A 30-year-old man was fatally shot Tuesday evening in Gary, police said.

Officers responded at 5:58 p.m. Tuesday to a call of shots fired in the 800 block of East 51st Place, Gary police Cmdr. Jack Hamady said in a news release. They found a man from Gary laying on the ground near an apartment building who was not breathing and had a gunshot wound, he said.

The Gary Fire Department arrived and reported the man “did not have any signs of life,” Hamady said.

The Lake County coroner’s office pronounced the man, identified as Robert Sanders, dead at the scene. His death was ruled a homicide, according to a release.

Sanders lived in the 800 block of East 51st Place, according to the coroner’s office.

“Detectives are asking the public for help with any information regarding this incident or the events that led up to the shooting,” Hamady said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Alex Jones with the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit at 219-755-3855 or the crime tip line at 866-274-6347.

— Staff report