(DORAL, Fla.) — A security guard was shot dead and a responding officer and six others suffered gunshot wounds, after an altercation early Saturday at a Miami-area “commercial establishment” broke out and a person pulled out a firearm, according to Doral Police. The suspect is dead as well.
During the fight, the suspect produced a firearm and shot and killed a security guard, who was working at the time.
Police said they responded to the scene and a gun fight broke out. Two officers discharged their firearms during the incident, one officer was shot and the suspect was killed.
Six other bystanders were struck by gunfire and transported to area hospitals in various conditions, according to police.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss.) — A University of South Carolina student is being hailed a hero after he took control of a charter bus following a crash Friday in Hancock County, Mississippi, according to authorities.
Eleven people onboard the bus were injured. The driver of the bus, 55-year-old Tina Wilson, and a student were airlifted from the scene in critical condition, according to police.
The charter bus, carrying 56 students from the University of South Carolina, was traveling west on Interstate 10 around 3 p.m. local time when it collided with a center concrete barrier, police said.
“The bus is still moving, now it’s on all wheels on the ground, still moving out of control without a driver,” Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz said. “So heroically the second hero of the day, a young man, a student with Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, Paul Clune, grabs that steering wheel and regains control of the bus until it came to a final stop.”
The bus, according to the University of South Carolina, was transporting fraternity members and guests to an event in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“Our thoughts go out to the students involved in the accident and those affected by it,” the university said in a statement.
The remaining students at the crash site were transported to a nearby school building, where they arranged for further transportation, police said.
Authorities are not sure what caused the crash, but preliminary information suggests that a mechanical failure may have caused the incident, Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Cal Robertson said.
This crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
(BALTIMORE) — The body of one of the four construction workers who remained missing following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse was recovered on Friday, authorities said.
The recovered individual was identified by the Unified Command as 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval. His family has been notified, authorities said.
Unified Command salvage dive teams located what they believed to be the missing construction worker around 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday and notified the Maryland Department of State Police, authorities said. State police deployed a recovery team along with dive teams from law enforcement partners and recovered Suazo-Sandoval.
The father of two migrated from Honduras over 17 years ago, according to Gustavo Torres, the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a group that works with immigrants. He dreamed of starting a small business and brought joy and humor to his family, Torres told reporters last week.
Suazo-Sandoval was one of six construction workers killed when a cargo ship crashed into the Baltimore bridge early on March 26, causing a near-total collapse of the span in the Port of Baltimore.
The bodies of two workers were covered a day after the collapse. Divers found them trapped in a red pickup truck that was submerged in approximately 25 feet of water near the middle span of the bridge, Maryland State Police said.
The workers were identified by police as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk, Maryland.
Three workers remain missing and are presumed dead. They include Miguel Luna, a father of five from Usulutan, California, in El Salvador, his family told ABC News.
A 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula, in Guatemala, and a worker from Mexico also remain missing, according to their respective country’s foreign ministry.
“There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one,” Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said in a statement on Friday. “I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families.”
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the recovery of the third victim “brings us one step closer to closure,” though added that “my heart continues to be with all the families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones.”
“I am grateful for the first responders who have maintained focus on recovering the remaining victims and continued their work to clear the channel with the utmost care,” he said in a statement. “We will continue to do everything in our power to support these families, and provide whatever they need to persevere through this unthinkable tragedy.”
The recovery of the victim occurred the same day that President Joe Biden visited the site of the collapse.
Biden thanked first responders for their efforts and later was scheduled to meet with family members of the six workers killed in the bridge disaster.
“They were hard workers laboring in the middle of the night to repair potholes on a bridge that tens of thousands of travelers crossed every day,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing Thursday.
(NEW YORK) — Law enforcement officials expressed concern that radicals in the U.S. might respond to ISIS calls for similar attacks in the wake of last month’s deadly terrorist attack at a concert hall in Moscow.
The U.S. intelligence bulletin warns that ISIS operatives worldwide and so-called “lone wolves” might respond to recent statements from the terrorist group touting the attack in Russia and encouraging more attacks on public venues — even if the individuals are not members of ISIS.
Russian investigators said the March 22 attack in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall killed at least 144 people, including three children, and injured at least 550 others. Nine suspects — identified as citizens of Tajikistan — were arrested after gunmen opened fire on concertgoers with automatic weapons and then set a fire that engulfed the complex, according to Russian authorities.
ISIS released a statement after the attack, claiming their fighters “attacked” a “big gathering for Christians in the Russian Moscow suburb.”
The U.S. said it shared intelligence with Russia that warned that ISIS was preparing similar attacks on concerts in Moscow weeks before the attack. A State Department official said that the U.S. government had shared information on a possible attack with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding “duty to warn” policy.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a warning on March 7, advising U.S. citizens to avoid large gatherings for 48 hours, saying extremists have “imminent plans” to target large-scale gatherings in Moscow.
(BURLINGTON, Vt.) — A suspect is being sought in an alleged arson incident at Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Burlington office, police said.
The fire was reported at 10:45 a.m. ET Friday in the vestibule between the elevator and the entrance door to Sanders’ office, located on the third floor of 1 Church St., authorities said.
A man entered the vestibule and “sprayed an apparent accelerant” on the door to the senator’s office, lit the accelerant and then fled, according to the Burlington Police Department.
A “significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the egress of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives,” the Burlington Police Department said in a statement.
The sprinkler system largely extinguished the fire, which caused “moderate” damage to the door to the senator’s office, police said. The third floor and below floors sustained “significant” water damage, police said.
No injuries have been reported and Sanders was not present at the time, police said.
“The Burlington Fire Marshal’s office has deemed this fire incendiary in nature,” the Burlington Fire Department said in a press release.
A male suspect is being sought in the incident, Burlington police said while releasing surveillance stills of the unknown individual.
A motive is currently unknown, police said. The Vermont State Police and Burlington Police Department are conducting a joint investigation.
Kathryn Van Haste, Sanders’ Vermont state director, said the office is “grateful” to the police and fire crews that responded.
“We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed,” Van Haste said in a statement.
U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms are working “in coordination” with local first responders, she said.
(NEW YORK) — The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case quashed a last-minute subpoena by defense lawyers Friday, writing that the former president’s request was the “very definition of a fishing expedition.”
Trump’s lawyers last month subpoenaed NBCUniversal for materials related to their documentary about adult film star Stormy Daniels, which was scheduled to be released one week before the case’s original trial date of March 25.
Daniels is expected to testify at trial about the hush money payment she received in 2016 for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump that the former president has long denied. Trump has pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with the payment, which Trump’s then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election.
Jury selection for the trial is scheduled to get underway April 15 in New York City. The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
Defending their subpoena to NBCUniversal, Trump’s lawyers argued that the requested records would “establish collusion between NBCU and Daniels” to release the documentary “as close to the start of the trial as possible to prejudice Defendant and maximize their own financial interest.”
In his ruling Friday, Judge Juan Merchan quashed the subpoena and described Trump’s arguments as “purely speculative.” Evidence submitted by an NBC executive demonstrated that Daniels lacked control over the timing of and material included in the documentary, Merchan concluded.
“Because Defendant’s claims are purely speculative and unsupported, his subpoena and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition,” Merchan said.
“The Court has considered Defendant’s explanation for seeking this court’s permission to rifle through the privileged documents of a news organization and finds that he has not shouldered the very heavy burden necessary to overcome NY civil rights law,” the judge wrote.
(NEW YORK) — The FBI is investigating whether New York Mayor Eric Adams received free upgrades on Turkish Airlines, the country’s national carrier, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
Scrutiny of the flights is part of a wider corruption investigation involving a top Turkish Airlines executive, aides to the mayor and Adams, who previously had his phones and other electronic devices seized.
Sources have said at least part of the investigation involves whether donations from Turkey were traded for political favors, including possible pressure exerted on the New York Fire Department after a delay with the operating certificate of the new Turkish consulate.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
Adams so far has been accused of no wrongdoing and he has said he has nothing to hide.
“As Borough President, the Mayor consistently disclosed his official travel to Turkey, did not receive any improper upgrades and did nothing inappropriate in exchange for an upgrade. Speculation is not evidence. We look forward to a just and timely conclusion to this investigation,” Adams’ attorney, Brendan McGuire, said in a statement provided to ABC News.
News of the investigators’ interest in possible Turkish Airlines upgrades was first reported by The New York Times.
(NEW YORK) — The 4.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled the tristate area Friday morning left residents doubting what they had just experienced.
“I felt like there was a roller coaster under my house going 1,000 miles an hour,” Carol Nicolaidis of Brooklyn, New York, told ABC News. “I first thought pipes were exploding under my house.”
The earthquake that hit New Jersey Friday morning could be felt as far south as Washington, D.C., and as far north as Maine, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“I was sitting in my living room and I saw the walls shaking; it felt like a wave,” Nicolaidis said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the quake one of the largest on the East Coast in the last century.
There have been no reports of injuries or major infrastructure damage, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. But there were reports of “limited damage” in Lebanon, New Jersey, near the quake’s epicenter.
Students at New York’s Rye Country Day School thought the earthquake was “the coolest thing ever,” Gail Sestito, dean of Grades 7 and 8 and a middle school science instructor, told ABC News.
“Many said they saw the lights shaking a little and the smart board vibrate. But mostly we heard it — sounded like students running down the hall,” she said.
There’s a 46% chance there could be an aftershock of over 3.0 in magnitude within the next week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“If you feel an aftershock, drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, and take cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway,” Adams said in a statement.
(WASHINGTON) — A blockbuster jobs report on Friday delivered the latest sign of strong U.S. economic performance, defying the lukewarm feelings held by many Americans, some experts told ABC News.
Employers hired 303,000 workers last month, blowing past economist expectations of 214,000 jobs added, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.8%, hovering near a 50-year low.
The hiring far surpassed the average number of jobs added each month over the previous year, suggesting an acceleration in performance for one of the key metrics used to assess the nation’s economic health.
“This morning’s blowout jobs numbers show that the economy isn’t showing any signs of slowing down,” Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for North Carolina-based Independent Advisor Alliance, told ABC News in a statement.
However, the strong job gains coincided with a slight dip in consumer sentiment last month, according to a University of Michigan survey. Attitudes about the economy improved in previous months but remain well below pre-pandemic levels, the survey showed.
The uneasy feelings about the economy have weighed down President Joe Biden’s approval ratings on his leadership on the issue. Only 37% of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, a Gallup poll last month showed.
Despite a booming job market and robust economic growth, the economy remains saddled with higher-than-normal inflation.
Inflation has fallen significantly from a peak of 9.1% but it remains more than a percentage point higher than the Fed’s target rate of 2%.
The gap between economic performance and consumer attitudes stems from residual frustration about the months-long bout of high inflation as well as bias tied to political partisanship, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told ABC News.
“Many Americans remain unconvinced about the economy’s strength, but this reflects in part the previously high inflation and that many are paying much more for food, rent, and other living costs,” Zandi said. “It also reflects the nation’s fractured politics, as many are looking through their political prism when making assessments about the economy’s performance.”
Biden touted the jobs data in a statement on Friday, celebrating 15 million jobs created since he took office.
“That’s 15 million more people who have the dignity and respect that comes with a paycheck,” Biden said. “We’ve come a long way, but I won’t stop fighting for hardworking families.”
The blockbuster jobs data arrives during a sustained period of high borrowing costs, which typically weigh on economic activity and company hiring. In theory, the high interest rates depress consumer demand and lower inflation.
At a meeting last month, the Fed opted to keep rates highly elevated. The Fed Funds rate remains between 5.25% and 5.5%, matching its highest level since 2001.
The Fed, however, said last month that it still intends to make three interest rate cuts this year. The next opportunity for a rate decision will take place at a central bank meeting next month.
Economists differed about the implications of the jobs report for the timing of a potential rate cut.
Some experts suggested that the show of economic strength would prompt the Fed to delay a rate cut, since such a move could trigger a burst of demand and a rebound of inflation.
While others said a cooling-off of wage increases detailed in the report would nudge the Fed toward a rate cut, because the pay slowdown eases the risk of price hikes made in an effort to offset rising labor costs.
“Continued hot job growth will reinforce the Fed’s cautious approach towards rate cuts as some Fed officials will likely see job growth as still too hot for comfort,” Lydia Boussour, senior economist at consulting firm EY, told ABC News in a statement.
But economists who spoke to ABC News agreed that the jobs report offered evidence of a U.S. economy in good health.
The three major stock indexes, meanwhile, inched upward in early trading on Friday.
“A strong labor report is a good thing for the economy, even if it delays the Fed’s rate cuts,” Bret Kenwell, a U.S. investment analyst at eToro, told ABC News in a statement.
(MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn.) — When police found Billy Payne and his fiancée Billie Jean Hayworth shot execution-style in a rural Tennessee home with their 7-month-old son Tyler alive in Hayworth’s arms in 2012, it sparked an investigation that would lead them to discover a complex murder concocted by a woman who was in the middle of a social media feud.
Jenelle Potter has been serving two concurrent life sentences for the murders after she was convicted in 2015. Prosecutors contend that Potter deceived her parents and her boyfriend into thinking that the couple threatened her before her father, Marvin “Buddy” Potter, committed the slayings.
Even all these years later, investigators said they still struggle with the horrors of the incident.
“The little boy…just thinking about him laying there just breaks my heart,” Mountain City Police Department Assistant Chief, Joe Woodard, who helped investigate the case, told “20/20.”
“20/20” will explore the case in an episode airing April 5 at 9 p.m. ET and streaming on Hulu the next day with archival interviews of Potter and her mother before their prison sentences, key investigators and friends of the victims.
The show will also feature interrogation tapes and courtroom footage of the case and the latest updates.
Potter told “20/20” in 2015 that she had trouble adjusting and didn’t make many friends when her family moved to Mountain City, Tennessee, in 2005.
“I didn’t grow up here,” Potter, now 42, told “20/20” in 2015. “People here do not like outsiders.”
She befriended pharmacy clerk Tracy Greenwell and the two started hanging out, along with Greenwell’s brother, Billy Payne. Potter also had a relationship with Greenwell’s cousin, Jamie Curd, behind the back of her strict parents.
Trouble started to brew when Potter claimed she was getting harassing messages on her Facebook page and accused Hayworth of being behind them.
Eventually, Potter, Hayworth and Payne stopped being friends on Facebook.
A few days after the couple was found dead, investigators questioned Marvin, Jenelle and Barbara in their home.
“We knew that they had trouble with [Hayworth and Payne],” Woodard told “20/20.”
During the interview, Jenelle appeared to be hiding her romantic relationship with Curd from her parents. He was later was later brought in for questioning by police.
After being told he failed a polygraph test, Curd admitted that he and Janelle’s dad, Marvin, went to Payne and Hayworth’s home where he says Marvin killed them.
“I didn’t truly believe that Buddy Potter was capable of doing this,” Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Scott Lott said in 2015. “Because Buddy did have some health issues.”
With this new information, police brought Marvin in for questioning.
While being questioned by detectives, Marvin said, “I’ve had my life threatened. My wife has been threatened. They’ve threatened to take Jenelle, cut her head off.”
Lott then arranged for Marvin to call his wife Barbara.
On the call, Marvin is heard telling his wife: “Before you find out from somebody else, I want you to know, I was involved in it. I did it…At least some of it.” “That’s as close to a confession as we got from him,” said Lott in 2015.
While Marvin was being questioned, police executed a search warrant on the Potter house.
Assistant Chief Woodard said investigators found an “arsenal” of weapons around the home. They also discovered printed photos of the victim and her friends in the living room.
Authorities seized 51 items from the house, including their family computer. When they impounded Marvin’s truck, they found bags of shredded documents.
An agent meticulously reconstructed more than 100 pages of what appeared to be thousands of emails sent to the Potter family.
“After combing through them, it appeared there was some type of conspiracy here. They kept referring to a guy Chris that’s supposedly a CIA operative or something,” Lott said in 2015.
The CIA agent “Chris” had been corresponding with Barbara and warning her about threats to her daughter’s life.
On the Potters’ computer, police analysis found that emails sent from CIA agent Chris all came from the same IP address at the home where the Potters lived. Prosecutors contended Jenelle was pretending to be Chris and used the false identity to fool her parents and to goad Marvin Potter into the killing. They also say the threats of rape and murder against Jenelle were false and fabricated by her.
“Social media allowed Jenelle Potter to be someone that she wasn’t,” Brooks said. “She could assume a different identity and be as hateful as she wanted to be.”
In August 2013, authorities arrested Jenelle and Barbara for the murders of Payne and Hayworth.
A few months later, in October 2013, Marvin was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to two life sentences. Curd agreed to a plea deal of two concurrent sentences of 25 years in prison for facilitation of first degree murder and testified against Jenelle and Barbara. He has been released on parole.
In May 2015 Jenelle and Barbara were convicted after a seven-day trial and sentenced to life in prison two months later.
In an interview with “20/20” after the conviction, Jenelle and Barbara denied that they were involved in the murders of Payne and Hayworth.
“I didn’t hate [Hayworth and Payne]. I just disliked them. I wanted [them] to quit. I wanted the harassment to stop,” Jenelle Potter said.
Both Jenelle and Marvin lost appeals on their cases and are serving their sentences.
In 2021, Barbara’s murder conviction was overturned because her lawyer, who also represented Marvin, had a conflict of interest. Instead of being retried she pled guilty to the lesser charge of facilitation of murder. She is now eligible for parole in 2028.
Friends and family of the victims say the one thing that remains etched in their minds is baby Tyler and how he has to live the rest of his entire life without his mom and dad.
“He was her world,” Thomas said of Hayworth. “Just this glow she had about her when he came into the world was just unbelievable.”
