On August 23, 2026, shortly before 9:00 p.m., officers with the Delphi Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a 2015 Chevrolet Trax near the intersection of U.S. 421 and County Road 200 North in Delphi for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, an officer requested assistance from a K9 unit.
Shortly after the K9 officer arrived, the driver of the Trax fled from the traffic stop. Delphi Police Department and assisting agencies pursued the vehicle on several local roads before entering southbound State Road 25 and subsequently entering Tippecanoe County.
The pursuit continued southbound on State Road 25, where the Trax struck tire deflation devices just north of the roundabout at Old State Road 25. The vehicle entered the roundabout before coming to a stop on Old State Road 25, just north of the roundabout.
After the vehicle came to a stop, the driver did not exit the vehicle. Officers utilized a drone to assess the situation and determined the driver appeared to be deceased. Officers then approached the vehicle, and the driver appeared to have sustained what is believed to be a self inflicted gunshot wound.
The identity of the driver will be released at a later date by the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office after positive identification has been made and next of kin has been notified. The exact cause and manner of death will be determined and released by the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office.
At the request of the Delphi Police Chief, the Indiana State Police is handling the investigation. All information is preliminary at this time, and the investigation remains active and ongoing. There is no additional information available for release at this time.
Detectives from the Indiana State Police Lafayette Post were assisted at the scene by Indiana State Police troopers, Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigators, the Delphi Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office, West Lafayette Police Department, Purdue University Police Department, the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office, and Tippecanoe County EMS.