Cameras tracked every move of Traveler's Inn shooter; victim survived

Post Thanksgiving, the Week has been Violent

FORT WAYNE, Ind. ---Post Thanksgiving, the guns and violence have been non-stop.

Thursday night, the night of the full "cold" moon, saw three people shot at Thunderbowl, a bowling alley in the 6700 block of Lafayette Street, a place where people are supposed to go to have fun. Fort Wayne police are tracking down the shooter or shooters right now, you can be sure.

So what is happening in Fort Wayne. Why all the guns? Why all the shootings? It’s supposed to be calmer around Christmas, past the heat and confusion of the summer when late nights and drinking turn to violence.

Sunday afternoon two young people took their bad energy to Traveler’s Inn, their black hoodies pulled up so as to obscure their faces from cameras lurking everywhere.

The ruse didn’t work, according to a probable cause affidavit written by homicide detective Scott Wilson.

Alonta Walker (left) and Jamya Nelson were tracked by many cameras.

Jamya Nelson, 18, entered first with Alonta Walker, 28, behind. She led him up to the second floor, then stopped to confer in the middle of the hallway,. They adjusted the hoods on their coats tighter to conceal their faces before showing up at the door of 210. 

When knocking didn’t work, the two got aggressive. Walker fired a shot when the door cracked open and tried to push through. When the door shut again, he let loose five rounds, perhaps mimickng a police thriller. Then, before the two bolted down the stairs to the lobby, Walker was seen on camera shooting four more rounds.

The two left through the lobby front door and turned west to their white Ford Edge parked in the parking lot, court documents said.

"This entire act was recorded on the hotel's security cameras," Wilson wrote. Traveler's Inn is located in the 4600 block of East Washington Boulevard.

Police then tracked the duo's every movement on street and business surveillance cameras - east on East Washington, a U-turn on Meyer Road, back west on East Washington, past Omni Source, then north on to White Avenue, the cameras still rolling.

They parked the SUV and walked to the Deluxe Inn Motel on Maumee Avenue. This time in the lobby their faces were showing. 

Meanwhile, back at the Traveler’s Inn in the 4600 block of Highway 930 East, their victim was found in the lobby suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and left arm. Well-equipped Fort Wayne officers applied a chest seal and a tourniquet and may have saved his life. When the victim was transported to Lutheran Hospital, he was in non-life threatening condition.

Thursday, police located the pair at the Regency Inn in the 1000 block of West Coliseum Boulevard by pinging their phones. Detectives watched them leave room 207, walk downstairs and get into a black Toyota RAV Sub.

When they were pulled over around 11 a.m. in the 3400 block of Sherman Boulevard, Walker had a 9mm handgun on him.

Walker is charged with Level 1 attempted murder, Level 4 unlawful possession of a firearm and misdemeanor unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer.

Nelson was charged with attempted murder.

Everything was caught on camera and Walker has a rap sheet. Public defenders will most likely start thinking about plea deals.

No motive for this violence was given.

The day after Thanksgiving, a man was stabbed to death at Piere's around 2 a.m. Another man was stabbed and survived.

It's turned out to be an inexplicable act, the circumstances murky, but police have a good idea who did it, according to sources talking to The Probable Cause.

Domonique Drew, 34, admitted to shooting a man at the Sunoco gas station downtown. He then apologized.

Tuesday, a man was shot to death walking into the Sunoco gas station downtown on East Washington Boulevard around 6:30 p.m. The shooter, Domonique Drew, 34, immediately apologized to his family, according to news reports. He said the victim spit at him.

Four incidents post Thanksgiving: Piere's, Traveler's Inn, the Sunoco gas station and Thunderbowl, a tally currently standing at two dead and four wounded. Douglas Pritchett with the Fort Wayne Homicide stats blog has this year's homicide number is 34.