Campus Alert Archive
PFW

Fugitive Tracked to Campus: Officer-Involved Shooting Shuts Down Purdue Fort Wayne for the Day

INarmed personemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On July 30, 2024, Fort Wayne Police tracked a wanted fugitive believed to be armed to the Purdue Fort Wayne campus, where officers fatally shot the man near Kettler Circle and Campus Drive after he failed to comply with commands. The campus was closed for the remainder of the day as an officer-involved shooting investigation was conducted.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Public Masters · IN
~7,500 studentsPFW Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction235 chars
PFW ALERT: Due to police activity on campus, the Purdue Fort Wayne campus is currently closed. Avoid the area. There is an active police investigation near Kettler Circle. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news coverage; PFW issued an alert shortly after 8:00 AM EDT on July 30, 2024
The incident originated off campus when DeKalb County Community Corrections contacted FWPD at 7:17 AM about a man who did not return to custody
Officers located the suspect near Kettler Circle and Campus Drive on the PFW campus
UPDATEEmail
Verified verbatimWBOI (NPR) and Journal Gazette quoted this verbatim from the email sent by PFW to faculty, staff, and students on July 30, 2024381 chars
The campus of Purdue University Fort Wayne (including Indiana University Fort Wayne) is closed for the remainder of the day Tuesday, July 30, due to an ongoing police investigation on the west side of campus between Kettler Hall and the river. The Fort Wayne Police Department confirmed there is no active threat and the incident involved no one affiliated with either PFW or IUFW.
Verbatim text from the PFW campus-wide email of July 30, 2024 as quoted in WBOI and Journal Gazette reporting
The phrase 'no active threat' is explicit Clery-style wording — meaning the immediate danger had passed even though the investigation continued
Including the geographic detail ('west side of campus between Kettler Hall and the river') let the recipient community visualize the crime-scene perimeter without sending them toward it
Context

Background

On the morning of July 30, 2024, the DeKalb County Community Corrections office contacted Fort Wayne Police at approximately 7:17 AM to help locate a man who had not returned to custody and was believed to be armed with a handgun. Officers tracked the suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Gawon Benson, to the Purdue Fort Wayne campus near Kettler Circle and Campus Drive. When Benson did not respond to officers' commands, FWPD officers fatally shot him. PFW issued alerts and shut down the campus for the remainder of the day, including the co-located Indiana University Fort Wayne campus. The university emphasized that no one affiliated with either institution was involved. The Allen County Coroner's Office determined the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, with the manner of death classified as homicide by police action.
Analysis

Key Findings

The incident originated off campus when a fugitive from DeKalb County Community Corrections fled to the PFW campus while armed
FWPD officers fatally shot the suspect after he failed to comply with commands near Kettler Circle
The entire PFW and IUFW campus was closed for the remainder of the day as police investigated
Outcome
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Gawon Benson, died from multiple gunshot wounds at the scene. The manner of death was classified as homicide by police action. No students, staff, or officers were injured. The campus remained closed for the full day on July 30.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Police shoot, kill DeKalb County man near Purdue Fort Wayne's campus (WANE)
    wane.com
  2. News
    Police action shooting prompts PFW closure for the day (WBOI/NPR)
    wboi.org
  3. News
    Man dead after officer involved shooting on Purdue Fort Wayne campus (Journal Gazette)
    journalgazette.net
  4. News
    Coroner identifies man shot, killed by FWPD on PFW campus (WANE)
    wane.com
Tags
officer-involved-shootingarmed-personfugitivecampus-closureindianano-student-involvementlaw-enforcement
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion