INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said a person was shot just before 9 p.m. Sunday in the 5900 block of East 82nd Street, near Castleton Square Mall.

Police arrived to find a person consistent with gunshot wounds. 

The victim was reported to be in critical condition and IMPD is actively investigating this incident.

This is a developing story.

Just weeks after Indianapolis was named America’s best city to buy a home, the state it sits in has been hit with an alarming distinction.

Indiana now has the highest foreclosure rate in the entire country. In February alone, the state recorded one foreclosure filing for every 1,597 housing units – more than double the national rate of one for every 3,701 homes.

The numbers reveal a stark contradiction: the same state touted as a prime opportunity for homebuyers is also seeing thousands of homeowners struggle to keep their properties. 

The ranking of America’s top housing markets came from Zillow, which weighed factors including home price trends, affordability, and projected market growth. Markets ranked highest are seeing prices steady for now – but with gains expected in coming months. 

Indiana topped the list, with typical homes around $283,040 and values set to rise about 2.9 percent this year. The market offers buyers a rare combination of affordability and future price gains.

In Indianapolis, the numbers appeared especially favorable. A typical buyer would need to spend only about 27 percent of their income on mortgage payments.

Indianapolis is widely seen as one of the Midwest’s most livable cities.

It is best known for hosting the legendary Indianapolis 500 — one of the world’s most famous auto races — and boasts a strong sports culture with teams including the Colts and Pacers.

The city stands out for its historic monuments, growing arts scene, and central location that’s earned it the nickname ‘Crossroads of America’

The city’s walkable downtown, expanding arts scene and central location — earning it the nickname the ‘Crossroads of America’ — have helped make it increasingly attractive to homebuyers.

But the foreclosure data suggests many existing homeowners are already struggling to keep up with rising housing costs.

Indianapolis – the state’s largest city – has been particularly hard hit. The metro recorded one foreclosure filing for every 1,249 homes in February, giving it the third-highest foreclosure rate in the nation.

Only Lakeland and Punta Gorda in Florida reported worse figures for metros. Both of which have faced persistently high foreclosure levels.

A foreclosure occurs when a homeowner can no longer keep up with mortgage payments, prompting the lender – usually a bank – to begin a legal process to recover the unpaid loan, often by repossessing and selling the home.

Experts say a combination of rising property taxes, higher insurance premiums and the cost of maintaining aging homes is putting pressure on many Indiana homeowners.

Those financial strains are being worsened by slow wage growth in parts of the state. 

The surge in distressed properties can have wider consequences for communities. When banks repossess homes and sell them at discounted prices, it can drag down surrounding property values and erode the equity of nearby homeowners who have kept up with their payments.

The city of Indianapolis had one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country in February, and its home state of Indiana saw the highest rate overall 

As banks seize more homes and flood the market with discounted properties, surrounding home values drop, eroding equity for nearby homeowners who have kept up with their payments

Indiana’s housing stress comes amid a broader rise in foreclosures across the United States.

In February, foreclosure activity across the country reached 38,840 properties – a 20 percent increase compared with the same month last year. 

Filings track the full spectrum of the process, from initial lender warnings to the formal repossession of homes after missed mortgage payments.

Although the February total was slightly lower than January, it marked the twelfth straight month of year-over-year increases, showing how Americans are increasingly struggling to pay their bills. 

‘Foreclosure activity in February marked the twelfth consecutive month of annual increases, extending a gradual upward trend that began early last year,’ said Rob Barber, chief executive of ATTOM.

Foreclosure starts – when lenders officially begin reclaiming a property – have climbed 14 percent from last year, while completed repossessions have jumped 35 percent.

(This story has been updated to add new information and correct an inaccuracy.)

A teenager who went missing last weekend was found dead on Indianapolis’ northeast side March 13, police and family members say.

The body of Traevion Pirtle, 18, was found near Fervent Prayer Ministries, a church by the intersection of East 38th Street and German Church Road, multiple relatives and family friends gathered near the scene told IndyStar March 14.

According to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report, officers arrived at the church around 9 p.m. March 13 to conduct a death investigation, though it remains unclear who initially reported the discovery. No weapons were reported at the scene, and the cause of death remains unknown.

Pirtle was last seen March 7 in the 3600 block of Cedar Pine Place, according to police, in a subdivision just south of the church. IMPD officials asked for the public’s help in finding him March 9 and said he “may be in need of medical attention.”

Relatives, including Pirtle’s aunt and two siblings, gathered March 14 in a cul-de-sac near the home where they say he was last seen a week before. Family members have traveled from out of state in recent days to help search for Pirtle, who lived with his mother in Indianapolis, they said.

What we know about Traevion Pirtle

Pirtle lived in Indianapolis with his mother and multiple younger siblings, family members told IndyStar, and was preparing to attend college in Florida this year. He previously attended Lawrence North High School but was not a student at the time of his death, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township spokesperson Dana Altemeyer told IndyStar.

Gary Pirtle, his 22-year-old brother, said the two remained close despite the older sibling living in Milwaukee. He said his younger brother was a believer in God whose strong spirit at times felt like “too much for this universe.”

Traevion Pirtle was known to his younger siblings at his home in Indianapolis as “the man of the house,” family members said. He worked multiple jobs to help pay the bills, they said, all while pursuing his talent as a rapper.