Ryan Patrick Harding

Ryan Patrick Harding was a gifted athlete whose first word was "ball." A loving son, brother, and uncle, the 32-year-old White male from Fort Wayne, Indiana, had a lifelong passion for sports, especially soccer, which he played competitively and for fun his entire life. He was a graduate of South Side High School and was known as a friend to many, who remember him as being taken far too soon.

In the early morning hours of June 16, 2024, Harding was at a house party in the 6000 block of Melan Cove on Fort Wayne's northeast side. Guests had gathered to watch a televised professional fight and, according to a witness, had been drinking and partying all night. Shortly before 5 a.m., an argument broke out between another partygoer and a man named Tyshawn Morris.

Accounts of what happened next differ. Morris later told police the argument was over being disrespected. He said he went outside to get away from the situation and wait for a ride, but the other man followed him onto the porch and punched him in the face. Morris admitted he then pulled out a gun and fired three to four times, claiming he aimed low and was not trying to kill anyone. The other man, who survived, told investigators that after he and Morris argued, he went outside and saw Morris pulling out a gun. The man said he tried to slap the gun away as it went off, and he realized he had been shot. He began to run as Morris fired again.

One of the bullets grazed the man Morris had argued with, but another struck Ryan Patrick Harding in the torso. The surviving victim found Harding lying on the ground in the home's garage. Emergency responders arrived and transported Harding to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Allen County Coroner’s Office ruled his death a homicide, the 18th in the county for 2024.

Tyshawn Morris fled after the shooting but later turned himself in to the Fort Wayne Police Department. He was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. In October 2025, Morris pleaded guilty to both charges. As part of the plea agreement, two counts of criminal recklessness were dismissed. In November 2025, Allen Superior Court Judge David Zent accepted the agreement and sentenced Morris to 45 years in prison, with the sentences for murder and attempted murder to be served at the same time.