Fort Wayne Police have identified the officer involved in the fatal police-action shooting Wednesday morning.
Officer Christopher Hawthorn, a four-year veteran of the police department and a member of the gang unit, fired his weapon, killing 26-year-old Shaquille I. Kelly of Fort Wayne.
Hawthorn received both a letter of commendation and a meritorious service citation in 2016. He has had three disciplinary involvements in his career concerning accidents in his police vehicle.
Kelly's involvement with the criminal justice system consisted largely of misdemeanors and minor felonies.
Early Wednesday morning, police responded to sounds of gunfire on Fort Wayne's southeast side. When they attempted to pull over a vehicle in the area, the car sped off. After a chase, the vehicle crashed into a vacant house.
Kelly was shot, pronounced dead at the scene of a gunshot wound to the chest.
The Allen County Coroner ruled Kelly's death a homicide, the county's 8th for 2019. The shooting remains under investigation by the Indiana State Police and the Allen County Prosecutor's Office.
