FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A man died Thursday outside a Meijer in northeast Fort Wayne after being he was hit by an SUV in the parking lot.

Fort Wayne police began investigating a crash in the parking lot of the Meijer located off State Road 37 just before 1:30 p.m.

Robert Harter
Robert Harter (left), 76, with his daughter-in-law during an Honor Flight in September 2022. (Photo provided by Michael Thena)

Police said the driver may have had a “medical episode,” and on Friday morning they released more details of their investigation.

A Lincoln SUV was attempting to park when for unknown reasons it suddenly accelerated. The SUV struck the man and several vehicles.

An officer began emergency care and a short time later the victim was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Although an official identification has not been released by the Allen County Coroner’s Office, the victim’s family identified him as 76-year-old Robert Harter, an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. The coroner’s office will release an official cause of death at some point in the future.

Harter’s family told WANE 15 that he recently attended an Honor Flight in September 2022.

There was no indication as to whether the driver of the SUV was injured.