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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowMayor Joe Hogsett and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced Saturday that officials will boost patrols, enforce a curfew, install more cameras and work with the state police to curb violence downtown following an early-morning shooting that left two teens dead.
IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said the department will also seek what he called “stay away orders” meant to keep people who have been charged with violent or disorderly crimes out of downtown.
“We should all be shaken by what occurred,” Bailey said at a Saturday press conference. “We cannot grow numb to the violence in our community—wherever it occurs. And we cannot accept this as normal.”
The moves come as officials grapple with a third shooting in the city’s downtown in just the past two weeks.
On Saturday morning, a few hours after a July 4 fireworks celebration, seven people—including at least three juveniles—were shot near the intersection of South Illinois and West Washington streets. A 16-year-old victim died at the scene; a 15-year-old victim died at a hospital.
On June 23, three people were injured and a 16-year-old was arrested after a shooting on Monument Circle that sent bullets into several buildings, including IBJ’s newsroom. On June 21, three people were injured in a shooting along the Central Canal near Indiana Avenue.
“The violence that happened in our downtown early this morning was absolutely unacceptable,” Hogsett said at the news conference Saturday. “I’ll do whatever I can to make sure we have all the tools necessary to hold people accountable and to keep our city and its downtown safe.”
That includes what the mayor called “active enforcement” of an existing state curfew that prohibits anyone under 15 from being out past 11 p.m. on the weekends and anyone 15-17 from being out past 1 a.m. IMPD had been focused on education rather than enforcement of the curfew, “trying to ensure every parent and guardian takes responsibility for their children in the overnight hours,” Hogsett acknowledged.
“But it is clear we must do more,” he said.
The Indiana State Police have committed to help by adding troopers to the downtown area through the end of summer, Bailey said.
Indiana’s curfew law is in place to help keep young people safe.
IMPD will use every tool at our disposal to enforce it, because our top priority is the preservation of life. Let’s work together to keep our young people safe. pic.twitter.com/5w6Gp6Jk8j
— IMPD (@IMPDnews) July 5, 2025
In addition, Bailey said he has directed IMPD officers and detectives to request stay away orders when they submit probable cause affidavits—which prosecutors use to formalize charges—for anyone accused or arrested for violent crimes, weapons violations, disorderly conduct and repeat offenses. The orders, if granted, would prohibit the defendants from the Mile Square, an area of downtown bordered by South, West, North and East streets.
And the chief said the department will work with its attorneys and the City-County Council to update ordinances related to food vendors and food trucks, which he said “are a constant source of issues, especially after the bars close at 3 a.m.”
Bailey said IMPD is trying to work with the companies that own and manage surface parking lots downtown that have become “problem points” for disorderly conduct, shootings and disorderly behavior.
Indianapolis was not the only city to experience violence late on the Fourth of July and into Saturday morning.
Mass shootings were reported in other cities, including Philadelphia and Chicago and Brockton, Massachusetts, where six people were hospitalized following an early-morning fight on Saturday.
Violence and shootings often surge in the summer months, especially around the Fourth of July, historically one of the deadliest days of the year in the U.S.
The shooting in Chicago, which left seven people in serious or critical condition, came on the heels of another mass shooting that happened late Wednesday in a busy neighborhood known for its restaurants and nightlife. Four people were killed and 14 others injured.
In the New York City borough of Queens, police said one person was dead and three injured following a post-fireworks triple stabbing.
Meanwhile, a Wareham, Massachusetts, man is dead after being hit by a firework. Police said they found 70-year-old Robert Spagnuolo with a “facial injury.” He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In Indianapolis, Hogsett emphasized that violent crime has been “significantly down” since the city began implementing its Gun Violence Reduction Strategy in 2021.
“But on days like today, when we are grieving the loss of two young people, all of these strides we have made a feel hollow, when our city’s young people still have their lives rattled by gun violence,” Hogsett said.
“We know we have more work to do,” he said, “and we will continue to keep working each and every day to identify ways in which we can keep our young people safe.”
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All MAGA lies. Downtown is perfectly safe. (Yes, this is the biggest joke of all.)
I’m sure the defunding the police narrative in the past has really helped the situation… too bad Pothole Joe didn’t stand up to his party’s skewed perspectives, and do what was best for the city and the residents.
IMPD never once had its budget reduced. I don’t like Hogsett but the Mayor is not responsible for national rhetoric.
Parents should be held responsible for these juvenile shootings. These shootings are destroying our downtown and the City’s reputation. Not good.
Agree 100%! The council, police, mayor should ensure that parents be held accountable in some fashion for this behavior by youth.
I agree 100%.
And we might have more crew if we’d pay more.
Anyone want to stroll the canal at 11pm? Yikes
One wonders how many of the youth involved in the shootings are being raised by a grandparent and have no involvement from their parents.
Why are the current curfew laws being enforced? “includes what the mayor called “active enforcement” of an existing state curfew that prohibits anyone under 15 from being out past 11 p.m. on the weekends and anyone 15-17 from being out past 1 a.m. IMPD had been focused on education rather than enforcement of the curfew, “trying to ensure every parent and guardian takes responsibility for their children in the overnight hours,” Hogsett acknowledged.” Especially during the summer and during holiday events when statistics show violence surges at these times?
Let’s create a program to educate the parents about curfew laws–and knowledge that curfew will be enforced. When parents show up at community events for a free backpack, coat, food, etc. for their child. Have them listen to and sign off that they understand what curfew laws are.
We also need to look to our law-makers to create a law where parents are held accountable for their minor children’s actions. We need get a law on the books AND ENFORCE IT–that will let parents know we are serious about holding them responsible.
Indianapolis tax payers put millions of dollars into our city that make it possible for it to successfully host sporting events of all levels. Events that provide downtown businesses with the people needed to keep their businesses running. We cannot and should not let crime and incorrigible teens ruin our city.
Where is Prosecutor Ryan Mears in all of this? His prosecutorial strategy — to only prosecute murders and violent felonies and ignore every other “quality of life” crime in the city has had a devastating effect on our city, especially downtown. He refuses to prosecute juvenile offenders for every offense committed until they commit murder or other violent felony. If enforcement by our hard-working police officers has fallen off over the last 5-6 years, that’s why. It’s a revolving door in his office and the Juvenile Court. When will he be held to account by the media?
Between Ryan Mears and Boss Hogsett, downtown and the dialed Redline sure are shaping up to mimic Chicago…
Call it like it is: no one wants these thugs out ruining our city, the parents are the problem, and zero accountability leads to chaos.
Many ( especially those with downtown business concerns) can only hope that the next administration focuses on ‘practical governance’ as opposed to political party theoretics. Police can only do so much. Unless the DA’s office does its job, thugs will erode years and billions of $’s in confidence and goodwill. Reputations travel fast….and are difficult to reverse.
The city should adopt a curfew law that is much more restrictive than the absurd state law. To wit, the city should establish a law that requires every child age 17 and under to be home before 10pm every night of the week, period. Make the parents/guardians responsible for their children’s behavior and compliance, period. Non-compliance should impose stiff penalties, including fines and jail time, period. The only time a child should be exempt from these conditions is if and when they are in the presence of their parents or chaperones who will accept responsibility for the child’s behavior.
Can we have a new mayor soon?
A couple of things:
1. I was surprised to learn that the curfew enforcement that started last year was not being continued until this last incident. We can’t have this sort of thing happen in the Mile Square (it shouldn’t happen anywhere, but still…).
2. Stop making this a political party debate. The current crime rate is lower than the last year of Ballard’s (GOP) administration. I believe the GOP ran the City-County Council then. It shot up the first couple of years under Hogsett, but it has been slowly tapering off. Interestingly, the rate went up significantly in Ballard’s first year (2007) when he took over from Peterson (Dem). Again, though, this should not be a political party debate. It should be about what works to lower crime without becoming a police state.
3. I fully agree that those involved in violence/gun play should be removed from the public for a meaningful period of time. Not for punishment, but for our protection.
4. We continue to have problems hiring police officers. Without that, it is tough to do what we need to have done.
Here’s the year by year chart for crime rates: https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/us/in/indianapolis/crime-rate-statistics
I apologize. The chart I linked to in my comment above only goes up to 2017. The one I had tried to put up has disappeared. I’ll try to find it.