Kosciusko County police are investigating the death of a Warsaw man who was hit by a Jeep after his moped crashed west of Pierceton. The county crash investigation team said Brandon D.FORT WAYNE – In the middle of Saturday afternoon, the sound of a gunshot rang out on Herman Street on the city’s near-northwest side.
A neighbor who heard the sound looked out and saw a man running east, away from a gray sedan that was parked on the street, Fort Wayne police said.
At 1:34 p.m., police were sent to the 900 block of Herman Street, near Sherman Boulevard, and they found the sedan idling. Sitting in the driver’s seat was a man who was bleeding and appeared to have been shot, police said.
Medics declared him dead at the scene, police said. His identity was not released.
Officer Christopher Adams, a police spokesman, said investigators believe the man seen running from the sedan was the shooter, but they cannot say so with certainty because they do not have an eyewitness to the shooting.
Police did not release a description of the man who fled the scene. No one reported seeing him carrying a gun, and no weapons were recovered, Adams said.
The driver’s side window of the sedan was broken. The car, which belonged to the victim, had not been parked on the street for long, police said.
Detectives canvassed the neighborhood, questioning residents. Deputy Chief Paul Shrawder said police had not found anyone in the area who knew the victim.
Several neighbors told The Journal Gazette that they believe the shooting is linked to a suspected drug house a block or so from the investigation scene.
“Personally, I think they’re selling drugs,” said Brian Bork, 36. “You can tell there’s too much traffic there.”
Police could not confirm the neighbors’ suspicions. Investigators have no suspects in the case and do not know of a motive, Adams said.
Adams, who has patrolled the neighborhood for five years, said that, in his experience, calls to Herman Street, which is a two-block-long residential street, are rare.
