A Valparaiso woman injured in a Friday afternoon shooting died after being transported to the emergency room and as part of the investigation, a Merrillville man was taken in for questioning and incarcerated on unrelated charges, police said.
Jessica Kouba, 29, died at 5:23 p.m. on March 8 in the emergency room at Northwest Health-Porter, according to a release from the Porter County Coroner’s Office. The cause of death was blood loss and the manner of death was ruled as a homicide.
Valparaiso Police continue to investigate a report of multiple gunshots around 3:50 p.m. that day in the 350 block of Locust Street, according to a release from police.
A second subject located on the scene at the time of the shooting has been identified as Anthony Lee, 25, of Merrillville. Lee was taken into custody and transported to the Valparaiso Police Department as part of the investigation.
He has since been incarcerated at Porter County Jail on a Porter County warrant for unrelated charges of possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor; that charge was filed on Jan. 30, according to online court records.
The investigation remains open and ongoing, police said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Valparaiso Police Department at 219-462-2135. Information can also be texted to TIP411 (847- 411), with “Valpo” in the message field before sending the message. Use the word “Locust” in the first line of the tip to identify which case is being referenced.
