In the summer of 2016, a fatal shooting in Fort Wayne, Indiana, claimed the life of Edward Kiel. On July 6, 2016, the 28-year-old man was shot while inside a vehicle. The incident occurred when a man approached the car Kiel was in with his former girlfriend and opened fire. Kiel was struck multiple times. He attempted to drive away from the scene but lost consciousness and crashed into a tree.
When police arrived, they found him in the driver's seat with gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Kiel's death quickly identified a person of interest. Authorities issued a warrant for the arrest of Christopher Figgs, who was 28 years old at the time, on a murder charge. Investigators alleged that Figgs had taken a handgun from his ex-girlfriend in May of that year. The shell casings found at the scene of Kiel's shooting reportedly matched the woman's gun. Figgs fled Indiana after being named a person of interest but was eventually apprehended in Alabama.
Christopher Figgs faced a jury for the murder of Edward Kiel. His first trial ended in a hung jury after approximately 10 hours of deliberation, leading the judge to declare a mistrial. However, a second trial resulted in a guilty verdict. The woman who was in the car with Kiel at the time of the shooting testified but claimed she did not see the shooter. This was contradicted by another witness who stated the woman had told them she knew Figgs was responsible. Following the guilty verdict, Figgs was scheduled for sentencing.
