Fort Wayne, Indiana – The Allen County Prosecutor’s Office determined that there was “no evidence of criminal liability” in two police action shootings over the last year.
Police officers who shot Ah Mee Kun, 16, in November and Patricia Hepworth, 66, in January will not face charges in connection with their deaths.
The Fort Wayne Police Department and the Indiana State Police investigated the shootings. Their findings were turned over to the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office, which made the final decision.
“The officers were justified in using force, as they reasonably believed that force was necessary to prevent serious bodily injury or death to themselves and/or citizens of this community,” according to the office’s press release.
Kun was the last of seven people killed in a police shooting in Allen County last year.
Police say he was armed when they arrived at the 4200 block of Avondale Drive around 11 p.m. on November 11, 2024. They were responding to reports of a group of people threatening to shoot guns in the neighborhood.
Police say they discovered several people in the area, including one carrying a gun. According to FWPD officials, Kun did not follow officers’ commands, so they opened fire.
Kun died at the scene, despite life-saving efforts.
Hepworth was shot on January 8, after FWPD officers were dispatched to Parkview Studios on Harris Road to assist Indiana State Parole officers with a barricaded subject.
Hepworth allegedly had a knife and barricaded herself when officers attempted to contact her. After attempting to contact Hepworth and de-escalate the situation, officers shot and killed her.
During the incident, an officer sustained minor injuries, but it was unclear what they were or how they occurred.
Hepworth was convicted of attempted murder and arson in an August 1999 incident in Lake County and sentenced to 50 years in prison the following year.
According to the Indiana Department of Correction, her earliest possible release date was January 18, 2023, and she was scheduled to be released to the Fort Wayne Parole District.
