Two men have been arrested following a shooting that left one person dead in Valparaiso early Saturday, October 10, according to the Valparaiso Police Department.
Officers were dispatched to the 50 block of Campbell Street at approximately 2:56 a.m. after receiving reports of multiple gunshots in a local business parking lot. Callers also reported that one person had been shot and was lying in the rear parking lot.
When officers arrived, they began providing aid to the victim until Valparaiso Fire Department paramedics arrived. The victim was transported to Northwest Health Porter Campus, where they later died.
According to police, witnesses reported that the people believed to be involved in the shooting had fled in a vehicle. Witnesses provided officers with a description of the vehicle and its direction of travel.
As the investigation continued, the suspect vehicle was observed traveling west on State Road 130.
Porter County Sheriff’s Department officers located the vehicle, leading to a pursuit that eventually ended near State Road 249 and Interstate 94 in Portage.
Two men were taken into custody and transported to the Valparaiso Police Department for further investigation before being arrested.
Police identified those arrested as:
Antione L. Pierson, 22, of Portage, who faces charges of murder, resisting law enforcement and possession of a controlled substance.
Camilo Chavez, 22, of Lake Station, who faces charges of battery and assisting a criminal.
Both men are being held at the Porter County Jail, according to police.
The Valparaiso Police Department were assisted by the Porter County Sheriff’s Department, Portage Police Department, Porter Police Department, Valparaiso Fire Department, Porter County Coroner’s Office and Porter County Prosecutor’s Office.
The shooting victim was not identified in the information released by police.
Readers are reminded that charging information supported by an affidavit of probable cause is a mere allegation that a crime has been committed and that there is only probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. They are presumed innocent throughout the proceedings and are entitled to be represented by counsel and entitled to a trial by jury at which the State is obligated to provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt before a judgment of guilt may be made.