05/30/2026
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Deputy Jon Samuelson remains in critical but stable condition after being shot three times at Franciscan Health Michigan City. Court documents say Samuelson fought with the suspect inside the hospital and likely saved a nurse from being shot. The suspect, a 22-year-old Chicago man, was arrested minutes later hiding near the hospital parking lot.
La Porte County Deputy Jon Samuelson is continuing to recover after he was shot three times while struggling with an armed suspect inside a Michigan City hospital last week, according to the sheriffs office and court documents.
What we know:
Samuelson, a 12-year veteran of the La Porte County Sheriffs Department, remains in critical but stable condition in an ICU.
Since last Saturdays initial update, Deputy Samuelson has made significant strides in his recovery, the sheriffs office said in a Facebook post. He is communicating with family, friends, and colleagues and remains in good spirits.
La Porte County Sheriffs Deputy Jon Samuelson (La Porte County Sheriffs Office)
The sheriffs office also said Samuelson reunited with his K9 partner, Bosco, inside his ICU room.
The two were able to spend quality time together, the post read.
The following information came from court documents.
How the shooting unfolded
Timeline:
Samuelson found a disabled silver Chrysler 300 near State Road 2 and County Road 900 West around 6:34 a.m. on May 22 while driving to a training session.
The driver, later identified as 22-year-old Sharod L. Grafton of Chicago, reportedly asked Samuelson for a ride to Franciscan Health Michigan City. Samuelson transported Grafton to the hospital in his marked sheriffs department K9 vehicle.
After Samuelson arrived at the hospital, another officer alerted dispatch that the Chrysler had been reported stolen during an armed carjacking in Chicago earlier that morning. Graftons mother told police he pointed a gun at her and demanded the keys to the vehicle before driving away.
Hospital surveillance video showed Samuelson and Grafton entering the emergency room together just before 7 a.m. Samuelson br
iefly stepped outside while Grafton remained at the front desk.
At 7:01 a.m., Grafton began walking toward the bathroom, while ignoring demands from staff, before Samuelson re-entered the hospital and brought Grafton back to the waiting room.
At that point, Samuelson tried handcuffing Grafton, which is when Grafton resisted, pulled out a tan G***k 42 handgun and pointed it at Samuelson.
Samuelson immediately wrapped his arms around Grafton and they both fell to the ground, where a struggle ensued before they tumbled through the doors into the triage area and two shots rang out.
Doctors later said Samuelson suffered three gunshot wounds; one through his shoulder, one grazing his calf and another entering behind his left ear before lodging near his spine. The injury caused paralysis from the chest down.
How Samuelson saved a nurses life
During the event, a nurse entered the triage area and saw Grafton pointing a gun directly at him. He sidestepped into a hallway to avoid being shot, and when doing so, he saw Samuelson force Graftons gun hand away from his direction moments before the gun discharged.
The nurse said he believed Grafton pressed the gun against Samuelsons neck when it fired point blank.
The nurse stated Samuelson saved his life and that he would have been shot if the deputy had not intervened.
Surveillance video showed Samuelson stop moving after that third shot was fired. Grafton then stood over a motionless Samuelson, who was lying face down, pointed his gun directly at him, but no recoil from the weapon was seen on video.
The arrest of Grafton
Grafton fled the hospital after the shooting and unsuccessfully tried to get into Samuelsons locked police vehicle.
Surveillance video then showed Grafton hiding briefly in the bed of a hospital employees pickup truck before running into a wooded area near the hospital parking lot.
Michigan City police officers searching the area found and arrested Grafton around 7:12 a.m., roughly 10 minutes after the shooting.
Police later recovered the G***k 42 from the bed of the pickup truck. Police said the weapon was jammed when it was found, with a spent casing stuck inside the firearm.
Whats next:
Grafton is charged with attempted murder, battery against a public safety official and auto theft.
The sheriffs office said it remains grateful for the support shown to Samuelson and his fam
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