Six local fire departments will get a collective $800,000 worth of new equipment, thanks to a federal grant. They were awarded a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant for the purchase of 125 new air packs, plus a spare bottle for each, according to Walkerton Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Hamilton.
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A Fulton County man is in serious condition at a Fort Wayne hospital after being shot during a standoff with police. Nicholas S. Westerhoff, 46, was airlifted to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne after the incident in the town of Fulton. It started around 8:15 last night with a report of a domestic situation with shots fired at a Brown Street home. Officers found Westerhoff holed up in the residence refusing to come out. The Indiana State Police North Emergency Response Team was called in to secure the area. Several attempts to negotiate with with Westerhoff were unsuccessful. He came to the door of the home around 11:40 p.m. and started firing his weapon, according to police. Officers returned fire, and Westerhoff was injured during the exchange. It’s unclear if his injury was self-inflicted or if he was shot by officers returning fire. No police officers were injured. The incident remains under investigation. Officers from the Indiana State Police, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Rochester, Kewanna and Fulton Police Departments responded to the incident, along with the Liberty Township Fire Department and Fulton County EMS.
