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Officer shoots armed teenager during gang investigation

 FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) A Fort Wayne police officer shot an armed suspect midday Tuesday on the city’s near-southeast side.

Just before 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, members of the Fort Wayne Police Department’s gang inspection team were investigating possible gang activity in the area of the 2800 block of Smith Street, near the Whitney M. Young Early Childhood Center at East Pontiac Street. Police spokesman Michael Joyner said the uniformed officers were in an unmarked car when three teenagers approached their vehicle.

At that point, Joyner said one of the officers got out of the squad car and noticed that one of the teens had a gun. The teens then ran off, Joyner said.

As an officer chased after them, Joyner said the officer shot the armed suspect. It’s not clear yet whether the suspect had fired at all.

The suspect, who was not named, was taken away from the scene in an ambulance. Joyner said he was listed in serious but stable condition.

Joyner said the other two teens were not caught.

The officer involved was not identified. Joyner said he will be placed on paid administrative leave with the department’s detectives along with Indiana State Police conduct investigations.

Police cordoned off a large area around Smith and Pontiac streets and a K-9 could be seen searching the area. A handgun was found at the scene, Joyner said. A crowd of bystanders gathered just outside the police tape.

The investigation by the police department’s gang unit came after a four city teenagers were shot – two fatally – within blocks of one another in less than a week. On Thursday, 15-year-old John Bennett Jr. was found shot in an alleyway near the intersection of Avondale Drive and Baxter Street. Monday afternoon, then, two minors were shot inside a vehicle Joyner at Oxford Street and South Park Drive. Hours later, 14-year-old Nicholas Scroggins was found shot to death in the middle of the 5200 block of Lillie Street.

Joyner said Tuesday that detectives believe all of the recent shootings in that area were indeed related and gang involved.