On the night of September 3, 2020, officers responded to reports of gunfire at a home on the 2300 block of Colfax Street in Gary, Indiana. First responders found 38-year-old Landen Cowart, known as Black Oak, outside the residence with gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses described a vehicle opening fire on the house, which had been struck by multiple bullets. Shell casings were recovered near the corner of 23rd Avenue and Colfax Street and the area was treated as a crime scene.

Cowart was a longtime area resident and father of three daughters; his obituary said he enjoyed fishing, bonfires and Chicago’s Bears and Cubs. More than a decade earlier he had served as a confidential informant in a federal drug case and had testified against local distributors after being assaulted during a controlled buy. Two men were later identified and charged in connection with the shooting: Mark A. Windsheimer II, 28, of Gary, and Christopher J. Dukes II, 17, of Merrillville; bond was reportedly granted as the case proceeded.

Does anyone in the Gary area remember seeing a vehicle or activity near Colfax Street on the night of September 3, 2020, or have other information about this shooting?