Connect with us

Indianapolis, IN

Man killed in random downtown attack beloved member of Indianapolis Convention Center staff

Published

on

Man killed in random downtown attack beloved member of Indianapolis Convention Center staff


play

Alan Gosnell’s last day on Earth started like most others during the past seven years.

He was working his noon to 8 p.m. shift as a foreman of the sound and light division at the Indianapolis Convention Center. On Sept 11, 2024, he was scheduled to complete additional maintenance and cleaning jobs as the convention center’s team was putting on the final touches for the Indiana Wellness Summit expected to start the following day.

Advertisement

Nearing the end of the day, he had completed much of his work and decided to take a break inside the sound and light division office with a coworker.

This is where Gosnell first encountered Brian Fulton.

Gosnell didn’t know Fulton, according to court documents, and when Fulton approached the office, Gosnell did not interact or speak with him, witnesses told police.

The man walked away before Gosnell left the office to check on equipment in the area. That’s when the attack happened. Inside a hallway on the second floor of the convention center, Gosnell would draw his last breath.

Advertisement

Fulton was primarily charged with murder, but as of Monday, he had not formally been charged.

This unwarranted attack left many in the city questioning downtown’s safety, but more importantly, it has left Gosnell’s family with heartbreaking questions that may never receive answers.

Who was Alan Gosnell?

To many, Gosnell was known as “Big Al,” a kind man who would help anyone.

“I don’t know why this guy would do something (to him),” said John Gosnell. “My brother would never do anything to hurt anybody… He was just a big Teddy Bear.”

Advertisement

There were only a few things in this world that Alan Gosnell loved more than his passion for audio and lighting visuals and that was his family.

He would take any opportunity allotted to him to share stories about his grandchild and how excited he was to meet his next grandchild due later this year.

That opportunity was stolen.

Indiana Convention Center attack

Many in the community are still trying to understand what motivated Fulton to allegedly kill Gosnell inside the Indianapolis Convention Center on Sept. 11, 2024.

An employee of the convention center told police that Fulton approached her acting “weird” and kept referencing the roof. Unsure of what Fulton was asking, she led him to the light and sound office.

Advertisement

Fulton continued asking nonsensical questions about the roof before leaving the doorway, according to court documents. Then Gosnell left the office to check the equipment.

Soon after multiple people heard Gosnell screaming for Fulton to stop attacking him, according to court documents.

Witnesses saw Gosnell being beaten before he was strangled with “some kind of phone charge cable,” according to court documents.

“He got what he deserved,” a witness heard Fulton say before leaving the Indiana Convention Center, perplexing those who know him.

“Such a tragedy, I worked with (Gosnell) at the Indiana Convention Center, he was a very nice guy, such a senseless killing,” Bernadette Billerman-Mooney said on social media.

Advertisement

Police detained Fulton about two blocks from the convention center.

After being arrested, Fulton told detectives he was military and CIA and “had just neutralized an international terrorist nuclear threat.” When asked to elaborate on his statement, Fulton told detectives he would not say more and wanted a lawyer.

‘He was a one-of-a-kind person’

After reading about how his brother was killed, John Gosnell could not understand why Fulton would do this to his brother.

Unlike other family members who served in the military, Alan Gosnell followed his passion for audio and visual arts early in life and decided to go to college.

Gosnell moved to Arizona and attended Phoenix Institute of Technology as a young adult, where he learned the ins and outs of being an audio and visual stagehand.

Advertisement

He followed his passion for nearly three decades and traveled the country as a stagehand operating the lighting and audio for countless monster truck shows and worked with Markey’s an Indianapolis audiovisual equipment rental service before joining the convention center staff.

“He was a one-of-a-kind person,” John Gosnell said.

Everyone knew Gosnell as ‘Big Al’, many believed it was due to his size, but his brother revealed that the nickname stemmed from a childhood joke.

“When we were growing up he was about 5 foot 4 and weighed about 110 pounds,” his brother said. “We called him ‘Big Al’ because it was kind of an opposite thing. And then in his senior year, he grew to 5 foot 11.”

Growing up Alan Gosnell loved Indiana University basketball and followed Notre Dame football religiously. But after his son started attending Purdue University, he grew to love the Boilermakers.

Advertisement

Beyond his immediate family, many of his fellow union workers and members of his stagehand family shared the devastation of Gosnell’s death.

“Al Gosnell, a beloved employee of the Capital Improvement Board, lost his life … in a senseless act of violence.  Al worked with us for more than 10 years and was a great friend to his colleagues. Our CIB family mourns his loss, and we hold his family in our hearts,” said Monica Brase, spokesperson for the Indiana Convention Center.

The killing raised questions among residents about the safety of downtown Indianapolis and security at the Convention Center, which draws people to the city year-round.

Andy Mallon, executive director of the Indianapolis’s Capital Improvement Board, addressed security concerns at last Thursday’s City-County Council committee meeting.

At the time Gosnell was killed the convention center had 24-hour security in place and a uniformed Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer was on the same floor, Mallon said.

Advertisement

Still, Mallon said he appreciated being “held accountable” and would review what more could be done to increase safety at the Convention Center.

Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com.



Source link

Indianapolis, IN

Circle City Orchestra wraps up season with ‘Sound Bites’ fundraiser

Published

on

Circle City Orchestra wraps up season with ‘Sound Bites’ fundraiser


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Circle City Orchestra will close its 2025-26 season with a special “Sound Bites” concert on Sunday.

The concert begins at 4 p.m. at the Athenaeum’s Basile Theatre. Admission is free, with a suggested donation to support the nonprofit, all-volunteer orchestra and “keep the music going.”

Craig Mince, president of the Athenaeum, said the venue has been home to the orchestra for several years — a connection that runs deeper than most might expect. The Athenaeum once hosted a full-time orchestra of its own, and welcoming Circle City Orchestra back into the space has felt like a natural homecoming.

“We love having them,” Mince said. “It harkens back to an old Athenaeum orchestra that used to be in the building full-time. We’re happy to have music back in the building again.”

Advertisement

Phil Kranyak, principal cellist with the orchestra, started playing cello in third grade but stepped away from the instrument for 17 years before joining Circle City Orchestra. He said the group’s welcoming culture made the return feel seamless.

“We are inclusive in every sense of the word,” Kranyak said. “Whether you’re picking up an instrument for the first time or coming back after a long pause, it is so easy to step into this orchestra.”

Andrew Wu, an oboist who joined about a year ago, had a similar experience. Wu played violin, saxophone, and oboe through graduate school before taking a roughly 10-year break. He said the orchestra gave him a meaningful way to reconnect with both music and community.

“Music is such an important part of people’s lives,” Wu said. “Being able to express yourself through music and connect with a greater audience — and within your own orchestra — is just wonderful.”

The orchestra says it is always looking for new musicians.

Advertisement

Rehearsals are held every Wednesday at the Athenaeum, and new faces are always welcome. Mince said nearly every rehearsal brings at least one first-time attendee, and the orchestra embraces that.

Musicians do not need to commit to a full season – the orchestra asks only that members participate in rehearsals for the concert cycle they plan to perform in.

Concert Details

  • ❓: Circle City Orchestra “Sound Bites” End-of-Season Concert.
  • ⏰: 4 p.m. Sunday.
  • 📍: The Athenaeum’s Basile Theatre, 401 E. Michigan St.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Top seeded West Chester cruises to 12-3 win over University of Indianapolis in the Division II championship

Published

on

Top seeded West Chester cruises to 12-3 win over University of Indianapolis in the Division II championship


CARY, N.C. — One big inning was all the West Chester baseball team needed to get off to a winning start at the Division II championship.

The Golden Rams put their first five batters on base in the first inning and all eventually came around to score in a 12-3 opening round victory against the University of Indianapolis at the USA Baseball National Training Complex on Friday.

Ace Julian Costa didn’t have his best stuff on the mound, but he battled through seven innings while his offense pounded out 14 hits to earn a date against UT Tyler on Sunday (6 p.m., ncaa.com) in the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

» READ MORE: Kyle Lazer aims to finish what he started with West Chester baseball in Division II championship

Advertisement

“Our guys all do our homework, so we knew what we were getting and were just looking to be aggressive early,” said catcher Caleb Strawhecker, who in addition to going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored at the plate, threw out two would-be UIndy base stealers. “Putting up a lot of runs on the board was the goal and luckily we were able to do that.”

The Rams (45-10) wasted little time establishing their dominance against the overmatched Greyhounds, who advanced to Cary, N.C. by winning the Midwest region.

Carter Rust hit a leadoff single in the first inning and scored on a double by Strawhecker, who then came around on a single by Austin Stalker. After Hunter Smith walked and a perfectly placed bunt single by Patrick Gozdan loaded the bases, Tanner Donati made it 3-0 with an RBI single before two more runs scored on a double-play grounder by Harry Middlebrooks and a single by No. 8 hitter Christian Michak.

“It was a good complete game effort,” West Chester coach Mike LaRosa said. “Jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first. Give Costa a five spot and I think everybody feels confident from there on that we’ve got an opportunity to take that game.”

As it turned out, the first inning outburst was enough for the Rams to win the game. But it wasn’t as easy even with their best arm on the mound.

Advertisement

The senior left-hander Costa wasn’t as sharp as he was when he held Millersville without a hit into the seventh in last week’s NCAA Atlantic Super Regional. While he gave up 10 hits and walked two, he always seemed to make the right pitches at the right times to wiggle out of trouble.

» READ MORE: Rowan baseball drops opening game vs. Adrian in Division III championship, face elimination on Saturday

The only runs he allowed were a second inning homer to Brayton Bowen and an RBI single by Austin Bode in the fourth.

Not only did Costa leave the bases loaded twice on the way to his 13th win in 14 decisions this season, he started the game by picking off the first two UIndy runners to reach base in the top of the first. Strawhecker also helped him out by throwing out two more runners trying to steal second.

“It was a little [difficult] location-wise at the start of the game,” said Costa, who struck out seven. “Around the third inning was when I started extending my legs and worked on the mound, and everything came together.”

Advertisement

West Chester added to its lead with a run in the fifth, then broke the game open late with two in the seventh and three more in the eighth on a three-run homer to left center by Rust. UIndy (39-23) got its final run in the ninth off the Rams’ bullpen.

“After the pickoffs happened [in the top of the first], we all just laughed to ourselves and said ‘We’re good now,’” Strawhecker said. “Then it was just getting back to business, getting outs and playing our game.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis police shoot homicide suspect following pursuit

Published

on

Indianapolis police shoot homicide suspect following pursuit


play

  • The suspect was wanted in connection with the shooting death of a woman earlier in the evening.
  • The suspect was taken to the hospital in stable condition after being shot by officers.
  • Two firearms were recovered at the scene of the police-involved shooting.

This article will update. Get breaking news alerts on your phone → download the IndyStar app.

Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a vehicle pursuit that ended west of downtown near Interstate 70.

Advertisement

Just before 8:30 p.m. May 28, 2026 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to a shooting in the first block of North Rural Street. Arriving officers found Patricia Wieber, 65, with gunshot wounds. Wieber was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.

Witnesses were able to give police information about the shooter and officers tracked the suspect to the 7500 block of Bullock Court on the city’s south side. The suspect, identified by police as Ronald Cross, 75, got into a different vehicle with another man. While tracking that vehicle officers attempted a traffic stop near West Southport and Bluff roads. The driver, who is not implicated in the homicide, got out of the vehicle without incident and was taken into custody.

Police said Cross then slid into the vehicle’s driver seat and fled. Officers used stop sticks and then in the 1000 block of South Harding Street near I-70 a SWAT officer used a vehicle to perform a PIT maneuver to stop the SUV, said Kendale Adams, IMPD deputy chief of criminal investigations.

Advertisement

After the vehicle was stopped officers shot the suspect, Adams said. Cross was taken to the hospital in stable condition. No officers were injured.

Adams said two firearms were located at the scene.

During a news conference at the scene, Indianapolis police chief Tanya Terry extended her thoughts to the family of Wieber who was killed in what police believe was a domestic violence situation. She also praised her officers’ handling of the situation.

“[Our officers] did exactly what our community expects them do to in situations like this,” Terry said. “Our officers worked with bravery, coordination and precision in their attempts to safely bring the suspect into custody. I’m extremely proud of them for the work that they’ve done.”

Advertisement

The chief added that Cross would be facing charges in the case and police confirmed hours later that Cross was arrested on a murder charge.

The shooting involving police was among a string of shootings across the city, including one downtown roughly two hours before that left a man in critical condition.

“It’s been a difficult night for our city,” Terry said.

The officers involved in shooting Cross have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy. The Civilian Use of Force Review Board will have a hearing on the shooting and body and dash cameras were activated during the shooting, Adams said.

Advertisement

It is unclear whether Cross fired at officers and what makes and models of firearms were found by police.

Asked those questions by IndyStar, an unnamed IMPD spokesperson did not provide additional information and instead referred to a press release that did not contain the answers. 

This is the fourth shooting involving Indianapolis police since the start of the year.

📩 Start your morning with the top Indy news delivered straight to your inbox with IndyStar’s Daily Briefing. Sign up for free at indystar.com/newsletters.

Get more information of shootings involving Indianapolis police here.

Advertisement
play

After an IMPD officer-involved shooting, what comes next?

From investigations and reviews to public updates and department procedures, this is what happens after an IMPD officer-involved shooting.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending