Fort Wayne police officer fatally shoots man during traffic stop

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A Fort Wayne police officer fatally shot a man after “actions” by people inside a vehicle during a weekend traffic stop prompted the officer to open fire, police said.

The officer initiated a traffic stop late Saturday in the northeastern Indiana city, Fort Wayne police said. During that stop, “actions from occupants inside the vehicle caused the officer to discharge their weapon,” police said Sunday in a statement.

The man who was wounded was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries and later died, said police. Authorities did not release details of the circumstances of the shooting and did not identify the man.

The Fort Wayne Police Department said the shooting remains under investigation by the department, Indiana State Police and Allen County’s prosecutor’s office and coroner’s office. Police said the officer has been placed on administrative leave, a routine step following shootings involving police officers.

Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker said in a statement that “through this important process, we will learn the details of what occurred.”

The shooting was the second time this month Fort Wayne police have shot someone, The Journal Gazette reported. On June 13, Fort Wayne officers shot and wounded a 20-year-old burglary suspect after that man shot an officer in the arm as officers confronted him, authorities said.