Witnesses react to Waterloo shootings

WATERLOO, Ind. (WANE)--News of early morning shootings shocked the small community of Waterloo. For the folks that were awake, it was pretty tense for a couple hours. Several people around town heard police shoot the two suspects.

Police officers shot and killed one suspect and another was in critical condition after the two shot a Waterloo police officer in the face around 3:00 a.m. Thursday. Ralph Daniel Hardiek, 41, of Auburn was identified as the suspect who was shot and killed.

The officer, who was identified by Indiana State Police as Deputy Marshal Stephen Brady, 47, of Pleasant Lake is in serious condition at a Fort Wayne hospital.

Sara Messman and Amanda Barnwell were delivering papers early Thursday morning. The two went to see what was going on at the crime scene right as police found the suspects under a deck.

“I heard a couple officers yell at somebody. I guess it was the guy underneath,” Messman said. “They just said, ‘Get down. Get down.’ I heard a pop and following that there was lots of gunfire.”

Tammy Beechler lives near the crime scene. She said it was tense for a while during the manhunt for the suspects. People in town were told to stay inside.

“Immediately I went back home, got my daughter, and brought her back here to work,” Beechler said. “You didn't know really what was going to go on and you didn't know if you were going to be safe in the parking lot so we ran in the door just to make sure we could go get somewhere safe.”

Jeff Davis was driving just north of Waterloo around the same time Officer Stephen Brady was shot. Davis swears he saw the two suspects on the side of the road.

“As we were coming through the curve, they were on the left side of the road and they made an effort to do a 180 degree and check us out,” Davis said. “Put two and two together, it's almost got to be those people.”

Being a small community, about every witness knows Deputy Marshal Brady. Above all else, they hope he's ok after being shot Thursday morning.