(SAN DIEGO) — Three dead bodies and four survivors in need of medical care were discovered on a boat that washed ashore near San Diego on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Nine people are unaccounted for, the Coast Guard said.
Several local agencies are helping with the search.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(ATLANTA) — A 10-year-old girl was struck and killed by a tree that fell on her Atlanta home when severe storms blew through the city this weekend, officials said.
Six people lived in the house where the tree crashed down around 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue.
The 10-year-old, identified by family as A’erica Shukai, was killed and her mother and grandmother were injured and hospitalized in stable condition, fire rescue officials said.
A’erica was lying in bed sleeping next to her grandmother when the tree fell, according to A’erica’s cousin, Tomeka Dixon.
A’erica’s mom has been released but her grandmother remains in the hospital, Dixon told ABC News on Monday.
A’erica, who loved cheerleading and making TikTok videos, just turned 10 on April 15, Dixon said.
She’s survived by her mother, grandmother, two sisters and brother. A’erica’s father died two years ago “and the family is still grieving from his loss,” according to a GoFundMe set up by Dixon.
“I’m just trying to be there for my family,” she said.
“We ask that all Georgians join us in praying for her loved ones during this difficult time,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on social media.
The family plans to hold a candlelight vigil on Friday night, Dixon said.
ABC News’ Mariama Jalloh contributed to this report.
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(NEW YORK) — A severe weather threat looms across the south-central U.S. on Monday, from western New Mexico to Louisiana, with 7 million people under flood watches due to potentially heavy rainfall.
There were 50 storm reports — including damaging wind and hail — reported across 10 states on Sunday. Most of the severe storms impacted parts of the Southwest, specifically in New Mexico and Texas.
On Monday, parts of far southeast New Mexico through west and central Texas could face an even larger threat for severe weather with damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes possible in these areas.
The regions could be faced with flash flooding and frequent lightning due to stronger, slow-moving thunderstorms with torrential rain. Both the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico could see 1 to 2 inches of rain, but totals locally could reach 3 inches or more through Tuesday morning.
Along with storms in the South, strong to severe storms could appear along the East Coast following rainfall over the weekend.
A marginal risk for severe storms is possible across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern North Carolina, with parts of the New York City metro area, Long Island, Lower Hudson Valley, Connecticut, northern New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania now under a slight risk for flash flooding on Monday into Tuesday.
A portion of the Florida East Coast could also see isolated severe storms, brining damaging winds, hail and possible tornadoes.
On Tuesday, the system will continue to hit the central U.S., bringing another round of thunderstorms and heavy rain to portions of the Plains and the South. Over 17 million people are under a slight risk for severe storms beginning Tuesday afternoon and evening, with damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes possible.
Parts of the Deep South and eastern Texas will face the greatest threat for flash flooding.
Up to 6 inches of rain is expected along the lower parts of the Mississippi River, with 1 to 3 inches possible across parts of north Texas, the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma. Some of these areas have already seen significant rainfall over the past week, making the ground very saturated and allowing for flash flooding to develop when heavy rain falls.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue to move across the Northeast and Florida peninsula on Tuesday.
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(SEATTLE) — Port of Seattle Police are searching for an inmate who escaped custody while being transported at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport on Sunday morning.
A contracted agent was attempting to move the suspect — Sedrick T. Stevenson — who is wanted on warrants from Kentucky, police said.
The escape occurred around 11 a.m. Sunday during the check-in process at a ticket counter at the airport, according to Port of Seattle Police.
The agent lost control of the suspect, who then fled the area toward the light rail station, according to police.
The agents pursued but were unable to capture Stevenson, police said.
Port of Seattle Police confirmed through security footage that the suspect boarded the light rail train headed north.
Sound Transit security further confirmed he was seen departing the Capitol Hill station in Seattle.
He was last seen wearing a white shirt, a white zip-up hoodie and grey pants, according to police.
Stevenson is wanted on warrants out of Bowling Green, Kentucky, for second-degree escape, police said.
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(NEW YORK) — Following wet weather at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, parts of the Plains and the South are expected to be hit with powerful thunderstorms beginning on Sunday, potentially bringing large hail and strong wind gusts.
A storm system in the West is slowly making its way to the center of the country with dangerous weather impacts possible across several states to start the week.
The severe thunderstorm threat, which will begin late Sunday across parts of New Mexico and west Texas, will persist into Monday and Tuesday as it shifts east.
These areas could be faced with flash flooding and frequent lightning due to stronger, slow-moving thunderstorms with torrential rain.
Flood watches are now in place for parts of northern New Mexico and the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma.
The storm system has also brought strong winds to the Southwest, with air quality alerts in effect through Sunday evening from Palm Springs, California, to Phoenix.
These powerful winds will bring an elevated fire danger to parts of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and the northern Plains on Sunday afternoon, with red flag warnings in effect.
On Tuesday, the system will continue to hit the Central U.S., bringing another round of thunderstorms and heavy rain to portions of the Plains and the South.
The greatest risk for flash flooding will be focused over portions of east Texas, southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana and western Mississippi.
Other areas like Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston and Little Rock, Arkansas, are under an elevated risk for flash flooding. Some have already seen significant rainfall over the past week, making the ground very saturated and allowing for flash flooding to develop when heavy rain falls.
Along with storms in the Plains and the South, rainfall is also possible across the Northeast in the coming days, with locally heavy downpours and isolated flash flooding possible, especially in urban, poor-drainage areas.
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(ORANGE COUNTY, CA) — A shooting occurred at Featherly Regional Park in Yorba Linda on Sunday afternoon, according to a post on X from the sheriff’s office in Orange County, California, where the wilderness park and Canyon RV campsite is located.
There was an altercation earlier in the day, after which a man returned to the park and tried to run over another man with his car, a police information officer said in a video posted to X on Sunday evening.
The driver then exited the vehicle and shot two people — “firing several rounds at them before turning the gun on himself,” the PIO said.
All three gunshot victims were transported to the hospital, the video explained, adding that the person who was hit by the car suffered minor injuries and was assessed by firefighter paramedics but was not hospitalized.
The victims’ conditions are unknown as of Sunday night.
The incident happened in front of multiple people, according to police.
It’s believed that all of the victims and the suspect knew each other, officials said, calling it an “isolated incident.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(GLENDALE, AZ) — At least nine people were injured when shots rang out at a restaurant in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday night, according to police.
Officials said during a press conference there were allegedly multiple shooters involved.
The shooting occurred at around 7:45 p.m. local time at El Camaron Gigante, a steak house near Grande Ave., according to Glendale police. The area is now safe with no danger to the public, police said.
An investigation into the incident is underway, police said, adding that multiple people had been detained for questioning but so far none arrested.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Jeffrey Cook contributed to this report.
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(NEW YORK) — Jury selection starts Monday in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, beginning the first courtroom test of whether one of hip-hop’s most important figures used power and wealth amassed in the music, clothing and spirits industries to sexually abuse, coerce and exploit alleged victims for decades.
Known by various names through the years – Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy and Love – Combs became a rap impresario in the 1990s, launching the careers of Mary J. Blige, Usher and the Notorious B.I.G. and lending his hip-hop credentials to the songs of Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.
Combs, who once proclaimed himself “Bad Boy for Life,” now faces what could amount to a life sentence if convicted. Federal prosecutors in New York allege he “abused, threatened and coerced women” into prolonged, drug-fueled sexual orgies with male prostitutes he called “freak offs” and threatened them into silence.
“After Freak Offs, Combs and the victims typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use,” the indictment said.
He has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution charges — five counts in all. His defense attorneys have said all of his sexual encounters were consensual and have described Combs as a swinger who invited third parties into his bedroom.
At a hearing last month, Agnifilo seemed to preview the defense strategy, telling the judge, “There’s a lifestyle, call it swingers, that he was in that he thought was appropriate. The reason he thought it was appropriate is because it’s so common.”
By coincidence, jury selection begins the same day as the Met Gala, where Combs was once a fixture.
Potential jurors began answering written questions last week to test what they may have heard about the case, whether they can be fair and whether they can endure a two-month trial expected to feature sexually explicit evidence.
The evidence includes a surveillance tape, first broadcast by CNN in May 2024, that shows Combs striking, kicking and dragging then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016. Ventura’s civil lawsuit, settled a day after it was filed in 2023 with no admission of wrongdoing, provided prosecutors with a basis to initiate the criminal investigation that led to Combs’ arrest in September 2024.
Combs apologized for the video at the time, saying, “I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”
Ventura is an anticipated witness, along with three other as-yet-unidentified alleged victims, two of whom were given permission to testify under pseudonyms.
Prosecutors are also expected to introduce items seized when federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami, including more than a dozen electronic devices and AR-15-style rifles with defaced serial numbers.
Days before trial, federal prosecutors offered Combs a chance to plead guilty and spare himself the possibility of a prolonged prison sentence. Asked if he rejected the offer, Combs answered, “Yes I do your honor.”
He has appeared in court wearing drab beige jail garb but the jury will see him in ordinary dress clothes. Members of his family, including his mother, are expected to attend.
His defense team includes Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos. They represented NXIVM founder Keith Raniere who was convicted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, the same charges Combs faces.
The defense team also includes Brian Steel, who represented rapper Young Thug at a racketeering trial in Atlanta, and Alexandra Shapiro, a leading appellate litigator who also represents Sam Bankman-Fried.
The all-female prosecution team includes Maureen Comey, who successfully prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell for sex trafficking, and Emily Johnson, Mitzi Steiner and Madison Smyser, who have prosecuted violent crime, and gang prosecutor Christy Slavik.
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(SIMI VALLEY, CA) — A small, home-built kit airplane crashed in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday afternoon, damaging two homes, catching fire and killing two people onboard, officials said.
The Vans RV-10 that crashed near High Meadow Street and Wood Ranch Parkway around 2:10 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The pilot died in the crash, Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer Andrew Dowd told reporters at a news conference. A passenger also died, the department later said in a statement.
“Simi Valley PD in coordination with the medical examiners office has verified there were two passengers in the aircraft, both of whom were fatally injured in the accident,” the fire department said in a statement.
Some 40 firefighters were dispatched and put out the flames, according to the fire department.
There were people inside the two homes at the time of the crash, but they were not hurt, Dowd said.
Shelby Joice told ABC News she lives across the street from where the plane crashed. She said she and her mother were watching TV when they heard what sounded like a helicopter passing over.
“All of a sudden, we heard a big crash and our entire house started shaking. We actually thought something crashed into our house,” Joyce said.
She said they witnessed a “big, massive fireball” and black plumes of smoke.
The plane departed from William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster and was heading to Camarillo Airport, according to the FAA.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation and work with the FAA.
Simi Valley is located about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
ABC News’ Matthew Holroyd contributed to this report.
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(CINCINNATI) — Authorities in Ohio said a man “purposely” struck and killed a sheriff’s deputy the day after his teen son was fatally shot by police.
Rodney Hinton Jr. has been charged with aggravated murder in the death of the sheriff’s deputy, who was struck Friday while directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati, according to authorities.
Cincinnati police said Hinton is the father of 18-year-old Ryan Hinton, who was shot and killed by an officer the day before.
At a court appearance on Saturday, Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies packed the courtroom in support of the fallen deputy, according to ABC Cincinnati affiliate WCPO.
Prosecuting attorney Ryan Nelson said that Hinton Jr.’s movements in his car on Friday were “calculated and premeditated.” He added, “He lined up his car, deliberately accelerated his car and purposely caused the death of an on-duty deputy sheriff.”
The attorney representing Hinton Jr. said that he faces a “very serious, very terrible charge” but noted that he has no felonies in his record.
“I understand that this is an emotionally charged situation,” the attorney said, mentioning the death of Hinton Jr.’s son. He added, “I understand that there is a lot of sadness and a lot of anger in this room right now and in the community at large.”
The judge ordered Hinton Jr. held without bond in the Clermont County jail until his next hearing on May 6.
In a statement Saturday, attorneys representing the Hinton family said they were hired to investigate the death of Ryan Hinton and that Rodney Hinton, along with other family members, met with Cincinnati police on Friday to view body camera footage of his shooting death.
“Ryan Hinton’s family, including Ryan’s father, was present at the meeting and they were understandably distraught as they watched the bodycam video,” the statement said. “After the meeting with the police department, Ryan Hinton’s father left in his own vehicle and that was the last we heard from him until learning about the tragic incident involving a law enforcement officer who was working a traffic detail near the University of Cincinnati.”
The attorneys are Michael Wright, Shean Williams and Robert Gresham of The Cochran Firm, as well as Anthony Pierson of Pierson and Pierson, LLC, according to WCPO.
The statement went on to say: “This is an unimaginable tragedy for this community. Ryan Hinton’s family is heartbroken by this tragic turn of events and we are all devastated for the family of the officer who was killed.”
The deputy has not yet been publicly identified under an Ohio law that protects the privacy of victims and their families. However, police said the deputy had recently retired and was serving in a special capacity with the department.
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