Search fatalities

Kyle Wade Plunkett

Age : 35

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/17/2021

Location : Tippecanoe County Road 800 East near County Road 500 South

City : Lafayette

County : Tippecanoe

State : Indiana

Agency : Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/17/2021, 35-year-old Kyle Wade Plunkett died after a Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office deputy pursued his motorcycle on rural roads southeast of Lafayette. Plunkett is the correct identity of the motorcyclist killed in this pursuit.
A Tippecanoe County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop Plunkett while he was riding his motorcycle. Police described the initiating reason as a traffic violation. Plunkett continued driving away, and the deputy began pursuing him.
The pursuit continued at high speed through rural Tippecanoe County. Plunkett traveled along County Road 800 East as the sheriff’s deputy pursued him. Near County Road 500 South, Plunkett lost control of the motorcycle, left the roadway and crashed.
Emergency personnel responded to the crash, but Plunkett sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. There was no reported collision between the pursuing sheriff’s vehicle and Plunkett’s motorcycle, and the available reporting does not indicate that police used a PIT maneuver, stop sticks or another physical intervention against the motorcycle before the crash.
The death occurred during an active police pursuit initiated over a traffic violation. The available contemporary reports do not provide the specific alleged traffic violation that prompted the deputy to attempt the stop, the pursuit speed, its exact duration or distance, or whether a supervisor authorized or monitored the continuation of the pursuit.
The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crash, with the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office handling the death investigation. Searches for subsequent crash-reconstruction findings, dash-camera or body-camera footage, an internal pursuit review, litigation, settlement or disciplinary proceeding did not locate substantial later public documentation expanding upon the original account.
Plunkett was born on 09/13/1985 in Lafayette. He graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in Mt. Vernon, Indiana, and worked as a welder and fabricator. He had previously worked for TMI in Mt. Vernon and was working in Lafayette for Cornego Custom Welding when he died. Plunkett was the father of a son, Dalton. He was an avid motorcyclist and also enjoyed video games. His family described him as quiet and reserved but someone who readily helped others.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office deputy who initiated and continued the pursuit has not been reliably identified in the publicly available reporting located for this update.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.jconline.com/story/news/2021/08/18/tippecanoe-county-man-dies-motorcycle-crash-during-police-pursuit/8174974002/
https://www.wlfi.com/news/local-news/deputy-pursues-motorcyclist-in-tippecanoe-county-crash-fatality/
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/man-killed-in-police-chase-crash-tippecanoe-county/531-c3b6eb98-54e2-4956-8f21-81645073c615
https://www.sandersfuneralcare.com/obituaries/kyle-plunkett