In the early morning hours of October 7, 2015, the life of 30-year-old Wendel Clark, a Black/African American male from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was tragically cut short. At approximately 6:51 a.m., Fort Dodge police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Fourth Street Northwest. Upon arrival, officers began an investigation but did not immediately discover the victim.
It was a local resident who later called the police after noticing a car parked unusually in their backyard, which had rolled into a fence.
Inside the vehicle, in the driver's seat, authorities found Wendel Clark. He was unconscious and had sustained two gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services from the Fort Dodge Fire Department and Trinity Regional Medical Center were dispatched to the scene to render aid. Clark was then transported to UnityPoint Health – Trinity Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner's office officially ruled his death a homicide.
In the wake of the shooting, the Fort Dodge Police Department, with assistance from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, launched a full-scale investigation. Despite their efforts and pleas to the public for information, the case grew cold. Police Chief Kevin Doty assured the community that the department would protect anyone who came forward with information, and Wendel's parents, Katherine and Tommy Clark, made an emotional appeal for someone to speak up. They described their son as a positive and happy person who had no known enemies. A reward was offered by Webster County Crime Stoppers for any information that would lead to an arrest in the case. However, to this day, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The murder of Wendel Clark remains an unsolved tragedy, leaving his family and community still searching for answers and justice.
