FWPD makes arrest in Tuesday morning shooting

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - The Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) says officers have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with Tuesday morning’s shooting in downtown Fort Wayne.

Police say around 2:40 a.m., a man walked up to a car parked at Taco Bell along W Jefferson Boulevard. One of the two men inside the car shot the man who approached them, officers say. The victim was taken to an area hospital in life-threatening condition.

FWPD says one person was critically hurt in a Dec. 6 shooting in the parking lot of the Taco... — FWPD says one person was critically hurt in a Dec. 6 shooting in the parking lot of the Taco Bell in downtown Fort Wayne.(Staff)

Later on Tuesday, FWPD officers sent a media release saying they have arrested 21-year-old Savion Prince Mathis-Phillips in the shooting. He currently faces one charge of aggravated battery.

Court documents say that police spoke with both Mathis-Phillips and the witness, who was in the car at the time of the incident. Mathis-Phillips says he noticed a man pulled into the Taco Bell parking lot and parked a few spaces away, left his car, and randomly approached his vehicle. He also told police that he was unsure whether the man was intoxicated or not, and feared he would be attacked and his car stolen.

Mathis-Phillips says he placed his gun on the dashboard to show he was armed, and he says the man took a step back before lunging at the vehicle. He says that was when he shot the man, who has not been identified, hitting him in the cheek.

The sole witness of the incident, who also has not been identified, says that he was dozing off in the passenger seat when he heard Mathis-Phillips warn the man to get away from his vehicle. The witness told police that he did not see any weapons on the man before the shooting occurred.