(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 935,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.7% 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 21, 7:24 am
New York delays booster mandate for health care workers
New York health officials announced the state will delay enforcement of its booster requirement for health care workers in an effort to avoid potential staffing issues.
The mandate had been scheduled to go into effect on Monday.
“While we are making progress with 75% of staff received or are willing to receive their booster, the reality is that not enough healthcare workers will be boosted by next week’s requirement in order to avoid substantial staffing issues in our already overstressed healthcare system,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement on Friday. “That is why we are announcing additional efforts to work closely with healthcare facilities and ensure that our healthcare workforce is up to date on their doses.”
In three months, the state will reassess whether additional steps will be needed to increase booster uptake among healthcare workers, officials said. The original vaccination requirement for healthcare workers remains in effect.
“The vaccine and booster are critical tools to keep both healthcare workers and their patients safe, and we continue to urge everyone to get vaccinated and receive a booster dose when eligible,” Bassett said.
The state said it will work closely with hospitals to increase booster rates among healthcare workers.
Joe Sohm/Visions of America / Contributor/Getty Images
(HOMESTEAD, Fla.) — A Florida inmate’s death while being transferred between prisons has prompted a criminal investigation, the resignation of a corrections officer and the placement of 10 others on leave, authorities said.
The death occurred Feb. 14, and state Department of Corrections officials released information about the incident on Saturday, a day after the Miami Herald, acting on a tip, inquired about it, the newspaper reported.
The Department of Corrections said in the Saturday statement that the prisoner, whose name and age have not been released, died while being transferred from the Dade Correctional Institution in Homestead, Florida, south of Miami, and that “the Department immediately took action to support a full investigation and ensure inmate safety.”
Citing an “open and active investigation,” the Department of Corrections declined to release further details.
The Miami Herald reported the inmate was found dead in a transfer van outside the Florida Women’s Reception Center, a prison in Ocala about 345 miles north of Homestead.
The Department of Corrections declined to say if the prisoner died from injuries suffered prior to being placed in the transfer vehicle or during the trip. The department would also not say if the inmate was shackled during the transfer.
Ricky Dixon, the secretary of the state Department of Corrections, described the investigation involving the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the state Office of Inspector General as a “criminal case.”
“As Secretary, I will be unwavering in my support for staff who perform their jobs with respect and integrity, but I will also be unrelenting in disciplining staff who act outside of the ethical standards of our profession; they will be held accountable for their actions, up to, and including criminal prosecution,” Dixon said in a statement.
The Department of Corrections statement said Dixon and other agency leaders traveled to the Dade Correctional Institution immediately after the inmate’s death to “assess the facility and to direct immediate action.”
The statement also noted that shortly before the incident, the Dade Correctional Institution warden was replaced for an undisclosed reason and that “the new warden is conducting a holistic review of facility operations.”
(MILWAUKEE) — A suspect arrested in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Milwaukee girl allegedly told investigators it was the first time he had ever fired a gun, according to a criminal complaint.
Marcellus Duckworth, 23, of Milwaukee, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of 15-year-old Gabby Landry, according to police.
Landry was in the backseat of a car when Duckworth allegedly fired a gun into the vehicle during an argument on Feb. 13 in the Silver Spring neighborhood of north Milwaukee.
Landry was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
When Duckworth learned a teenage girl in the vehicle had been struck and killed, he purportedly told detectives “he did not mean to do that and it was his first time shooting a gun and there were no excuses,” according to the criminal complaint obtained by ABC affiliate station WISN in Milwaukee.
The suspect told detectives he was aiming at a tire of the vehicle when he allegedly fired, according to the criminal complaint.
Duckworth appeared in court on Friday and was ordered to be held in jail on $50,000 bail.
Duckworth’s girlfriend told police the incident unfolded after she made an Instagram post about selling shoes and received a message from a woman who claimed to have had a relationship with Duckworth and was coming to his house to fight, according to the complaint.
When the woman arrived at Duckworth’s house with Landry and another teenager, she allegedly vandalized Duckworth’s girlfriend’s car, and then Duckworth allegedly confronted them with a gun, according to the complaint.
As the woman started to drive away, Duckworth and his girlfriend chased them on foot, and Duckworth allegedly fired at the vehicle, striking Landry, according to the complaint.
Landry’s death is the latest in a series of shootings in Milwaukee this year in which children have been killed. The shooting came just three days after 10-year-old Jada Clay was fatally shot in her home, allegedly by her mother, Henrietta Rogers, who was charged with reckless homicide.
Among the victims in the other child homicides was 8-year-old Tiana Huddleston, who was allegedly killed Jan. 2 by her father, Michael Huddleston, who claimed it was an accident, according to police. Huddleston was charged with reckless homicide.
Michael J. Snow is seen in a undated police mugshot.- New York State Police
(POTSDAM, N.Y.) — A 21-year-old college student was shot and killed in northern New York near her university’s campus, according to authorities.
Elizabeth Howell, a senior at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, was identified as the victim of the shooting, which took place Friday in the village of Potsdam, located about 200 miles north of Albany, according to New York State Police.
When officers arrived to the scene just before 6 p.m., they found Howell unconscious with gunshot wounds, police said. She was transported to Canton-Potsdam Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities did not provide details surrounding the circumstances of the shooting.
A shelter-in-place order was placed at the university after police received reports of shots fired near campus and lifted Saturday morning.
Michael J. Snow, 31, of Massena, New York, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder on Saturday afternoon, police said. At his arraignment, Snow was remanded to St. Lawrence County Jail without bail. He is not affiliated with the college, according to the university, and it is unclear how he and Howell were connected.
State police are asking the public for information on Snow’s whereabouts between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday. He was seen driving a gray Honda Civic with New York license plate KVE2731 with damage to the driver’s side door through Potsdam, Hopkinton, Malone, Westville, Hogansburg and Massena during that time frame, police said.
Howell, who went by the nickname “Beth,” was a cellist who performed with the Crane Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Phil Neisser, the president of SUNY Potsdam, said in a statement. She was scheduled to graduate this year.
“She was an aspiring educator with a bright future ahead of her.” Neisser wrote. “Together, we — as one united campus community — honor her life and mourn her loss.”
Classes are canceled on Monday, the school announced.
“The entire SUNY Potsdam community mourns her loss, and we stand together in unity to remember her,” the university wrote in a statement.
(PORTLAND, Ore.) — A woman was killed and five others were injured on Saturday in a shooting near a park in Portland, Oregon, police said.
Officers responded to a report of a shooting near Normandale Park in northeast Portland at about 8 p.m. local time, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. A protest had been planned for the area, police said.
“When officers arrived they located a female victim who was deceased,” the department said. “Additional shooting victims, two men and three women, were transported to area hospitals and their status is unknown at this time.”
Police said their initial investigation “indicates this incident started with a confrontation between an armed homeowner and armed protesters.”
“The scene was extremely chaotic, and a number of witnesses were uncooperative with responding officers,” police said in a statement late Sunday. “Most people on scene left without talking to police. Detectives believe a large number of people either witnessed what happened, or recorded the incident as it unfolded. This is a very complicated incident, and investigators are trying to put this puzzle together without having all the pieces.
Police have not yet identified the victim.
Normandale Park sits near the intersection of Northeast 55th Avenue and Northeast Hassalo Street, in the city’s Rose City Park Neighborhood.
ABC News’ Keith Harden, Izzy Alvarez and Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Although tattooing has been around for centuries, the practice was mainly underground before becoming recognized as legitimate art in modern history.
Despite being a fairly mainstream industry now, discriminatory hiring practices and racial stigmas are among the challenges that Black tattoo artists say they face in the white-dominated field of tattoo artistry.
Even tattoo artists of color in New York City — considered the birthplace of modern tattooing following a nearly four-decade ban, according to The New York Historical Society, say the field needs more diversity.
Richard Parker, who owns a private tattoo studio, Think Before You Ink in Brooklyn, New York, said that being an artist brings “a struggle of its own” — but being a Black artist only adds another layer of obstacles.
“As a whole, we have been left far behind in an industry that has actually derived from our tribal heritage,” Parker told ABC News.
The lack of diversity can also affect customers due to many professionals’ inexperience with tattooing on Black and brown skin, something that “has left many darker-skinned clients struggling to find someone who can actually provide them with quality work,” Parker said.
For Black women working in the field, inclusion issues are deeper, as the industry is not only white-dominated, but it’s also inundated by men.
Jacci Gresham, who is considered America’s first Black female tattoo artist, is still working and living her dream at the age of 75. She has been running her business in New Orleans for over 50 years after first opening her own tattoo shop in the 1970s, making it one of the state’s oldest tattoo parlors.
“I had issues because of color… I had issues because of being a woman and just being trusted … they just weren’t used to women being in that field. Let alone Black women,” Gresham told ABC News.
Gresham is a native of Flint, Michigan, who grew up during an era when tattoos were not widely accepted. She said she used her artistic background to study architecture before pursuing her true passion of tattooing.
Today, she is living in Mississippi and regularly travels to her New Orleans studio, Aart Accent Tattoos & Body Piercings, after her home flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She said that although her business temporarily lost power and the roof was destroyed, she is grateful her shop was still left standing despite the deadly hurricane.
Gresham, who doesn’t have any biological children, said she hopes that among her biggest impact is being a trailblazer within the industry.
“My kids are the people I’ve trained to tattoo,” she said.
While there has been progress in recent years for Black women tattoo artists, Kandace Layne, owner of Magic Mirror tattoo studio in Atlanta, said the industry still has a long way to go to become more inclusive.
“It is hard for anyone to get an apprenticeship, but it’s even harder for Black women to find a place that will teach them and to find a place that will treat them with respect,” Layne told ABC News.
The 27-year-old said that one of her primary drives in taking the leap to open her own shop was after her struggle with finding opportunities elsewhere. Now, Layne runs a shop that prioritizes service for women/femmes, LGBTQA+; and Black, Indigenous and people of color
“I felt that creating my own space was the best way to get my needs met,” Layne said, adding that she worked at some locations that made her question her worth.
But there are those in the industry who are working to make the tattoo business more inclusive. Helios Tattoo Supply in New York is a manufacturing and supply company providing artists with items such as needles, machines, ink and after-care products.
Craig Petralia, Helios’ founder and CEO who is from Long Island, New York, has been working in the industry for over two decades. The father of two said he aims to provide a family atmosphere to support several artists, many of whom are people of color, and also the freedom to create without limitations.
“We are a group of people coming together to build something bigger than ourselves … our purpose is to give artists the tools to create their best artwork,” Petralia told ABC News.
Petralia’s company sponsors Ceaser Emanuel, a tattoo artist of color, and star of “Black Ink Crew” — a reality TV show which began by following New York-based tattoo artists and later expanded to other cities.
Parker has collaborated with Petralia for over five years. Petralia’s Helios is also a sponsor of Parker’s tattoo studio. Both say they are committed to diversifying the tattoo business and also bringing more art to more people. For instance, Parker, who is the father of a 5-year-old boy, says he has worked with several students across New York City over the last decade to create artwork in schools and help inspire students’ creativity.
From seeing his son create illustrations to subjecting him to the atmosphere of his tattoo shop, Parker said being a positive influence is one of his most important jobs.
“I’m just extremely happy and proud that I get to expose him to a life that’s more out of the box so he can create his own canvas,” Parker said.
Parker — who also is a former cast member of “Ink Master,” a tattoo artist competition TV show — said becoming an entrepreneur was the best way to open more doors.
He says he is also trying to implement change by joining other artists involved in “The Black Tattoo Experience,” which is a collective of artists creating opportunities and a space for minorities to build within the industry.
“More of us are coming together and trading secrets as a community to build each other up [and] us sticking together is what will further diversify the playing field,” Parker said.
(SAN ANTONIO, Texas) — Lina Sardar Khil’s family had held out hope that she would be found to celebrate her 4th birthday on Sunday, Feb. 20, at home, but two months after she went missing in San Antonio, Texas, there are still no answers.
“Her light is missing from her family and community. Our continuous prayer is that she will be back in the arms of those that love her,” Pamela Allen, who is representing the Khil family, told ABC News on Saturday.
Lina was last seen on Dec. 20, 2021 at a park on the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road in San Antonio between 4:30 p.m. and 5:10 p.m., according to police. The park is near the family’s home at the Villa Del Cabo apartment complex.
On Sunday afternoon, Lina’s family and the community prepare to gather near the family home to celebrate her birthday and pray for her safe return home.
She was out of sight from her mother for an unknown amount of time before the mother realized Lina was nowhere to be found, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
“At this time there are no updates on Lina’s case. The missing person case involving Lina Khil is still an active missing person investigation,” a spokesperson for SAPD told ABC News on Friday. “The San Antonio Police Department, in partnership with our federal partners have worked tirelessly on finding Lina.”
Lina’s family is part of an Afghan refugee community in San Antonio. They arrived in the United States in 2019 and speak Pashto.
Lina’s mother, Zarmeena Sardar Khil, is pregnant with her second child. She spoke with FOX 29 in San Antonio through a translator earlier this month.
“I am missing my child, I cannot forget her and it is affecting me a lot and my other child who is coming to this world,” she said.
“We all have the same pain, it doesn’t matter that I am from Afghanistan, I have a different culture, different religion. What we have in common is the pain of motherhood as a human, is the same as all people,” she added.
The Afghan community in the city, along with a group of nonprofits and organizations have rallied behind the family, joining search crews, fundraising and raising awareness about Lina’s case.
The Islamic Center of San Antonio announced Wednesday that it increased a $100,000 reward for any information on Lina to $120,000. Meanwhile, Crime Stoppers of San Antonio has offered $50,000 for information resulting in the arrest or indictment of a suspect accused of involvement in Lina’s disappearance, bringing the latest total to $170,000.
The Eagles Flight Advocacy & Outreach organization, a San Antonio-based nonprofit, joined the search in early January, with about 150 people from the Afghan community showing up to help.
Allen, the CEO of the group, became the family’s spokesperson after meeting the Khils through her organization’s work. She told ABC News last month that the family believes Lina was abducted.
“We believe someone has her,” she said. “And so that this is what the family believes — that someone has their daughter and hopefully keeping her alive.”
Lina has brown eyes and straight, brown hair, and was last seen wearing a black jacket, red dress and black shoes, according to police.
Last month, Allen’s organization shared a newly surfaced photo taken by a family member of Lina the day she disappeared in hopes that details about Lina’s jewelry could assist the public in identifying her.
In the photo, which was obtained by ABC News, Lina appears to be wearing blue bangle bracelets on one wrist and gold-toned bangles on the other. She is also wearing small gold earrings and an article around her neck that Allen said is known as the Taweez, which is etched with verses from the Quran and is usually worn for protection.
Police are urging anyone with information regarding Lina or her whereabouts to come forward and contact the missing persons unit in San Antonio at 210-207-7660.
ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.
(NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.) — One police officer was killed and another was injured after a police helicopter crashed on Saturday into the water near Newport Beach in California.
The helicopter crashed at about 6:30 p.m. local time, as two officers from the Huntington Beach Police Department were responding to nearby Newport Beach, the department said.
“The helicopter crashed for reasons that we’re not certain of,” Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra told reporters late Saturday. “One of the officers, a 16-year veteran, was extricated and he went to a local hospital, or nearby hospital, where he is in critical condition, but he is doing okay. The other officer, a 14-year veteran, unfortunately and tragically passed away as a result of injuries sustained during the crash.”
Officials identified the officer killed as Nicholas Vella, 44. The second officer was not identified.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department major accident reconstruction team are investigating the incident.
“I don’t have details on what potentially caused the aircraft to become disabled,” Parra said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. ABC News’ Izzy Alvarez contributed to this report.
(PORTLAND, Ore.) — A woman was killed and five others were injured on Saturday in a shooting at a park in Portland, Oregon, police said.
Officers responded to a report of a shooting near Normandale Park in northeast Portland at about 8 p.m. local time, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement.
“When officers arrived they located a female victim who was deceased,” the department said. “Additional shooting victims, two men and three women, were transported to area hospitals and their status is unknown at this time.”
Police have not yet identified the victim.
Normandale Park sits near the intersection of Northeast 55th Avenue and Northeast Hassalo Street, in the city’s Rose City Park Neighborhood.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. ABC News’ Keith Harden contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A dangerous winter blast is making its way across the east coast, bringing areas of heavy snow, strong winds and ushering in bitter cold temperatures for the rest of the weekend.
Snow squall warnings have been issued from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts Saturday, alerting of heavy snow and low visibility as the snow sweeps through the region.
The squalls are expected to wrap up later Saturday evening.
.
Wind advisories are in effect for most of the Northeast with gusts as high as 40- to 50-miles-per-hour. The winds will subside after midnight giving way to a cold start to Sunday.
Wind chills Sunday morning will be in the single digits from New York to Boston.
Wind chills Sunday morning will be in the single digits from New York City to Boston and it will feel like the low 20s from Washington D.C. to Raleigh, North Carolina.
Temperatures are expected to rise for the beginning of the week.
