(PHOENIX) — Five Phoenix police officers were shot during an early morning barricade situation at a house, the department said.
Phoenix police said they were called to a home where a woman was reported shot.
When an officer approached to help, the suspect immediately opened fire, striking the officer multiple times, police said. That officer was able to get away to safety, police said.
Then a man came out of the house holding a baby, police said. The man put the baby on the ground and walked to police where he was detained.
When officers went to bring the baby to safety, the suspect again opened fire from inside the house, hitting four more officers, police said.
The suspect then barricaded himself in the home, police said. Once the scene was secured police said they found the suspect dead inside.
The woman who was the first reported to be shot was found critically hurt inside the home, police said.
Besides the five officers shot, at least three other officers were injured by bullet shrapnel, police said.
The conditions of the five officers shot were not immediately clear. Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams told reporters, “One of them is seriously hurt but is on the road to recovery.”
(PHILADELPHIA) — Six people were stabbed in a Philadelphia home early Friday in what police are calling a “very violent scene.”
Police received a 911 call just after 4 a.m. reporting a stabbing and responding officers found the victims, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters.
Three were hospitalized in critical condition and three were in stable condition, according to Philadelphia police.
Small said there were two bloody knives and one of the knives “is actually broken, which goes to show how violently these individuals were being stabbed.”
The “very violent scene” was “all on the second floor in the three bedrooms of this private residence,” Small said. “There’s blood on the floor, there’s blood on the walls, on the doors. The door to the master bedroom is completely knocked off its hinges.”
Police found the suspect “covered with blood” on a street and “he immediately surrendered,” Small said.
Police said the victims in critical condition were a 30-year-old woman stabbed multiple times in the back; a 32-year-old woman stabbed multiple times in the arms and chest; and a 49-year-old woman stabbed multiple times in the neck, head and back.
In stable condition were a 26-year-old man stabbed in the chest and back; a 57-year-old man stabbed in the forehead; and a 55-year-old woman stabbed in arm, police said.
So far there is no motive, Small said.
The suspect was positively identified by some of the family members, including some of the victims, and was taken to a hospital to be treated for cuts to his hands, Small said.
NYCHA program manager Jordan Bonomo speaks with Ginger Zee of ABC News about the heat pumps being used as part of the pilot program taking place at the Fort Independence Houses in the Bronx borough of New York. – ABC News
(NEW YORK) — As cities across the country work to meet clean energy goals in the coming years, a critical focus is being placed on public and affordable housing.
There are more than 1.2 million public housing units across the country, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Many of these buildings have aging heating and cooling equipment that is largely inefficient, resulting in expensive utility bills.
Low-income households spend three times more income on energy bills than those living above the poverty line, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Not only are these systems expensive, they also rely on fossil fuels, making them significant sources of greenhouse gases — any gas that absorbs heat and radiates it back at the Earth, causing global warming.
In America’s largest city, New York, more than 80% of low-income housing relies on old boilers fueled by natural gas, propane or oil. The New York City Housing Authority oversees more than 170,000 units and is the largest landlord in the city. The agency is looking to the future, and is required by law to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. To tackle that goal, NYCHA is beginning to address a long-standing problem with energy in its buildings.
The boiler at the Fort Independence Houses in the Bronx, home to more than 700 residents, broke at the end of 2021. The building was built in 1971 and people have had a difficult time staying warm this winter.
“I have my socks on. I have a T-shirt. I have sweatpants,” said resident Lauren White. “I have another sweatshirt and I have a hood, and sometimes I put the scarf around my neck so that I could be warm.”
NYCHA brought in a temporary mobile boiler to provide heat for residents in the complex while the building’s boiler, which is 18 years old, is being repaired. NYCHA told ABC News that repairing the equipment and finding the parts takes time.
Unfortunately, this energy problem is not unique. Heating outages have been reported in low-income housing from Brooklyn to Queens this winter. Tragically, 17 people, including eight children, died last month in a fire started by a space heater in a privately owned building in the Bronx.
NYCHA, the city’s public housing agency, is currently testing a pilot program at the Fort Independence Houses using electric heat pumps inside seven units. Jordan Bonomo, the program manager overseeing the electrification of NYCHA’s properties, said that heat pumps are like air conditioners that can work in both directions.
“In the winter, [the heat pump] goes into heating mode and takes heat from outside even though it’s cold,” said Bonomo. “I know it feels cold, but there’s actually heat here and it transfers inside.”
NYCHA said the heat pumps are six times as efficient as the old boiler system.
Heat pumps can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 54% compared to natural gas alternatives, according to a study from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the University of California. This is because heat pumps don’t need to use fossil fuels to generate heat, they just transport heat.
If the new heat pump technology is successful, it will deploy the new technology to more than 50,000 apartments over the next 10 years, according to NYCHA. But even that effort will only impact 30% of NYCHA properties.
John Rogers, an energy expert from the Union of Concerned Scientists, told ABC News that heat pumps were not previously an option in very cold climates, but that technology is now changing.
“I think what we need is to be looking to the building owners and building managers and the government — the city, the state and federal level — to be driving us in the direction of truly clean energy, of which energy efficiency is a huge piece,” said Rogers.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 915,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.3% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 11, 6:56 am
New York City’s unvaccinated workers face termination
About 3,000 municipal workers in New York City — less than 1% of the city’s workforce — face termination Friday after refusing to abide by a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The requirement, established under former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, applies to municipal employees hired after Aug. 2, 2021, who were told to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment and to unvaccinated police officers, correction officers, firefighters and others who opted to forego city health benefits and are currently on leave because they are not vaccinated.
The mandate achieved a vaccination rate among municipal workers of more than 95%. A number of exceptions were approved in recent months.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday that some workers initially facing termination had submitted their proof of vaccination, so the final number wasn’t yet clear. He reiterated that the stragglers aren’t being fired but are “quitting.”
“The responsibility is clear,” Adams told reporters Thursday. “We said it. If you were hired, you get this job, you have to be vaccinated. If you are not following the rules, you are making that decision. You are making the decision that you are not going to follow the rules of getting vaccinated. And that is a decision they are making.”
“I want them to stay, I want them to be employees of the city,” he added. “But they have to follow the rules.”
-ABC News’ Mark Crudele and Aaron Katersky
Feb 10, 3:24 pm
1st vaccine shipments for kids under 5 could be as soon as Feb. 21, pending FDA authorization
The first vaccine shipments for children under 5 could arrive at pediatricians’ doors as soon as Feb. 21, according to a planning guide sent to states from federal health officials and obtained by ABC News.
Doses can ship once the FDA signs off.
The FDA’s independent advisory committee will meet on Tuesday and after that the FDA can issue an emergency use authorization.
The CDC’s independent advisory panel is expected to meet within days of the FDA’s authorization. Once the CDC signs off on its panel’s recommendations, vaccinations for kids under 5 can start.
-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik
Feb 10, 2:18 pm
Walensky: Difficult to release guidance that works everywhere from NYC to rural Montana
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky acknowledged that it’s tough to make national guidelines to ease restrictions that will fit every different city and town.
“One of the challenging pieces has been how we make guidance that is general enough so that it can be applied to New York City and rural Montana and Indian country, which is our responsibility, and yet have it be specific enough so that people can get their questions answered,” Walensky said in a webinar in hosted by the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project.
Looking to the future, Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s vaccine chief, said “Obviously the hope is — and I think it’s probably the 90% scenario — is that we’re going to now move into a period where … the virus becomes endemic. And we will be living alongside it probably in a period where we will start to get yearly boosters for it.”
But Dr. Sara Oliver, an epidemic intelligence service officer for the CDC, noted that, although there’s a drop in cases, the same hasn’t happened yet in hospitals.
“It’s difficult to envision a time point where we can say COVID is over if we’re still in a time period where our hospitals and ICUs are feeling the strain,” Oliver said.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Feb 10, 1:51 pm
Nevada lifting indoor mask mandate, including for schools
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Thursday announced an immediate end to the state’s indoor mask mandate — including for schools — citing a rapid decline in cases and a drop in hospitalizations.
“Teachers & schools will no longer be required to wear masks but school districts will need to work with their local health authorities to have plans in place to deal with outbreaks,” the governor tweeted.
He added, “Employers and organizations, including school districts, may set their own policies, and I encourage them to work with their employees and communities to ensure that policies are in place.”
Masks in Nevada will only be required on public transit per federal law, or in special facilities like hospitals or long-term care facilities.
(DELPHI, Ind.) — In Delphi, Indiana, a close-knit town of nearly 3,000 residents, this weekend marks five years since its most haunting event — the slayings of two eighth-grade girls on a local hiking trail — a devastating crime that stripped families of their innocence and thrust the rural community into a murder mystery that remains unsolved.
Feb. 13, 2017 was an unusually warm day in Delphi, about 70 miles north of Indianapolis, and best friends Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, were enjoying a day off from school.
They headed to the trail — and never made it home.
There appears to be substantial evidence in the case — from audio and video footage of the suspect to a new lead from social media — but no arrest has been made. Police are also not willing to disclose key facts about the crime, such as the cause of death, which experts interviewed by ABC News say is unusual.
They also say that the benefit of continued secrecy and pursuing cryptic leads in the case may have passed.
Nonetheless, five years on, the families still say they have faith in the head of the Indiana State Police, Doug Carter, who said he urges them to continue to hold his feet to the fire.
“We know a lot about you … today could be the day — sleep well,” Carter said in a direct message to the killer.
Watch the full story on “Nightline” TONIGHT at 12:35 a.m. ET on ABC.
‘Our own little bubble’
Libby was outgoing and competitive, excelling in softball, soccer, swimming and volleyball. But she also stood up for the underdog, her grandmother and guardian, Becky Patty, told ABC News.
“She made an impression on people with her kindness,” she said.
Abby was independent, artistic and musical, said her mother, Anna Williams.
“She was one of the most helpful kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of being with,” her mom said. “She loved helping other people … assisting her nieces, playing games.”
The inseparable friends spent their last night alive having a sleepover at Libby’s house, Becky Patty said. There was no school on Monday, Feb. 13, so the girls slept in and had pancakes.
“We were in our own little bubble,” Becky Patty said.
When Abby and Libby didn’t come home from their afternoon at the trail, Libby’s grandfather, Mike Patty, went to look for them.
By nightfall, the girls were still missing and he called the police. Officers and neighbors descended on the streets and trails with flashlights, he said.
Williams said, “We couldn’t find anything on any form of social media saying that they were planning on hanging out or anything with people … the only logical reasoning for them not to be here is that neither of them had a good sense of direction and they’re lost and somebody’s hurt.”
The next day — Valentine’s Day — the girls’ bodies were found near the trail.
Video, a recording and a sketch
The murders cast fear across Delphi, with parents keeping their kids inside and once-friendly neighbors looking at each other with suspicion.
In 2017, authorities released a grainy image of the suspect, who they say was on the trail the day the girls went missing. In 2019, police released a brief video clip — footage taken from Libby’s phone — showing a grainy image of the suspect walking on the bridge near where the girls were last seen.
Police also publicized the suspect’s voice — a recording of him saying, “guys … down the hill” — which was recovered from Libby’s phone.
Authorities in 2019 released a new suspect sketch that officials said was based on a witness’ recollection of what he or she saw.
Despite all that evidence, no arrest has been made.
Two Indiana State Police detectives work full-time on the case, investigating alongside local authorities and looking into all tips and leads that come in, state police spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Piers said.
Carter, the Indiana State Police superintendent, told ABC News this week, “My resolve to catch him is as strong now as it is Day One.”
“I get 25 to 30 tips a week personally,” he said. “I can assure you — it’s moving.”
A deepening mystery
So much remains a mystery. Most significantly, how Abby and Libby died has still not been released to the public. The state police spokesman would only say that’s because “there is some information about this case that we cannot release to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
“One day I’m gonna be able to explain it — we will be able to explain why we held certain things,” Carter said.
Speaking directly to the killer, he added, “We know a lot about you,” though he didn’t elaborate.
Though police routinely withhold details from the public when working to identify a suspect, ABC News contributor and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said that he thought the lack of disclosure of the particular aspects of the cause of death is strange.
“It’s odd to me that they have not released what caused Abigail and Libby’s death, because it’s fairly routine … for the public to at least generally know what happened,” he said.
Garrett said the cause of death having a unique aspect that only the killer would know is the only logical reason he can think of for law enforcement withholding the information.
Robert Ives, the chief prosecutor in Carroll County at the time of Abby and Libby’s murders who has since retired, thinks the time has passed to keep the cause of death a secret.
“I would like to hear an explanation from those leading the investigation what benefit is gained with secrecy,” Ives told ABC News.
Two months ago came a new lead — but that’s also shrouded in mystery.
State police announced in December that, while investigating Abby and Libby’s case, they “uncovered” a fake Snapchat and Instagram profile called “anthony_shots,” where the unknown user took photos of a known male model and communicated with underage girls “to solicit nude images, obtain their addresses, and attempt to meet them.”
The user of the “anthony_shots” profile, which was active in 2016 and 2017, “portrayed himself as being extremely wealthy and owning numerous sports cars,” police said.
The male model in the photos has been identified and isn’t a person of interest, according to police.
Authorities won’t say if Abby or Libby communicated with the fake profile.
Carter was tight-lipped on the “anthony_shots” investigation, saying the profile has “generated a tremendous number of leads for us — and that’s as far as I can go.”
In a statement this week state police said they’re urging anyone who communicated with, met or tried to meet the “anthony_shots” profile to contact law enforcement.
Mike Patty said he sometimes gets criticized for being so supportive of law enforcement. He admitted he gets frustrated, saying he “never thought we’d be here five years and not have resolution.”
But Mike Patty’s still supporting the police, because, he says, “Who else is gonna make the arrest for me?”
“What’s the most effective way to get this done? It’s to support them, right?” he said.
“Obviously I don’t know everything they [the police] have,” he said. “And they’re not gonna roll those cards out on the table at this point in time.”
“Our job is to get the information out there,” he continued. “‘Cause one day we’re gonna get ahold of the right person. Or they’re gonna hear our plea for their help enough that they’re finally gonna say something.”
Williams agreed.
“It did feel we do have more information than a lot of cases have,” she said. “I’m not saying that the cops are in error — law enforcement has done us well … the thousands and thousands and thousands of hours that they have put into our case is frustrating for everybody.”
Carter said, while having conversations with Mike Patty, “There’s things he wants to know that we haven’t told him. Can you imagine? I can’t. He’s looking at a man that knows the answer to a question he’s asking about the death of a grandchild. And I won’t tell him.”
“I want them to continue to hold us to the fire,” Carter said of the families.
‘We always have hope’
Those middle-schoolers enjoying a warm day in the fresh air would now be young adults finishing their freshman year of college. Williams said Abby “would’ve turned into a really good young lady.”
Becky Patty said she made a vow to Libby to never give up on finding her killer and to “live our life making her proud.”
“We live our life like she would want — she was way more giving and she was way more forgiving than the rest of us,” Becky Patty said.
“We include her every day in our life,” she continued. “She’s just not physically standing here, but she’s here. So we just don’t let her be gone.”
Mike Patty said he’s still hopeful for an arrest.
“We always have hope,” he said.
“So if you know and you’re not saying something, I encourage you to do so, ’cause … this guy could strike again,” he said. “I don’t want it to happen to anybody else.”
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 912,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.2% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:
Feb 10, 7:44 am
Prince Charles tests positive for COVID-19 again
Charles, Prince of Wales, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday morning, according to a spokesperson for Clarence House, his official London residence.
The 73-year-old heir apparent to the British throne “is now self-isolating” and “is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today’s events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.
It’s the second time that Charles has contracted COVID-19. He previously tested positive in March 2020, early on in the pandemic before vaccines were available, but he had mild symptoms.
Both the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a Clarence House spokesperson has said.
The couple attended a British Asian Trust event at the British Museum in London on Wednesday night, along with hundreds of other guests, including several British politicians such as Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Health Secretary Said Javid. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines, was also in attendance.
Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
(BOULDER, Colo.) — Nearly a year after a gunman opened fire at a King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado, killing 10 people, the grocery store has reopened.
A marching band helped mark Wednesday’s reopening — a joyful yet somber celebration attended by local officials and community members that honored the victims and paid tribute to the first responders of the March 22, 2021, mass shooting.
Instead of a ribbon-cutting, the manager of the Table Mesa King Soopers store and the city’s mayor tied a ribbon together to signal their strength.
“Just like the strength of this knot, we are strong,” King Soopers spokesperson Kelli McGannon told the crowd.
There was also a moment of silence for the workers, shoppers and Boulder police officer killed in the shooting: Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Officer Eric Talley, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.
King Soopers officials said they would also be installing a remembrance tree garden on the west side of the store, planting one tree for each victim.
The 10 trees will “remind us of the dark day, the day of evil that occurred here,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told the crowd, though he noted that the reopening marks a “turning point for the community to move forward.”
“Today is really a symbol of that perseverance. It’s the beginning of a new chapter,” the governor said. “I want to thank everybody whose hard work led to this occasion and wish everybody affected — family members, team members, shoppers — well in the journey of healing that we are all undertaking and for which today is a very important step.”
The store’s manager, Sheri Bosman, gave emotional remarks at the reopening.
“I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time. We’ve come a long way in the past year,” she said, getting choked up.
“We were strong in the beginning. We continue to build our strength. We’re stronger than ever,” she continued. “My heart is thankful we are back together with our incredible Table Mesa associates and the South Boulder community.”
The redesign includes a new entry and higher ceilings with more lighting, as well as safety enhancements. The company hasn’t elaborated on those features because it is proprietary information and could pose a risk to share.
Local shoppers came by to support the workers and community and to lay flowers at the site.
“There’s been a lot of grieving and I feel the fact that the store’s open again will give everybody a chance to regroup and celebrate the fact that our spirit is strong,” Michelle Weiner-Davis, a family therapist who shops at the store, told Denver ABC affiliate KMGH-TV.
In the wake of the shooting, King Soopers committed a $1 million donation to the Colorado Healing Fund to help provide mental health services and other financial relief to survivors and others who have been traumatized by the event.
Mental health partners were also on site for the opening, Bosman said.
As the store reopens, the case against the alleged shooter is ongoing. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 22, faces 10 counts of first-degree murder, among other charges, in connection with the shooting. A possible motive has not been released.
In December, a judge ruled that he was incompetent to stand trial and the suspect was ordered to undergo further treatment in the state mental hospital. A hearing has been scheduled for March 15 to review his condition.
(NEW YORK) — Two Oklahoma men were indicted by a federal grand jury after authorities accused them of committing hate crimes in connection with an alleged assault against two people outside of a bar in 2019.
The two-count indictment in the Western District of Oklahoma alleges that Brandon Killian and Devan Johnson “willfully caused bodily injury to two victims” because one of them was a Black man, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
The assaults occurred in the parking lot of a bar in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in June 2019, the Justice Department said in a press release.
If convicted, Killian and Johnson each could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the release.
An attorney for Killian did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. Information for Johnson’s attorney was not immediately available.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 911,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.2% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
-Fauci says we’re heading out of the ‘full blown pandemic phase’
-US hospitalizations at lowest point since early January
-New York lifts indoor mask mandate effective Thursday
-Massachusetts lifts statewide school mask mandate
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 09, 6:10 pm
Washington state to lift mask mandates
Washington became the latest state Wednesday to announce it will be easing mask requirements.
Gov. Jay Inslee said the state’s outdoor mask mandate will be lifted on Feb. 18, and he will provide a date next week on when the indoor mask mandate will end.
The state health department has required that everyone ages 5 and older wear a mask at indoor public settings, as well as at outdoor events with 500 or more attendees, regardless of vaccination status.
The announcement comes as COVID-19 cases have been declining rapidly in the state.
Feb 09, 4:56 pm
Fauci says we’re heading out of the ‘full blown pandemic phase’
Dr. Anthony told the Financial Times that the U.S. is “heading out of” the “full-blown pandemic phase” and that he hopes masks and other measures can be dropped entirely in the coming months.
“As we get out of the full-blown pandemic phase of COVID-19, which we are certainly heading out of, these decisions will increasingly be made on a local level rather than centrally decided or mandated,” Fauci said. “There will also be more people making their own decisions on how they want to deal with the virus.”
“There is no way we are going to eradicate this virus,” Fauci cautioned. “But I hope we are looking at a time when we have enough people vaccinated and enough people with protection from previous infection that the COVID restrictions will soon be a thing of the past.”
ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Feb 09, 4:07 pm
Illinois looks to end indoor mask mandate
Illinois plans to lift its indoor mask mandate at the end of month, Gov. JB Pritzker said, citing “hospitalization rates declining faster than any other point in the pandemic.”
“If these trends continue — and we expect them to — then on Monday, Feb. 28, we will lift the indoor mask requirement,” he said Wednesday.
Masks will continue in Illinois schools “subject to pending litigation which impacts a number of schools,” the governor’s office said. “As the CDC reaffirmed just today, masks remain a critical tool to keep schools safe and open.”
The governors of New York and Rhode Island also announced an end to their indoor mask mandates on Wednesday.
Feb 09, 2:01 pm
Rhode Island lifting indoor mask mandate
Rhode Island will lift the statewide indoor mask policy on Friday, Gov. Dan McKee announced.
Rhode Island’s school mask mandate will be extended until March. 4. At that time, school masking policies will be decided by individual school districts.
This comes hours after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York’s indoor mask mandate will end on Thursday.
