Officer Nickolaus Schultz on life support after Merrillville shooting

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WLS) -- A northwest Indiana police officer is on life support Saturday night after being shot in the head.

Merrillville police officer Nickolaus Schultz, who has only been on the force for one year, is being treated at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Doctors say Schultz is what is considered grave condition and remains on life support and ABC7 is told his condition has not improved.

Family, friends and fellow officers have come to Christ Hospital all day checking on the condition of Officer Schultz. The 24-year-old rookie officer has been fighting for his life since being rushed to the hospital overnight after being shot in while responding to a call in Merrillville.

"Everyone is taking it very hard, obviously. This is not a situation that any officer ever wants to be involved in," said Joe Hamer, Fraternal Order of Police.

"We come together as a whole, as a police department and try to get through a tragedy such as this, makes it difficult," said Commander Jeff Rice, Merrillville Police.

Schultz was one of several officers called to an apartment complex in Merrillville Friday night after reports that a resident who had been evicted had returned. The officers were conducting a search knocking down several doors when gunfire erupted and Officer Schultz was apparently hit in the head.

"This subject had been evicted from this location and he was here and one of the tenants of this facility contacted the Merrillville Police Department," said Dan Foley, Indiana Major Crimes Task Force.

The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Michael Hrnciar, then killed himself, according to the Lake County Coroner. He was apparently prepared for a violent showdown, as he was wearing a bulletproof Kevlar vest.

"We believe this was an ambush attack. Our officer suffered critical injury and the suspect is not with us anymore," said Commander Robert Wiley, Merrillville Police.

Officer Schultz celebrated his 24th birthday just a week ago. The Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force is handling this investigation, and they want to talk to the suspects relatives to try and determine what made have prompted the incident.