Warren Man Fatally Wounded
By: Kristin Mazur
Updated: July 13, 2009
Police are investigating a fire that started yesterday afternoon in Huntington County. Police were looking for Bart Thompson, 34, of rural who was believed to be in connection with the fire. Thompson was fatally wounded early this morning.
FOX Fort Wayne’s Kristin Mazur spoke with Thompsons neighbors and one man thinks he has a good idea what may have triggered it all.
“He just had too many drugs in his system” says neighbor Jim Manning.
When asked if he thought Thompson started the fire, Manning responded:
“Oh I know he did because he told me he was going to. Well he didnt tell me directly but he always said when he was going to go he was going to burn the place down.”
Around 1:30 yesterday afternoon the Huntington County Sheriffs Department received a call that Thompsons house and one of his three barns were on fire.
Upon arrival to the scene a fire fighter saw Thompson head into one of the barns. He then believed he heard a gunshot. That was the last time anyone had seen or heard Thompson until this morning.
But Manning says he knew exactly where Thompson was headed: “Over to his dads, he was going to kill his dad” says Manning.
Manning had been friends with Thompson for 5 years. He says Thompson talked about killing his father for some time now.
“Well he always mentioned that that was what he was going to do some day. He said he was going to kill him off” Manning says.
A mile away, state troopers watched over Thompsons fathers house in case he showed up. Just before 6 this morning they heard a gun shot coming from the field across the street. Thompson began shooting at the officers. Officers then returned fired. Thompson was wounded and died shortly after.
Manning says he never took any of Thompson’s plans about killing his father seriously.
“He was a nice kid. Everyone talks what theyre going to do, but I guess he decided to do it” Manning says.
The Huntington County Sheriffs office says that Thompson was sentenced to ten days for battery back in December. That was also after he violated a previous probation. This battery charge believed to have involved his father. Autopsy results are expected to be released sometime tomorrow.
