Woman shoots herself in Deputy's car after finding his back-up gun under the seat

[Terminator]

A woman was hospitalized Tuesday after she shot herself with a gun that she found while sitting in a Hendricks County sheriff's deputy's cruiser near Danville, police said.

Nicole Butler, 26, of Brownsburg had been sitting alone in Deputy Evan Love's car outside her boyfriend's house while Love investigated a complaint there, authorities said.

Butler, sitting in the passenger seat, found Love's backup gun under the driver's seat and shot herself in the abdomen shortly after 5:30 a.m., police said.

After the deputy found her wounded, Butler was taken to Indianapolis' Wishard Memorial Hospital, where she underwent surgery. Her condition was described as being stable Tuesday afternoon.

Love had been called to the home, located in the 2500 block of County Road 200 South, after one of Butler's relatives called 911 to say Butler was being held against her will by her boyfriend, according to police.

Love placed Butler in his vehicle so others could be questioned at the home, police said. Butler was not under arrest.

Police said they found no evidence that Butler was being held at the home against her will.

Butler's boyfriend, Ryan Randall, told police that Butler was on methadone and was not herself, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

Randall said Love was in Randall's house when they heard a gunshot outside. He said Love went to the car to see what happened.

"He came out here and he said, 'She shot herself,' " Randall said.

Officers involved in the incident had no indication that Butler had wanted to hurt herself before she was placed in the car, sheriff's Capt. Brett Clark said.

Clark said a firearms review board would consider altering policy that allows people to be placed in cars while others are interviewed.

"There could be changes, but it's certainly not the time right now to say that there will be," Clark said. "Those guys will look at this in-depth, and make sure no rules violations occurred."

Investigators said Butler has had 10 arrests on various minor offenses since 1999. Friends told 6News that Butler has a history of drug use and mental illness.

[CountyFourteen]

geez, sorry but I don't let anyone sit in the front seat.....sorry it happened to this deputy....

[10-42Adam]

That wasn't the smartest choice on the Deputy's part. Hopefully everything for him will work out...

[JLK]

crazy woman.
the only people that ever got into my front seat was my lt.'s mother and my son.

[OffDuty]

So she had time to rummage around in the car? bad idea unless behind a partition.. Better her than the deputy.