A gunman who shot and wounded an Indiana judge and his wife during a daytime attack outside their Lafayette home over the weekend spoke to the couple before opening fire, according to multiple reports.
Authorities say the suspect knocked on the door of the residence of Tippecanoe County Superior Court Judge Steven Meyer and his wife, Kimberly Meyer, around 2:15 p.m. local time Sunday.
Audio from a police dispatcher indicates the gunman told the couple, "We have your dog," before firing at least one shot through the door.
Judge Meyer was struck in the arm, and his wife was shot in the hip. Both were transported for medical treatment and were later listed in stable condition, officials said.
The shooting occurred in a quiet residential neighborhood roughly 10 minutes from Purdue University's campus. Police recovered shell casings at the scene, though it remains unclear how many shots were fired.
As of Tuesday, no arrests had been made, and authorities had not released a description of the suspect, who remains at large. The investigation is being handled by multiple agencies, including the Indiana State Police and the FBI.
In a statement, Kimberly Meyer thanked law enforcement and first responders.
"I have great confidence in the Lafayette Police Department's investigation and want to thank all the agencies involved for their work," she said. "We are also incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from the community; everyone has been so kind and compassionate."
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush issued a statement urging judges to remain vigilant.
"I worry about the safety of all our judges," Rush wrote. "As you work to peacefully resolve more than one million cases a year, you must not only feel safe, you must also be safe."
Judge Meyer, 66, last month announced plans to retire at the end of the year.
He gained national attention for presiding over several high-profile cases, most notably the Natalia Grace Barnett case involving a Ukrainian adoptee whose American family claimed she was an adult masquerading as a child due to dwarfism.
Meyer dismissed neglect charges against the family after their successful legal effort to change Grace Barnett's birth year from 2003 to 1989 — a move later reversed. The case later inspired Hulu's "Good American Family," starring Ellen Pompeo.
In another ruling, Meyer sentenced a father to 24 years in prison after a firearm left unsecured was used by the man's 5-year-old son to fatally shoot his 1-year-old brother.
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