On the evening of August 19, 2025, 34-year-old Robert Gaskin Jr. was shot and killed outside the Thumbs Up Bar in the 600 block of South Lake Street in Gary, Indiana. Officers found Gaskin collapsed outside the tavern around 9:30 p.m.; a preliminary autopsy determined he died of three gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide.

Witnesses inside the bar said Gaskin had been greeting patrons and approached 32-year-old Darren Michael Bryant Jr. to shake his hand and offer a hug. Those witnesses reported Bryant turned, produced a handgun and fired three times. One witness who was playing guitar said Bryant entered with a gun and then shots were heard. Bryant fled but was quickly arrested nearby wearing only boxers and socks and with dirt on his hands.

According to police, Bryant made spontaneous statements admitting he was the shooter and later told detectives he carried a .357 magnum revolver and fired after Gaskin said your face is familiar. He also gave an unlikely account that people were trying to kill him because he had farted in a liquor store earlier that day, and said he lost his pants and the revolver in a swamp after fleeing into woods.

Does anyone have information about what led to that encounter at the Thumbs Up Bar or saw Bryant after he ran from the scene?