3 Suspects Arrested in Death of 55-Year-Old Asian American Man

April 27, 2021

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include a GoFundMe to help support Shane Nguyen’s family. Details about Nguyen’s death, which was first reported by WANE, have also been corrected to clarify that he died of blunt force injury to the head prior to his dismembered body being found in the crashed vehicle.

All three suspects have been arrested in connection with the death of a Vietnamese American man, who was initially reported as missing over the weekend in Indiana.

Shane Van Nguyen, 55, was found dead in a crashed car in the 1500 block of Forest Park Boulevard in Fort Wayne on Sunday, WANE reports.

Nguyen was last seen alive as he was leaving the Allen County Memorial Coliseum after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine shot at around 3:00 p.m. on Friday, according to the Fort Wayne Police Department.

Authorities later announced that Nguyen was missing and issued a Silver Alert for him last Saturday.

Around 5 a.m. on April 25, an officer found a suspicious vehicle in the area of Lake and Coliseum and attempted a traffic stop but the driver sped off. The officer tried to pursue the vehicle but was forced to suspend the chase reportedly due to unsafe conditions.

Police would later discover a car near Lake Avenue and Anthony Boulevard matching the vehicle’s description crashed into the back of a home. Inside the car was Nguyen, who died due to blunt force injury of the head prior to his dismembered body being found, according to the Allen County Coroner’s Office.

While it was not initially evident who drove the car, investigators revealed at least two people ran from the vehicle.

Sgt. Jeremy Webb deemed the killing as “barbaric,” reports WPTA21.

“It was brutal and extreme. It’s not every day we come across cases of this butchery,” he said.

Fort Wayne Police Department Homicide Detectives later identified the suspects as Matthew J. Cramer, 21; Jacob D. Carreon-Hamilton, 20; and Cody Clements, 20.

All three suspects have been arrested as of Monday evening, with authorities confirming that Clements turned himself in.

Authorities do not believe the assault was racially motivated as of Sunday. They do not yet know the connection between the three suspects and Nguyen.

The incident is now being investigated as a possible homicide by the Fort Wayne Police Department, Allen County Coroner’s Office and the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office.

A GoFundMe has been created to support Nguyen’s family.

Featured Image via Fort Wayne Police Department

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