On Monday, shortly after midnight, Fort Wayne police responded to reports of gunfire on the 2300 block of Cortland Avenue. Witnesses reported seeing a male victim shot and placed into a vehicle that left the scene. Despite alerts to local hospitals, the victim’s location was initially unknown,as per a City of Fort Wayne release.
Police arrived within a minute of the first calls and found blood evidence and shell casings but no victim. The Homicide Unit was called in after detectives concluded that the suspect may have removed the victim to conceal the crime, based on the amount of blood found.
About eight hours later, investigators located the suspect’s vehicle at a local business lot. An attempted felony stop led to a multi-agency, 17-minute pursuit that ended on Madden Road. Officers found the suspect inside with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and a semi-automatic weapon. The body of the victim was discovered in the backseat.
The suspect received medical attention at the scene. The Allen County Coroner’s Office later confirmed the victim’s death as a homicide and will release the identity and cause of death in a formal statement. The Fort Wayne Police Department’s Homicide Unit continues to investigate.
