Man dies of shooting complications 29 years later

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) - A Fort Wayne man has died from complications of being shot in the neck 29 years ago.

The Allen County Coroner's Office says 44-year-old Brian Burtz died Friday from injuries that left him quadriplegic. It has ruled his death a homicide.

The Journal Gazette reports Burtz was shot Feb. 19, 1983, near the Trailways bus terminal in Fort Wayne by a bus station employee who believed the then-15-year-old was trying to burglarize the depot. Court records quote then-59-year-old Clifford Justice of Indianapolis as saying he heard glass breaking and saw two youths running away. He said he planned to shoot over their heads, but his 22-calibre rifle discharged when he lowered it to release its safety.

Justice pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness and received a suspended two-year prison term.