For Immediate Release Contact: Sgt. Scott Galloway
January 17th, 2017 sdgalloway@lafayette.in.gov
(765) 807-1260
Homicide Investigation – Update
Recap: Lafayette Police responded to the 1600 block of Center Street around 6:00 am on January 16th for a reported shooting. Officers arrived and located 52-year-old John Lawrence Byler, inside an apartment, who had sustained a gunshot injury. Emergency medical personnel transported Byler to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Case facts and evidence collected thus far in the investigation have led detectives to investigate the death as a homicide.
Additional: The investigation has revealed this was a non-random act and detectives are continuing to investigate the case and develop leads. There is no evidence to indicate there is a continued threat to the public. There is an autopsy scheduled today and any findings from the autopsy may be released by the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s office. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Lafayette Police Department at 765-807-1200 or the anonymous We-Tip Hotline at (800) 78-CRIME.
Sgt. Scott Galloway / Crime Prevention and Community Outreach
The fact a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.