Gun violence, Terrorism and senseless killings!!

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McDonald’s employee who called 911 in CEO’s shooting is eligible for a reward, but it will take time

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — More than 400 tips were called into the New York Police Department’s Crime Stoppers tip line during the five-day search for a masked gunman who ambushed and fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week.

https://apnews.com/article/luigi-mangione-unitedhealthcare-ceo-reward-money-tips-c17b08531049edb381b954e6b876cfda?

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5 shot, 2 fatally, at 'pop-up party' tied to social media trend: Cops

Two teenagers were killed and three other people were injured when gunfire erupted inside a crowded Houston "pop-up party" police said was organized via social media.

https://local.newsbreak.com/houston-oh/3716513279748-5-shot-2-fatally-at-pop-up-party-tied-to-social-media-trend-cops?

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UnitedHealthcare CEO

The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO in Manhattan remains in a Pennsylvania state prison, while a possible indictment looms in New York as a grand jury considers evidence on charges he faces there. Luigi Mangione, who could receive a possible sentence of 15 years to life in prison if convicted on the charge of second-degree murder, is set to appear in a Pennsylvania court for a preliminary hearing next week following his December 9 arrest. Mangione has also retained high-powered attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former Manhattan prosecutor, to represent him in New York. Amid mounting evidence in the case, she is tasked with defending a suspect who appeared to be driven by anger against the health insurance industry and against "corporate greed" as a whole, according to an NYPD intelligence report.

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Teacher and a teenage student killed in a shooting at a Christian school in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A teenage student opened fire with a handgun Monday at a Christian school in Wisconsin, killing a teacher and another teenager during the final week before Christmas break. The shooter also died, police said.

https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-school-shooting-498c8ad26d299602553201ad639a4a5c?

Wisconsin school shooting leaves 3 dead

Emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., following a shooting today. Photo: Morry Gash/AP A school shooting today in Madison, Wisconsin, left three people dead, including a teacher, a teenage student — and the shooter, who was another teenage student. Six others were wounded at Abundant Life Christian School, a nondenominational K-12 school with about 390 students. Police believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol. The latest.

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Female suspect, 15, kills student & teacher at Abundant Life Christian School & wounds 6 others before dying by suicide

A 15-year-old schoolgirl killed two people and wounded six others at a private Christian school before turning the gun on herself, cops say.

https://local.newsbreak.com/madison-wi/3717885138916-female-suspect-15-kills-student-teacher-at-abundant-life-christian-school-wounds-6-others-before-dying-by-suicide?

 

15-year-old girl fatally shoots teacher and teenager at a Christian school in Wisconsin The teenage student wounded six others in Monday’s shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School, including two pupils who are in a critical condition, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. A teacher and three students were taken to a hospital with less serious injuries, and two of them were later released. Read more.

Key points: Police said the shooter was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when officers arrived and died en route to a hospital. A motive for the shooting was not immediately known, nor was it clear if the victims were targeted, Barnes said.   Barbara Wiers, the school’s director of elementary and school relations, said when they practice safety routines, leaders always announce that it’s a drill. That didn’t happen Monday. “When they heard, ‘Lockdown, lockdown,’ they knew it was real,” she said. Wiers said the school does not have metal detectors but uses other security measures including cameras.   Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ As it happened: Wisconsin school shooting was reported by a 2nd-grader, police say   Things to know about the shooting at a Christian school in Wisconsin

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Police ID teen girl in Wisconsin school shooting

A family leaves a reunification center after a shooting yesterday at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis. Photo: Morry Gash/AP A 15-year-old girl was identified last night as the student who opened fire in a study hall at a Christian school in Madison, Wisc. — killing a teacher and another teen. Madison police named Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha, as the shooter at Abundant Life Christian School. She was declared dead on the way to the hospital. At least six others were injured in the shooting, first reported by a second-grader. Get the latest.

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Madison school shooting

The city of Madison, Wisconsin, was left reeling after a school shooting on Monday killed one student and one teacher and injured several others. The shooter, identified by police as a 15-year-old female student, died of a self-inflicted gunshot after the attack at Abundant Life Christian School. Survivors of the shooting — some as young as 7 and 8 years old — recalled screaming in the hallways of the school, saying they were "really scared" and "really sad." It remains unclear why the suspect pulled out a handgun and opened fire at her peers, police said. The Wisconsin shooting was the 83rd school shooting recorded in 2024, surpassing 2023 for the most school shootings in a single year since CNN began tracking such incidents in 2008.

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Suspect charged with killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO as an act of terrorism

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said Tuesday as they worked to bring him to a New York court from a Pennsylvania jail.

https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-killing-luigi-mangione-fccc9e875e976b9901a122bc15669425?

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Police chief says motive for Wisconsin school shooting was a ‘combination of factors’

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The motive for a shooting that killed a teacher and a student and wounded others at a Wisconsin school appears to be a “combination of factors,” a police chief said Tuesday as he appealed to the public to share what they might know about the 15-year-old girl who attacked a study hall before shooting herself.

https://apnews.com/article/shooting-christian-school-madison-wisconsin-a8e1ee353d7fdab2b86dfb355938d871?

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Wisconsin school shooting

Hundreds gathered outside the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday night to remember the victims of Monday's shooting at a Madison, Wisconsin, private school. The incident at Abundant Life Christian School left one teacher and a student dead and wounded six others. Investigators are still trying to determine how and why a 15-year-old female student opened fire on her peers. Police are talking to students to determine if bullying was a factor while investigators are looking through the online presence of the shooter to try to learn new information. Court records obtained by The Washington Post also show that the shooter had "a turbulent home life" and that she had been enrolled in therapy. The mayor of Madison said it is too early to comment on whether the parents of the shooter will face criminal charges.

 

UnitedHealthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was indicted in New York on Tuesday for murder as an act of terrorism. An unsealed, 11-count indictment charged Mangione with one count of murder in the first degree and two of murder in the second degree in the fatal shooting on December 4, along with other weapon and forgery charges. At a news conference announcing the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other top law enforcement officials said Mangione intended to "evoke terror" with the killing. His actions, the prosecutors added, "were intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population [and] influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion." He faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

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How New York prosecutors used a terrorism law in the charges against Luigi Mangione

NEW YORK (AP) — New York prosecutors are using a 9/11-era anti-terrorism law in their case against the man charged with gunning down UnitedHealthcare’s CEO outside a midtown Manhattan hotel.

https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-killing-luigi-mangione-terrorism-law-7fcb28dcc0106c980b6ecf4aa9cf682f?

Wisconsin school shooter had 2 guns and got messages from man accused of plotting his own attack

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The shooter who killed a student and teacher at a religious school in Wisconsin brought two guns to the school and was in contact with a man in California who authorities say was planning to attack a government building, according to authorities and court documents that became public Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-school-shooting-vigil-motive-police-media-62313e9e9d20f3ed59fcf8d2c7fc3b44?

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School shooting victims

The victims of the Wisconsin school shooting have been identified as chilling details emerge about the 15-year-old female student who opened fire. Erin Michelle West, 42, and Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, were both pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office. Six others were injured in the shooting, two of whom remain in critical condition, police said. The four others have been released. Meanwhile, authorities said Wednesday that the shooter had been in contact with a 20-year-old man in Carlsbad, California, who was plotting a mass shooting with the teenager and told her he was planning to attack a government building, the AP reported.

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Man accused in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing faces federal charge that’s eligible for death penalty

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was whisked back to New York by plane and helicopter Thursday to face new federal charges of stalking and murder, which could bring the death penalty if he’s convicted.

https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-killing-luigi-mangione-d6575764b6f4c58108e505e6e5ea896d?

UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect faces federal murder charge

Four federal charges were filed against Luigi Mangione in connection to the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday.

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/19/luigi-mangione-federal-charges-unitedheathcare-ceo?

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Official says Wisconsin shooter was new student at Christian school where her victims had deep ties

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin 15-year-old who shot and killed a teacher and a fellow student Monday was only in her first semester at the school but seemed to be settling in, a school official said Thursday as families of the victims remembered them as people of faith who had deep connections within the Christian school.

https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-school-shooting-abundant-life-rupnow-32ef21b182db91a097dfffa317dfec53?

 

CEO murder suspect

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, made his first appearance in federal court Thursday. He faces four federal counts in connection with Thompson's death, according to a criminal complaint. Mangione formally waived extradition and was flown from Pennsylvania to New York. He arrived in Lower Manhattan surrounded by dozens of heavily armed law enforcement officers and the city's mayor. The federal complaint also said a notebook in Mangione's possession "contained several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular." He could face the death penalty if found guilty of the federal murder charge against him, prosecutors say.

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Subway killing

A woman was killed on a New York subway train Sunday morning after a man set her clothes on fire with a lighter in what authorities are calling a “brutal murder” and an example of “depraved behavior.” The suspect was arrested at another subway station in Manhattan about eight hours after the attack, police said. The assailant approached the woman without saying a word, according to police. Officials did not identify the suspect other than to say he is an immigrant from Guatemala. The victim was not identified.

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Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to state charges in New York

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's recent killing, pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges in New York on Monday, multiple outlets reported.

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/23/luigi-mangione-plea-new-york-not-guilty?

Officer fatally shot in a North Carolina supermarket, suspect in custody, police say

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — A police officer responding to a report of a man with a gun inside a North Carolina supermarket was fatally shot Monday and a suspect was later taken into custody, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-police-shooting-food-lion-23e1d658b2e3a2cdd48a71c01e37c467?

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Man arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, a prosecutor said Tuesday at his arraignment on murder charges.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-subway-fire-woman-killed-00613cbcb1b553eb3653f41f750c7335?

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Shooting wounds 2 at Phoenix airport, 1 other stabbed, police say

PHOENIX (AP) — A shooting at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix left two people injured by gunfire and another person stabbed in an incident related to a family dispute, police say.

https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-sky-harbor-airport-christmas-shooting-36e9c41141c8644e92bd4639b4c2c0de?

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? Splitting blame for CEO killing

Data: NORC at the University of Chicago. Chart: Axios Visuals American adults are nearly as likely to blame insurance denials for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as they are to blame the person who shot him, Axios' April Rubin writes from a new survey by NORC at the University of Chicago. The reaction to Brian Thompson's killing — and the veneration by some of suspect Luigi Mangione — has revealed a deep distrust of the health insurance industry and its treatment of patients in need of critical care. Thompson's Dec. 4 killing prompted rage against health insurers, especially on social media. ? By the numbers: 78% of respondents said they believed the individual who committed the killing bears "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility for Thompson's death. 69% attributed some blame to coverage denials by health care companies, and 67% to insurance industry profits. Between the lines: Americans under 30 in the NORC survey were especially likely to think a mix of factors, not just the assassin, were to blame for Thompson's death. Explore the data ...   Most Americans blame insurance profits and denials alongside the killer in UHC CEO death, poll finds WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll. https://apnews.com/article/luigi-mangione-unitedhealthcare-brian-thompson-shooting-b53fde08980d160ee93fd08b1664108d?

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New Orleans attack

Investigators at the scene in New Orleans today. Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP The deceased suspect in a deadly New Year's attack in the famed French Quarter was identified as a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, FBI officials confirmed today. The suspect — Shamsud-Din Jabbar — was killed in a shootout with police. At least 10 people were killed and 35 were injured, Axios New Orleans' Chelsea Brasted and Avery Lotz report. The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and has indicated the number of confirmed victims could rise. Investigators are also searching for additional suspects and don't believe the driver acted alone. The Sugar Bowl between the University of Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed until tomorrow evening. It had been set to take place tonight about a mile from the crime scene. Zoom in: An Islamic State flag, weapons and a potential explosive device were located in the Ford pickup truck the suspect was driving, which appears to have been rented, the FBI said. Bourbon Street was an "active crime scene" for the first day of 2025, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said during a news conference, where he appeared with law enforcement and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. President Biden said in a statement today that he'd directed his team to ensure law enforcement has resources as they "work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible." President-elect Trump posted on Truth Social: "The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!" The city is hosting the Super Bowl next month.

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New Orleans attack

At least 15 people were killed in New Orleans early on New Year's Day after a driver intentionally plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street. Authorities are investigating the attack in the French Quarter as an act of terrorism. The FBI identified the suspect as a 42-year-old Texas man and US Army veteran who expressed intentions to join ISIS. He had an ISIS flag and improvised explosive devices in his vehicle, and made a series of videos before the rampage in which he said he joined the terrorist group. Two officers were wounded in a shootout that killed the suspect. The FBI said it doesn't think the driver was "solely responsible." 

 

Cybertruck explosion

In a separate New Year's Day incident, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded at the entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. Police said the driver was killed and seven others nearby were injured when a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle were detonated by a device controlled by the driver. The FBI says it is working to determine whether the incident was a terrorist act. The Cybertruck was rented on Turo, which operates an online platform for car owners to lease their vehicles. It is the same platform used to obtain the truck involved in the New Orleans attack earlier Wednesday. Authorities are investigating possible links between the two incidents.

 

Fireworks chaos

A fireworks blast in a Honolulu-area neighborhood on New Year's Eve killed at least three people and injured 20 others, authorities said. The accident occurred just before midnight outside a home near Honolulu's international airport and a joint US Air Force and Navy base. "This incident is a painful reminder of the danger of illegal fireworks, which put lives at risk, drain our first responder resources and disrupt our communities," Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said. Separately, five people were killed in Germany on Wednesday following a spate of incidents involving fireworks. In some of those incidents, firefighters and other emergency services personnel were targeted by the fireworks, German authorities said.

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America on edge

Flags of the Sugar Bowl teams — Georgia and Notre Dame — flutter on Bourbon Street as investigators work on New Year's Day. Photo: Michael DeMocker/Getty Images Seven hours and two time zones apart, the New Year's Day pickup-truck attack in New Orleans and Tesla Cybertruck bomb in Las Vegas meant a violent, frightening start to 2025. President Biden said in televised remarks last evening that law enforcement officers were investigating whether there was "any possible connection": "Thus far, there's nothing to report on that." ? In what could be either a coincidence or a systemic vulnerability, both vehicles were rented through Turo, a "peer-to-peer" vehicle-sharing app where renters connect directly with owners. "The concept is similar to Airbnb, in that customers can rent a specific car make and model and coordinate pickup and drop-off with the car owner," the N.Y. Times explains. Turo said it's working with law enforcement: "We do not believe that either renter had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat, and we are not currently aware of any information that indicates the two incidents are related." ? The Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame, originally scheduled for last night in New Orleans, was postponed to 4 p.m. ET today. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell — with Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) at her right elbow — speaks to the media yesterday, surrounded by officials involved in the investigation. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images Biden said during his remarks that Shamsud-Din Jabbar — the deceased 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran suspected of the New Orleans attack, which the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism — "posted videos to social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill." The suspect was killed in a firefight with police. The death toll rose to 15 people, with at least 35 injured. "I know while this person committed a terrible assault on this city, the spirit of New Orleans will never, never be defeated," Biden said. Photos show the truck crashed into construction equipment just short of the Royal Sonesta hotel at 300 Bourbon St., reports Axios New Orleans' Chelsea Brasted, who raced to the French Quarter after the attack. An ISIS flag was found inside the truck, as well as multiple weapons and a "potential" IED, the FBI said. When Jabbar exited the truck, he began shooting and three NOPD officers returned fire, police said. Officials don't believe Jabbar was working alone.

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Fireworks packed into Cybertruck

Screengrab from social-media video. Alcides Antunes/via Reuters Police say camp-fuel canisters and large firework mortars were stuffed into the back of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded yesterday outside the entrance of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Axios' Rebecca Falconer writes. The driver was killed. Seven people nearby had minor injuries. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on his X platform that he had "confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself." Via X Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill thanked Musk during a media briefing: "He gave us quite a bit of additional information." McMahill said Musk sent video from Tesla charging stations "directly to us," helping track the truck's journey. After being rented in Colorado, the truck arrived in Vegas about 7:30 a.m. It was driven about an hour later into the valet area of the hotel, where it sat 15 to 20 seconds before exploding. Video of detonation ... Get the latest.   Firework mortars, gas cannisters stuffed inside Tesla that exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel LAS VEGAS (AP) — Firework mortars and camp fuel canisters were found stuffed into the back of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel early Wednesday, killing a suspect inside the vehicle and sparking an intense investigation into possible terrorism. https://apnews.com/article/trump-hotel-vehicle-fire-las-vegas-ad4c171c7a6af64f08db93d9fdc2d749?

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US Army veteran who killed 15 in New Orleans attack was inspired by the Islamic State group A U.S. Army veteran who drove a pickup into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans early Wednesday, killing 15 people, had posted videos to social media hours before the carnage saying he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressing a desire to kill, President Joe Biden said. Read more.

Key points: The FBI said it was investigating the incident as a terrorist act and did not believe he acted alone.   Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle — which bore the flag of the Islamic State group — along with other explosive devices elsewhere in the city’s famed French Quarter.   The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, and said it was working to determine any potential associations with terrorist organizations. Jabbar was killed by police after he exited the truck and opened fire on responding officers.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ An aspiring nurse, football star, and father of 2 among the dead in New Orleans attack   New Orleans barriers to prevent vehicle attacks were in the process of being replaced   What is the Islamic State group, and what attacks has it inspired by offshoots and lone wolves?

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10 people are wounded in a shooting outside a New York City nightclub

NEW YORK (AP) — Ten people were wounded in a shooting outside a New York City nightclub while they were waiting to get into a private event, police said.

https://apnews.com/article/jamaica-queens-amazura-nightclub-shooting-new-years-59d4a53ada5718aba369995c9e6274b0?