped.
As the deputy was taking this
inmate back from Eskenazi Hospil
back to the Justice Center,
this inmate somehow got out,
attacked this deputy, stole a jail wagon,
crashed it just a few feet away.
They took Deputy John Durham toe
hospital and just told just a few short
moments ago that he lost his li.
As as a result of that attack t,
we do not know the name of this inmate.
We don't have any details of that attack.
We were told by police there at Eskenazi
Hospital that they do have video of it.
They're going to be reviewing this and then
passing on this case to the prosecutor.
But as Emily outlined here,
our community is again seeing the seeing
the death of someone in the line of duty.
And in this case it was Marion County deputy.
John Durham,
who served our community for 38 years.
This is a story we're going to be covering
throughout the afternoon here on Channel 13.
We've got Cruz at Eskenazi Hosp,
Cruz at the the Justice Center
today talking to authorities,
learning more about this case.
We're going to be updating all of our social
media platforms throughout the afternoon.
We'll have comprehensive team
coverage for you when we see you
beginning on 13 news at 5:00.
O'clock,
let's get you back to regular programming.