Draft:Mike Inik
Mass shooteing
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Submission declined on 5 December 2025 by Fermiboson (talk).
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This draft has been resubmitted and is currently awaiting re-review. |  |
| Submission declined on 1 October 2025 by Qcne (talk). This draft is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that all content be supported by reliable sources.
Declined by Qcne 5 months ago.
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| Submission declined on 11 July 2025 by Fade258 (talk). This draft's references do not show that the person meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for people. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that:
Declined by Fade258 8 months ago.
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| Submission declined on 16 June 2025 by Rambley (talk). This draft's references do not show that the person meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for people. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that:
Declined by Rambley 8 months ago.
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| Submission declined on 16 May 2025 by Timtrent (talk). This draft's references do not show that the person meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for people. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that:
Declined by Timtrent 9 months ago.
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Comment: The vast majority of claims remain unsourced. Fermiboson (talk) 19:42, 5 December 2025 (UTC)
- Comment: Have you read WP:VERIFY? We will keep declining without sources. qcne (talk) 19:41, 1 October 2025 (UTC)
- Comment: Unreferenced. It requires reliable and independent references to the subject for the verification of content. Fade258 (talk) 08:41, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
| 1916 Lake County Superior Court mass shooting | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Lake County Superior Court Hammond, Indiana |
| Date | December 4th 1916 |
Attack type | mass shooting |
| Weapons | revolvers,butcher knife(Unused),saber(Unused),club(Unused),axe(Unused) |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 3 |
| Perpetrator | Mike Lnik |
| Motive | Monomania and Hallucinations |
| Verdict | Guilty |
1916 Lake County Superior Court mass shooting
On December 4, 1916, Mike Inik carried out a dramatic and violent attack inside the Lake County Superior Court in Hammond, Indiana. After years of obsessively petitioning the courts and alleging a vast conspiracy between Standard Oil and the American legal system, Inik believed he had exhausted all legal means to seek justice. His grievances centered on a workplace injury he sustained in 1902 while employed by Standard Oil, for which he claimed he was inadequately compensated. Convinced that both corporate and judicial powers were aligned against him, he began preparing for a violent act of retribution.[1]
On the day of the attack, Inik arrived at the courthouse wearing a homemade suit of armor fashioned from kitchen pans, metal scraps, stove parts, and other improvised materials. The outfit was designed to protect his chest and body, resembling primitive body armor. He carried at least two revolvers and additional weapons concealed beneath his bulky attire.[2]
As court proceedings began, Inik opened fire without warning. His intended target was believed to be Judge Charles Greenwald, who had presided over one or more of his previous cases. During the attack, Judge Greenwald was shot in the wrist, a bailiff received a gunshot wound to the leg, and a juror was also injured. Despite the chaos, none of the victims sustained life-threatening injuries.[3]
Court officers and bystanders quickly overpowered Inik before he could inflict more harm. He was arrested on the spot and taken into custody. The event shocked the local community and made national headlines, with newspapers dubbing him "The Human Tank" due to his armor-like appearance. The surreal nature of the attack—featuring a man clad in improvised metal plating storming a courtroom—captured the public imagination and was widely reported in both regional and national media.[4]
Inik’s attack was later recounted in the October 1917 edition of The Wide World Magazine, in an article titled "The Human 'Tank'," which dramatized the events and contributed to his lasting infamy.[5]
Mike Inik (1867–1945)
was a laborer and immigrant from the Balkans who lived in Whiting, Indiana, in the early 20th century. He is known for a legal dispute with the Standard Oil Company following a workplace injury and for a violent incident at the Lake County Superior Court in 1916.[6]
[7]Early life and employment
Details of Inik’s early life are limited. He emigrated from a Balkan country and settled in Whiting, Indiana, around 1889. On May 13, 1902, he was injured while working at the Standard Oil refinery. Reports differ on the cause of the injury, citing either a falling pipe or a scaffold collapse. Inik filed a lawsuit against the company and was awarded $1,500 in compensation by a court in Chicago. Unsatisfied with the judgment, he declined to accept the payment, asserting that he was entitled to $150,000.[8]
Legal activity and mental health concerns
After the court decision, Inik continued to pursue legal action related to his injury. He frequently visited factories and court offices, seeking further compensation. In 1910, he was arrested in Washington, D.C., after attempting to approach President William Howard Taft and Vice President James S. Sherman in connection with his case. In 1911, a local judge declared Inik to be of unsound mind, and a legal guardian was appointed.[9]
Institutionalization and death
Following the courthouse shooting, Inik was found criminally insane and committed to the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, which at the time housed individuals deemed mentally unfit. He remained institutionalized until his death on August 2, 1945.[10]
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