South Bend IN Cpl Nick Polizzotto

**OffDuty** · 04-24-07, 01:26 PM

I can't believe we lost another officer- a year and one day to the day that we lost Sev.

http://odmp.org/reflections.php?oid=18853

April 24. 2007 6:59AM
South Bend officer shot to death
Details still unclear; police describe tragedy as “surreal.”

Tribune Staff Report

SOUTH BEND - A police officer is dead and another is in stable condition after the two were shot early today on the city's southeast side.

Cpl. Nick Polizzotto died from his wounds, according to Police Chief Thomas Fautz. Patrolman Michael Norby was wounded and remains hospitalized Tuesday.

The officers were responding to a call of shots fired at 1:37 a.m. when they were injured near the Wooden Indian Motel, 1631 Lincoln Way E., Fautz said at a news conference this morning.

A lone gunman reportedly shot the officers and was also killed during the shootout, Fautz said.

Both officers were rushed to Memorial Hospital after the shooting, where Polizzotto later died. Norby was in stable condition and is recovering.

More than 50 emergency units responded to the scene. Members of the South Bend SWAT team had cleared all the rooms at the motel in a search for additional victims as of about 3:15 a.m., according to police.

“We cleared every single room in that complex,” SWAT member Lt. Scott Ruszkowski said shortly after the news conference, “and got everyone out of the rooms.”

As of about 10 a.m., a large part of Lincoln Way East in the area of the Wooden Indian is still closed to traffic.

News of Polizzotto’s death sent a heavy wave of grief through the police department, especially after the loss of another officer exactly one year ago.

Cpl. Scott L. Severns was shot last year during a robbery attempt on April 21, 2006. He died April 23.

“Surreal,” Ruszkowski said about hearing the news. “Here we are three hours after having a candlelight vigil for Sev, (and) here we are rehashing this all over again.”

Officers with solemn faces gathered at a news conference about 7 a.m., many who were up all night or had very few hours of sleep.

Most details about the shooting were still unclear late Tuesday morning.

A press release from the St. Joseph County prosecutor’s office indicated more detail about the shooting will be released sometime this afternoon.

Polizzotto was a nine-year veteran with department.

Norby has been with the department for almost two years. The Buchanan resident was sworn in in 2005.

Watch southbendtribune.com for more updates.