Fort Wayne Police Not Criminally Responsible in Fatal 2025 Shooting

The Allen County Prosecutor's Office has determined that Fort Wayne officers were justified in using force against a man who police said was suicidal and pointed a gun at them.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Allen County Prosecutor’s Office has determined that Fort Wayne police officers are not criminally responsible for the shooting death of a man last year.

On Friday, the prosecutor’s office announced that they had concluded their review of the fatal shooting, which happened on July 21, 2025, north of downtown.

Fort Wayne police said a man, later identified as 51-year-old Christopher Stutler, pointed a gun at them during a response to a call about a suicidal person in the area with a firearm. Officers were near West State Boulevard and Cass Street when they said Stutler “brandished” a gun, leading to police firing their guns at him.

Stutler later died at a hospital

“The officers were justified in using force, as they reasonably believed that force was necessary to prevent further serious bodily injury or death to themselves and/or citizens of this community,” the prosecutor said in a release.

Indiana State Police conducted an independent investigation of the incident.