Police: Officer fatally shoots Indiana woman during struggle

LIBERTY, Ind. (AP) - A police officer fatally shot an eastern Indiana woman early Friday after she pulled a knife during a struggle as the officer was trying to remove her from the middle of a highway, police said.

Maggie A. Dickerson, 29, of Liberty was struck at least once when the Liberty police officer fired multiple rounds at her after Dickerson advanced toward him with a knife during the struggle, Indiana State Police said.

Dickerson was flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in Kettering, Ohio, where she later died from her injuries, police said.

The shooting occurred after Officer Lorenzo Shepler, a two-year veteran of the Liberty Police Department, responded about 1 a.m. to a 911 call about a woman walking in the middle of U.S. 27, south of the Union County town located about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Indianapolis, police said.

When Shepler arrived at that site about five miles (8 kilometers) west of the Ohio state line he found Dickerson standing in the middle of the highway and tried to move her out off the roadway, but she resisted, police said.

Dickerson began struggling with the officer before she retrieved a knife and advanced toward Shepler, who opened fire, police said.

State police said Shepler, who sustained minor injuries in the struggle, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the agency's investigation. Once complete, state police will forward its findings to Union County's prosecutor.