Indiana Judge and Wife Shot: Escalating Violence Against Judiciary

An Indiana judge and his wife were shot at their home on Sunday, prompting concerns for the safety of the state’s judiciary after recent increases in threats and violence against public officials nationally. The police in Lafayette, Ind., said on Monday that they were investigating the shootings of the judge, Steven P. Meyer of Tippecanoe County Superior Court, and his wife, Kimberly Meyer. Both were in stable condition. Judge Meyer, 66, recently announced plans to retire at the end of the year. In 12 years on the bench, he has presided over a number of high-profile cases. The shootings prompted a statement from Loretta H. Rush, the chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, urging judges to remain vigilant. “I worry about the safety of all our judges,” Chief Justice Rush wrote. “As you work to peacefully resolve more than one million cases a year, you must not only feel safe, you must also be safe.” Public servants have become increasingly worried about their personal safety. Last year alone, the Pennsylvania governor’s residence was set on fire while Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and his family were asleep inside; the Republican Party’s headquarters in New Mexico were firebombed; and a Democratic state representative in Minnesota, Melissa Hortman, and her husband were assassinated in their home. The Lafayette Police Department released few details about the shootings of the Meyers. The police said that they were called to the couple’s home at about 2 p.m. on Sunday. They found that Judge Meyer had been shot in the arm, and that Ms. Meyer had sustained an injury to her hip, the police said. According to a police dispatch from Sunday, a caller had notified the police that a man had come to the couple’s door, claimed he had found their dog, and then shot through the door before fleeing. The police recovered shell casings at the scene, in a residential neighborhood about 10 minutes from Purdue University’s campus. Several cases overseen by Judge Meyer, who has run for office as a Democrat and previously served on the Lafayette City Council, had been the subject of news reports in the state. In July, for example, he sentenced a father to 24 years in prison for leaving a gun unattended in his apartment; his 5-year-old son had found the gun and fatally shot his 1-year-old brother. In a statement on Monday, Ms. Meyer thanked the Police Department, medical personnel and the community for their support.