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(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated he invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against testifying against himself during a scheduled deposition that day as part of the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into his family real estate business.

The former president was seen arriving at the attorney general’s office in New York City around 9 a.m. local time.

In an emailed statement to reporters about an hour and a half later, Trump said, in part, “Under the advice of my counsel … I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.” His statement also included lengthy attacks on the state attorney general’s investigation.

A source with knowledge of the matter subsequently confirmed to ABC News that Trump was declining to answer questions from investigators.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, Trump remained at the attorney general’s office — across the street from one of the Trump-branded buildings included in the civil investigation.

A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to comment.

The deposition in the civil case follows an escalation in a separate federal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified material. On Monday, the FBI searched Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

Wednesday’s deposition, which had been delayed from July due to the death of Trump’s ex-wife Ivana, comes after a months-long court fight during which Trump was held in contempt as he fought the attorney general’s subpoena.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the investigation politically motivated.

“My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic!” he said in a statement on his social media outlet, Truth Social, shortly before Wednesday’s deposition.

Two of his grown children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, have already been deposed as part of the civil probe, sources said.

Trump argued unsuccessfully that he should not have to sit for a deposition while the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was conducting a parallel criminal investigation. While the Manhattan DA’s case remains active, two senior prosecutors who had been leading it resigned earlier this year over the lack of an indictment.

James has said her office uncovered evidence of potentially fraudulent conduct in the way the Trump Organization valued its real estate holdings when seeking loans and when asking for tax breaks.

Lawyers in her office have said in court that the office is nearing a decision on an enforcement action.

ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report.

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(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) — One manufacturer believes it has a solution to the gun violence plaguing the United States – a personalized smart gun that uses fingerprint technology to make firearms safer.

Ginger Chandler is the co-founder of LodeStar Works in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She said she believes her company’s smart gun can be a solution to the rising gun-related deaths in the country.

Chandler said the smart gun can only be fired by an authenticated user; in this case, verified by his or her fingerprint.

“What we know is if an unauthorized person picks up that firearm in a time of stress or they’re going to do something quick, they’re not going to be able to do it,” said Chandler.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recently published data, overall firearm-related deaths increased by 15% in 2020, to over 45,000 deaths, the highest number ever recorded by the CDC since it began tracking firearm deaths in 1968.

Daniel Webster is the co-director of Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. He has been researching approaches to reduce gun violence through a public health lens rather than solely a criminal justice approach.

“By thinking about this as a public health problem, you really expand how you think about it and the potential solutions that you have to address it…[For example] reducing unintentional shootings involving young people, teen suicides and juvenile perpetrated homicides,” said Webster.

An analysis from the New England Journal of Medicine labeled the increasing firearm-related mortality rates as a “preventable cause of death.”

Chandler said that the three fail-safes — an app, a pin-pad and a fingerprint — manufactured into the smart gun can help combat some of those preventable deaths.

“First, there’s an app on the phone… The other way to unlock it is just a pin-pad on the side,” said Chandler. “And then if you put your fingerprint on that pad.”

Not all are convinced. Webster said that, despite “some really big safety gains” from smart guns, it is “not realistic” that the guns will help lower the homicide rate.

In the past, the National Rifle Association has supported smart guns, but raised concerns about the tech becoming mandatory for all firearms sold in the United States.

But many Americans favor gun control laws. An ABC News IPSOS poll found 89% of Americans support background checks for all buyers.

Chandler said that making guns safer is a “net positive” — without taking away guns from Americans.

“I’m a shooter. I hunt. It is something I am involved in. It’s a passion. I enjoy it,” said Chandler. “I absolutely respect the person who says we should not have any more guns… I respect that and I just want the same respect.”

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(NEW YORK) — One person is dead and five others seriously injured after a bus overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike Tuesday, according to state police.

The fatal accident took place around 6:53 p.m. on the southbound Turnpike just before the Grover Cleveland Service Area, when a double-decker bus overturned and came to a stop on the entrance ramp to the service area, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Lawrence Peele told reporters Tuesday night.

During the collision, the bus hit a Ford F-150 pickup truck, Peele said. No one in the truck was injured.

The bus in the accident is a Megabus. The company told ABC News New York station WABC-TV there were 19 passengers and a driver on board from New York to Philadelphia. It did not provide additional details.

The entrance ramp near the crash is still shut down, N.J. State Police told ABC News.

The service area is located in Woodbridge, about 22 miles outside of New York City.

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(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is expected to sit for a deposition Wednesday as part of the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into his family real estate business, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The deposition in the New York civil case follows an escalation in the federal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified material. On Monday, the FBI searched Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

Wednesday’s expected testimony, which had been delayed from July due to the death of Trump’s ex-wife Ivana, comes after a months-long court fight during which Trump was held in contempt as he fought the attorney general’s subpoena.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the investigation politically motivated.

A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.

Trump himself appeared to confirm his deposition in a post on his social media outlet, Truth Social, saying: “In New York City tonight. Seeing racist N.Y.S. Attorney General tomorrow, for a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history! My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic!”

Two of the former president’s grown children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, have already been deposed as part of the civil probe, the sources said.

Trump argued unsuccessfully that he should not have to sit for a deposition while the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was conducting a parallel criminal investigation. While the Manhattan DA’s case remains active, two senior prosecutors who had been leading it resigned earlier this year over the lack of an indictment.

James has said her office has uncovered evidence of potentially fraudulent conduct in the way the Trump Organization valued its real estate holdings when seeking loans and when asking for tax breaks.

Lawyers in her office have said in court that the office is nearing a decision on an enforcement action.

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(NEW YORK) — Two soldiers from Fort Benning have died and three others were injured in a weather-related event in northern Georgia, an official said Tuesday.

The incident took place at Yonah Mountain, located near Dahlonega, a spokesperson for the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Public Affairs Office said in a statement.

The three injured soldiers were treated by an Army medic on the scene before being transferred to a local hospital, the spokesperson said, where they remain under the care of hospital staff.

Their names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

This is the second event involving weather and Army fatalities in Georgia in three weeks.

On July 20, a U.S. Army Reserve soldier was killed and another nine were injured following a lightning strike while training at Fort Gordon.

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(IRVINE, Calif.) — A Southern California dermatologist was arrested last week for allegedly poisoning her husband, authorities said.

Jack Chen, 53, has accused his wife Yue “Emily” Yu, 45, of poisoning him with Drano, a brand of drain cleaner, on three separate occasions in July, even catching the alleged act on tape and handing it over to the Irvine Police Department, according to court documents.

Yu’s defense attorney David Wohl told ABC News that the allegations against his client are “absolutely and unequivocally” false.

Chen had reportedly gotten sick for over a month when he suspected Yu of putting drain cleaner in his tea and lemonade, according to police and court documents.

Police said Chen “captured video evidence supporting his suspicion” and turned it over to authorities. Following a search warrant, Yu was arrested.

Yu was booked at Orange County Jail, but charges have yet to be filed. Jail records show that Yu posted bond and was released from jail on Aug. 5.

Police said Chen “sustained significant internal injuries but is expected to recover” after being allegedly poisoned.

Chen, who’s a radiologist, filed a domestic violence temporary restraining order on Aug. 5 against his wife of 10 years for himself and on behalf of the couple’s two children. He alleged that Yu was physically, mentally and emotionally abusive toward their children and him.

He also alleged that Yu’s mother, Yuojng “Amy” Gu, was abusive toward him and the children.

According to court documents, Chen is asking for sole custody of their two children.

“She has never, in any way, shape or form, tried to harm her husband or her children,” Wohl added in a statement.

Wohl said that he and Yu believe that Chen accused her of poisoning him so he could gain an advantage in their divorce and custody cases.

“There is absolutely nothing done in those videos that were in any way illegal,” Wohl told ABC News. “The videos do not depict her trying to poison her husband or harm anyone in her family.”

Yu is the director of dermatology with Mission Heritage Medical Group.

“This incident is a domestic matter which occurred in Irvine, and we want to reassure our community that there has been no impact on our patients,” Mission Heritage Medical Group said in a statement to ABC News.

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(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) — Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murders of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Investigators tracked down the Volkswagen sedan with tinted windows allegedly driven by the suspect in the most recent homicide, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina announced during a tweet Tuesday afternoon news conference.

The car was stopped by New Mexico State Police near Santa Rosa, New Mexico — about 115 miles east of Albuquerque — after a tip from a community member following the release of the description of the car, Albuquerque Deputy Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock told reporters at Tuesday’s news conference.

The driver of the car, identified as 51-year-old Muhammad Syed, was then detained at a traffic stop, Medina said.

The most recent murder occurred on Friday, when Naeem Hussain, a 25-year-old native of Pakistan, was found dead from a gunshot wound near Truman Street and Grand Avenue in Albuquerque’s Highland Business neighborhood, police said.

Syed has been charged with murder in the deaths of Naeem Hussain and Aftab Hussein, Medina said, adding that investigators are working with the district attorney’s office on potential charges for the murders of the other two men.

Investigators do not have any indications yet that the murders present a serial killer case or are the result of a hate crime, authorities said.

 

Syed moved to the U.S. from Afghanistan several years ago and has since been arrested multiple times for domestic violence, police said, adding that those charges were dismissed. His son was also questioned but was later released, police said.

The Albuquerque Police Department’s homicide unit began noticing similarities between the murders that occurred on Friday and July 26, such as related shell casings found at both scenes that were likely fired from the same gun, Hartsock said.

After Syed was arrested, police executed a search warrant at his home, where multiple firearms were recovered and are now being tested, Hartsock said, adding that one gun found inside the home and another found inside the car match two from the crime scenes and are the basis for the charges that have been brought so far.

 

Police are compiling more evidence to build a case with the prosecutor’s office for the murders of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Ahmadi, Hartsock said.

“We think there might be involvement in two other homicide cases,” he said. “Those are still considered open and active.”

 

The pattern matches the murder of Ahmadi in November, police said, adding that there is a possible personal connection between Ahmadi and Syed.

Investigators are also looking into whether there are other cases that could be similar, in order to identify whether there may be a “really active public threat” from someone targeting the community, Hartsock said.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has sent additional state police to provide support to the Albuquerque Police Department and FBI, she announced on Saturday.

The community has “never gone through anything like this before,” Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, said during a press conference Saturday, Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT reported.

“This is really a surreal time for us. We’re in fear of the safety of our children, our families,” Assed said.

In a statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, commended the Albuquerque Police Department for apprehending the suspect.

“We welcome the arrest of a suspect in this horrific shooting spree and we commend law enforcement for their efforts at the local, state and federal levels,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said. “We hope the news that this violence has been brought to an end will provide the New Mexico Muslim community some sense of relief and security.”

CAIR had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the murders.

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(NEW YORK) — One person is dead and “multiple” others are injured after a bus overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike Tuesday, according to state police.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(UVALDE, Texas) — The frustrations of a community still reeling from a mass shooting were on full display Monday night as a procession of Uvalde residents confronted school district leaders over their response to the massacre that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.

Trustees of the Uvalde CISD School Board convened the special session to present plans for the upcoming school year, including upgrading security measures and an announcement that all students K-12 would be offered the opportunity to attend classes virtually.

But during the open forum portion of the evening, attention returned to the fallout from the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School.

“We want results,” one man said. “Has anybody lost their job? Has anyone been terminated?”

“We still need answers,” a woman added.

“This is not going to be swept under the rug,” said another.

More than two-and-a-half months since the shooting, several of the roughly 100 attendees sought basic answers about the law enforcement response, including chain-of-command communication.

When board trustee JJ Suarez, a former police officer who responded to Robb Elementary, told one questioner that he did not remember who told him the shooting was “a barricade situation” and claimed not to have heard gunshots from inside the school, members of the audience heckled him.

“I heard the shots,” one woman shouted before imitating the sound of gun shots. “I still hear that sound.”

Suarez replied that his failure to ask if children were still inside the classrooms will “haunt [him] every day.”

Trustees also faced questions about school district police chief Pete Arredondo and why a decision whether to fire him has not yet been made. The board responded that it is following “due process,” adding that it is considering multiple new dates for a hearing on Arredondo’s future.

Arredondo remains on leave while an investigation into the conduct of law enforcement during the shooting on May 24 marches forward. Last month, the Uvalde school district postponed a closed hearing to consider whether to terminate Arredondo as its police chief and has not yet set a new date.

A special committee in the Texas legislature issued a report last month that found Arredondo had “failed to perform or to transfer to another person the role of incident commander.” Arredondo previously told the Texas Tribune he did not consider himself the on-scene commander during the shooting.

After multiple media outlets, including ABC News, reported on a demotion Arredondo received in 2014 at a prior job, Superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell acknowledged that he made the decision to hire Arredondo and said he contacted previous employers but was not told about the demotion.

Harrell also laid out several new initiatives taken by the board to shore up security across the school district in the coming year. Those updates include:

• 33 Texas DPS officers being assigned to UCISD
• 500 cameras being installed across the district
• Campus monitor role to be created — this person will walk school grounds throughout the day, noting lock, gate and door statuses on an iPad that the district will then be able to review
• Each school will have a single point of entry all students, faculty and guests must utilize
• An audit on the district’s Wi-Fi set to be completed Wednesday

Other notable speakers at Monday’s session included a woman who said her daughter with special needs cannot reasonably attend class virtually, and a rising fourth grader in the school district who requested upgrades to school lighting, automatic door locks and the installation of ballistic glass. (Harrell had said earlier in the meeting they were still looking for funds for ballistic glass.)

After fielding concern about the conduct of school administrators and law enforcement moving forward, Harrell said “it’s going to take a while to regain that trust.”

“The trust has been damaged. The trust has been broken,” Harrell said. “It’s going to take all of us to fix it.”

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(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) — Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murders of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Investigators tracked down the Volkswagen sedan with tinted windows allegedly driven by the suspect in the most recent homicide, the Albuquerque Police Department announced Tuesday afternoon.

The driver of the car has been detained and is the “primary suspect” for all four murders, police said.

The most recent murder occurred on Friday, when Naeem Hussain, a 25-year-old native of Pakistan, was found dead from a gunshot wound on Friday near Truman Street and Grand Avenue in Albuquerque’s Highland Business neighborhood, police said.

Mohammad Ahmadi, a Muslim man from Afghanistan, was killed outside a business he ran with his brother last November, police said.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has sent additional state police to provide support to the Albuquerque Police Department and FBI, she announced on Saturday.

The community has “never gone through anything like this before,” Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, said during a press conference Saturday, Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT reported.

“This is really a surreal time for us. We’re in fear of the safety of our children, our families,” Assed said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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