Teen found dead in empty lot had been shot

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - An autopsy has determined that a teen whose body was found in a vacant lot near the intersection of Smith Street and Emily Street in Fort Wayne Monday morning had been shot to death.  

Officers got a call just after 2 a.m. of a report of a man down in that area which is between East Creighton Street to the north and East Pontiac Street to the south.

An officer on patrol was flagged down and directed to where the person had been found.

Police located the body of Nathaniel Jishaun Rainer, 18, laying in a grassy area near the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

At this time officials aren't sure how long he had been there.

"We did find a weapon nearby," said Raquel Foster with the Fort Wayne Police Department. "It's going to be part of our evidence collection. Not certain right now if it could have been the victim's weapon or if someone left it there."

Police said they didn't have any reports of anyone hearing shots fired.

Rainer's death has been ruled a homicide and is the fourth of the year for Fort Wayne and Allen County.