DadOfThree
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Or, Never take an axe to a gun fight 
CEDAR LAKE, Ind. -- An off-duty police officer dressed as an ax-wielding man in what he intended to be a Halloween prank was shot and wounded by a man who believed he posed a threat, investigators said.
The shooter fired at Rick Conoway as the St. John police officer emerged from a wooded area and approached a Halloween night bonfire party outside a home, Lake County sheriff's spokesman Michael Higgins said.
Conoway was taken to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition with two gunshot wounds to the face.
Sheriff's authorities, who were still investigating the shooting Sunday, gave this account:
Daniel Frederick, of Cedar Lake, arrived at the party and was told by people there that police were looking for a man in a gray sweatshirt who was wearing a white mask and carrying an ax. They also said he had been seen running after children in the neighborhood.
Frederick returned to his nearby home, picked up a .32-caliber handgun and brought it to the party.
Partygoers heard dogs barking and saw a man in the woods, who was actually Conoway playing a joke at the party.
Frederick yelled at the man that he had a gun, and then fired two rounds into the ground as Conoway approached.
When Conoway continued approaching and got to within 10 feet, Frederick shot him twice in the face, investigators said.
He'll have fun explaining those scars for the rest of his life.
CEDAR LAKE, Ind. -- An off-duty police officer dressed as an ax-wielding man in what he intended to be a Halloween prank was shot and wounded by a man who believed he posed a threat, investigators said.
The shooter fired at Rick Conoway as the St. John police officer emerged from a wooded area and approached a Halloween night bonfire party outside a home, Lake County sheriff's spokesman Michael Higgins said.
Conoway was taken to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition with two gunshot wounds to the face.
Sheriff's authorities, who were still investigating the shooting Sunday, gave this account:
Daniel Frederick, of Cedar Lake, arrived at the party and was told by people there that police were looking for a man in a gray sweatshirt who was wearing a white mask and carrying an ax. They also said he had been seen running after children in the neighborhood.
Frederick returned to his nearby home, picked up a .32-caliber handgun and brought it to the party.
Partygoers heard dogs barking and saw a man in the woods, who was actually Conoway playing a joke at the party.
Frederick yelled at the man that he had a gun, and then fired two rounds into the ground as Conoway approached.
When Conoway continued approaching and got to within 10 feet, Frederick shot him twice in the face, investigators said.
He'll have fun explaining those scars for the rest of his life.
