INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — NASCAR weekend is in full swing as drivers prepare for races.

Team 23XI Racing, a professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, had a kickoff to the racing weekend on Friday evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with food, music and drivers. The event came ahead of Saturday and Sunday racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, concluding with the Brickyard 400 on Sunday.

Driver Bubba Wallace said, “It’s a fun get a away from the madness that we’re always a part of at the race track. I love it here in Indy, bringing car culture here in motorsports.”

He signed autographs and cars of young fans.

Riley Herbst won the Xfinity Series race in 2024. He said of Indianapolis, “It’s a cool town. The fans are awesome. The history in this place is really neat and to be able to add to that history last year with winning the race. Hopefully, we can make more history on Sunday.”

Aside from drivers, fans got a chance to see NASCAR vehicles get their tires changed. Dante Johnson is a pit crew member. He said he can change a tire weighing 40 pounds in 23 seconds. “Speed. That’s what you just saw was me taking off the right front tire and putting it on. Tightening it up so that’s usually how we start off our pit stop.”

He tightened up the tire with pit gun; the loud sound was deafening.

Fans even got a chance to test their skills on simulators. Gage Moon is a young fan who played on racing simulators. He said that he liked “the I-racing one. I like that better because it’s the home track.”

Indy is known for Indianapolis 500 but for Maksym Kostryk and other new racing fans it could be a new frontier. “I like to zag. I mean Indy car town so I’m gonna pretend that NASCAR is superior, even though I know Indy 500 is a big deal.”

KERRVILLE, Texas (WISH) — Indiana Task Force 1 said Friday that it’s returning home after 18 days of assisting with flood recovery efforts in Texas.

The team has spent the last couple of weeks in Texas, where severe flooding claimed the lives of at least 135 people. Task Force 1 contributed to the recovery operations.

Photos of Indiana Task Force 1’s work in Texas were shared on social media Friday, showcasing their involvement in the recovery efforts.

The post said that it will take several days for the task force to return home.

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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man died in a shooting Friday night in a residential neighborhood on the city’s near-northwest side, police say.

Medics and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were called to a report of a person shot just before 9:35 p.m. Friday in the 800 block of West 29th Street. That’s in the Addison L. Roaches housing addition just south of the I-65 interchange for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

The person was taken in critical condition to a hospital, where he died.

No additional details were immediately available, but IMPD does not believe a threat continues to exist in the neighborhood.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A fire Friday afternoon at the Meridian Towers Apartments displaced multiple residents this afternoon.

The fire broke out around 3 p.m. Friday in the building at 3710 N. Meridian St. and was primarily contained to a single apartment, though two other units sustained damage.

Fire crews from the Indianapolis Fire Department brough the blaze under control within approximately 30 minutes.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

The cause of the fire remained unknown, and the total number of displaced residents has not been specified.

This story is from a script aired on WISH-TV. This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The city government of Indianapolis is shutting down a homeless encampment in Fountain Square, effective Aug. 11, due to growing concerns from nearby homeowners.

The Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety has posted a letter near the encampment, announcing the permanent closure of the area to camping. The letter states that any items found in the area after the closure date will be removed and discarded.

Earlier this week, homeowners near the site expressed their concerns about the growing encampment, as WISH-TV reported on Tuesday.

The letter did not detail specific reasons for the closure. The number of people affected also was not been mentioned, nor have future plans for the site after the closure been discussed.

This story is from a script aired on WISH-TV. This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.

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LAWRENCE, Ind. (WISH) — The city government of Lawrence on Friday honored its past mayors with a memorial service at the Lawrence Government Center, marking 65 years since Morris Settles was elected as the city’s first mayor.

Democratic Mayor Deb Whitfield highlighted the importance of recognizing the contributions and vision of past leaders as the city continues to grow.

Former mayors Dean Jessup and Steve Collier, as well as family members of nearly every past mayor, attended the event.

Whitfield said, “I think that’s very important to acknowledge the work, their legacy, and their vision as the city of Lawrence is continuing to grow. In order for us to succeed we need to know our past so that we can be really cognitive of what we are going to do in the future.”

The city on the northeast side of Marion County has an estimated population of 49,800, according to Stats Indiana. That’s up from 49,300 in 2020.

Since 1960, seven people have served as mayor of Lawrence, each contributing to the city’s development and progress.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Westfield Police Department has released more details as it continues to investigate a man who committed suicide during its investigation of the sale of counterfeit autographed sports memorabilia.

A search warrant was executed on July 15. The next day, the investigation led police to a home on Hoover Street. That’s where Brett Lemieux, 45, the founder of Mister Mancave, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

Lemieux, of Westfield, was the primary suspect in the case.

The investigation began in February after a woman in North Carolina reported receiving fraudulent merchandise from the company, the Westfield city government said in a news release issued Thursday. As the case progressed, more victims came forward, claiming they had purchased counterfeit memorabilia from Mister Mancave.

Police say a significant quantity of evidence was collected during the searches, including documentation and items related to the alleged counterfeit operation.

Investigators also say they are reviewing a social media post made by Lemieux before his death, which named other people potentially involved.

The case has received news coverage around the world because of the affect the fake sports memorabilia had on the market.

The Westfield Police Department say it’s working with authenticators to verify the seized items and is receiving assistance from the FBI. The department says it has strengthened its ability to pursue complex financial crimes through its partnership with the FBI White Collar Crimes Task Force.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Detective Don Bennett.

Previous coverage on WISHTV.com

• Westfield man found dead after police raid sports memorabilia store

Resources

Mental health resources

• Be Well Indiana
• Indiana Suicide Prevention
• Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
• National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
• More resources

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer recently rescued a child from a hot vehicle, highlighting the dangers of leaving children and pets in cars during the summer heat.

The incident happened on a typical summer day in Indianapolis when Master Patrol Officer Micki Sturrock responded to a call about a child locked in a car. The child’s mother had accidentally locked the child inside, and a nearby employee called 911 due to a language barrier.

Sturrock said, “It’s not just the folks who do something negligently. It’s often someone who is very caring and has a very appropriate family and parents who do this accidentally.”

Upon arrival, Sturrock quickly assessed the situation and, without hesitation, smashed the car window to rescue the child. The quick action was necessary as temperatures inside a parked car can become deadly in just a few minutes.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 1,000 children have died of heatstroke because they were left or became trapped in hot cars over the past 25 years.

Sturrock said, “It only takes about 10 to 12 minutes on a summer day, especially when you are parked in direct sunlight, for the temperatures inside that car to get dangerous.”

The IMPD urged parents and caregivers always to check the back seat every time they leave their vehicle and advised bystanders to call 911 if they see a child or pet locked inside a hot vehicle.

Sturrock said, “Being trapped in a hot car in the summer heat is a life or death situation.”

IMPD also warned that parking in the shade and cracking windows do not significantly reduce the risk in hot weather. They advised always bringing children with you when leaving the car.

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