Lenora Beach, 59, of Merrillville, has been charged after officers responded at approximately 7:54 p.m. on January 30, 2026, to a home in the 5400 block of Maryland Street. Police were dispatched for a domestic disturbance after receiving reports that two people had been shot.
According to the probable cause affidavit, officers arrived to find a woman outside the residence screaming that her children were inside the home and had been shot. The front door was open, and officers saw a male and a female lying on the floor just inside the entryway. They also saw Beach standing behind them, holding a cellphone in one hand and a black revolver in the other. Officers ordered her to drop the weapon, and she complied before being taken into custody without incident.
Officers entered the home and found the female victim lying on the floor, clutching her abdomen just below her ribcage, where officers believed she had suffered a gunshot wound. She pleaded with officers not to let her die and called out for her mother as her breathing slowed before medics arrived and began treatment.
The male victim complained of pain in his leg. When officers asked what had happened, he told them, “She tried to attack my mom, and she shot me.”
While searching the residence, officers recovered the revolver, identified as a Smith & Wesson 442, from the dining area. They also found a loaded 9mm Mossberg semi-automatic pistol in a dresser drawer believed to belong to Beach, as well as a 12-gauge Remington shotgun in a bedroom closet.
Beach was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital after reporting chest pain and a minor injury to her pinky finger, which she said occurred when she was bitten. She was later released and interviewed by detectives.
According to the affidavit, Beach told detectives she had been arguing throughout the day with a family member who had been ordered to move out of the home. She admitted to blocking the front doorway and refusing to allow the person to use it, insisting they exit through a side entrance. Beach claimed a fight broke out near the doorway and said multiple people attacked her, choking her, striking her head, and biting her. She told detectives she pulled a .38 caliber revolver from her pocket and fired two shots without aiming because she could not see.
Detectives stated in the affidavit that Beach showed no visible injuries to her head or neck that supported her claims and had only minor cuts on her finger. They further noted that they did not find her claims of self-defense to be credible.
Police later learned that one victim suffered gunshot wounds to the kidney and liver and was placed on a ventilator in critical condition. The other victim had a projectile lodged in his pelvic girdle, which doctors said would remain permanently.
Beach was transported to the Lake County Jail.
Charges filed January 31, 2026:
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Attempted Murder – Level 1 Felony
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Aggravated Battery – Level 3 Felony (2 counts)