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Merrillville Cop Dies After Shooting

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (CBS) -- A young Merrillville police officer has died after being shot in the head Friday night.

A spokesman for the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force confirms 24-year-old Merrillville officer Nickolaus Schultz was pronounced dead at 9:47 a.m. Sunday at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.

According to police, officers were called to a condo at 8219 Lincoln Circle in the Tempe Lake condominiums 10:40 p.m. Friday night after it was discovered that a 33-year-old man had moved back in after he was evicted in July.

The suspect was wearing body armor according to police and he shot officer Schultz in the head. The suspect may have pulled the wounded officer into the unit.

Other officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect and the SWAT team was called in, apparently to get to officer Schultz. That is when the suspect was found dead. It is not clear whether he took his own life or was shot by a police officer.

Police say officer Schultz has been on the job for just a year and was taken to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn in critical condition, where he died on Sunday.

The bomb squad had to be called in because the suspect had some sort of explosives inside. Some residents were evacuated while they cleared the scene.

The suspect has been identified as 33-year-old Michael Hernciar. Neighbors told CBS 2's Derrick Blakley they believe he broke under pressure.

"He lost his job not too long ago. I think it's just a spiraling effect. Lost his job, lost his home," said Debra Pierce.

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