NBC 5 Investigates reporter Chuck Goudie says a manhunt is underway in Indiana after a sitting judge and his wife were shot at their front door in broad daylight.
Goudie reports the gunman didn’t kick in the door or charge the house. He allegedly used words as the weapon first.
According to Chuck Goudie, the suspect yelled through the door that he had found the couple’s dog, drawing them toward the entryway.
Then, Goudie says, the shooter opened fire through the door and an adjacent window and disappeared before police could get hands on him.
The Dog Ruse That Lured Them Close
Chuck Goudie identifies the victim as Judge Steve Meyer, ambushed at the front door of his home in Lafayette, Indiana.
Goudie says Judge Meyer’s wife, Kim, was beside him when the shooting happened.
The line that sticks in your mind is the one Goudie repeats because it explains the trap: “We have your dog.”
It’s such a simple phrase, and that’s what makes it so chilling. Most people don’t hear that and think “ambush.”
They think their pet got loose, or a neighbor is trying to help, or it’s just one of those normal moments that happen in a quiet neighborhood.
Goudie says the shooter fired through the door and also through a nearby window, meaning the victims didn’t even have to open up for this to turn violent.
That detail matters, because it suggests the attacker didn’t need a conversation. He needed proximity.
What Authorities Say About The Attack
Chuck Goudie reports this all happened just after 2:15 p.m., when it was still daytime and people were out living normal lives.
That’s another reason the case is rattling so many nerves. This wasn’t a late-night shadowy crime.
It was a door knock on a Sunday afternoon, in a duplex development near downtown Lafayette, as Goudie describes it.
Goudie notes early reports suggested the shooter might have been wearing some kind of disguise.
But he says detectives now believe the suspect was simply wearing a hoodie and gym shoes, which is both less dramatic and more scary, because it means he could blend in anywhere.
Goudie also points out a doorbell camera could have captured the encounter.
He describes a visible doorbell cam to the right of the door, and a covered-up window that may have been blasted during the attack.
If that camera has usable footage, it could become the most important witness in the case.
But Goudie stresses a frustrating point: despite the daylight shooting and the urgency, the gunman has not been publicly identified or caught.
The Injuries And The Immediate Fallout
Chuck Goudie says Judge Meyer and his wife, Kimberly, were wounded and also cut by flying glass.
Goudie reports the judge is facing a second surgery on one arm.
He reports Kimberly suffered damage to a hip, injuries that are serious enough to change a person’s life even if they survive.
There’s also the emotional injury that doesn’t show up on an X-ray.
When someone uses a trick like “we found your dog,” it doesn’t just harm the victims. It poisons trust for everyone else.
People who hear this story are going to hesitate the next time someone knocks with a “helpful” claim.
And that might be the whole point of intimidation in attacks like this: it makes a whole community flinch.
Courthouse Security Tightens As Questions Pile Up
Chuck Goudie says the shooting has raised immediate questions about motive and judicial security, because this wasn’t just any homeowner.
This was a sitting state judge, 12 years on the bench, targeted at home.
Goudie includes comments from Chief Deputy Terry Ruley of the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office, who said it has “definitely” shaken the community.
Ruley told Goudie it’s the kind of thing you don’t expect, don’t want to hear about, but “it unfortunately happens.”
Goudie then takes viewers to the Tippecanoe County courthouse, where judges and staff returned after the Monday holiday and found security stepped up.
He describes more presence and more firepower at the judicial center, alongside more unanswered questions.
Ruley explains to Goudie that extra measures were taken as a precaution, including pulling road deputies and requesting extra courthouse security for the rest of the week.
That’s not small. Courthouses don’t usually surge security unless officials believe there’s a real risk of copycats, retaliation, or continued threat.
And even if this turns out to be a single suspect with a personal motive, the fear spreads fast in a courthouse setting.
Why Judge Meyer Could Have Been A Target
Chuck Goudie doesn’t claim he knows the motive, but he lays out why investigators are looking hard at Judge Meyer’s history.
He reports that the FBI and local authorities are scrubbing the judge’s casework for anyone with a grudge and the willingness to settle it with violence.
Chief Deputy Terry Ruley told Goudie that seeing judges targeted – locally or across the country – is disturbing and taken seriously.
That line lands because it hints at something bigger than one case.
A judge isn’t like a neighbor you argue with over a fence line. Judges make decisions that change lives.
They sentence people, deny requests, grant protection orders, sign warrants, and handle cases where someone always feels wronged.
Even when a judge follows the law perfectly, somebody walks away angry.
And in today’s world, anger isn’t always just a bad review online. Sometimes it becomes a plan.
Goudie describes Judge Meyer as a known political and judicial figure in Indiana. He reports Meyer started as a Lafayette city council member, holding that post for 23 years.
Goudie says Meyer was elected to the bench as a Democrat in 2014, and spent the past 12 years handling hot-button criminal cases, including controversial sentences.
That doesn’t prove motive, but it does explain why investigators aren’t treating this like a random burglary gone bad.
This looks targeted in method, even if the “why” hasn’t been pinned down publicly.
Goudie also notes that Meyer recently announced he would not run again for judge. That detail is haunting, because it suggests he was already stepping away from the stress of public service, yet the danger still reached him at his own door.
The Bigger Problem: Threats Against Judges Aren’t Rare
Chuck Goudie references an internal survey of Indiana judges showing that more than half have been threatened.
That number matters because it reframes this case as part of a pattern, not just a freak event.
Most threats never turn into action, but when one does, it shifts the whole environment.
In a courthouse, people start looking over shoulders. In a judge’s home life, the idea of safety changes. The front porch stops being “home.” It becomes a potential vulnerability.
This is where the public often splits into two bad options.
Some people say, “Well, judges knew what they signed up for,” which is an easy thing to say until you picture a spouse taking a bullet because someone knocked and claimed they found the family dog.
Other people say, “Lock everything down, give judges more protection,” but then you run into questions of cost, fairness, and what that means for public access.
There’s no perfect answer, but Goudie’s reporting makes it clear the current system leaves gaps.
A judge can be protected at the courthouse and still be exposed at home.
A Case That Leaves Everyone Uneasy
Chuck Goudie’s story is disturbing because it’s not complicated.
There’s no elaborate plot described. No Hollywood-level disguise.
Just a knock, a lie, gunfire through a door, and a suspect who melts away.
That simplicity is why it hits so hard.
If the facts Goudie reported are accurate, the “dog ruse” worked because it targeted a normal human reflex: you hear someone say they found your dog, and you move.
You don’t think. You react. And that’s the terrifying part – because it suggests the attacker planned for the reaction.
Now you have a wounded judge, a wounded spouse, a courthouse on edge, and investigators combing through years of cases to find the person who decided a courtroom loss – or a long-running grievance – should be answered with a trigger pull.
Goudie makes it clear the biggest question still isn’t solved: who did it, and why?
Until those answers come, the story hangs in the air like an open door that nobody wants to walk through.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
