On Thanksgiving Day in 2018, a tragic and violent event unfolded inside a home on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana, leaving three young men dead and two others wounded. Among the deceased was 20-year-old Colton D. Messmer. The incident, which occurred on the evening of Thursday, November 22, was the result of a home invasion that authorities later described as a drug-related armed robbery.
Emergency services were dispatched to the residence at approximately 10:30 p.m., where they
discovered a scene of chaos and bloodshed. Inside, Colton Messmer, along with 23-year-old Joevonn M. Johnson and 21-year-old Tracey A. Andrews, were found deceased. The Allen County Coroner's office would later confirm that all three men, residents of Fort Wayne, died from gunshot wounds and their deaths were ruled as homicides. Two other men at the scene had also sustained injuries during the attack.
In the days following the deadly home invasion, the investigation led to an arrest. Police took 22-year-old Kameron J. Joyner into custody in connection with the incident. Initially, Joyner was held at the Allen County Jail on five preliminary counts of aggravated battery. Prosecutors later filed formal charges against him for five counts of aggravated battery. During the course of their investigation, law enforcement also announced that they were searching for another 22-year-old man who was considered a person of interest in the case.
According to court documents filed by the Allen County prosecutors, the motive behind the violent encounter was an armed robbery targeting a marijuana-selling operation being conducted out of the house. The two wounded survivors told police that a pair of attackers had attempted to rob them. One of the survivors was so critically injured that he had to be flown to a hospital in Indianapolis for treatment, while the other was treated for a wound to his back.
