Police: man found dead "appeared to have suffered significant injuries"

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - UPDATE Wednesday, Oct. 3: The Allen County Coroner's office said the man found dead on Tuesday was Deonta Tyrses Bonner, 18, of Fort Wayne. He was killed by a stab wound to the chest.

Bonner is the homicide 24 for Fort Wayne and Allen County in 2012.

The incident remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department , the Allen County Corner's Office, and the Allen County Prosecutor's Office.

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Police were called to the 2900 block of Weisser Park Avenue around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday on reports of a man down.

According to police at the scene, officers found a young adult male, who appeared to had suffered "significant injuries," dead in the backyard of a vacant home.

"Any time you find a body outside, unattended, it's automatically going to be a suspicious death," Sgt. Mark Brooks of the Fort Wayne Police Department, said.  "That's until you determine the cause and manner of death."

Dozens of neighbors came outside while police searched the area.  Several people spoke with NewsChannel 15, but they all said they did not see anything before police arrived.

"I walk through here everyday," Glora Thomas, a neighbor who walks through the alley where the victim was found, said.  "I hadn't seen anything.  We have had gunshots going off for the last few days quite often, but other than that, I don't know."

Thomas said the number of recent gunshots had made her a little concerned, but was not too worried.

Another neighbor said he and a few others talked Sunday night after they all heard gunshots being fired between 7 and 7:30 Sunday night.

The name of the victim and the cause and manner of death will be determined by the Allen County Coroner's Office once an autopsy is performed.