Gun violence, Terrorism and senseless killings!!

[phkrause]

Body camera video focused national attention on an Illinois deputy’s fatal shooting of Sonya Massey

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A riveted nation watched video released this week of a sheriff’s deputy fatally shooting Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who called 911 for assistance, in her Illinois home.

https://apnews.com/article/illinois-sonya-massey-deputy-shooting-grayson-01b91fa1731da8007cff693206cad2bc?

Police shooting revives reform push

Newly released video footage — showing police killing a Black woman who had called 911 for help — is pushing police reform back onto the 2024 agenda, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.

Catch up quick: Prosecutors say police killed Sonya Massey, 36, inside her Springfield, Illinois, home on July 6.

• Authorities say Massey had called 911 to report a suspected prowler.
• Video footage released Monday shows a local sheriff's deputy following Massey inside her home and later shooting her three times, including once in the head, after she stood up to remove a pot of boiling water from her stove.

? What they're saying: "Sonya's family deserves justice. I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss," President Biden said Monday.

? What we're watching: The push for federal police reform has taken a backseat over the past two years, but Massey's death, along with the 10th anniversaries of Eric Garner's and Michael Brown's deaths, is bringing it back in focus.

• The officer who shot her was fired last week and indicted for first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty.

Go deeper.

[phkrause]

Autopsy confirms Sonya Massey died from gunshot wound to head, as attorney calls shooting senseless

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Autopsy findings released Friday on Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman fatally shot in her Illinois home by a now-fired sheriff’s deputy charged in her death, confirm that she died from a gunshot wound to the head.

https://apnews.com/article/sonya-massey-illinois-police-shooting-911-autopsy-06e615f5d812d62de3b16b2600e9727a?

[phkrause]

Deputy Accused of Killing Sonya Massey Was Discharged From Army for Serious Misconduct

Sean Grayson, who is now charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, was previously discharged from the U.S. Army for serious misconduct — and still hired at six police departments in Central Illinois.

https://theintercept.com/2024/07/25/sonya-massey-police-killing-sean-grayson-army/?

[phkrause]

With DUI-related ejection from Army, deputy who killed Massey should have raised flags, experts say

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged in the shooting death of Sonya Massey was kicked out of the Army for the first of two drunken driving convictions in which he had a weapon in his car, authorities said, but that didn’t stop multiple law enforcement agencies from giving him a badge.

https://apnews.com/article/massey-911-deputy-shooting-springfield-6ac3ff78bc29f18bd65c6e2763fab96f?

[phkrause]

Scott Peterson, Convicted of Killing Pregnant Wife Laci, to Give First Interview in 20 Years

Scott Peterson, a man convicted of killing his eight-month pregnant wife in 2002, is speaking out for the first time in nearly two decades. On Monday, Peacock released a teaser for Face to Face With Scott Peterson , a documentary series slated for Aug. 20 that reexamines Peterson’s case.

https://local.newsbreak.com/modesto-ca/3543874798493-scott-peterson-convicted-of-killing-pregnant-wife-laci-to-give-first-interview-in-20-years?

[phkrause]

Teen brother of Air Force airman who was killed by Florida deputy is fatally shot near Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) — The teenage brother of a U.S. Air Force airman who was fatally shot in his home by a Florida sheriff’s deputy in May has been killed in a shooting in the Atlanta area, police said.

https://apnews.com/article/airman-killed-roger-fortson-brother-c14580458644a3f64a11064275e00905?

[phkrause]

4 hotel employees charged with being party to felony murder in connection with Black man’s death

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors charged four Milwaukee hotel employees Tuesday with being a party to felony murder in connection with D’Vontaye Mitchell’s death.

https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-hotel-death-dvontaye-mitchell-24faa32179b76c2d2effeaf604ed2ac0?

[phkrause]

Michael Brown’s death 10 years ago sparked change in Ferguson

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Michael Brown once told his father the “world is going to know my name,” words Michael Brown Sr. still takes to heart.

https://apnews.com/article/ferguson-protests-michael-brown-10-years-blm-88a3dd50044c89800f5bd0e300c27351?

[phkrause]

All 4 Milwaukee hotel workers charged with murder in Black man’s death now in custody

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The last of four hotel workers charged in connection with D’Vontaye Mitchell’s death was taken into custody Friday, more than five weeks after he and the others allegedly piled onto the Black man while trying to remove him from a Milwaukee hotel.

https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-hotel-death-dvontaye-mitchell-4696b1ab17b2a575b8b19a77ab1f9060?

[phkrause]

Fatal weekend shootings jolt growing Denver-area suburb

DENVER (AP) — Four men were fatally shot and a woman was hospitalized with gunshot wounds during a spate of weekend violence in the Denver suburb of Commerce City. A person of interest in one of the cases was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot, police said Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/denver-fatal-shootings-commerce-city-aurora-9a7b2beb9717616be1f8d9c14087a3c5?

[phkrause]

The State Fair of Texas is banning firearms, drawing threats of legal action from Republican AG

DALLAS (AP) — The State Fair of Texas is laying down a new rule before millions of visitors flock through the gates for corn dogs, deep-fried delights and a friendly wave from a five-story cowboy named Big Tex: No guns allowed.

https://apnews.com/article/state-fair-texas-gun-ban-da8b22f018f46dd770f65e799a6d3e6e?

[bonnie1962]

18 minutes ago, phkrause said:

The State Fair of Texas is banning firearms, drawing threats of legal action from Republican AG

DALLAS (AP) — The State Fair of Texas is laying down a new rule before millions of visitors flock through the gates for corn dogs, deep-fried delights and a friendly wave from a five-story cowboy named Big Tex: No guns allowed.

https://apnews.com/article/state-fair-texas-gun-ban-da8b22f018f46dd770f65e799a6d3e6e?

 I will have to leave my gun at home. It would be against the law. they have found a way to reach the mentally ill, and they will abide, the criminal who could care less about  the law will realize he cannot bring his gun. Would be wonderful

 

[phkrause]

Jury convicts white Florida woman in fatal shooting of her Black neighbor during ongoing dispute

A white Florida woman was convicted Friday of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a Black neighbor after the jury rejected her claims that she fired through a metal door in self-defense amid an ongoing dispute over children playing outside her home.

https://apnews.com/article/white-woman-shoots-black-neighbor-florida-trial-0520687894e390dc8f0b1df7eea9f30c?

4 arrested in killing of former ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police arrested four people on Thursday in the fatal shooting of former “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor.

https://apnews.com/article/johnny-wactor-general-hospital-shooting-death-arrests-ecf5119619a1031ed1e860c371704abd?

[phkrause]

JUST IN: Gunfire Erupts at Joint Base San Antonio With Multiple Active Shooters At Main Gate

Security personnel at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland exchanged fire with multiple active shooters at a main gate. Local law enforcement responded and is on the scene outside the gate at the Texas military facility.

https://www.newsbreak.com/mediaite-520570/3565305797775-just-in-gunfire-erupts-at-joint-base-san-antonio-with-multiple-active-shooters-at-main-gate?s=dmg_local_email_bucket_19.web2_fromweb

[phkrause]

Army and police missed chances to intervene before Maine mass shootings, final report says

Both the Army Reserve and police missed opportunities to intervene in a gunman’s psychiatric crisis and initiate steps to seize weapons from the spiraling reservist responsible for the deadliest shootings in Maine history, according to the final report released Tuesday by a special commission. Read More.

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Man wanted on murder charges is apprehended at Chicago restaurant just blocks from DNC

A man wanted on murder and armed robbery charges was taken into custody Wednesday after a 15-hour standoff with police at a Chicago restaurant just blocks from the Democratic National Convention, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/escape-chicago-mississippi-murder-e343c1d13c7de8eb4dda82000bda1e30?

[phkrause]

5-year-old Utah boy accidentally kills himself with a handgun he found in his parents’ bedroom

SANTAQUIN, Utah (AP) — A small town south of Salt Lake City is mourning the death of a 5-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with a handgun he found in his parents’ bedroom.

https://www.newsbreak.com/the-associated-press-510077/3571867602654-5-year-old-utah-boy-accidentally-kills-himself-with-a-handgun-he-found-in-his-parents-bedroom?

[phkrause]

? Police shootings hit rural, suburban areas

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

Rural and suburban areas in the U.S. are seeing higher rates of police shootings than urban areas, Axios' Russell Contreras and Delano Massey write from a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Why it matters: The analysis counters the widespread belief that killings by police are mainly an urban problem — and suggests that many police shootings in rural and suburban areas often go unreported and unnoticed. A lack of media coverage in rural and suburban areas — and uneven accountability measures in rural police agencies — often give the public an inaccurate view of such shootings, analysts say. Fatal shootings by police in big cities typically get far more attention because of media coverage and local activists who mobilize rapidly. ? By the numbers: From 2015 to 2020, 45% of all shootings by law enforcement occurred in rural areas and 22% in the suburbs, according to a study also in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Campus homicide

 

A student at Rice University in Houston was found dead in her dorm room Monday in an apparent murder-suicide, prompting a campus-wide lockdown on the first day of classes. The body of a junior female student was discovered by university police after a concerned family member asked for a wellness check and officers saw she had missed class. The suspected shooter, a male who doesn't appear to be affiliated with the university, was also found dead in the room from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Based on a note from the suspect found at the scene, authorities believe the pair had been in a troubled romantic relationship. The university lifted the lockdown Monday evening and said they will pursue a comprehensive investigation. 
(Editor's Note: If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.)

[phkrause]

Judge denies bond for fired deputy in fatal shooting of Black airman

A judge denied bond on Tuesday for a fired deputy in the shooting of a Black U.S. Air Force senior airman who answered his apartment door while holding a gun pointed at the floor.

https://apnews.com/article/airman-shooting-fired-deputy-florida-georgia-9a9a658bb001ddc998e63d5d34e78523?

[phkrause]

Jury finds ex-politician guilty of murder in 2022 killing of Las Vegas investigative reporter

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury in Nevada has found a Democratic former Las Vegas-area politician guilty of murder in the killing of an investigative journalist who wrote articles critical of his conduct in elected office.

https://apnews.com/article/vegas-journalist-killed-telles-murder-trial-393c5588c1babe5b111ca905363f6a45?

[phkrause]

Adnan Syed’s murder conviction still stands in ‘Serial’ case as court orders new hearing

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Adnan Syed’s murder conviction still stands after Maryland’s highest court Friday ordered a redo of the hearing that freed him. The court ruled that the earlier proceeding violated the rights of the victim’s family, marking the latest development in a legal saga that gained widespread attention through the hit podcast “Serial.”

https://apnews.com/article/adnan-syed-serial-court-ruling-8214ec142906aa3f2662d6be51738407?

[phkrause]

4 people fatally shot on Chicago-area train, police say

FOREST PARK, Ill. (AP) — A shooting on a commuter train outside Chicago on Labor Day morning left four people dead, police said.

https://apnews.com/article/chicago-area-subway-train-shooting-b2944af259116861a7f6edf8989caeeb?

[phkrause]

5 people shot at New York’s West Indian American Day Parade, police say

NEW YORK (AP) — Five people were shot Monday at New York City’s West Indian American Day Parade, police said. It’s the latest instance of violence marring one of the world’s largest annual celebrations of Caribbean culture.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-west-indian-caribbean-parade-carnival-b2b87995006cfd8ab598862599905c52?

[phkrause]

Police say 11-year-old used 2 guns to kill former Louisiana mayor and his daughter

MINDEN, La. (AP) — An 11-year-old boy is suspected of using two guns to fatally shoot a woman and her father, an 82-year-old man who once served as mayor, city council member and deputy sheriff in Louisiana, police said Tuesday.

https://apnews.com/article/child-suspect-former-mayor-killed-louisiana-cfbbcd4e2fef89046e7e37288577791b?