Restoration crews working to restore power in Gary, Indiana were forced to briefly halt operations after being shot at overnight, following storms that left thousands of residents without electricity for roughly two weeks. Two NIPSCO utility workers were surveying Rutledge Street just after midnight on 15 August when gunfire struck their vehicle twice; neither employee was injured, though one bullet lodged in a headrest. Mayor Eddie Melton condemned the shooting as "unacceptable" and pledged it would not derail efforts to restore power to residents who had already endured days in the dark.

Work was paused while the city and NIPSCO agreed a safety plan, with Indiana State Police deploying extra troopers alongside local officers to protect crews before restoration resumed on Saturday evening. A union representative said workers were labouring around the clock to reconnect roughly 300,000 customers across three counties. By Monday afternoon, NIPSCO reported around 3,878 customers still without power following storms that had killed at least seven people, and the company said it was reviewing security measures while working with law enforcement to identify the gunman, who remains unidentified.