Suspect in Elwood police officer’s murder accused of stabbing Indiana prison guard

PERU, Ind. (WPTA) - The man accused of murdering an Elwood police officer in July 2022 allegedly committed another crime recently in the facility where he awaited trial.

21Alive’s NBC affiliate, WTHR, shares that Carl Boards II allegedly stabbed a state prison guard at the Miami Correctional Facility multiple times Friday morning.

CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL WTHR REPORT

According to the station’s source, the state prison guard is expected to be OK, and Boards has since been moved to the Westville Correctional Facility for higher security.

Boards is facing the death penalty for allegedly shooting Elwood Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz during a traffic stop on July 31, 2022.

Currently, Boards is set to begin his trial Jan. 26, 2026. His next court hearing is a pretrial conference on May 9.

Timeline of events in Noah Shanavaz’s death

According to Indiana State Police (ISP), Shahnavaz tried to stop a 2012 Buick LaCrosse near the intersection of State Road 37 and County Road 1100N in Madison County just after 2 a.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022.

Court documents say Shahnavaz radioed in the license plate number, with the last transmission from the officer being that the driver “had a gun.”

ISP says the suspect then got out of the car and fired multiple rounds at Shahnavaz for an unknown reason, hitting him several times.

The agency says the suspect then took off in the Buick.

Shahnavaz’s gun was found still in its holster, and investigators say they found 36 rifle bullet casings on the road that are believed to be from the suspect’s gun.

Authorities gave first aid to Shahnavaz until medics arrived and took him to a a hospital in Elwood. He was then transferred to a hospital in Indianapolis, where he died from his injuries.

Around 2:30 a.m. that same night, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department says it attempted to stop the Buick on State Road 37.

A tire deflation device was used on it near State Road 37 and 146th Street, but the car kept going and made it onto Interstate 69.

At that point, the departments says Fishers Police Department officers then twice used their vehicles to stop the Buick.

The second time, the Buick hit the median barrier and came to a stop. Officers were then able to arrest Boards.

During the arrest of the suspect, a 9mm handgun was located on him, and a black rifle with a high-capacity magazine was found in the driver’s seat of the car.

Authorities say a high-capacity magazine was also found at the barber shop where the Boards worked.

Boards is facing nearly a dozen charges for his alleged role in the incident:

• One count of murder
• Two counts of resisting law enforcement
• One count of obstruction of justice
• One count of possession of cocaine
• One count of possession of marijuana
• One count of operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance
• One count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon
• One count of firearm used in commission of offense
• One count of habitual offender

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