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Wife of slain Chinese food delivery driver speaks out as NYPD investigates his death

May 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Police in New York City are investigating the shooting death of a Chinese food delivery worker, who was shot in the chest on Saturday while riding his scooter in the neighborhood of Forest Hills in Queens.

Zhiwen Yan, 45, worked at a Chinese restaurant in Queens called The Great Wall for more than a decade and had three jobs to support his family, ABC’s New York station WABC reported.

Yan’s wife, Kunying Zhao, spoke out in an emotional interview with WABC over the weekend and urged police to find her husband’s killer.

America has a gun violence problem. What do we do about it?
“Somebody, somebody killed my husband, catch him, catch him,” she said as she broke down in tears. The couple have a young daughter.

Upon arriving on the scene, police found Yan unconscious and unresponsive, and he was transported by an Emergency Medical Services vehicle to the NYC Health + Hospitals in Elmhurst, where he was pronounced dead.

The motive for the shooting is unclear, and no arrests have been made, police told ABC News.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said his office is in touch with the NYPD to ensure that Yan’s family gets justice.

“No family deserves to experience the grief that Zhiwen Yan’s family is feeling this morning. Our thoughts are with them and everyone in [Forest Hills] who loved him,” he tweeted Monday.

New York City Council Member Julie Won also shared a message about Yan’s death and expressed support for his family.

“Delivery workers should not be seen as faceless or expendable, but deserving of life – long, full, happy life,” Won wrote in a series of tweets on Monday. “Delivery workers sit at the center of failed immigration, labor, transportation, and public safety systems that force a father like Yan Zhiwen to work 7 days a week, put his body and life on the line, and still live paycheck to paycheck.”

Mourning the loss of Yan Zhiwen who was shot last night. Delivery workers should not be seen as faceless or expendable, but deserving of life – long, full, happy life. (1/2)

— Council Member Julie Won (@CMJulieWon) May 1, 2022

Yan’s death comes amid a spate of attacks targeting Asian Americans in New York City and across the nation.

Asked if Yan’s killing was targeted, a spokesperson told ABC News on Monday that the investigation is ongoing.

The shooting also comes as New York City Mayor Eric Adams grapples with a surge in violent crime — an issue that the new mayor highlighted in his first state of the city address on April 26.

Adams also met with top NYPD brass on Saturday to discuss strategies to crackdown on the rise in major crime.

Major crime in NYC is up 41.60% this year through the week of May 1, compared to the same time last year, and so far, shootings this year through the week of May are up 4% from the same time last year and up 85% from 2020, according to NYPD statistics.

Adams rolled out the “Blueprint to End Gun Violence” — a plan that lays out policy proposals to address the crisis — in January.

Asked about the rise in major crime, Adams told ABC News Live’s “GMA3” on April 25 that addressing the problem is “my responsibility.”

“I believe, as I stated, public safety and justice, they are the prerequisite to prosperity. And I’m the mayor of the City of New York. I must have a safe city in order to turn around our economy and to make people feel safe about their city,” Adams told ABC News anchor T.J. Holmes. “But we do need help. I say this over and over again. There are many rivers that feed the sea of violence.”

Adams told WABC in February that part of his plan to tackle gun violence is cracking down on “illegal gun dealers that are flowing into our cities.” He also announced a new anti-gun unit through officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

President Joe Biden visited New York City in February, where he met with Adams and pledged federal support to target gun traffickers and crack down on ghost guns.

Jury finds ex-NYPD cop guilty of assaulting officer during Jan. 6 attack

May 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A jury on Monday found former New York City police officer Thomas Webster guilty on six charges, including assaulting a police officer, in the first federal assault case stemming from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Webster’s trial marks the fourth time a jury has heard a Jan. 6 defendant’s case, with all four cases resulting in convictions on all charges.

Webster was found guilty of assaulting D.C. Metro Police Officer Noah Rathbun, who testified at the trial — as did Webster himself, who often spoke directly to the jury and called Rathbun as a “rogue cop.”

According to testimony and video of the riot, Webster pushed through a crowd toward bike racks that were acting as a police perimeter. Clad in a bulletproof vest and waving a Marine Corps flag, he arrived at the front of the crowd, yelling “commie mother——-” at the officers, before zeroing in on Rathbun and yelling. “take your s— off!”

“That’s what people say when they want to fight,” Rathbun said during his three-hour testimony. “It’s very common.”

Webster swung a metal flagpole in a downward motion twice before breaking apart the bike racks. As Rathbun backed away, Webster ran toward him and tackled him, then pulled at his gas mask. Rathbun began to choke on his chin strap as Webster pulled at the mask, Rathbun testified.

Video shows that Rathbun hit Webster’s face while trying to push him away, which became a cornerstone of Webster’s defense. Webster, who claimed that Rathbun had provoked the fight, said that he pulled at Rathbun’s mask as a form of self-defense.

“I felt like I was the cop and he was the protester,” Webster said on the stand.

U.S. attorneys said that Webster clearly should have known he was not allowed on Capitol grounds, pointing to the snow fencing, the bike racks that formed a police barrier, and the Metro Police’s riot gear, flash bangs and tear gas. He also should have known, they said, through his 20 years as a New York City police officer.

“Thomas Webster and Officer Rathbun both swore oaths to protect the country. But only one of them actually fulfilled that oath on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol,” a U.S. attorney said. “And that was Officer Rathbun.”

The defense said they wanted the jury to see the “whole truth.”

“When are acts of police misconduct acceptable?” defense attorney James Monroe said. Referring to the flagpole, Monroe said, “Sometimes, a flagpole is all it is. It’s all it was.”

Webster was convicted of assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer using a dangerous weapon; civil disorder; entering and remaining in restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon; engaging in physical violence in restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon; and engaging in an act of physical violence on Capitol grounds.

Sentencing is set for September 2. Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Webster does not have to be held in custody prior to sentencing.

Warrant issued for female corrections officer who went missing with inmate accused of murder

May 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(FLORENCE, Ala.) — A manhunt is intensifying in Florence, Alabama, for an escaped murder suspect and a corrections officer who have been missing for days.

A warrant has been issued for Lauderdale County assistant director of corrections Vicki White on charges of committing or facilitating an escape, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said at a news conference Monday.

Vicki White “participated” in the escape with inmate Casey White, the sheriff said, adding, “Whether she did that willingly or she was coerced, threatened … not really sure.”

The employee and inmate — who went missing on Friday — are not related.

The sheriff said law enforcement have no idea where they are, but promised, “They will be brought back to justice.”

On Friday morning, Vicki White allegedly told her colleagues that she was taking 38-year-old Casey White to the Lauderdale County Courthouse for a “mental health evaluation,” though no court appearance was scheduled for the inmate, Singleton said. Vicki White violated sheriff’s office policy by escorting Casey White alone, the sheriff said.

Vicki White also allegedly told her colleagues that she was going to seek medical attention after dropping the inmate off at court because she wasn’t feeling well, but Singleton said his office confirmed that no medical appointment was made.

Vicki White had been talking about retiring for the last few months and turned in her paperwork on Thursday, Singleton told ABC News. Friday — the day the two went missing — was set to be her last day at work, he said.

Authorities are reviewing video to see if she spent an extraordinary amount of time at his cell. She had several opportunities each day to be in contact with any inmate, the sheriff said.

Singleton called Vicki White, a 17-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, “an exemplary employee.”

“The employees are just devastated,” the sheriff said. “Nobody saw this coming.”

Casey White is charged with two counts of capital murder in September 2020 for the stabbing of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway, authorities said. He could face the death penalty if convicted, the sheriff said.

Casey White previously planned an escape from the Lauderdale County Detention Center in the fall of 2020, but officials thwarted the plot before he could attempt it, Singleton said. When officials got word of the plot, they found a homemade knife in his possession and learned that he was planning to take a hostage, the sheriff said. Casey White was subsequently transferred to a state prison, where he remained until early this year, when he returned to the Lauderdale County facility for court appearances related to the murder charge, the sheriff said.

Marty Keely, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Alabama, called this a “major case for the United States Marshal Service.”

Casey White is 6 feet 9 inches tall. Anyone who sees them is urged to call 911, Keely said.

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 reward for information leading to their capture, Keely said.

Dismissed jurors summoned back in Parkland school shooter death penalty trial

May 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(PARKLAND, Fla.) — Jury selection in the death penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz is set to resume on Monday after dissolving into disarray last week when the presiding judge admitted she erroneously dismissed prospective jurors and other would-be panelists were cut loose for threatening the defendant.

The 23-year-old Cruz has pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder stemming from the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The Broward County Circuit Court jury being picked for the case will eventually recommend if Cruz, 23, should be sentenced to death or be sent to prison for the rest of his life without the possibility of parole.

Presiding Judge Elizabeth Scherer admitted last week that she made an error on April 5, the second day of jury selection, when she asked would-be jurors if they could follow the law if picked to serve on the case and then dismissed 11 who said they could not.

Scherer acknowledged that she should have allowed attorneys for the defense and prosecution to question the prospective candidates about their answers before dismissing them. She initially ruled that she was starting jury selection over, but then reversed her decision after hearing an argument from the defense.

Scherer’s mistake prompted defense attorneys to file a motion accusing the court of committing double jeopardy and asking that the death penalty phase of the case be declared a mistrial and that Cruz be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In an attempt to remedy her error, Scherer is summoning back to court on Monday the 11 jurors she dismissed to be questioned and possibly be rehabilitated and added to a pool of more than 300 candidates.

For the initial phase of jury selection, questions should have been limited to whether the potential jurors had a hardship that prevented them from serving on the case, which is expected to last four to six months. More probing questions like the one the judge asked should have been reserved for the voir dire phase of jury selection, when prosecutors and defense attorneys are given the chance to grill jury candidates on their answers.

Twenty jurors, including eight alternates, will eventually be chosen to serve on the panel.

The jury selection process hit another snag last week when a potential juror disrupted the proceedings when he entered the courtroom and allegedly mouthed expletives and threats to Cruz, who was seated at the defense table. The outburst apparently inspired other would-be jurors in the courtroom to make similar threats to Cruz and prompted bailiffs to press Cruz against a wall to protect him.

Scherer described that particular group of jury candidates as “belligerent” and dismissed them all.

Cruz pleaded guilty in October to committing the 2018 Valentine’s Day massacre at the Parkland high school. During the hearing attended by loved ones of the 17 he killed, Cruz said he wished it was up to the survivors of the shooting to determine whether he lived or died.

“I’m very sorry for what I did,” Cruz said at his plea hearing. “I can’t live with myself sometimes.”

Timeline: How a murder suspect escaped an Alabama jail

May 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(FLORENCE, Ala.) — Multiple law enforcement agencies are continuing their search for a murder suspect who escaped an Alabama jail by apparently feigning a trip to the courthouse with a corrections officer, according to authorities.

Vicki White, the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office assistant director, was last seen escorting inmate Casey White to the local courthouse on Friday morning for an “alleged mental health evaluation,” Sheriff Rick Singleton told reporters on Saturday. The two are not related, the sheriff said.

Casey White, 38, was arrested in 2020 and charged with two counts of capital murder that authorities said was a murder for hire in a case that went cold for nearly five years, AL.com reported at the time.

“Indications are” that Vicki White, who has worked for the sheriff’s office for 25 years, assisted in the escape, but it is unclear whether she did so willingly or if Casey White coerced her into doing so “by threatening her and/or her family or other means,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Investigators are searching for any footage that can shed light on what happened and are also combing through Casey White’s phone calls and looking into the previous interactions between him and Vicki White to determine whether the escape was premeditated, Singleton said.

Here is a timeline of events, according to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office:

Friday, April 29

8:47 a.m.: Transport van No. 5 leaves the detention center with seven inmates, escorted by two deputies.

8:56 a.m.: Transport van No. 2 leaves the detention center with five inmates, escorted by two deputies.

9:20 a.m.: Vicki White instructs a corrections deputy to prepare Casey White for transport to the courthouse. The deputy then removes Casey White from his jail cell and takes him to booking, where the deputy places him in handcuffs and shackles his legs.

9:41 a.m.: Vicki White leaves the detention center with Casey White in a patrol car for an inmate “mental health evaluation.” Prior to leaving, Vicki White tells the booking officer that she is the only deputy available who is firearm certified and that she is dropping him off to other deputies at the courthouse and would then be going to Med Plus, an urgent care center, because she is not feeling well.

11:34 a.m.: A police officer with the Florence Police Department, unaware of the situation at the time, spots the patrol vehicle in a parking lot near cars that are for sale.

3:30 p.m.: A booking officer reports to detention center administration that they have been trying to contact Vicki White to check on her but that her phone is going directly to voicemail. The booking officer also advises that inmate Casey White has not returned to the detention center with the other inmates.

The administrator contacts the sheriff’s office, and officers begin a search of the courthouse to determine whether Casey White is still in the building. Over the next several minutes, they determine that Casey White was not in the courthouse and that there was not a court appearance or evaluation scheduled. Security footage shows that Vicki White never arrived at the courthouse.

After a national bulletin is released with details of Casey White and Vicki White, a witness reports that she saw the patrol vehicle on her lunch break at a shopping center. Deputies retrieve the patrol car but do not find any information on their whereabouts.

5:30 p.m.: About 20 agents from the U.S. Marshals, the FBI, the ATF, the Secret Service and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency join the investigation.

Morning: The son of Connie Ridgeway, the woman Casey White is accused of killing, tells ABC Huntsville, Alabama, affiliate station WAAY that he is in disbelief his mother’s accused killer is on the loose.

“I’m shocked,” Austin Williams told the station after Casey White had been on the run for at least 24 hours. “I mean, how is that even possible that someone with that rap sheet got out that easily?”

Singleton announces during a press conference that it was a “strict violation of policy” for Vicki White to be alone with an inmate, adding that Casey White should have been escorted by two deputies, given his charges.

In her role as assistant director of corrections, Vicki White is in charge of coordinating transportation between the detention center and the court, Singleton said. The breach of protocol wasn’t flagged by her employees.

Evening: Singleton tells ABC News that it appears the escape was “orchestrated.”

Casey White previously planned to escape from the Lauderdale County Detention Center in the fall of 2020, but officials thwarted the plot before he could attempt it, Singleton said. When prison officials got word of the plot, they found a homemade knife in White’s possession and learned that he was planning to take a hostage.

Casey White was subsequently transferred to a state prison, where he remained until early this year, and would return to the Lauderdale County facility for court appearances related to the murder, Singleton said.

Vicki White is “an exemplary employee” who is well-liked by all her colleagues, Singleton said. She interacts with inmates several times a day as part of her job, Singleton said, adding that he is unaware of any kind of relationship between Vicki White and Casey White.

“We’re very concerned for her safety,” he said.

Morning: The U.S. Marshals Service announces a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the capture for Casey White.

“Casey White is believed to be a serious threat to the corrections officer and the public,” U.S. Marshal Marty Keely said in a statement.

Afternoon: Singleton tells ABC News that Vicki White had been talking about retiring for three or four months prior to the escape. She turned in her paperwork on Thursday, and Friday, when the escape occurred, was set to be her last day at work.

ABC News’ Jack Date, Meredith Deliso, Elwyn Lopez, Will McDuffie and Ben Stein contributed to this report.

Third shooting near youth sports field in seven days leaves several hurt

May 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MANASSAS, Virginia) — At least three people were injured Sunday when gunfire erupted near a middle school athletic field in Virginia, marking the third time in seven days that a shooting has occurred near youth sports facilities across the country.

The latest incident unfolded Sunday morning near Benton Middle School in Manassas, Virginia, about 30 miles southwest of Alexandria, according to the Prince William County Police Department.

Police said a youth flag football game was going on when the gunfire erupted. The circumstances of the shooting are under investigation.

Three gunshot victims were taken to area hospitals, but their ages and conditions were not immediately released.

No arrests were reported, but police said officers had secured the scene.

Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega released a statement on Facebook saying her office was monitoring the situation closely.

“For those who reside near Benton Middle School, please stay in your homes until we have further updates,” Vega said in her statement.

The shooting came just three days after nearly two dozen shots were fired near a high school baseball game in Chicago, prompting players on the field to drop to the ground and others to dive for cover. The shooting occurred just after 5 p.m. on Friday during a freshman baseball game between St. Rita High School and Marmion Academy.

No one was injured in that shooting, and police said they suspect the gunfire came from a McDonald’s across the street from the athletic field where gunmen were firing at a moving car, according to the Chicago Police Department.

On April 25, a barrage of gunfire interrupted a youth league baseball game in North Charleston, South Carolina. Dozens of shots were fired near Pepperhill Park, police said.

Cell phone video showed players on the field diving to the ground and their teammates, coaches and spectators seeking cover.

The North Charleston Police said no one was injured in the shooting. No arrests have been made.

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible for the shooting.

“It destroyed the hearts of a lot of people: mothers, fathers, children out here participating in sports within our city,” Summey said at a news conference last week. “We will not tolerate this behavior, and we will not allow this behavior to carry forward.”

Gun violence prevention organization Everytown released a report last year showing that between Aug. 20 and Sept. 25, 2021, at least 22 incidents involving guns occurred at football games, soccer matches and Little League games in 14 states. Some incidents turned deadly, including a college football game in Durham, North Carolina, on Sept. 18, where police said two people were fatally shot.

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Pelosi leads delegation to Poland after visiting Ukraine

May 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The Russian military last month launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, attempting to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol and to secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

May 02, 5:48 am
Pelosi leads delegation to Poland after visiting Ukraine

A high-level U.S. congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on Monday, a day after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

“Our distinguished Congressional delegation came to Poland to send an unmistakable message to the world: that America stands firmly with our NATO allies in our support for Ukraine,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi said their talks with Duda and other Polish officials in the Polish capital “will be focused on further strengthening our partnership, offering our gratitude for Poland’s humanitarian leadership, and discussing how we can further work together to support Ukraine.”

Earlier, Pelosi and the half dozen U.S. lawmakers with her traveled to the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszow, where they met with U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division stationed in Poland to reassure NATO allies and deter Russian aggression.

“These engagements are even more meaningful following our meeting in Kyiv with President Volodymr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian leaders,” Pelosi said. “In that profound and solemn visit, our delegation conveyed our respect and gratitude to President Zelenskyy for his leadership and our admiration of the Ukrainian people for their courage in the fight against Russia’s diabolical invasion. Our Members were proud to deliver the message that additional American support is on the way, as we work to transform President Biden’s strong funding request into a legislative package.”

Pelosi, second in line to the U.S. presidency after the vice president, was the most senior American lawmaker to visit Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24. The delegation’s trip to the Ukrainian capital was not disclosed until they were safely out of the country.

-ABC News’ Chad Murray

May 01, 4:57 pm
Russian shelling of Mariupol steel plant resumes: Ukrainian officials

Russian forces resumed shelling the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on Sunday after some civilians inside the facility and in nearby homes were evacuated during a brief cease fire, according Ukrainian officials.

“They are shelling the plant with all kinds of weapons,” said Denis Schlega, commander of the 12th Brigade of Operational Assignment in Mariupol.

Earlier Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and Russian Ministry of Defense all confirmed that some civilians were evacuated from the steel plant, where a Ukrainian military unit is making a last stand in the port city that is almost entirely under Russian control.

Zelenskyy said about 100 civilians were evacuated from the steel plant on Sunday and were being taken to Zaporizhia, a city under Ukrainian control.

The Mariupol City Council said in a statement that evacuations from Mariupol had stopped Sunday afternoon due to “security reasons.” The city council said the evacuations would resume on Monday.

May 01, 4:13 pm
Civilians killed, injured in shelling of Kharkiv region: Ukrainian official

At least three civilians were killed and eight others injured on Sunday as a result of heavy shelling from Russian forces in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian official.

The casualties were reported in the residential areas of Saltivka, Bohodukhiv and Zolochif, according to Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

May 01, 12:24 pm
Pope Francis condemns ‘macabre regression of humanity’ in Ukraine

Pope Francis on Sunday described the war in Ukraine as a “macabre regression of humanity” that makes him “suffer and cry.”

Speaking to thousands of people crowded into St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, the pope called for humanitarian corridors to be opened to evacuate civilians trapped inside or near a steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

Evacuation of civilians at the Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian forces have been staging a last stand against Russian troops, have started, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Red Cross and the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed on Sunday.

During Sunday’s Vatican service, Francis repeated his criticism of Russia for invading Ukraine.

“My thoughts go immediately to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the city of Mary, barbarously bombarded and destroyed,” the pontiff said of the Russian-controlled southeastern port city, which is named after Mary. “I suffer and cry thinking of the suffering of the Ukrainian population, in particular the weakest, the elderly, the children.”

In Catholicism, the month of May is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Francis asked for monthlong prayers for peace in Ukraine.

“While we are witnessing a macabre regression of humanity, I ask you, together with so many anguished people, if we are really seeking peace, if there is the will to avoid a continuous military and verbal escalation, if we are doing everything possible to make the weapons stop? Please, let us not give in to the logic of violence, to the perverse spiral of arms. Let us take the path of dialogue and peace. Let us pray.”

-ABC News’ Rashid Haddou

3rd shooting near youth sports field in 7 days leaves several hurt

May 1, 2022 by WDNY Radio