A Fort Wayne woman was shot, killed and abandoned by railroad tracks near McCulloch Park early Friday, leading to the arrest of a man police say was fleeing the scene.
Tiffany L. Mendez, 29, was found shortly after 5 a.m. by Fort Wayne police officers near Lindley and Parkview avenues after someone who heard gunshots in the area called 911.
The caller also told dispatchers that a car sped away from a parking lot near the tracks only to stop at the gate to the General Electric building, according to police. A man then got out of the car and ran west.
Shortly after arriving at the scene, police detained a 19-year-old man who matched the description given by the caller. After taking the man into custody, they found Mendez’s body as well as a gun, but it’s unclear whether it was used in the shooting, police said.
After questioning the man, police arrested him in connection with the killing.
That man, Patrick Rashad Fluker, is being held in the Allen County Jail without bail on charges of murder and possession of stolen auto parts. The car he was driving, a 2000 Cadillac Seville, was reported stolen in New Haven on Aug. 21. The car does not belong to Mendez, police said.
Police have not released a motive in the killing.
Another Fort Wayne woman, however, filed a protective order against Fluker three months ago alleging that he shattered the windshield of her car because of an argument and once held her against her will. That order required Fluker to stay away from the woman at her work and her school.
Last month, a judge terminated the protective order at the woman’s request, according to Allen Superior Court records.
Late Friday afternoon, a crime-scene technician was still taking photos and bagging evidence at the area.
