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, IN
Indianapolis Democrat Andrea Hunley to seek bid for mayor’s job in 2027
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State Sen. Andrea Hunley, a Democrat representing Indianapolis, has announced her candidacy for a bid to run for mayor of Indianapolis in 2027.
Hunley, who had previously teased a mayoral run, has scheduled a launch event for May 8 as her official kickoff her campaign to lead the city, said her campaign website. The Assistant Minority Leader in the Senate announced in January that she would not seek another term in the Indiana Senate, to which she was elected in 2022.
Hunley’s website says, “Indianapolis is my city. Our city. As someone who knows this city, someone who has served this community as a public school teacher leading our children and supporting families, I am committed to the future of the people of Indianapolis.
“Indianapolis is the economic driver and a key cultural hub for our state. Our city boasts creative entrepreneurs and long-standing local businesses, vibrant neighborhoods and corporate headquarters, community-centered nonprofits and public schools. I aim to champion a better quality of life by listening to and working alongside the people, businesses and neighborhoods that make up our great city.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett has not disclosed if he’s seeking a fourth four-year term.
City-County Council Member Vop Osili in January announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination.
In the same month, Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination to run for mayor. She’s running this year to continue in the trustee’s job, which she has held since 2019.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, who had been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for mayor, announced in January he would seek another four-year term this year for his current job. However, he did not rule out running for the Democratic bid for mayor in 2027.
Indianapolis, IN
Louisville native set to make debut in Indianapolis 500
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – While Louisville is famous for one race in May, a Derby City native is set to make his first appearance in a different iconic May race.
Jacob Abel will be making his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, racing for Abel Motorsports, founded by his father, Bill Abel.
“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500. It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special,” Jacob said.
Both Abels, the driver and the team, had breakout years in 2024 with three pole positions and three wins in the INDY NXT drivers’ championship, propelling the 25-year-old driver to the NTT INDYCAR Series the following year.
Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 begins on Tuesday, May 12 with qualifying being held on May 16 and May 17. The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway goes green on May 24, coverage begins at 10 a.m.
Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.
Indianapolis, IN
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.
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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