Watch CBS News

Griffith Crews Responding To Fire Find Man With Fatal Gunshot Wound In Garage, 4 Dogs Dead In Home

CHICAGO (CBS)-- Griffith emergency crews responding to a house fire found a man with a fatal gunshot wound in a detached garage next to the home.

As officials responded to the fire in the 200 block of North Jay Street around 2 p.m. Wednesday, police on the scene were warned of a male resident wanted on a warrant who was thought to be armed.

The man, Brian Taylor, was pulled from the garage, but he later died at the hospital.  After the fire was extinguished, crews found four dogs deceased inside the home.

After hearing a possible vehicle in a detached garage near the house, officers entered the garage and found an SUV running inside.

Officers located Taylor in the vehicle with what appeared to be a "self inflicted gunshot wound to his head with a handgun in his grasp," according to a news release rom Griffith police.

On Dec. 13 Taylor's wife, had filed a police report  with the Griffith Police Department stating that Taylor was currently housed at Kimbrough Corrections Center in Crown Point.

Police said the woman was allowed to take Taylor to a dentist appointment. While outside of police custody, he left with their vehicle and a handgun.

"Taylor had said to his mother in the past that he would not go back to jail and would kill himself or make the police shoot him," according to the release. "Griffith Police checked area locations of where he could possibly frequent and put out a message to area police departments to be on the lookout for Taylor who was now believed to be armed."

The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Griffith Police Department at 219-924-7503.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.