Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis rocked by mistaken identity shooting of paperboy in 1980s
There was no warning before the gunshot was fired from within the house. Inside, an armed homeowner believed they’d thwarted a crime. Feet away, a loved one watched as their family member died, the light low before sunrise.
That was the case on Nov. 5, 2025, as it also was on Sept. 25, 1986. Nearly four decades before the death of Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, a high school junior mistaken for a vandal was fatally shot while delivering The Indianapolis Star on his early morning paper route.
The killing of Scott “Patrick” Lawson, 16, drew national headlines. As the teen approached a northside home to deliver the morning paper, 74-year-old Nokomis Toombs fired a shotgun through his living room window, striking Lawson in the chest. Lawson’s mother, who was helping her son out that morning, was parked feet away.
Toombs told police he’d been keeping an all-night vigil after a rash of youth violence near his home in the 5200 block of North Rosslyn Avenue north of the Indiana Fairgrounds. When Lawson approached his home at about 4:45 a.m., Toombs believed he was a neighborhood teen taking part in an ongoing harassment campaign. He did not give a warning before firing the gun, he told police.
Toombs had recently testified against three teens in a burglary case and feared retaliation, according to a Sept. 26, 1986, United Press International article.
About a month before Lawson’s death, police confiscated two guns from Toombs after he admitted to firing into a neighbor’s home. He said his own home had been fired upon first, and the guns were returned because Toombs had no criminal record.
Prosecutors soon learned that Toombs had not been home all night on Sept. 25, as he had claimed, and had instead been cut off at a bar only hours before the shooting – a fact that likely made the state’s case stronger.
Toombs was charged with murder within days of the shooting.
“I’m not convinced this was a case of a homeowner defending his home,” said Steve Goldsmith, Marion County’s then-prosecutor, according to an Associated Press article from Sept. 29, 1986.
Indiana law allows people to use reasonable force — including deadly force — to prevent an unlawful entry of their home, occupied motor vehicle or curtilage.
Toombs eventually pleaded guilty to reckless homicide. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in January 1987, serving two and a half after a sentence reduction and good time credit.
There are sharp differences between the two shootings, decades apart. Curt Andersen, the 62-year-old man charged in connection with the Nov. 5, 2025, shooting of Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, who arrived at his home mistakenly thinking she had a cleaning job there, made no mention to police about previous break-ins or crime, according to court documents. There’s also no indication that investigators suspected Andersen of being under the influence at the time of the shooting.
On Nov. 17, Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood announced a charge of voluntary manslaughter against Andersen. Guy Relford, Andersen’s attorney, indicated on social media that his defense will center around castle doctrine.
“Contrary to the contention of the prosecutor — and without discussing the specific facts of the case — we believe Mr. Andersen had every reason to believe his actions were absolutely necessary and fully justified at the time,” Relford wrote on X shortly after charges were announced.
Andersen’s initial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21.
(This article will update.)
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It was another busy week in high school sports in central Indiana and ‘The Zone Extra’ has it all covered.
Athlete of the week and Guerin Catholic senior outfielder Ian Taylor is off to a scorching hot start to the young season. Check out his interview as well as Guerin Catholic head coach Dave Schrage talk about Taylor’s success.
The Johnson County baseball tournament came to a close. See highlights from Center Grove’s tournament victory.
The 4A baseball coaches poll was released as well as the 3A softball coaches poll.
The former Columbus North gymnastics coach, John Hinds, passed away at 88 years old.
Center Grove head softball coach Alyssa Coleman joins the show for a coaches corner conversation.
See highlights from the Colts Local Pro Day, featuring several former Hoosiers and Purdue’s Devin Mockobee.
Girls lacrosse is in the first season as an IHSAA emerging sport.
All of that, and more, can be found in the full The Zone Extra show above.
(WISH) — A tornado watch was issued until 3 a.m. EDT Saturday for counties northwest and west of Indianapolis, and into Illinois.
Indiana counties in the watch area are Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Elkhart, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Kosciusko, La Porte, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Parke, Pulaski, Putnam, St. Joseph, Starke, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren and White. The watch area includes the cities of Crawfordsville, Elkhart, Lafayette, Lebanon, South Bend, Terre Haute, and West Lafayette.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued two watches in Indiana. The other one until midnight EDT Friday includes the Indiana counties of Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter. That includes the city of Gary. That watch also extends into Illinois.
Storms on Friday night in central Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Minnesota led to dozens of confirmed tornado warnings. The storms in central Illinois has gusts up to 80 mph, and tornadoes embedded in heavy rain.
An alert issued after 10:30 p.m. Friday from the National Weather Service at Indianapolis said, “A line of strong thunderstorms is nearing the state line with a history of widespread damaging winds and tornadoes. The line is expected to continue to produce damaging winds as it moves into Indiana with the potential for additional tornadoes. The line is then expected to gradually weaken as it moves further into the state.”
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Athenaeum in downtown Indianapolis is getting ready to welcome spring with its annual St. Benno Festival this Saturday.
Organizers say it’s one of the longest-running cultural festivals in Indianapolis.
St. Benno Festival is based on the German tradition of “Frühlingsfest,” the springtime version of Oktoberfest, Athenaeum Foundation President Craig Mince says.
“It would always be the festival that would open up the beer garden,” Mince said. “So that was kind of their kickoff of the spring and that warmer season. “
The Athenaeum’s celebration focuses on St. Benno, the patron saint of anglers and the city of Munich, Germany.
There’s a lot of folklore surrounding St. Benno. He’s said to have created Bach beer. He also had a sidekick, “Einbeck,” which means “billy goat” in German.
Legend has it that when the invaders were coming to Munich, he threw the key to a church into a body of water. Years later, he caught a fish that had eaten the key and retrieved it.
“When the German immigrants came here to central Indiana, Indianapolis in particular, they started to organize,” Mince said. “They celebrated Benno. They celebrated Bach beer. So that was kind of the beginning of this institution.”
St. Benno Fest will include lots of beer, pretzels, and Gomez BBQ’s doner kebab.
Francene Thomas, the Athenaeum’s event and festivals manager, says there’s a lot of thought that goes into the menu.
“We want to definitely bring the tradition of this festival and continue that, but also, just bring some fresh flavor to it, too.”
The celebration serves as a fundraiser for the Athenaeum. Money raised will go back into maintenance and other events that promote German culture.
Tickets are $25 and can be bought in advance on the Athenaeum website. St. Benno Fest is a 21+ event and runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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