HOWARD COUNTY — Howard County sheriff's deputies are investigating after a man was found dead by the road in a rural part of the county.
According to a report from the Howard County Sheriff's Office, the Howard County 911 Dispatch Center received a report around 12:05 p.m. Monday of an unconscious and unresponsive person in the area of 500 East and 100 North, east of Kokomo, near the roadway.
Deputies from the Howard County Sheriff's Office and the Greentown Town Marshal, along with paramedics from Ascension St. Vincent and the Greentown Volunteer Fire Company were sent to the area.
Upon arrival, a man was found near the roadway by the Greentown Town Marshal and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from Ascension St. Vincent.
Deputies said a crime scene was established and sheriff's office detectives, along with the Howard County Coroner's Office and an Indiana State Police crime scene investigator were called to the scene.
Following an autopsy, the Howard County Coroner's Office determined Christopher Leo Rucker, 27, of Marion, died from a gunshot wound. The investigation is being treated as a homicide.
The incident remains under investigation by the Howard County Sheriff's Office and the Howard County Coroner's Office.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Howard County Sheriff's Office tip line at 765-614-3372.
