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A Tippecanoe County Superior Court judge and his wife were shot at their home in Lafayette Sunday afternoon and were said to be in stable condition on Monday.
The Lafayette Police Department was called to the home of Superior Court 2 Judge Steven Meyer just before 2:30 p.m. Sunday for reports of a shot fired.
Police said they found Judge Meyer suffering from a wound to the arm and his wife Kim with injuries to her hip. No arrests had been reported in the case as of early Monday afternoon.
The couple remain in stable condition, and the investigation is ongoing, police said in a press release issued Monday afternoon.
“I want to ensure the community that every available resource is being used to apprehend the individual(s) responsible for this senseless unacceptable act of violence,” Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said in a written statement.
As Superior Court 2 judge, Meyer handles major criminal cases, dissolution of marriage, and family law matters, as well as plenary civil and tort cases.
Tippecanoe Circuit Judge Sean Persin said in a written statement that the thoughts and prayers of the county’s judges are with Meyer and his wife.
“Judge Meyer remains in a hospital in stable condition,” Persin wrote.” We have already been in touch with the Indiana Supreme Court and Chief Justice Loretta Rush and senior judges regarding coverage for Tippecanoe Superior Court No. 2. There has been an overwhelming outpouring of support from judges throughout the state offering to assist in any way.”
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush sent out a letter to judges across the state Sunday night regarding the shooting.
“Tippecanoe Superior Court 2 Judge Steve Meyer is a fellow judge and a longtime friend. I am deeply grateful he and his wife Kim are alive after having been shot in their home. Their health and well-being are of utmost concern to me,” she wrote. “As of the sending of this message, the shooter is purportedly still at large. Please be in contact with your local sheriff.”
“I worry about the safety of all our judges,” she added. “As you work to peacefully resolve more than 1 million cases a year, you must not only feel safe, you must also be safe. Any violence against a judge or a judge’s family is completely unacceptable. As public servants, you are dedicated to the rule of law. I know you join me in praying for Steve and Kim and their speedy recovery. Meantime, please remain vigilant in your own security.”
Rush has been a strong advocate for increasing judges’ safety across the state. Last year, her efforts to increase funding for court security amid a rising number of threats toward judges did not make it into the state’s final budget.
“Court security and threats to the judiciary in my time as a judge are at all-time high,” she told media last October when discussing the court’s annual report for fiscal year 2024-25. “I want our judges to feel safe so they do the best job they can.”
Rush said she was seeking matching grants to help provide counties with more security measures in courtrooms, including additional metal detectors and more security guards for judges.
She said the court took a survey of judges and how safe they felt performing their duties, and about two-thirds of the surveyed judges reported receiving a threat. Some also reported that their children have received threats, she said.
“I think temperatures are up in the courtroom,” she said in October. “We deal with people at their most vulnerable moments, whether it’s violence, child termination cases, paternity cases, custody cases. We are the government emergency rooms of some of society’s toughest issues right now.”
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