A 22-hour stretch Saturday morning to Sunday morning saw one person gunned down, another stabbed to death and another critically injured from gunfire.
The city's 12th homicide of the year occurred sometime before 7 a.m. Saturday, when police were called to a vacant lot at 5028 Buell Drive on the city's south side after a neighbor's dog found 23-year-old Robert E. Spencer's body with a single gunshot wound to the head. The body was found near the rear of the property, according to a release generated by Fort Wayne Police spokesperson Michael Joyner.
Spencer was found with a long gun near him and dressed in all black, with gloves on and a black bandana tied and covering the lower half of his face, Joyner said, prompting police at the scene to tab his death as either an odd suicide or an armed robbery gone bad.
Spencer was also found with a 40-caliber handgun on him, as well.
Spencer served six months in prison after a standoff with members from Allen County SWAT in 2002. That was in relation to his role in a string of Aboite robberies; he served more time in 2003 for attempting to run from police while carrying a handgun, according to the state's Department of Corrections.
While an autopsy was performed on Spencer's body Sunday, the case – which police say has no leads or motives attached – remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Coroners Office and the Allen County Prosecutors Office.
Then, just after 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police were called to a north-side home at 334 Dalgren Ave. to investigate another death, this time via stab wounds.
Minutes prior, two women had arrived home to find their 48-year-old roommate stabbed to death, according to a release generated by Joyner. The woman, identified this morning as Denise A. Barrone, was pronounced dead on the scene and was ruled the city's 13th homicide.
A neighbor told The News-Sentinel her two dogs began barking in the direction of the woman's home around 10 p.m.
A person, the woman's 17-year-old nephew, was taken into custody later after being found at his home. The 17-year-old has been charged with aggravated battery.
Less than six hours after police discovered Barrone, units were called to the 3900 block of South Calhoun Street just after 5 a.m. Sunday, where a man suffering from critical gunshot wounds had crashed his car into a building, according to a release generated by Joyner.
Police say Hilton Morris III was sitting in his car near the intersection of Robinwood and Oxford streets when he was shot. Morris managed to drive from the area, however, but crashed his car into the Chosen Christian Beauty & Barber College building, 3927 S. Calhoun St., some 16 blocks away.
Morris was taken in critical condition to a local hospital, and has since been upgraded to fair condition.
Joyner said police have no leads in the shooting but believe it was a follow-up from a disturbance at a local bar earlier in the night. It is not believed to be gang-related. The case is being investigated by the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Coroners Office and the Allen County Prosecutors Office.
