National

(NEW YORK) — Hazy and dangerous fumes from ongoing Canadian wildfires have engulfed the skies over most of the Northeast coast, prompting serious air quality alerts.

Thirteen states have issued those alerts as the thick fumes block the sky and send people indoors.

Canadian officials said firefighters are scrambling to put out the blazes in Quebec, where more than 160 forest fires are currently active.

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

Jun 07, 11:32 AM EDT
Worst air quality yet may be headed to NYC

The worst air in the U.S. Wednesday morning is in upstate New York from Syracuse to Binghamton, where the air quality has reached the worst level — “hazardous.”

That air will move toward New York City and Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Tuesday brought the worst air quality to New York City since the 1960s, officials said, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams calling it an “unprecedented event.”

The mayor urged New Yorkers to avoid going outside if they can.

Adams warned Wednesday, “Air quality conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, but they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening.”

-ABC News’ Max Golembo

Jun 07, 10:19 AM EDT
Poor air quality will last into weekend for Toronto

In Toronto, the poor air quality will last into the weekend, officials warned Wednesday.

“Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour,” officials said in a “Special Air Quality Statement.” “Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone’s health even at low concentrations. Continue to take actions to protect your health and reduce exposure to smoke.”

Jun 07, 9:32 AM EDT
NYC, DC public schools cancel all outdoor activities

Washington, D.C., public schools have canceled all outdoor activities, including athletic games, for Wednesday due to the poor air quality.

A “Code RED Air Quality Alert” has been issued for the nation’s capital.

New York City public schools also canceled outdoor activities.

“We urge everyone to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors,” NYC Public Schools tweeted.

Jun 07, 8:22 AM EDT
Long Island school district keeping students inside

In Port Washington, New York, on Long Island, the superintendent announced Wednesday that all students will stay inside during physical education and recess.

“This decision is aimed at minimizing exposure to the poor air quality and ensuring a safe learning environment for everyone,” the superintendent said.

Jun 07, 6:37 AM EDT
Air quality alerts issued for 13 states

Most of New England and much of the East Coast were under air quality alerts on Wednesday, with smoke from Canadian wildfires expected to reach as far south as South Carolina.

A new dose of very thick smoke was expected to drift into New York City and Philadelphia by Wednesday afternoon, lasting into the evening.

That smoke is then expected to move south into Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

Conditions around New York City and in the I-95 corridor could improve Thursday evening, but get worse in western New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as the winds shift.

Jun 07, 12:49 AM EDT
NYC mayor says air quality expected to ‘deteriorate further’ Wednesday

The air quality in New York City worsened Tuesday evening and is expected to “deteriorate further” Wednesday afternoon and evening, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

“At this point, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for all five boroughs. While conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening,” Adams said.

“Currently, we are taking precautions out of an abundance of caution to protect New Yorkers’ health until we are able to get a better sense of future air quality reports,” he said.

Adams said students should still go to school on Wednesday, but New York City public schools won’t have outdoor activities.

“These recommendations may change based on updated air quality conditions that come in, but, in the meantime, we recommend all New Yorkers to take the precautions they see fit to protect their health,” he added.

Jun 06, 10:09 PM EDT
Smoke from wildfires visible over Yankee Stadium

Smoke from wildfires from Canada was visible on Tuesday night over Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, as the Yankees played the White Sox, video obtained by ABC News shows.

Wildfires burning in Canada are continuing to create poor air quality conditions in parts of the U.S., with smoke clearly visible during Tuesday night’s Yankees-White Sox game in The Bronx. https://t.co/yhKArhnaNt pic.twitter.com/Np8mJyVKCa

— ABC News (@ABC) June 7, 2023

Jun 06, 10:01 PM EDT
New York City currently has the worst air quality in the world, data shows

New York City currently has the worst air quality than any other city on Earth, as smoke stemming from wildfires in Canada makes its way across the Northeast, according to the latest data from Swiss technology company IQAir.

The air quality index in NYC is at 196 as of Tuesday evening, followed by Doha, Qatar, and Delhi, India.

The next U.S. city on the list is Detroit, which currently places eighth, according to IQAir. Toronto, Canada, sat in ninth place as of Tuesday night.

Jun 06, 11:00 PM EDT
Who is at most risk from unhealthy air

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has specific guidance for vulnerable groups if the air quality in their area is deemed “unhealthy.”

While the agency warns that all people will experience adverse side effects from exposure to the unhealthy air, it said those with heart or lung disease, pregnant people, children and the elderly are most sensitive.

Those groups should consider moving all of their activities indoors until the air quality alert is lifted, the EPA said.

Jun 06, 11:02 PM EDT
Northeast covered in haze as forecasters warn of more smoke to come

Millions of people in New York City and other locations in the Northeast scrambled to keep themselves free of the smoky air throughout the day and evening Tuesday.

The city’s skyline was barely visible for most parts of the day, and the smell of the smoke was strong as commuters hit the evening rush.

Large cities with the lowest air quality include New York City; Albany, New York and Cincinnati, a map by Airnow, a website that publishes air quality data, shows.

Another large and dense plume of smoke will be moving down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, according to forecasters.

That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(RICHMOND, Va.) — A father and son were killed and several others were hurt in a mass shooting following a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, police said.

The suspect, 19-year-old Ameri Ty-John Pollard, is in custody in connection with the shooting, which unfolded in a park on Tuesday after the Huguenot High School graduation ended in a nearby theater.

The suspect watched the graduation ceremony, after which it appears he went to his car to get a handgun and then returned, police said.

Killed in the shooting were Huguenot High School graduate Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Renzo Smith, 36.

Pollard and Jackson knew each other and had an “ongoing dispute,” Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference Wednesday.

“This was targeted at one individual,” Edwards said.

“I didn’t know Shawn, but I shook his hand and wished him congratulations about 20 minutes before he died,” Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said at Wednesday’s news conference. “Those who did know Shawn described him as bubbly and the life of the party.”

“Getting to the graduation stage was not easy for Shawn, nevertheless, he did it, and he was rightly proud, smiling and celebrating like all of his peers,” Kamras said. “Then, just a few minutes later while enjoying the moment with his family in Monroe Park, he was gunned down. I can’t shake the image of him receiving CPR on the ground, still in his graduation gown.”

Five people were shot and survived: four adults and a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. One victim, a 31-year-old, is in the hospital in life-threatening condition while the other four suffered non-life-threatening injures, authorities said.

Several others suffered various injuries in connection to the shooting. Jackson’s 9-year-old sister was hit by a car and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Two people were treated for falls and nine people were treated for anxiety and minor injuries at the scene, police said.

The shooting took place around 5:13 p.m. in Monroe Park, near Virginia Commonwealth University, officials said. The scene was near the Altria Theater, which was scheduled to host several graduation ceremonies for Richmond Public Schools on Tuesday.

Students in graduation gowns could be seen running away.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney called the shooting a “selfish, senseless act.”

“A child should be able to go to their graduation and walk up to graduation and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and their families,” Stoney told reporters.

Thomas Jefferson High School’s graduation ceremony scheduled for Tuesday night was canceled and all Richmond Public Schools are closed Wednesday.

Pollard made his first appearance in court Wednesday where he was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and held without bail. He’s due back in court on June 21.

ABC News’ Lauren Minore and Laryssa Demkiw contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(OCALA, Fla.) — The family of Ajike Owens, 35, and their attorney Anthony D. Thomas held a news conference on Monday demanding an arrest be made for the shooting death of Owens, a Florida mother of four. The Owens family is also being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Owens was shot and killed last Friday in Ocala, Florida on the doorstep of the suspect’s home, after she went to the suspect’s residence to question the unidentified woman about an alleged dispute with Owens’ children, according to police reports.

Susan Lorincz, 58, the neighbor, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, the sheriff’s office said on Tuesday. She was also charged with culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.

“She knocked on Susan’s door, a closed, locked door,” Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, said at the news conference. “Door never opened. My daughter, grandchildren’s mother was shot and killed with her nine-year-old son standing next to her.”

Marion County sheriff Billy Woods held a press conference earlier on Monday. Woods said no arrests had been made yet because his department had to follow due process under Florida Stand Your Ground laws.

“I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” Woods said. “I wish Ms. Owens would have called us in the hopes we could have never gotten to the point at which we are here today.”

In announcing the arrest on Tuesday, Woods’ office said the investigation established that “Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law.”

Woods said there was an ongoing feud between Owens and the suspect, and there was a heated confrontation between the two before the shooting.

The day of the shooting, the children were playing in a field on the property in which the suspect’s home is located. The suspect allegedly yelled at the children to get off the field, according to Dias.

One of the children left a tablet on the property and went back to the suspect’s home to retrieve it because the suspect allegedly took it into her possession, according to a police report.

Lorincz allegedly threw a pair of skates at the child and the minor notified Owens, resulting in Owens going to the suspect’s home, according to Woods. Woods said more than one of Owens’ children may have witnessed the shooting. The children have not been interviewed yet out of respect for the trauma of losing their mother, according to Woods.

“According to the one side, there was a lot of aggressiveness from both of them,” Woods said. “Whether it be banging on the doors, banging on the walls and threats being made. And then at that moment is then when Ms. Owens was shot through the door.”

According to police records, when officers arrived on the scene, they found Owens under a nearby tree with a gunshot wound in an undisclosed location on her body. She had a faint pulse as the officers applied medical aid. Owens was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased at 9:33 P.M on June 2.

The police transported Lorincz to the central operations bureau for an interview, according to police reports. Details of the interview were not disclosed. The suspect did not immediately return ABC News’ request for an interview or statement.

Woods said Florida Stand Your Ground laws make it harder to execute an immediate arrest.

“We have to rule out whether deadly force was justified or not before we can make an arrest,” Woods said. “And sometimes it makes it difficult and sometimes it becomes an obstacle, but only a temporary obstacle because it will be moved and the final answer will come forward.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Hazy and dangerous fumes from ongoing Canadian wildfires have engulfed the skies over most of the northeast coast, prompting serious air quality alerts for millions of Americans.

As of Tuesday evening, 17 states have issued those alerts as the thick fumes have blocked the sky and sent people indoors to avoid breathing in the polluted air.

Canadian officials said firefighters are scrambling to put out the blazes in Quebec, where more than 160 forest fires are currently active. The fires are fueled by high temperatures and dry conditions, according to officials.

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

Jun 07, 6:37 AM EDT
Air quality alerts issued for 13 states

Most of New England and much of the East Coast were under air quality alerts on Wednesday, with smoke from Canadian wildfires expected to reach as far south as South Carolina.

A new dose of very thick smoke was expected to drift into New York City and Philadelphia by Wednesday afternoon, lasting into the evening.

That smoke is then expected to move south into Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

Conditions around New York City and in the I-95 corridor could improve Thursday evening, but get worse in western New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as the winds shift.

Jun 07, 12:49 AM EDT
NYC mayor says air quality expected to ‘deteriorate further’ Wednesday

The air quality in New York City worsened Tuesday evening and is expected to “deteriorate further” Wednesday afternoon and evening, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

“At this point, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for all five boroughs. While conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening,” Adams said.

“Currently, we are taking precautions out of an abundance of caution to protect New Yorkers’ health until we are able to get a better sense of future air quality reports,” he said.

Adams said students should still go to school on Wednesday, but New York City public schools won’t have outdoor activities.

“These recommendations may change based on updated air quality conditions that come in, but, in the meantime, we recommend all New Yorkers to take the precautions they see fit to protect their health,” he added.

Jun 06, 10:09 PM EDT
Smoke from wildfires visible over Yankee Stadium

Smoke from wildfires from Canada was visible on Tuesday night over Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, as the Yankees played the White Sox, video obtained by ABC News shows.

Wildfires burning in Canada are continuing to create poor air quality conditions in parts of the U.S., with smoke clearly visible during Tuesday night’s Yankees-White Sox game in The Bronx. https://t.co/yhKArhnaNt pic.twitter.com/Np8mJyVKCa

— ABC News (@ABC) June 7, 2023

Jun 06, 10:01 PM EDT
New York City currently has the worst air quality in the world, data shows

New York City currently has the worst air quality than any other city on Earth, as smoke stemming from wildfires in Canada makes its way across the Northeast, according to the latest data from Swiss technology company IQAir.

The air quality index in NYC is at 196 as of Tuesday evening, followed by Doha, Qatar, and Delhi, India.

The next U.S. city on the list is Detroit, which currently places eighth, according to IQAir. Toronto, Canada, sat in ninth place as of Tuesday night.

Jun 06, 11:00 PM EDT
Who is at most risk from unhealthy air

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has specific guidance for vulnerable groups if the air quality in their area is deemed “unhealthy.”

While the agency warns that all people will experience adverse side effects from exposure to the unhealthy air, it said those with heart or lung disease, pregnant people, children and the elderly are most sensitive.

Those groups should consider moving all of their activities indoors until the air quality alert is lifted, the EPA said.

Jun 06, 11:02 PM EDT
Northeast covered in haze as forecasters warn of more smoke to come

Millions of people in New York City and other locations in the Northeast scrambled to keep themselves free of the smoky air throughout the day and evening Tuesday.

The city’s skyline was barely visible for most parts of the day, and the smell of the smoke was strong as commuters hit the evening rush.

Large cities with the lowest air quality include New York City; Albany, New York and Cincinnati, a map by Airnow, a website that publishes air quality data, shows.

Another large and dense plume of smoke will be moving down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, according to forecasters.

That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Florida officials confirmed on Tuesday that they organized two flights carrying migrants from Texas to California in recent days.

It’s the latest example of a controversial strategy under Gov. Ron DeSantis, who says he wants to spotlight what he calls the failures of southern border policies — as migrant advocates say he is exploiting vulnerable people for political ends.

State officials in Florida insist they are helping safely send migrants where they want to go, not deceiving them.

Community leaders and officials in California say that 36 immigrants in total have been flown from Texas to Sacramento since Friday. Approximately 20 migrants arrived on a flight on Monday and another group of about 16 landed three days earlier.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT), a community group, gave an overview of what the migrants say they experienced when they were flown into the city.

The people were originally approached outside a migrant center in El Paso, Texas, by a group purporting to be part of an organization that could help them relocate, Sacramento ACT spokesperson Cecilia Flores said.

She said that all of the migrants who arrived in Sacramento are asylum seekers and are awaiting immigration court hearings. City officials are now helping to link the group with immigration lawyers to make sure they don’t miss their court dates.

The group is made up of people in their 20s and 30s, mostly from Colombia, Guatemala and Venezuela, Flores said. One dog — named Geico — also traveled with them.

Flores said the migrants were originally told they’d be provided with shelter, housing and job opportunities.

The migrants said they did not know they were getting on a plane to California, according to Flores. After both flights, the groups were dropped off outside the Diocese of Sacramento and were told by the people transporting them that they’d return — but instead these people left and never came back.

The 16 migrants who arrived Friday did not know where they were and only had a backpack’s worth of belongings, Diocese of Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto previously said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the California Attorney General’s office said that the private company Vertol Systems organized the flights. Vertol also coordinated flights for Florida transporting migrants to Martha’s Vineyard last year.

Representatives with Vertol could not be reached for comment for this story.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, community faith leaders in Sacramento said that while a “handful” of the migrants have since been picked up by family members, many in the group do not have any ties to the area and will likely be reuniting with their loved ones throughout the country. Some may choose to stay in the area, however.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) on Tuesday sharply challenged the details of how the migrants were flown from Texas to California. DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment.

FDEM shared a video with ABC News that they claim shows some of the migrants signing paperwork and volunteering to get on a flight.

ABC News could not independently verify where and when the images were taken.

In one part of the video a man is seen saying, in Spanish, “We made it to California. Thank God. Very thankful to God.”

Another part of the video appears to show a group dancing and celebrating inside a vehicle and a woman is seen asking the group if they feel like they were treated poorly, to which the group responds, “No.”

A spokesperson for FDEM insisted in a statement that “as you can see from this video, Florida’s voluntary relocation is precisely that – voluntary. Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California. A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO [in Sacramento].”

However, on Tuesday, a spokesperson from Sacramento ACT said they believe the migrants were misled into getting on the flights.

Outcry from California leaders

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has raised the specter of kidnapping charges for the coordinators of the migrant flights and he singled out DeSantis by name.

In a social media post on Monday, Newsom called DeSantis a “small, pathetic man,” adding, “This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard” alongside a photo of the state statute that explains kidnapping charges.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta likewise denounced how the migrants were transported.

“We are a nation built by immigrants and we must condemn the cruelty and hateful rhetoric of those, whether they are state leaders or private parties, who refuse to recognize humanity and who turn their backs on extending dignity and care to fellow human beings,” Bonta said in a statement this weekend.

State officials are evaluating potential civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of “these vulnerable immigrants,” Bonta has said.

The California Department of Justice likewise is investigating the circumstances around the group’s travel and whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, Newsom has said.

In their statement on Tuesday, the FDEM spokesperson pushed back on such claims.

“From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new. But suddenly, when Florida sends [migrants] to a sanctuary city, it’s false imprisonment and kidnapping,” the FDEM spokesperson said.

That echoes what DeSantis has previously said about the migrant flights.

Last year, amid controversy over chartered planes sent to Martha’s Vineyard, a tiny island community off the coast of Massachusetts, DeSantis said the choice to send migrants from Texas and not Florida was a way to prevent a large group of migrants from coming to his state.

“Florida gave them an opportunity to seek greener pastures in a sanctuary jurisdiction that offered greater resources for them, as we expected,” his office said in a statement at the time.

The governor has maintained that many of the migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas plan to travel to Florida and that it is easier to meet them at the source.

Last year, DeSantis suggested complaints over the migrant flights were hypocritical compared with what happens to other people who try to enter the country.

“You’ve had migrants die in the Rio Grande — you had 50 die in Texas in a trailer because they were being neglected,” DeSantis said on Fox News in September. “Was there a freakout about that? No, there wasn’t.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(RICHMOND, Va.) — Two people are dead and five others injured after a shooting following a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday, police said.

A 19-year-old believed to be involved in the shooting is in custody, and there is no ongoing threat to the community following the incident, Richmond police said. Police said they plan on seeking charges of second-degree murder.

A second person who was initially in custody and who had a firearm was uninvolved in the shooting, police said during a Tuesday night press conference.

The two victims who passed away, an 18-year-old who was a graduating student and a 36-year-old man who was attending the event, suffered life-threatening injuries, police said.

Those who have non-life-threatening injures are 14, 32, 55 and 58 years old, and a 31-year-old remains hospitalized with a life-threatening injury, police said.

Six others were injured in the aftermath of the shooting, including two who fell, one who was hit by a car, and three who were treated for anxiety, police said. A 9-year-old was hit by a car and is currently hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police later said.

The shooting occurred around 5:13 p.m. in Monroe Park, near Virginia Commonwealth University, officials said.

Multiple police agencies responded to the scene near the Altria Theater, which was scheduled to host several graduation ceremonies for Richmond Public Schools Tuesday.

A Richmond Public Schools official told ABC News the shooting took place in Monroe Park after the Huguenot High School graduation in the Altria Theater had ended.

Students in graduation gowns could be seen running from the scene amid the police response.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney called the shooting a “selfish, senseless act.”

“A child should be able to go to their graduation and walk up to graduation and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and their families,” Stoney told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday evening.

Thomas Jefferson High School’s graduation ceremony scheduled for Tuesday night has been canceled, and all Richmond Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution,” the school district said.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said state law enforcement are supporting Richmond police in the investigation.

“My administration continues monitoring the terrible shooting in the heart of Richmond tonight,” Youngkin tweeted.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Hazy and dangerous fumes from ongoing Canadian wildfires have engulfed the skies over most of the northeast coast, prompting serious air quality alerts for millions of Americans.

As of Tuesday evening, 17 states have issued those alerts as the thick fumes have blocked the sky and sent people indoors to avoid breathing in the polluted air.

Canadian officials said firefighters are scrambling to put out the blazes in Quebec, where more than 160 forest fires are currently active. The fires are fueled by high temperatures and dry conditions, according to officials.

Here are the latest updates on the situation.

Latest headlines:

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

Jun 06, 8:18 PM EDT
Who is at most risk from unhealthy air

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has specific guidance for vulnerable groups if the air quality in their area is deemed “unhealthy.”

While the agency warns that all people will experience adverse side effects from exposure to the unhealthy air it said that those anyone with heart or lung disease, pregnant people, children and the elderly are most sensitive.

Those groups should consider moving all of their activities indoors until the air quality alert is lifted, the EPA said.

Jun 06, 8:03 PM EDT
Northeast covered in haze as forecasters warn of more smoke to come

Millions of people in New York City and other northeast locations scrambled to keep themselves free of the smoky air throughout the day and evening.

The city’s skyline was barely visible for most parts of the day and the smell of the smoke was strong as commuters hit the evening rush.

Large cities with the lowest air quality include New York City, Albany and Cincinnati, a map by Airnow, a website that publishes air quality data, shows.

Another large and dense plume of smoke will be moving down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, according to forecasters.

That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest.

-ABC News’ Julia Jacobo, Max Golembo and Daniel Peck

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(OCALA, Fla.) — The family of Ajike Owens, 35, and their attorney Anthony D. Thomas held a news conference on Monday demanding an arrest be made for the shooting death of Owens, a Florida mother of four. The Owens family is also being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Owens was shot and killed last Friday in Ocala, Florida on the doorstep of the suspect’s home, after she went to the suspect’s residence to question the unidentified woman about an alleged dispute with Owens’ children, according to police reports.

“She knocked on [name redacted because not confirmed]’s door, a closed, locked door,” Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, said at the news conference. “Door never opened. My daughter, grandchildren’s mother was shot and killed with her nine-year-old son standing next to her.”

Marion County sheriff Billy Woods held a press conference earlier the same day. Woods said no arrests have been made yet because his department has to follow due process under Florida Stand Your Ground laws.

“I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” Woods said. “I wish Ms. Owens would have called us in the hopes we could have never gotten to the point at which we are here today.”

Woods said there was an ongoing feud between Owens and the suspect, and there was a heated confrontation between the two before the shooting. The Marion County sheriff’s office is conducting an investigation with the help of the state attorney to determine if an arrest will be made.

The day of the shooting, the children were playing in a field on the property in which the suspect’s home is located. The suspect allegedly yelled at the children to get off the field, according to Dias.

One of the children left a tablet on the property and went back to the suspect’s home to retrieve it because the suspect allegedly took it into her possession, according to a police report.

The unidentified woman allegedly threw a pair of skates at the child and the minor notified Owens, resulting in Owens going to the suspect’s home, according to Woods. Woods said more than one of Owens’ children may have witnessed the shooting. The children have not been interviewed yet out of respect for the trauma of losing their mother, according to Woods.

“According to the one side, there was a lot of aggressiveness from both of them,” Woods said. “Whether it be banging on the doors, banging on the walls and threats being made. And then at that moment is then when Ms. Owens was shot through the door.”

According to police records, when officers arrived on the scene, they found Owens under a nearby tree with a gunshot wound in an undisclosed location on her body. She had a faint pulse as the officers applied medical aid. Owens was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased at 9:33 P.M on June 2.

The police transported the suspect to their central operations bureau for an interview, according to police reports. Details of the interview were not disclosed. The suspect did not immediately return ABC News’ request for an interview or statement.

Woods said Florida Stand Your Ground laws make it harder to execute an immediate arrest.

“We have to rule out whether deadly force was justified or not before we can make an arrest,” Woods said. “And sometimes it makes it difficult and sometimes it becomes an obstacle, but only a temporary obstacle because it will be moved and the final answer will come forward.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(HOUSTON) — Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with a spate of robberies along a popular Houston bike trail, as police look for more suspects in the attacks, authorities said Tuesday.

Since May 16, five people have been robbed and assaulted and “held up at gunpoint” while riding along the Columbia Tap Bike Trail, according to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. In the most recent incident, which occurred on Memorial Day, a victim was shot in the leg, police said.

Police believe the incidents could have been committed by the same suspects, Turner said.

Two male juveniles, both 17, have since been charged with robbery and evading arrest, police announced Tuesday. A third suspect has been identified but not yet arrested, police said. It is unclear how many additional suspects are involved, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.

“We’re laser-focused on getting everybody that’s involved in these crimes, and any other crime in our city — especially when it involves violence, especially when groups of individuals are terrorizing people,” Finner said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “We will not tolerate it.”

The Columbia Tap Bike Trail runs through Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood. Police presence along the trail has been increased amid the attacks, which primarily have been committed in the late evening, authorities said.

Finner urged people to “be vigilant” and to ride in groups as detectives continue to investigate the cases. He said people can expect to find teams of both uniformed and plainclothes officers on the trail.

“We want to make sure that cyclists, those who are walking on these trails, those who are riding on these trails, that they feel safe in doing so,” Turner told reporters Tuesday.

The city plans to continue to increase resources on the trail into the summer and is looking at adding more cameras to all trails, including the Columbia Tap Bike Trail, Turner said.

“By and large our trails are safe,” Turner said. “I don’t want two or three or four or five individuals who are just making bad decisions to stop the thousands of others from utilizing trails.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(RICHMOND, Va.) — Seven people were shot following a high school graduation at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond on Tuesday, police said.

Two people are in custody, and there is no ongoing threat to the community following the incident at the university’s Monroe Park campus, Richmond police said.

Among the shooting victims, three suffered life-threatening injuries and four non-life-threatening, police said.

Six others were injured in the aftermath of the shooting, including two who fell, one who was hit by a car, and three who were treated for anxiety, police said.

Multiple police agencies responded to the scene near the Altria Theater, which was scheduled to host several graduation ceremonies for Richmond Public Schools Tuesday.

A Richmond Public Schools official told ABC News the shooting took place in Monroe Park after the Huguenot High School graduation in the Altria Theater had ended.

Students in graduation gowns could be seen running from the scene amid the police response.

Thomas Jefferson High School’s graduation ceremony scheduled for Tuesday night has been canceled, and all Richmond Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution,” the school district said.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said state law enforcement are supporting Richmond police in the investigation.

“My administration continues monitoring the terrible shooting in the heart of Richmond tonight,” Youngkin tweeted.

ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.