Indiana park memorial for 19-year-old murder victim devolves into another shooting, leaving 1 dead, 3 injured

One person is dead, and three others are wounded after a shooting erupted at an Indiana park during an outdoor memorial for a 19-year-old murder victim. 

The shooting occurred around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday during a balloon release at McCormick Park in Fort Wayne, Officer Anthony Krock told The Journal Gazette.

One woman and three men were taken to a hospital. Krock said one of the men died. He did not have additional information on the conditions of the others.

Krissy Williams, a nearby resident, told the newspaper that her son attended the memorial held to honor Tyreece Vachon, 19, who was fatally shot Tuesday outside an apartment complex.

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The Fort Wayne Police Department said in a news release that dispatch received multiple calls in reference to shots fired and the possibility of multiple victims suffering from gunshots near McCormick Park, located at the intersection of McCormick and Redwood Avenues in the Harvester neighborhood at approximately 6:43 p.m. Wednesday. 

Officers arrived to the 2300 block of Redwood Avenue a short time later, observing a large group of people fleeing the area, police said. Officers then discovered a female suffering from a gunshot wound. The female victim was stabilized on scene, then transported to a local hospital. 

Three male victims were transported to the hospital prior to police arrival. One male, an adult, was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

The incident remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Allen County Coroner. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Fort Wayne Police Department at 427-1201, Crime Stoppers at 436-7867, or use the free “P3 Tips” app.

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The deceased victim fatally wounded at the memorial has not yet been identified. 

Vachon and another female victim were both shot in the parking lot of the West Wind Apartments at approximately 2:23 a.m. Tuesday. Vachon, a former football and basketball player for North Side High School, died at the hospital, while the unnamed female survived her injuries. Police said no arrests have been made. 

The Allen County Coroner determined Wednesday that Vachon died due to multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide, WANE reported. 

Vachon’s older brother said the 19-year-old ran a successful clothing brand venture called “Fear None,” which garnered nearly 26,000 followers on its Instagram page. 

“Seeing my little brother pass so early, before he got to reach his full potential – it was very heartbreaking, but I’m like the man of my family, so I’ve got to stay strong for the family and that was the first thing I thought when I realized what was going on,” Mark Vachon told WANE. 

“I think it’s a tragedy anytime someone loses their life, but I think it’s an even bigger tragedy when someone so young with such potential and influence on the community loses their life,” he said. “I think it’s a good time for people to step back, show love to their loved ones and appreciate the times that we get here because we never know when somebody is going to go.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.