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Indy gun ordinance could face major legal challenges

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Indy gun ordinance could face major legal challenges


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A firearm lawyer on Monday said a proposed gun ordinance could run afoul of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

The City-County Council on Monday night will introduce an ordinance that would ban any new sales of military-style rifles in the city, prohibit permitless carry, and raise the minimum age to buy a gun to 21.

A provision in the ordinance would put it into effect only if state lawmakers repeal Indiana’s preemption law, which specifically prohibits cities from enacting such bans.

Mayor Joe Hogsett told News 8 he’s trying to show state lawmakers what city leaders want the legislature to allow them to do. He says Indianapolis’ population density means it faces crime problems other parts of the state lack.

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“We think that getting these ordinances in place puts us in a good position to ask the General Assembly to either exempt or eliminate preemption,” he said. “Our message ought to be heard.”

The prospects for a repeal of the preemption law are dim at best. The General Assembly currently has Republican supermajorities in both chambers. Those supermajorities pushed through a permitless concealed carry law last year.

Marc Halata, a defense lawyer who specializes in firearm cases, says he’s not aware of any effort to repeal the law.

“Judging by the fact that (the ordinance) probably has no actual legal teeth to it unless the state repeals the 2011 Indiana Firearms Preemption Act, I would say that this is more of a political statement,” he said. “Maybe, you know, pandering to (Hogsett’s) constituency.”

Halata says that even if the preemption law was repealed, current case law could block it. He pointed to the United States Supreme Court’s ruling last year in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case, in which the court held New York’s requirement that a concealed-carry permit applicant shows proper cause for applying for one was unconstitutional.

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Halata says similar logic could be brought to bear on any municipality that tried to enact stricter gun laws.

Council Minority Leader Brian Mowery in a statement calls Hogsett’s proposal a political stunt.

“These measures, which are ‘enforceable only upon the removal or repeal of state or federal law’ represents another iteration of unserious policy proposals from the 25th floor,” he said. “City leadership should focus on addressing the root causes of crime in Marion County.”

Hogsett said he isn’t asking that the preemption be lifted for every other city in Indiana.

“We hold out hope that the General Assembly and those legislators from outside the city recognize and appreciate the unique challenge Indianapolis has,” he said.

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The ordinance could get a committee hearing as early as this Friday. Officials with the mayor’s office said they plan for the council to bring it up for a final vote at its July meeting.



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Indianapolis, IN

National discount retailer to make it's way to downtown Indianapolis

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National discount retailer to make it's way to downtown Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — The downtown Indy building Claypool Court is getting a new retailer.

Officials hope major names like Burlington will bring more Hoosiers and visitors to Mile Square.

WRTV

“There’s definitely a lot of higher-end restaurants right around this area, so I think bringing in some retail stores isn’t a bad idea,” Wesley Slaughter, who lives downtown, said.

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The store will sit at Washington and Illinois Streets, an area Slaughter says will be a good fit because it’s a heavily trafficked intersection.

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WRTV

“I could see it being beneficial to get more people in the area because otherwise you have to drive outside of 465 just to hit one of those stores,” Slaughter said.

TJ Maxx has been a big part of the downtown retail scene for many years, but now there is some competition with the Burlington that’s going to be a couple of doors down.

WATCH RELATED COVERAGE | Downtown Indy’s Future Plans announced

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Downtown Indy’s future plans announced

“We’re excited anytime that there’s a new addition to the retail landscape here in downtown Indianapolis,” Taylor Schaffer, with Downtown Indy Inc., said.

Schaffer says this is just part of a pipeline of new projects and development coming to the area.

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WRTV

The space Burlington will take over is the lower level of Claypool Court. It used to be home to the Rhythm! Discovery Center.

The store is set to open this fall.





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Indianapolis, IN

A Yard Of One’s Own – Indianapolis Monthly

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A Yard Of One’s Own – Indianapolis Monthly


Credit: Angela Jackson/Indianapolis Monthly

REALTOR Summer Hudson was always waiting for the perfect midcentury modern home to hit the market and lure her away from her beloved Irvington. On Hudson’s popular TikTok channel, Find a Lot to Love, she cooed over original 1960s woodwork and intact bathrooms for the 207,000 followers who enjoyed watching her walk through houses for sale in Central Indiana. But the eXp Realty agent’s own family needed a yard for their 5-year-old daughter more than she needed a pristine Avriel Shull A-frame, so she gave her husband, Ryan Sloan, one criterion: Find a house with the exact same layout as their 3,000-square-foot Irvington ranch, plus a yard, and she’d move.

Lo and behold, he did, in Crows Nest. The three-bed, two-bath house has a circular layout with semi–open concept living, dining, and kitchen spaces and, as a bonus, a pool on the half-acre lot. “I always said I’d never turn down a pool,” Hudson says. The home had been sitting on the market for a while because, in Hudson’s opinion, the listing for 1,800 square feet was misleading; the homeowners couldn’t include the 1,200-square-foot finished attic because the ceiling was too low. Additionally, the photos didn’t do the home justice. “From the outside, it looks tiny and bungalow-ish, but you don’t realize how deep it goes,” she says, adding that the images didn’t showcase the layout’s attractive flow, either. The couple got it under list price for $410,000, and Hudson, who uses the attic as her office, has no regrets—her dream midcentury home can wait. Downsizing forced the couple to purge, and they discovered the joys of a simplified lifestyle. “I’m actually spending more time with my kid out- side. That has been the most amazing part of all of this,” Hudson says.

FAVORITE FEATURE
The nature-filled backyard

PURCHASE DATE
March 2024

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NEIGHBORHOOD
Crows Nest

SQUARE FOOTAGE
1,800





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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis man sentenced to 110 years for 2021 double homicide

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Indianapolis man sentenced to 110 years for 2021 double homicide


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to 110 years in prison for his role in a north side shooting that resulted in the death of two men during a $20 marijuana deal in 2021.

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced the sentencing of 21-year-old Camran Perry on Thursday, following a jury’s verdict after a two-day trial. In July, Perry was found guilty of two counts of murder and carrying a handgun without a license, a release said.

Andrew Jones, 21, and Blake Coffman, 20, died in a shooting about 6:45 p.m. Dec. 1, 2021, in the 8800 block of Westfield Way at the 9000 Westfield apartments. That’s just southeast of the intersection of East 91st Street and Westfield Boulevard.

Investigators interviewed a witness who reported hearing “three loud thumps” and seeing a man in a gray sweatsuit standing behind the victims’ vehicle before fleeing the scene. The witness, along with others, then approached the vehicle and called the police.

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Two cellphones were recovered at the scene. Investigators obtained warrants for the phones, one of which belonged to Coffman.

According to a release, on Coffman’s phone, which was logged into his personal Instagram account, investigators found video chats and private messages indicating his intention to meet someone at the location of the shooting. The other user of this account deleted their account just hours after the incident. Digital forensics teams traced this account back to Perry.

Perry was taken into custody on Jan. 10. Initially, he denied knowing either of the victims, but later confessed to meeting up with them to make a purchase. Perry later admitted to engaging in a verbal altercation with Coffman and Jones, before shooting both men, police say.

Prosecutor Ryan Mears issued the following statement after the conviction:

“Young people having easy access to firearms leads to them making poor, split-second decisions that result in senseless deaths and tragedy,” stated Prosecutor Mears. “It is incumbent upon us to continue to empower young people with the tools to be mindful of the long-term consequences of gun violence in order to avoid tragedies like this.”

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