Indianapolis, IN
The Top 5 drugs fueling the overdose crisis in Indianapolis
Why fentanyl is so deadly
Due to its lethal potency, the synthetic opioid named fentanyl has claimed hundreds of Hoosiers’ lives in recent years.
Dwight Adams, dwight.adams@indystar.com
If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health or substance abuse problems, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for help. Anyone grieving the loss of someone to overdose can text ‘mental’ to 317-435-5281 to get connected with mental health resources.
INDIANAPOLIS — Drugs are continuing their deadly grip on the Circle City, keeping overdose deaths at concerning levels.
Illicit fentanyl is the driving force behind the crisis, carrying a fatal dose small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil.
Beyond fentanyl, other drugs remain a concern in overdose cases seen by the Marion County Coroner’s Office.
Here are the top drugs seen in overdose deaths in the Indianapolis area:
Overdose alerts: Get texts to know when a bad batch of drugs is in your neighborhood
2024 most deadly drugs in Indianapolis
What’s not on the list?: ‘Zombie drug’ an ’emerging threat’ for Indiana
2023 most deadly drugs in Indianapolis
2022 most deadly drugs in Indianapolis
2021 most deadly drugs in Indianapolis
Where are overdoses happening the most in Indianapolis?
Seven ZIP codes in Marion County were identified as “hot spots” for overdose, accounting for 46% of deaths so far this year.
What is fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Where to get fentanyl test strips
Overdose Lifeline offers to anonymously send fentanyl test strips to Indiana residents through its website. Those interested must fill out a form with their contact info.
Strips are also available 24/7 inside one of thousands of “NaloxBox” kits stationed throughout the state. Find a kit online at overdoselifeline.org/naloxone-indiana-distribution/.
Fentanyl overdose symptoms and side effects
Overdose causes someone to fall into a stupor state. Their pupil size may change, their skin may become clammy and their lips, nail beds and skin may turn blue. Someone who is overdosing may have respiratory failure that leads to death.
What does fentanyl look like?
Fentanyl is typically a powder or liquid. In recent years, the powder has become a common additive to heroin, methamphetamine or other street drugs, often without the user knowing.
Illicit fentanyl has also been pressed into fake pills to mimic drugs such as oxycodone or Adderall.
Where can I get Narcan?
Narcan, the common name brand for the opioid reversal agent naloxone, can be requested through Overdose Lifeline website. The supplies can be delivered anonymously.
Medetomidine What to know about the latest sedative found in Indianapolis street drugs
Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
Indianapolis police shoot homicide suspect on South Harding Street
Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a pursuit ended near I-70 on May 28, 2026. The suspect is in stable condition.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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Get more information of shootings involving Indianapolis police here.
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.
Indianapolis scored all three of their runs in the fifth inning on a single from Billy Cook and a two-run home run from Ronny Simon. It marked the third time the
José Plasencia brings Cuban cuisine to Fountain Square’s Inferno Room
Cuban food never got the opportunity to evolve. Now at the Inferno Room, José Plasencia is giving his homeland cuisine a second chance.
A standout burger can come from unexpected places, as evidenced by one Indianapolis restaurant whose unconventional take on the American classic has earned it a spot on a national USA Today list.
There’s only one burger on the menu at the recently reimagined Inferno Room in Fountain Square, but it’s a good one.
Chef José Plasencia’s rendition of the Cuban frita, a beef-chorizo burger defined by a topping of fried shoestring potatoes, joined heavy hitters from across the country on USA TODAY’s pantheon of patties.
The USA Today list included places like Mr. Bartley’s Burgers, a veritable institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as Jay’s Burgers in Louisville and Sacred Beast in Cincinnati.
Indianapolis’ best-known burger spot, the more than century-old Workingman’s Friend, did not make the national list but appeared alongside the Inferno Room on USA TODAY’s roundup of exemplary Midwest burgers. Both were featured on IndyStar’s list of 10 burgers to try around town.
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