A Gary Police officer shot a man Friday afternoon while he was conducting a traffic stop in which the man wasn’t involved.

Lake County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Pam Jones said in a release Friday evening that the sheriff’s department is investigating the shooting in which officers stopped a driver near the intersection of 21st Avenue and Malcolm X Drive when another driver of a white SUV not involved in the traffic stop got out of the vehicle and approached the officers holding two knives.

One of the officers discharged his weapon, wounding the man.

The man was taken to an area hospital. His condition is unknown, Jones said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Detective Bureau and Drone Unit are investigating, Jones said.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.