On the night of June 8, 2023, a shooting in the 6400 block of Mississippi Street in Merrillville, Indiana, left 34-year-old Ashley Lanee Bitikofer dead. Officers arrived about 11:15 p.m. after reports of gunfire and found Bitikofer suffering multiple gunshot wounds; emergency personnel pronounced her deceased at the scene. A second victim, Michael Lehman, was also shot multiple times and flown by helicopter to a Chicago hospital in critical condition.

Investigators quickly collected evidence and interviewed witnesses. Detectives identified a suspect, Dejuan Boyd Mcintyre, whom they said had previously been in a tumultuous relationship with Bitikofer that ended several months earlier. A search warrant for Mcintyre and his Gary residence was served on June 9, 2023, and he surrendered peacefully. The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges including murder for Bitikofer and attempted murder for Lehman. Bitikofer lived in Portage and is survived by two sons, her mother, and other family members.

If anyone knew Ashley or has information about the events that night, please share what you know.