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(PHILADELPHIA) — Police in Philadelphia are seeking seven teenage suspects wanted in an attack on a 73-year-old man who later died from head injuries sustained during the assault.

The Philadelphia Police Department released disturbing surveillance footage on Friday of the deadly attack, which occurred around 2:30 a.m. on June 24.

In the footage, a group of teens can be seen chasing a person, who is blurred, across a street in North Philadelphia. One of the teens is captured hurling a traffic cone at the victim. A girl is then seen picking up the traffic cone and repeatedly throwing it at the victim. Another suspect appears to be filming the assault on a cellphone.

“The teens struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground causing injuries to his head,” the department said in a statement. “The victim was transported to the hospital where he died of his injuries the following day.”

Police identified the victim as James Lambert of North Philadelphia.

Homicide Capt. Jason Smith told reporters during a briefing Friday that the medical examiner has ruled the cause of Lambert’s death as blunt force trauma, ABC Philadelphia station WPVI reported.

Police said they are seeking four boys and three girls who appear to be in their early to mid-teens. Smith said at least two teens took part in the assault, WPVI reported.

The city is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, as is the case with all open homicides.

Smith is appealing to the parents of the suspects to come forward.

“The message I would like to put out there is to the parents of these juveniles, if they are aware that their son or daughter is involved in this incident, I think that the best course of action would be for them to contact an attorney and then contact the homicide unit,” he said.

News of the assault comes a day after a summer curfew for minors went into effect.

Through Sept. 29, those between the ages of 14 and 17 are required to be home by 10 p.m. Previously, the latest some teenagers were able to be out was midnight. Those under 13 are required to be home by 9:30 p.m.

The modified curfew is an attempt to keep young people off the streets and safe during a high-crime season, officials said.

“We’re seeing our young people involved in more criminal incidents, criminal activity simply because they’re out late,” Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson, who proposed the bill that modified the curfew, told WPVI.

For those found violating the curfew, police will attempt to reunite them with their families at home or a precinct or bring them to one of several community centers that have been established during the curfew.

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(SANGER, Calif.) — Two people have been arrested and charged with attempted murder after getting into an argument with a man and then lighting him on fire.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, when the Sanger Police Department responded to reports of an injured man suffering severe burns to his upper body in Sanger, California — about 15 miles east of Fresno.

When authorities reached the victim, who remains unnamed, he told them that a woman had set him on fire several blocks away when they encountered each other at Sanger Park. He was immediately transported to a local area hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

“Investigators used video surveillance and witness statements to identify Patricia Castillo and Leonard Hawkins as the suspects,” the Sanger Police Department said in a statement released on social media. “The video shows Castillo approaching the victim and throwing a liquid from a cup onto him, and she and the victim appear to argue before Castillo sparks a lighter and lights the victim on fire. Further investigation revealed that Leonard Hawkins had provided the accelerant used to light the victim on fire to Castillo.”

Authorities were able to locate both suspects and reportedly arrested them without incident. Patricia Castillo, 48, and Leonard Hawkins, 43, were subsequently booked into the Fresno County Jail and charged with attempted murder, arson, and conspiracy.

The victim’s condition is currently unknown but he is expected to survive.

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(NEW YORK) — Oppressive heat continues to take hold of the South and West this weekend, with record heat possible for some regions Saturday.

A mix of excessive heat warnings and heat advisories are in effect across parts of 14 states, stretching from California to Alabama, as of Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service warned that there could be “dangerous heat and humidity” across parts of the South Plain to the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee valleys through Monday.

Record temperatures could be possible on Saturday in more than a dozen locations, from Utah to Mississippi. In Dallas, temperatures could reach 107 degrees, which would beat a record 106 degrees. In Houston, temperatures could exceed 105 degrees — topping a record 102 degrees.

Denver and Salt Lake City could also see record temperatures on Saturday.

Heat indices — what the temperature feels like — topped 110 degrees from Texas to Tennessee on Friday and could do so again on Saturday.

High temperatures are expected to continue throughout the weekend. Phoenix, Arizona, is forecast to hit temperatures north of 110 degrees from Saturday through Monday.

The heat follows record-setting temperatures on Friday, including in Memphis (103 degrees); Forth Smith, Arkansas (106 degrees); and Abilene, Texas (107 degrees).

Meanwhile, red flag warnings have been issued Saturday for critical fire danger in Nevada, Utah and Idaho. Winds will be gusty, up to 35 mph and the relative humidity will drop to as low as 6%.

Several fires are burning in the West, including the Washburn Fire, which has caused evacuations near Yosemite National Park and has closed the south entrance to the park. The Washburn fire has so far burned over 700 acres.

Elsewhere, flood watches have been issued for parts of Maryland and Virginia, including Washington, D.C., through this afternoon, where upwards of 7 inches of rain is possible.

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(AKRON, Ohio) — Many are taking to the streets after officials released body-camera footage Sunday of Jayland Walker killed in a hail of bullets fired by eight officers while he was unarmed and running away.
Ohio officials are calling for calm in Akron, which has been rocked by protests following the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker, after two people, including a 4-year-old girl, were killed Saturday night at a family celebration.

“This has been a very difficult week for Akron, almost two weeks for Akron. The heat is very very high, tensions are running high in this city,” Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said at a press briefing late Friday night. “We’re asking for people to stand down for at least 48 hours, let the temperature come down.”

Mylett was joined in the message by Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and several community pastors outside Akron Children’s Hospital, where the 4-year-old girl died earlier after suffering severe head wounds in the shooting, the chief said.

A 40-year-old man was also critically injured after multiple shots were fired into a large crowd gathered near downtown Akron around 9:15 p.m., police said. He later died from his injuries at an area hospital.

The victims were identified by the Summit County Medical Examiner Saturday morning as 4-year-old Journei Tolbert, and 40-year-old Johnny Gaiter, both from Akron.

“We don’t know exactly what happened yet but we’re going to find out and we’re going to find the people that are responsible for this,” Mylett said Friday night.

The shooting was unrelated to the ongoing protests, the chief told the Akron Beacon Journal.

As the investigation into the homicides and search for suspects is underway, officials called for the city to “deescalate.”

“There is a lot of heightened tension in the right now,” Mayor Horrigan said. “There’s a level in this community that we need to bring down.”

Pastor Bradley Reeves with Restoration Community Church was one of several religious leaders who joined the briefing outside the hospital.

“Not only does the community need to calm down, but the police need to calm down, too,” he said. “Some of this is bad emotions and is leading to bad actions. Everybody’s got to stop. There’s a baby here that won’t see 5.”

Despite the calls from city officials, protests continued Saturday in support of Walker, who was fatally shot by police on June 27 after a traffic stop turned into a pursuit. The 25-year-old Black man was unarmed and running away when eight Ohio officers opened fire on him, body-camera footage released by the city showed.

The incident is under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

On Thursday, the city instated a nightly curfew for downtown Akron that was implemented amid largely peaceful protests over Walker’s killing, after some protesters became violent with officers, the city said.

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(NATIONAL CITY, Calif.) — Four men have been arrested and charged with federal drug trafficking offenses after an estimated record-breaking two-and-a-half tons of methamphetamine was seized from a box truck that had just crossed the border between the United States and Mexico.

The incident occurred on Thursday, July 7, in National City, California, at approximately 4:55 p.m. when the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said a commercial 20-foot box truck reportedly crossed into the United States through the Otay Mesa Commercial Port of Entry.

“Law enforcement surveilled the box truck as it travelled to Hoover and 30th Street, in National City,” the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said in their statement. “Once there, agents observed the defendants unloading dozens of cardboard boxes from the box truck and loading them into a Dodge van.”

The four men — all from Tijuana, Mexico, and ranging in ages from 37 to 44 — were apprehended and taken into custody. Upon further investigation, authorities said they discovered 148 bundles of a substance located within the seized cardboard boxes. The substance field tested positive for methamphetamine and, in total, there were more than 5,000 pounds of the drug found on the truck in what authorities believe is one of the largest methamphetamine seizures ever in San Diego County.

“This is a significant accomplishment by our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Due to stellar work by law enforcement agents, the government stopped more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine from being distributed on our streets.”

The defendants in the case have been named as 37-year-old Rafael Alzua, 41-year-olds Mario Contreras and Galdrino Contreras, and 44-year-old Ethgar Velazquez. They have been charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and, if found guilty, could face a maximum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine.

“This monumental seizure represents another win against drug cartels that fuel addiction in the United States,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe. “Because of our great partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, we will continue to disrupt the cartels’ flow of drugs into our cities.”

The street value of the more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine is estimated to be millions of dollars.

“I am grateful for the hard work, vigilance, and steadfast dedication of our Sheriff’s Detectives, as well as our local, state and federal partners,” said Sheriff Anthony C. Ray. “Our partnership and collaboration allow us to share information that is absolutely critical in keeping drugs from entering our streets and holding drug traffickers accountable.”

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(UVALDE, Texas) — ABC News pieced together what happened the day Salvador Ramos allegedly killed 21 people at Robb Elementary School, using maps, video evidence and information from law enforcement.
The mayor of Uvalde, Texas, said in a press release Friday that he supports The Texas House special committee investigating the Robb Elementary School shooting releasing the 77-minute hallway videos.

The videos will most likely be released on Monday and will show the breach that took place on May 24 when a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers.

Mayor Don McLaughlin said that the release of these videos would “bring clarity to public, to the families, and to the survivors,” according to the press release.

It has been more than six weeks since the massacre at the elementary school and there have been questions about the response of the police before they breached the classroom where the gunman was as it took 77 minutes from the time the shooter entered the school to when he was killed by officers.

A report from the Texas State University’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training released earlier in the week said there were missed opportunities to save lives and that one officer saw the shooter outside the school but did not take action.

The “officer did not hear a response [on his radio] and turned to get confirmation from his supervisor. When he turned back to address the suspect, the suspect had already entered the west hall exterior door at 11:33:00,” according to the assessment.

McLaughlin disputed the report on Friday.

“Ultimately, it was a coach with children on the playground, not the shooter,” McLaughlin said in a statement.

Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.

Mireya Villarreal contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Excessive heat warnings are in effect across much of the southern U.S. heading into a weekend with potentially record-breaking temperatures.

As of Friday morning, 13 states are on heat alert and temperatures will reach triple digits in parts of the south, with feel-like temperatures as high as 115 degrees, ABC News weather team reports.

Here are the high temperature records to watch on Saturday:

• Salt Lake City, UT: 102º (1994)
• Denver, CO: 98º (2021)
• Scottsbluff, NE: 104º (2017)
• Corpus Christi, TX: 100º (2005)
• Austin, TX: 104º (2009)
• Houston, TX: 102º (1980)
• Waco, TX: 104º (1978)
• Dallas, TX: 106º (1980)
• Shreveport, LA: 104º (1884)
• Tupelo, MS: 100º (1936)

Severe weather is also expected to continue across parts of the North, including Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota where large hail and damaging winds are possible, and a tornado cannot be ruled out. Golf ball size hail was reported in Montana and record flooding was reported in North Carolina and Missouri on Thursday.

Flash flooding due to heavy rain is possible through the weekend in parts of the Southeast, especially coastal regions from Georgia through the Carolinas where more than 3” is possible.

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(CONCORD, N.H.) — New Hampshire officials are offering $50,000 in reward money to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for the killing of a married couple.

Stephen and Djeswende Reid were last seen leaving their home in Concord’s Alton Woods apartment complex on April 18. The couple went on a walk that led them to the area of the Broken Ground Trails off of Portsmouth Street in Concord, New Hampshire.

Their friends and family did not see or hear from them after that, according to the attorney general’s office. Their bodies were found in a wooded area near the Marsh Loop Trail on April 21, according to the attorney general’s office.

Autopsies revealed they both died due to multiple gunshot wounds and the medical examiner ruled their deaths as homicides, according to the attorney general’s office.

The New Hampshire attorney general’s office said two anonymous donors pledged $20,000 and $15,000 for information that comes in the next 60 days. Other anonymous donors pledged $6,000, according to the attorney general’s office.

The Concord Police Patrolmen’s Association, Supervisors Association and Retired New Hampshire State Police Troopers Association all contributed to the amount as well, according to the attorney general’s office.

Investigators are looking for a person of interest seen in the vicinity of the shooting in April. The individual is described as a white male in his late 20s or early 30s, approximately 5’10” tall, medium build, with short brown hair and clean-shaven, according to the attorney general’s office.

He was seen wearing a dark blue jacked, khaki-colored pants and was carrying a black backpack, according to the attorney general’s office. Investigators are asking anyone with information about his whereabouts or his identity to come forward.

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(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — An 8-year-old boy is paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in the chest during a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.

The shooting left seven people dead and at least 38 people injured.

Cooper Roberts, who suffered a severed spinal cord, remains in serious condition after undergoing multiple surgeries at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, attorney Anthony Loizzi, who is acting as the family’s spokesperson, told ABC News Friday.

“He has regained consciousness, although he’s very confused about what’s going on,” said Loizzi, adding that doctors at this time do not believe Cooper suffered any brain damage from the shooting. “He’s crying uncontrollably because he just doesn’t understand why can’t move his legs.”

Cooper was attending his town’s July 4th parade with his twin brother Luke and their parents, Jason and Keely Roberts, when the shooting happened, according to Loizzi, who is not representing the family in a legal capacity.

Loizzi said the brothers had loved attending the parade in the past, adding that the Roberts family, which also includes four daughters, ages 18 to 26, moved to Highland Park last year from a nearby town.

This year’s parade in the Chicago suburb ended in tragedy when the shooting suspect, Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, allegedly climbed onto the roof of a business and used a high-powered rifle to unleash more than 70 rounds on marchers and revelers, according to police.

Crimo, 21, was charged Tuesday with seven counts of first-degree murder, and more charges are expected, according to Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart.

Loizzi said that Cooper’s brother Luke was treated for injuries from shrapnel and is now recovering at home, where he is being cared for by his oldest sister.

The boys’ father did not suffer any physical injuries in the shooting, but their mother, Keely Roberts, a local school superintendent, was shot twice in the leg, according to Loizzi. She underwent two surgeries and was discharged at her own request Wednesday so that she could be with Cooper.

“She’s been there 24/7 since being discharged,” Loizzi said of Keely Roberts. “She’s supposed to have another surgery because I believe she’s continued to have bleeding, but she demanded to be discharged and, understandably, they let her go.”

Loizzi said the Roberts family is an extremely close-knit family of eight, and described Cooper and Luke specifically as the “best of friends.”

“Their sister described them as partners in crime,” said Loizzi. “Cooper is just a very outgoing kid, the type of kid that walks into a room and will just walk up and talk to you and get to know you right away.”

Cooper is an athletic child who loves baseball and the Milwaukee Brewers as well as his family’s dog, according to Loizzi.

“His favorite pastime is being with his dog George,” he said, adding that Cooper asked to see his dog and his twin brother upon regaining consciousness. “They’re just inseparable.”

A GoFundMe account started by friends of the Roberts family has so far raised over $620,000 to help the family pay for medical bills, treatments and therapy.

Loizzi said Keely Roberts is focused on her family’s recovery and has asked people to keep them in their “thoughts and prayers.”

“She’s not watching the news. She’s not following social media, so they’re kind of just in a bubble and just want to focus,” said Loizzi. “Every time I’ve asked her, what do you want people to know, what do you need, she just says, ‘Please just keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and at the same time, we’d just like people to respect our privacy while we’re going through this tough time.'”

The school district in Zion, Illinois, where Keely Roberts has worked for the past seven years said active and retired superintendents have stepped up to volunteer their services while she and her family continue to heal.

“For seven years in Zion District 6 and other area school districts for many years prior, Dr. Roberts has done everything she can to support the needs of students and families in our community,” Zion District 6 Board President Ruth Davis said in a statement Thursday. “Now, she and her family need our help and support.”

Loizzi, who is the attorney for the school district’s board, described Keely Roberts as an “unbelievable advocate” for her students.

“I’ve worked with Keely pretty much on a daily basis for seven years,” he said. “The woman works nonstop, 24/7 and does anything she can to support the students and family and community that she serves.”

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(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — Memorial services and funerals have begun for the victims of this week’s mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.

Seven people were killed and dozens injured after a gunman opened fire from a rooftop on the crowd attending the celebration in the Chicago suburb.

As the community continues to grapple with the shock and horror of that day, a former synagogue preschool teacher and two beloved grandfathers are among the first victims of the tragedy to be honored.

Jacquelyn “Jacki” Sundheim, 63, was a beloved worker at her synagogue, North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Illinois. She was known by her colleagues for her infectious smile and great hugs, they said.

The congregation gathered at the synagogue Friday afternoon to celebrate the life of Sundheim, who is survived by her husband and daughter.

Rabbi Wendi Geffen opened with pointed remarks.

“We should not have to be here today,” she told the congregation during the service, which was livestreamed. “There is nothing, not one single thing, that makes us being brought together to mourn for Jacki acceptable. We are horrified. We are enraged, sickened, aggrieved, inconsolable for the terror that has befallen us and robbed us of Jacki.”

But Geffen warned against remembering Sundheim “not by how she lived, but by how she died.”

“We cannot allow that to happen, she said. “While Jacki was alive, her life was beautiful and full, and full of love and joy, meaning, significance. Her legacy is one of kindness and devotion. That’s who Jacki was. And who she will remain to us forever.”

Sundheim’s daughter, Leah Sundheim, called on those gathered to channel their grief, pain and anger into “a drive to help heal our world.”

“Do not let this sadness, this fear, rage, turn you indifferent or bitter towards our world,” she said. “Because the world is darker without my mom in it. And it’s up to us now to fill it with a little extra laughter and help replace her life and love.”

A funeral service was held Friday for Stephen Straus, 88, who was the oldest victim to die in the shooting rampage, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. The Chicago native had lived in Highland Park for decades and is survived by his wife, two sons and four grandchildren.

Family and friends gathered Friday afternoon at Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Illinois, following his burial.

“We connect in a national moment with the mourning of those in Highland Park. And now, it has happened to us — these stories that we saw on the news, these stories that seemed so far away and so disconnected is now our story too,” Rabbi Rachel Weiss said at the start of the service, which was livestreamed. “But most of all, we are mourning the life of Stephen Straus.”

Weiss recited words his brother told her: “If there were more people like Steve in this world, the world would be a much better place.”

Straus’ brother remembered his sibling as being fiercely loyal since they were children.

“He was dedicated, honest — goes without saying. Honest beyond words,” Larry Straus said.

Straus’ son, Jonathan Straus, spoke of his father’s kindness, impeccable joke-telling and “irresistible” charm.” He was an “avid lover of the arts” who continued to work five days a week, he said.

“You know what a special person he was,” he said, calling his father his “best friend.” “He still had a lot of zest for life, and I know he had a few more good years in him.”

Straus’ younger son, Peter Straus, remembered his father as a voracious reader, particularly of poetry, biographies, science, nature and history.

“He schooled my brother and I on James Bond, Captain Kirk and ‘2001,’” he said.

A service is also scheduled for Nicolas Toledo, 78, Friday evening at Iglesia Emanuel in Waukegan. The native of Morelos, Mexico, was remembered by family for his humor. “He’d always joke around and be playful with his grandkids,” his grandson, David Toledo, told ABC News in a statement.

A service for the seventh victim to die from injuries suffered in the mass shooting, 69-year-old Eduardo Uvaldo, is scheduled for Saturday. Uvaldo was a grandfather of 13 and a great-grandfather of six. Several of his family members were also at the parade; his 13-year-old grandson, Brian, was shot in the arm and his wife, Maria, was hit in the head by shrapnel, his daughters told ABC News. Both are expected to fully recover, officials say.

Those killed in the shooting also included Katherine Goldstein, 64, a mother of two adult daughters; and husband-and-wife Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, who leave behind a 2-year-old son. Details for their services have not been made public.

Robert E. Crimo III, the accused 21-year-old gunman, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors have said they expect to bring attempted murder charges for each of the more than 30 people wounded in the attack.

Prosecutors said that Crimo III confessed to Monday morning’s parade massacre. He did not enter a plea during a bond hearing on Wednesday.

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