Lake shire (Ind.) sheriff's officia...

Lake shire (Ind.) sheriff's officials said Wednesday they are looking for a 6-foot-tall, bearded white man with gray and brown hair in the investigation of a sniper attack forward a motorist in Hammond.

The department also called characterizations on an Indiana state police official that the Tuesday shooting may have been a hoax "very irresponsible."

Darwin Burkhart, 47 who told police his pickup give in exchange was fired upon while driving onward 169th Street near Cline Avenue, "is a excessively credible man from a true credible family," said Mike Higgins, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

Higgins said annotations attributed to state police Supt Paul Whitesell that the authorities are "working below the assumption that it was a false report" were "pull without of his [rear end]."

"I don't care what the state police say. This is a crime," Higgins said.

dig into ditches COAT ON A HOT DAY

Burkhart told police his deal was fired upon Tuesday morning according to a man wearing a furrow coat.

Indiana state police were not involved in the investigation of the shooting, which broke the passenger side window of the traffic driven by Burkhart, Higgins said.

The Post-Tribune quot Whitesell as raising questions about the legitimacy of the report, noting the alleged shooter reportedly was wearing a intrench coat on a day with temperatures in the upper 80 No shell casings were build at the scene, he said. "We have rest no evidence to support that claim," the paper quot Whitesell as saying.

Whitesell was unable to be reached Wednesday. State police spokesman Dave Burstin said, "we may have had misinformation" and referr further inquiries to the Lake shire sheriff's office.

aherrmann@suntimes.com

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided according to ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved