Kokomo man to plead guilty in fatal shooting
Feb. 17—Court documents filed in the case against 26-year-old Mycah Fowler, a Kokomo man accused in the shooting death last October of another man on the city's northwest side, indicate that he is now pleading guilty for his role in the incident.
Fowler was originally arrested Oct. 23, 2021, on charges of voluntary manslaughter, a Level 2 felony; reckless homicide, a Level 5 felony; and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a Level 6 felony, after police say he shot and killed Harvey Lenoir, 27.
Two of those charges — voluntary manslaughter and reckless homicide — were dismissed Jan. 13 after an agreement by both sides, per court records, meaning Fowler is just pleading guilty to the charge of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.
According to court records, "additional evidence obtained in the investigation after the initial filing of charges, including the autopsy report and evidence located at the crime scene," was listed as the reason for the dismissal of two of the charges against Fowler, though the documents do not go into detail into what Lenoir's autopsy result showed and exactly what new evidence was collected that led prosecutors to file the motion to dismiss.
By pleading guilty to the charge of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, the agreement between the parties indicates that Fowler would be sentenced to a year in the Howard County Jail, with credit for time served and the balance suspended to probation.
Upon successful completion of that probation, Fowler would then be able to petition the court to treat the felony offense like a misdemeanor, court documents note.
If the judge accepts the plea deal, Fowler will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. March 29 in Howard Superior 1.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed shortly after the incident occurred, Fowler and Lenoir were involved in a physical altercation in front of a house in the 600 block of North Indiana Avenue on Oct. 23.
In his interview with police, Fowler stated that after the altercation with Lenoir, he pulled out a Springfield XD 9mm and fired one shot at Lenoir, believing that he struck him because he heard Lenoir scream.
Fowler told police he continued to shoot while Lenoir was running away, shooting a total of five times.
Lenoir was later found suffering from an apparent gunshot wound in the 900 block of West Monroe Street. He was taken to Ascension St. Vincent Kokomo, where he was later pronounced dead.
An autopsy completed by the Howard County Coroner's Office found that Lenoir died of multiple gunshot wounds.
According to court documents, Fowler and Lenoir knew each other but did not have a friendly relationship at the time of the shooting.
