Indianapolis, IN

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb joins Jews in mourning Oct. 7, 2023, attack on anniversary

Published

2 years ago

October 8, 2024

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb joins Jews in mourning Oct. 7, 2023, attack on anniversary

Hundreds of members of Indianapolis’ Jewish community gathered Monday night to mourn the nearly 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas gunmen Oct. 7, 2023, in the start of a deadly war that has since escalated across the Middle East.

Mourners packed into the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation’s synagogue on North Meridian Street, where Jewish leaders led prayers for the families of the dead and for more than 100 Israeli hostages still in Hamas captivity. Outside the sanctuary, posters showing the hostages were affixed to trees and surrounded with red flowers.

“Day after day, we’ve been glued to the news wishing for a normalcy we thought we had before,” speaker Offer Korin, a Jewish attorney, told the congregants. “And here we are, a year later, hoping for the return of the hostages in Gaza.”

At a time when Jewish Americans face increasing antisemitism, leaders said they were uplifted by the presence of politicians such as Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and attorney general candidate Destiny Wells, along with state lawmakers. The Anti-Defamation League has recorded more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States since the fall 2023 attack, a trend that coincides with a similar spike in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents.

Eli Isaacs, a leader of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, said many members of Central Indiana’s Jewish community have struggled to uphold their commitments to their neighbors while feeling increasingly on edge. Heavy security at Monday’s event, which didn’t attract protesters, made clear the constant tension, Isaacs said.

“It’s been difficult and frustrating because you have to wear all these different hats. You need to be doing what you can to support people on the ground in Israel, who are spending days on end in bomb shelters,” Isaacs said. “You are trying to get them resources and support that they need. You’re also trying to explain the conflict to people who might not understand here.”

Pro-Palestinian event: Hundreds march in downtown Indy as war nears one-year mark

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb speaks at synagogue

About 18,000 people in Marion and Hamilton counties identify as Jewish, a 2017 survey found, and the U.S. has the world’s second-largest Jewish population with about 5.7 million people. Israel, which became a nation in 1948 following the Holocaust, is home to nearly half of the world’s Jewish population, about 7.2 million Jews.

During a keynote address, Holcomb recalled how Ophir Lipstein, the mayor of an Israeli village called Sha’ar Hanegev, highlighted the two nations’ decades-long partnership by visiting Indiana in September of last year.

Weeks later, Lipstein was killed by Hamas gunmen in his home on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Our brother Ophir’s loss is a reminder of just how small this world is, and how connected each and every one of us is, whether we know it or not or like it or not,” Holcomb said, “of just how far-reaching events of the day can be, realizing some nightmares not even an ocean can divide.”

How Gaza war is escalating at one-year mark

The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, killing about 1,200 Israeli civilians and taking roughly 250 others hostage.

Hamas gunmen attacked army bases, Israeli communities and an all-night music festival where an estimated 360 attendees were killed, according to Israeli officials. A year after the surprise invasion, more than 1,700 Israelis have died and just over 100 are still held hostage.

The Israeli military retaliated the day after Oct. 7 with deadly air strikes bombarding the Gaza Strip and a ground invasion.

In the year of ensuing battles, Israel has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and displaced around 1.9 million people — nine in 10 Gaza residents have moved at least once, according to the United Nations. Amid war and severe food shortages, nearly 42,000 Palestinians have died and more than 96,000 have been wounded, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

1 year after Hamas invaded Israel: How far could Gaza war expand?

The war has spread outward from Gaza and intensified in recent weeks in Lebanon, on Israel’s northern border, where the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah operates. In the last weeks of September, Israeli forces killed top Hezbollah leaders and began a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, where Lebanese officials say Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,400 Lebanese and displaced 1.2 million since late September.

Iran responded Oct. 1 by firing at least 180 ballistic missiles at sites across Israel. Israeli air defenses intercepted most of the missiles, which are reported to have killed only one Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank.

Email IndyStar reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09

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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis

Published

4 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS — A person was stabbed in downtown Indianapolis Sunday evening.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets around 8:28 p.m. to investigate a stabbing. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult male victim with apparent stab wounds.

Photo of IMPD investigating a stabbing at the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets on April 19, 2026, captured by a FOX59/CBS4 crew.

IMPD has confirmed that the victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.

Investigators believe the stabbing “stemmed from a disturbance between multiple individuals and the victim.”

IMPD has reported that it has not identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest at this point in its investigation of the stabbing. Police have indicated that they are hoping witnesses come forward with information that can help them identify or locate the suspects.

“The officers now are doing a complete investigation,” IMPD Lieutenant Frank Wooten said during a media briefing Sunday night. “They’re going to investigate this to the best of their ability. We’re going to try to locate our suspect, arrest the suspect, prosecute the suspect and hold that suspect accountable for this heinous crime in Indianapolis. This is not an indication of what our city is about. This is not an indication of what we do downtown, and we hold this to be very serious. So, we will hold whoever did this responsible for their actions tonight.”

Sunday night’s stabbing represented a continuation of a violent weekend in downtown Indianapolis.

Early Sunday morning, two men were critically injured in a shooting near a White Castle on South Street. Before that shooting occurred, police arrested two juveniles on gun charges at Monument Circle.

Police also conducted a shooting investigation near the Hilton hotel located at 120 W. Market St. around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in that shooting.

Elsewhere in the city, a person was injured in a shooting in a CVS parking lot on Kentucky Avenue Saturday evening. Another individual was killed in a shooting outside a residence in the 2300 block of South Pennsylvania Street Saturday night.

Public police reporting systems indicate IMPD has investigated nine shootings that caused injuries since midnight Saturday. During that same timeframe, IMPD has investigated six shootings that did not result in any injuries and five stabbings.

Numbers available on shootings and stabbings in IMPD’s public reporting system may not be complete, as some reports on weekend shootings and stabbings may not have been entered yet.

“This is not what we want Indianapolis to be,” Wooten said. “This is not what we expect out of the citizens of Indianapolis. We expect them to be safe, come downtown and have a good time, and be able to go home the same way they came down here. So, we will hold these suspects, once located, accountable for this crime.”

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Indianapolis, IN

1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side

Published

16 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side

INDIANAPOLIS — One person died in a shooting on Indy’s near south side on Saturday evening.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 2300 block of S. Pennsylvania Street at approximately 9:45 p.m. on report of a shooting. This is a residential area located near Raymond Street and Madison Avenue.

Officers reported finding an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound outside a residence. The victim was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, but later was pronounced deceased.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office has not released the deceased’s name at this time.

Police ask anyone with information about this shooting to contact Detective Kristina Friel at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail the detective at Kristina.Friel@indy.gov. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.

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Indianapolis, IN

Pirates farm report for April 18, 2026: Rafael Flores Jr. hits 1st homer in Indianapolis win

Published

1 day ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Pirates farm report for April 18, 2026: Rafael Flores Jr. hits 1st homer in Indianapolis win

INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 6-14) thumped Omaha (Royals), 11-3. 1B Rafael Flores Jr. (.206) went 2 for 3 with a double, his first home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. LF Tyler Callihan (.239) went 3 for 4 with a double and his first homer, a two-run shot. DH Enmanuel Valdez (.273) went 2 for 4 with his first homer and three runs scored. RF Esmerlyn Valdez (.258) went 2 for 5 with two doubles and a run scored. SS Davis Wendzel (.269) went 1 for 3 with a double, two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs. RHP Carson Fulmer (2-0, 5.51) started, gave up three runs on three hits in five innings and earned the win. RHP Chris Devenski (1.50) and LHP Joe La Sorsa (3.24) each pitched two scoreless innings.

Next: Sunday at Omaha (Royals), 3:05 p.m.

ALTOONA (Double-A, 2-12) had two hits – both solo home runs – and beat Portland (Red Sox), 2-0. LHP Dominic Perachi (1-0, 1.80) started and went six innings, allowing three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. RHP Landon Tomkins (3.38) followed with two scoreless. RHP Jaycob Deese (3.00) worked the ninth for his first save. LF Titus Dumitru (.146) went 1 for 3 with his second homer. C Shawn Ross (.182) went 1 for 3 with his second homer.

Next: Sunday vs. Portland (Red Sox), 1 p.m.

GREENSBORO (High-A, 10-4) lost 8-3 to Brooklyn (Mets). C Easton Carmichael (.273) went 2 for 4 with an RBI. RF Shalin Polanco (.250) went 1 for 3 with a stolen base and an RBI. 1B Jared Jones (.277) went 2 for 5 with a run scored. RHP Carlson Reed (0-1, 7.36) started, recorded one out and gave up four runs on two hits and four walks. RHP Jose Garces (3.60) pitched two scoreless innings.

Next: Sunday at Brooklyn (Mets), 2 p.m.

BRADENTON (Low-A, 5-9) allowed seven stolen bases in its 6-5 loss to Tampa (Yankees). CF Edward Florentino, starting a rehab assignment as he recovers from an ankle injury, went 1 for 3 with a walk, double and run scored. LHP Reinold Navarro (6.43) started and gave up three hits, four walks and two earned runs over three innings while striking out five. SS/1B Eddie Rynders (.128) went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. DH Edgleen Perez (.238) went 1 for 4 and drove in two runs. LF/CF Josh Tate (.208) went 2 for 5 with an RBI. 2B/SS Antonio Pimentel (.154) went 2 for 4 with a double. RHP Greiber Mendez (5.40) and RHP Noah Murdock (0-1, 9.00), who took the loss, each gave up two hits and one run in one inning. RHP Treyson Peters pitched the final three innings, allowing five hits, one earned run and one walk while striking out two.

Next: Sunday at Tampa (Yankees), noon

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