Early Thursday morning in Fort Wayne, a routine traffic stop spiraled into a deadly event that left the community reeling and a beloved local resident dead. Philip Andrew Biddle, 62, a long-time member of the Allen County community, was struck and killed by a fleeing driver during a high-speed police pursuit, authorities confirmed. His identity was released Friday after his family was notified, marking the somber beginning of an intense investigation into the chaotic sequence of events.
It all started just after 6 a.m. near the intersection of Lawton Place and Griswold Drive when a Fort Wayne Police Department officer attempted to pull over a vehicle. Instead of stopping, the car sped away, ignoring traffic laws and weaving through streets northeast of downtown. According to court filings, the pursuing officer had to push speeds up to 80 mph to keep up with the suspect, underscoring just how fast the situation escalated.
As the pursuit reached the intersection of Fourth Street and Spy Run Avenue around 6:08 a.m., the fleeing vehicle made a northbound turn and struck Biddle, who was walking in the roadway. The force of the collision sent him airborne; emergency responders worked at the scene, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Rather than stopping after the collision, the driver sped off, sideswiping another vehicle just north of the intersection. The driver of that vehicle, a woman, escaped without injury. Moments later the suspect abandoned his vehicle in the 1400 block of Spy Run Avenue and bolted on foot. In the frantic chase that followed, police saw him discard what appeared to be a handgun into a snowy grassy area.
Residents in the neighborhood played a pivotal role in what came next. Several witnesses called 911 to report suspicious movements, and their tips led officers to a backyard where the suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Denzel Trevon Gordon, was found hiding and taken into custody without further incident.
Gordon now faces a litany of charges reflecting the danger his actions posed: reckless homicide, resisting law enforcement resulting in death or catastrophic injury, leaving the scene of a crash involving a fatality, operating a vehicle without a valid license, unlawful carrying of a handgun, and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, among others.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office ruled that Biddle died from multiple blunt-force injuries sustained in the crash, classifying his death as accidental—a standard determination in pedestrian-vehicle fatalities even when they occur during criminal acts. Investigators are combing through body camera footage, witness accounts, and physical evidence along the chase route to piece together exactly how the early morning pursuit unfolded.
Traffic was disrupted for hours as officers documented the scene and collected evidence, and city officials expressed both condolences to Biddle’s family and gratitude to community members who assisted law enforcement. As the case moves forward, more information is expected to be released, and Fort Wayne continues to grieve a life cut tragically short while simply walking through his neighborhood.
