Veteran state trooper fatally shoots man Friday

An Indiana State trooper shot a man, fatally wounding him, Friday night in Spencer after he threatened the officer with a knife, police said.\nAt about 8:30 p.m. Friday, Indiana State Police Trooper Ryan T. White attempted to stop a maroon 2005 Ford F150 pickup for a traffic violation on State Road 46, but the driver refused to stop, an Indiana State Police news release said. \nThe driver, Gregory R. Bird, 28, of Spencer, continued driving for about three miles before stopping, the report said.\nBird exited the vehicle with a knife and began walking toward White. The officer ordered Bird to drop the knife several times, but he continued to advance with the knife in his hand, the report said.\nWhite fired a single shot from his sidearm, which struck Bird in the chest, the report said. \nOwen County paramedics treated Bird at the scene, but he was pronounced dead at Bloomington Hospital shortly after the shooting, the report said.\nWhite is a four-year veteran of the police department, currently assigned to the General Headquarters Field Enforcement Division as a motorcycle patrolman, the report said. He was driving a fully-marked patrol car at the time.\nThe town of Spencer is located 17 miles northwest of Bloomington, in neighboring Owen County.