Carlos Hamilton Jr

Carlos Malik Hamilton Jr. was known for a personality that could fill a room and a smile that was infectious. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on May 14, 1999, the 20-year-old Black man was remembered by loved ones as handsome, humorous, intelligent, and having a generous heart. Friends recalled him as an amazing person who could always make them happy. He was known to be chivalrous, kind, respectful, and quick to help anyone in need. Carlos played youth football for the Pee Wee Spartans and the Varsity Eagles and was a graduate of Snider High School, having also attended Bishop Luers and New Haven high schools. He had attended Purdue University Fort Wayne and was preparing to enter an electrician apprenticeship program. Devoted to his family, he was survived by his parents, stepparent, siblings, and his fiancée.

The final day of Carlos’s life was Saturday, July 21, 2018. That evening, he drove his 2012 Buick to the Walgreens at 2410 N. Coliseum Blvd. in Fort Wayne, arriving and parking around 9:40 p.m. Surveillance video from the pharmacy and a nearby business would later become crucial for investigators. The footage showed that at about 10:15 p.m., a gray four-door car pulled into the parking spot next to Carlos's vehicle. A passenger from the gray car got out, entered Carlos's car for about a minute, and then quickly exited. The gray car then sped away from the scene. Just after midnight, a Walgreens employee who was closing the store discovered Carlos inside his car and called for help. Fort Wayne Police Department officers arrived to find him slumped over the steering wheel, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His death was the 27th homicide in Allen County that year.

The Fort Wayne Police Department led the investigation. With no witnesses present at the scene, detectives turned to the surveillance footage from area businesses. The key breakthrough in the case came from DNA evidence found inside Carlos's car, which was linked to Ammar K. Haroun, who was 23 at the time. Police determined that Haroun had attempted to rob Carlos, and during the confrontation, both men were shot. Social media photos reportedly showed Haroun with a bandaged right hand after the incident. This evidence, combined with the video footage, allowed investigators to piece together the events of that night.

In April 2019, nearly nine months after the shooting, prosecutors charged Ammar K. Haroun with felony murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. A warrant was issued, and he was arrested by Fort Wayne police on April 26, 2019. He faced additional charges, including a sentencing enhancement for using a firearm during the commission of a crime. The case moved through the Allen County court system for several months.

In November 2019, Haroun accepted a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. Under Indiana law, this charge indicates a killing that was not premeditated but occurred in a "sudden heat," such as during a violent argument. As part of the plea agreement, the charges of murder, felony murder, and robbery, as well as the firearm enhancement, were dismissed. The agreement called for a 30-year sentence, with 20 years to be served in prison, followed by four years of probation. Haroun was formally sentenced on November 8, 2019, bringing a legal conclusion to the case. Anyone with further information on this or other cases is encouraged to contact the Fort Wayne Police Department at 260-427-1222 or Crime Stoppers at 260-436-7867.