Indiana State Police have released the names of the suspect and a Columbus police officer involved in an officer-involved shooting early Sunday morning at a home in the 3300 block of Grove Parkway in Columbus.
State police said that Sgt. Lukas Nibarger, a seven-year veteran with the Columbus Police Department, responded to the residence to investigate a report of a suspicious person at 4:05 a.m. Sunday in the Forest Park residential neighborhood. A homeowner, who was on vacation, had reported to 911 that a suspicious person was on his property, detected by surveillance video.
Upon arriving at the residence, Nibarger encountered a man who was later identified as Jacob D. Rice, 38, Columbus, state police said.
Rice ignored the officer’s verbal commands and attempted to flee on foot, state police said. Nibarger chased Rice into the back yard of the residence where he again gave verbal commands in an attempt to detain Rice.
State police investigators believe Rice fired one round from a firearm towards Nibarger. The officer was not struck and was able to return fire with his department-issued handgun striking Rice one time, state police said.
Nibarger called for an ambulance, which arrived within minutes and was able to provide medical attention to Rice, state police said. Rice was transported to the Columbus Municipal Airport where a medical helicopter was waiting to transport him to the Level 1 trauma center at IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Rice remains in the hospital and is listed in critical condition, state police said.
The investigation revealed Rice had stolen the firearm used in the shooting from a car in the Columbus area before his interaction with Nibarger, state police said. Investigators do not believe Rice was able to make entry into the residence before being confronted by Nibarger at the residence.
State police said the investigation is continuing, and a report about the incident will be forwarded to Bartholomew County Bill Nash when it is completed.
Nibarger has been placed on administrative leave per Columbus police protocol as the investigation continues.
Court records indicate Rice has two pending criminal cases in Bartholomew County, a misdemeanor operating a vehicle while intoxicated charge from this month and a felony unlawful possession of a syringe filed in May of this year by the prosecutor’s office.
Rice’s past criminal history includes pleading guilty in 2018 as part of a plea bargain in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 to felony battery causing bodily injury to a public safety officer in which he had been sentenced to four years with the Indiana Department of Corrections. Court documents indicate he had nearly a year of jail time credited as already served when he was sentenced.
Assisting agencies at the shooting scene were the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Columbus Fire Department, Columbus Regional Health EMS and Lifeline helicopter.
