Gary Police respond to 3 gunshot victims in Brunswick

Contributed By:The 411 News

Gary Police are connecting two separate requests for services from gunshot victims that were received during the evening hours of Monday, March 20.

According to Lt. Thomas Pawlak, GPD Violent Crimes Unit, police officers responded to the first call at approximately 6:44 p.m. in the 6700 block of W. 15th Avenue. Upon arriving, Gary officers discovered two males in a Grey Chevy Malibu, both suffering from gunshot wounds. The driver, Joseph Einsele, age 25, of Lowell Indiana was shot once in the chest and the passenger Manuel Delgado, age 28, of Gilman, Illinois was shot once in the arm.

Due to his injuries, Einsele was unable to give a statement. Delgado told officers Einsele picked him up earlier in Merrillville and came to Gary to drink at a bar when they stopped at a gas station at 15th Avenue and Clark Road in Gary. According to Delgado, three males approached them and blocked their vehicle from leaving. One individual pulled a gun on them and demanded their money.

Delgado said they gave the individual $100. Einsele, armed with his own gun, pulled out his weapon and according to Delgado everyone started shooting.

The pair drove off westbound on 15th Avenue and stopped when they felt safe and called 911. Both individuals were transported to Methodist Hospital Northlake for treatment. Due to the severity of his wounds, Lt. Pawlak said, Einsele was later transported to Loyola Trauma Center in Chicago for treatment.

As this incident was developing, Lt. Pawlak said, Gary Police received a call for service around 7 p.m. in the 5300 block of W. 19th Avenue in reference to another gunshot victim.

When Gary officers arrived, they met a female who said her boyfriend, TaJay Gibson, age 19, of Hammond, was shot. Gibson was in the backseat of her vehicle. Officers escorted the vehicle to Methodist Hospital Northlake for treatment.

Gibson was shot once in the chest. Gibson told detectives that he was shot by two males around 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Concord Apartments, 19th Avenue and Hanley Street. According to Gibson, he went to meet these individuals in reference to purchasing marijuana. As he approached the vehicle the driver shot him.

Lt. Pawlak said both incidents are believed to be related.

Anyone with information on either incident is urged to contact Sgt. Jon Basaldua of the Gary Police Department Violent Crimes Unit at 219-881-1210 or the Crime Tip Line at 866-CRIME-GP.

Story Posted:03/22/2017