National

(WILMINGTON, Del.) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden is on trial in Delaware on three felony charges related to his efforts to obtain a firearm in 2018 while allegedly addicted to drugs.

The younger Biden, who pleaded not guilty last October after being indicted by special counsel David Weiss, has denied the charges. The son of a sitting president has never before faced a criminal trial.

The trial comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump’s conviction on felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment made to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.

The frequency of updates may be limited due to federal court restrictions:

Jun 11, 9:19 AM
Jury resumes deliberations

The jury has resumed its deliberations in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial.

Before sending them back to deliberate, Judge Maryellen Noreika asked jurors if they had discussed the case with anyone.

They all promised that they had not.

Jun 11, 9:13 AM
Hunter Biden arrives in court

Hunter Biden entered the Wilmington, Delaware, courthouse as jurors prepared to resume deliberations in his federal gun trial.

He was accompanied, as he has been each day of the trial, by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden.

Jun 11, 7:13 AM
Jury to resume deliberations

The 12 jury members who for the past week heard vivid and personal details about President Joe Biden’s family are set to continue their deliberations this morning in the federal gun trial of his son, Hunter Biden.

In their closing arguments yesterday, prosecutors argued that Hunter Biden lied on a federal gun-purchase form when he said he was not a drug addict, telling jurors “if this evidence did not establish that Hunter Biden was a crack addict and an unlawful user, then no one is a crack addict or an unlawful user.”

But defense attorney Abbe Lowell urged the jury to acquit his client, telling them, “We have had Hunter’s life in our hands. And now we have to give it to you.”

If convicted, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison — though legal experts believe he would not serve time due to his being a first-time, nonviolent offender.

Deliberations are scheduled to resume today at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Jun 10, 5:57 PM
Transcript shows Hunter Biden affirmed decision not to testify

Hunter Biden, in court today, affirmed his decision not to testify in his own defense, telling the judge “I do” when she asked him if he understood it was his own decision to make, according to the transcript of the proceedings released after court was dismissed for the day.

“Did you make a decision not to testify voluntarily?” Judge Maryellen Noreika asked him, according to the transcript.

“I did,” he said.

The questioning from Noreika occurred during a sidebar with Hunter Biden, his attorneys, and prosecutors that was conducted out of earshot of reporters but released as part of the transcript.

“You understand you have the right to testify in your own defense?” the judge asked Hunter Biden, per the transcript.

“I do,” he said.

“If you don’t testify, you understand your decision not to testify cannot be held against you and I will instruct the jury to that effect?” she asked.

“Agreed,” he responded.

“It’s your decision and yours alone to make, do you understand that?” the judge asked.

“I do,” he responded.

“It’s not your attorney’s decision, it’s not the government’s decision, it’s not my decision, you understand all that?” she asked.

“I do,” he said.

Jun 10, 4:44 PM
Day 1 of jury deliberations ends with no verdict

The jurors in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial have been dismissed for the day, after deliberating for one hour with no verdict.

Hunter Biden left the courthouse after the jury was dismissed.

The jurors will be back tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET to resume their deliberations.

Jun 10, 3:44 PM
Jury begins deliberations

The jury has begun deliberations on the three felony counts Hunter Biden faces in his federal gun case.

Prior to the jury getting the case, the government rebutted defense attorney Abbe Lowell’s closing argument by asserting again that Hunter Biden was a drug addict when he bought the gun at the center of the case and that he knew it — beyond a reasonable doubt.

There are “seven ways to Sunday” to show Hunter Biden was an addict and it was “preposterous” that he — a “Yale-educated lawyer” — didn’t know he was buying a gun while knowingly addicted, prosecutor Derek Hines argued.

Hines rebutted Lowell’s characterization of the government’s treatment of Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi Biden as “cruel.”

Naomi Biden was “completely uncomfortable” because “she couldn’t vouch for the defendant’s sobriety,” Hines argued.

Hines closed by saying that if the jury doesn’t determine Hunter Biden is a crack addict based on the evidence in the case, “then no one is a crack addict of unlawful use.”

Judge Maryellen Noreika then delivered the final portion of her instructions and sent jurors to begin their deliberations.

The judge indicated that she would not keep jurors past 4:30 or 4:45 p.m. ET today.

Jun 10, 3:00 PM
Defense calls government’s case ‘conjecture and suspicion’

Defense attorney Abbe Lowell, in his closing argument, urged jurors to dispense with the government’s “conjecture and suspicion” and find his client not guilty on all three counts.

“We have had Hunter’s life in our hands” until now, Lowell said, referring to his legal team. “And now we have to give it to you.”

Lowell repeatedly referred to prosecutors’ case as a “magicians’ trick” — to “watch this hand and pay no attention to that one,” as he said — arguing that prosecutors failed to “fill in the gaps” about Hunter Biden’s drug use around the time of his firearm purchase “because they don’t have the proof.”

Lowell also referred to prosecutors’ strategy of showing Hunter Biden’s pattern of drug use as an “accordion,” meant to “compress” the timeline and make it seem to jurors that he was actively using drugs in October 2018, when he said on a government form that he was not addicted to drugs in order to purchase a Colt handgun.

The defense attorney also attacked some of the tactics prosecutors used, calling their treatment of Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi Biden “extraordinarily cruel” and saying that many of their questions and evidence were introduced with the intention of “embarrassing Hunter.”

He also asked jurors to recall gaps in the recollections of Hunter Biden’s then-girlfriend Hallie Biden, and suggested they should remember the immunity agreement she struck with prosecutors for her testimony.

“These are serious charges that will change Hunter’s life,” he said of the three felony charges the president’s son faces, adding that “it’s time to end this case.”

Following Lowell’s closing, the government was scheduled to have a short rebuttal, at which point the judge was to finish her jury instructions before the jury gets the case.

Jun 10, 1:40 PM
Evidence supports ‘only one verdict’ prosecutor tells jury

Prosecutor Leo Wise used witness testimony and Hunter Biden’s own words from his memoir and text messages to argue that the president’s son “knew exactly what he was doing” when prosecutors say he falsely claimed he was not addicted to drugs in order to purchase a Colt handgun in 2018.

“Take the defendant’s word for it,” Wise said as he showed the jury excerpts from Hunter Biden’s book that described his drug use and addiction.

Wise, showing the jurors a side-by-side comparison of testimony regarding his truck from his daughter Naomi Biden and then-girlfriend Hallie Biden, said their testimony is “circumstantial evidence ” that shows “the defendant used crack in the truck” days after purchasing the firearm.

Naomi Biden testified that she returned the truck to her father “clean” on Oct. 19, 2018, and Hallie Biden testified that a few days later she found Hunter Biden’s gun in the vehicle along with drug paraphernalia and drug remnants.

Wise also showed the jury a calendar of the month of October 2018 that showed the cash withdrawals made by Hunter Biden. “None of the cash was for rehab,” Wise said.

The evidence, Wise told jurors in conclusion, “supports only one verdict.”

Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell then began his closing arguments.

Jun 10, 1:23 PM
Hunter Biden ‘knew he was using drugs,’ prosecutor argues

Prosecutor Leo Wise, continuing his closing argument, laid out his case for conviction by telling jurors that the evidence in the case was “ugly” but “necessary” to establish Hunter Biden’s drug use during the time in question — as well as in the months before and after.

“He knew he was using drugs,” Wise told the jury, a reference to the standard the jury must reach for conviction — that Hunter Biden had to “knowingly” lie on the gun-purchase form on which he said he was not addicted to drugs.

“That’s what the evidence shows,” Wise said.

Wise emphasized repeatedly to the jury that the government is not required to show specifically that Hunter used drugs when he owned the gun from the Oct. 12-23, 2018 — but rather they must “establish that pattern.”

To that end, Wise referenced the text messages spanning back to 2015 in which Hunter Biden appeared to purchase drugs or reference his addiction, as well as the testimony from his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and ex-girlfriend Hallie Biden, who said they either found his drug paraphernalia, saw him use drugs, or talked to him about it.

Wise also pointed to the testimony of ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, who testified she saw Hunter Biden using drugs in late September 2018 — just two weeks before he bought the gun.

“You can convict on that alone,” Wise told the jury.

Wise also referenced Hunter Biden’s memoir, “Beautiful Things,” saying it was a “searingly painful” but “honest” description of himself and his addiction.

The evidence showed Hunter Biden “habitually used,” Wise said.

Jun 10, 12:34 PM
‘None of that matters’ prosecutor says of large Biden contingent

Prosecutor Leo Wise began his closing argument by referencing the many Biden family members packed into the courtroom galley today.

“All of this is not evidence,” Wise said to the jury as he gestured toward the gallery where First lady Jill Biden and other members of the Biden family are jammed into the front three rows.

“You may recognize them from the news, from the community,” Wise told them. “None of that matters.”

Wise then reiterated the government’s opening remarks that no one is above the law, telling the jury that the case is no different from others — regardless “of who the defendant is.”

Jun 10, 12:14 PM
Biden family members jam into courtroom

Hunter Biden came to court today with what appears to be the largest number of friends and family members yet to appear at his trial.

The first row of the gallery was so packed with members of the Biden family this morning that the security guard on the end nearly fell off. The entire first three rows and some of the fourth row were filled with friends and family members — about 25 in total.

First Lady Jill Biden, her daughter Ashley Biden, and Hunter Biden’s wife Melissa Cohen Biden sat together in the front row, with Ashley Biden at one point comforting the others by putting her arm around her mother and then patting Melissa Biden’s back.

Through the morning’s lengthy sidebars and delays, Hunter Biden repeatedly engaged with them, chatting with them and exchanging hugs when he could.

When the defense rested its case, he stood up and hugged his uncle James Biden in the front row and appeared to say, “Love you.”

After another break, he returned to the courtroom holding the first lady’s hand.

Jun 10, 11:54 AM
Jury told not to judge Hunter Biden for not testifying

Judge Maryellen Noreika, in her initial instructions to jurors, explained how they are to apply the law to the facts of the case for the three criminal counts Hunter Biden faces.

“You must not attach any significance to the fact that the defendant did not testify,” she read aloud in the courtroom, after the defense decided not to call Hunter Biden to the stand.

The judge defined “knowingly,” the central term by which jurors must determine if Hunter Biden bought the gun at the center of the case “knowing” he was an addict or user of drugs, after he stated on the gun-purchase form that he was not.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 12:05 p.m. ET, after which the judge will give the jury her final instructions and their deliberations will begin.

Jun 10, 11:36 AM
Closing arguments up next after Hunter Biden does not testify

Closing arguments will begin at about noon ET after Hunter Biden chose not to testify in his federal gun case.

The defense rested without him taking the stand, after which prosecutors presented a brief rebuttal case, then the judge gave the jury their initial instructions.

Jun 10, 11:17 AM
Judge reads initial jury instructions

Following the prosecution’s rebuttal case, the judge read the jury their initial instructions.

Court is then expected to break for lunch, with closing arguments currently scheduled for the afternoon.

The judge will then give the jury their final instructions before they begin deliberations.

Jun 10, 11:05 AM
Prosecutors rest rebuttal case

The government rested its rebuttal case after a brief cross-examination of FBI special agent Erika Jensen, who testified about location and text message data relevant to the case.

Attorneys then gathered for another sidebar conference.

Jun 10, 10:54 AM
FBI witness returns to witness stand

After a lengthy sidebar, overflow room cameras suddenly turned on to show prosecutors questioning a previous witness, FBI agent Erika Jensen, suggesting that the defense has rested its case and prosecutors are introducing a rebuttal case before the trial moves on to closing arguments.

If so, that would indicate that Hunter Biden did not testify in his own defense.

Jun 10, 8:40 AM
Judge reviews motions regarding jury instructions

This morning’s proceedings are underway.

Judge Maryellen Noreika began by reviewing with both parties motions by the defense to change proposed jury instructions.

The jury is expected to be brought back into court at 9 a.m. ET.

Jun 10, 8:14 AM
Hunter Biden arrives at courthouse

Hunter Biden has arrived at the courthouse for Day 6 of his federal gun trial, accompanied by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden.

First lady Jill Biden arrived shortly afterward.

President Joe Biden’s brother James Biden and sister Valerie Biden also arrived.

The two waited outside until the court opened at 8 a.m. ET.

Jun 10, 7:17 AM
The big question: Will Hunter Biden take the stand this morning?

As the second week of Hunter Biden’s gun trial gets underway this morning, defense attorneys will confront their most consequential decision: whether to put their client on the witness stand.

To allow Hunter Biden to testify in his own defense would carry myriad risks, as the president’s son would likely face a grueling cross-examination from a prosecution team that has shows itself adept at eliciting testimony supporting their central contention in the case — that Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs at the time he purchased the handgun at heart of the case.

Jurors witnessed that on Friday, when Naomi Biden, the 30-year-old daughter of Hunter Biden, struggled to explain text messages she sent her father in October 2018 after he had purchased the gun — in which she seemed to express concern about his addiction, despite testifying moments earlier about how “great” her father seemed at the time.

If Hunter Biden decides not to take the stand, jurors could possibly have the case by the end of the day, after closing arguments and jury instructions.

Court is scheduled to get underway earlier than usual today, at 8:15 a.m. E.T.

Jun 07, 2:07 PM
Defense to decide if Hunter takes stand as court breaks for weekend

In an unexpected move, court recessed for the day following the lunch break, with the defense telling the judge they are “down to that last decision” — suggesting that they will determine over the weekend if Hunter Biden takes the stand Monday in his own defense.

Defense attorney Abbe Lowell told the court the defense decided not to call one of its expert witnesses.

It also appears defense attorneys reversed course on testimony from Hunter Biden’s uncle James Biden, who was already at the courthouse and who Lowell had earlier indicated would be testifying. James Biden was subsequently seen leaving the building.

Prosecutors said they are “still considering” whether they will put on a rebuttal case after the defense rests.

Judge Maryellen Noreika dismissed the jury, telling them to “enjoy a long weekend.”

“We are starting to wrap the evidence in this case,” she said.

The parties are scheduled to be back in court Monday at 8:15 a.m. ET.

Jun 07, 1:19 PM
Naomi Biden says her dad ‘seemed great’ after gun buy

Naomi Biden, the 30-year-old daughter of Hunter Biden, testified that her father “seemed great, he seemed hopeful” when she saw him on Oct. 18 or 19, 2018, in New York, where she was returning his vehicle to him — several days after he purchased the gun at the center of the case and just days before his then-girlfriend Hallie Biden discovered and discarded it.

Earlier, in August, Naomi Biden described visiting him in Los Angeles, where he was in a drug rehab program. “He seemed the clearest I’d seen him since my uncle died,” she said, referring to Hunter Biden’s brother Beau Biden.

It was important testimony for the defense in their attempt to show that Hunter Biden was not using drugs around the time of the gun purchase.

Defense counsel Abbe Lowell asked Naomi Biden about the car trip she and her then-boyfriend took from Washington, D.C., to New York in mid-October 2018 to return her father’s truck — a Ford Raptor — to him.

On cross-examination, prosecutor Leo Wise asked Naomi Biden if she ever witnessed her father using drugs — she said she had not — or whether she would know if he was using drugs based on his behavior.

“I guess not,” she said.

Wise also established that Naomi Biden did not leave any drugs or drug residue in the vehicle before returning it to her father — suggesting that the drug residue and paraphernalia Hallie Biden observed in the car days later arrived there after Hunter Biden retrieved the truck.

Jurors also saw some emotional text messages between Naomi Biden and her father during that mid-October timeframe.

“I’m really sad, I can’t take this,” she wrote her father, adding that “I really want to hang out with you.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been so unreachable,” Hunter Biden replied. “It’s not fair to you.”

On the stand, Naomi Biden spoke quietly, at one point saying, “Sorry, I’m nervous.” Her husband, Peter Neal, sat in the gallery next to first lady Jill Biden, and had his hand over his mouth for much of the testimony.

Hunter Biden appeared emotional and was seen at times touching his face during her testimony.

When her testimony concluded, she embraced her father before leaving the courtroom, and court recessed for lunch.

Jun 07, 12:22 PM
Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi takes the stand

Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi took the stand as the defense’s third witness.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Another round of life-threatening heat is slamming the West before heading to the East Coast.

Temperatures are expected to skyrocket Tuesday to 103 degrees in Sacramento, California; 108 in Las Vegas; and a scorching 110 in Phoenix.

By Wednesday and Thursday, the record heat will become more widespread, stretching into Colorado and Texas.

By Friday, the dangerous heat will move to the East Coast. New York City is forecast to reach 90 degrees and Washington, D.C., could hit 93 degrees.

Record highs will be possible in the north and south, including 96 degrees in Atlanta and 89 degrees in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Heading into next week, significant heat is possible for the Midwest and the Northeast. This could become the first heat wave of the season for the Interstate 95 corridor.

Doctors recommend taking excessive heat warnings seriously. There are hundreds of deaths each year in the U.S. due to excessive heat, according to CDC WONDER, an online database, and scientists caution that the actual number of heat-related deaths is likely higher.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Twelve years ago, the lives of students in the first-grade classrooms of Sandy Hook Elementary School were forever changed when a gunman opened fire, killing 20 of their classmates and six of their teachers and administrators.

This week, the young students who survived the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut — one of the deadliest school shootings in American history — will graduate from high school. ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor George Stephanopoulos spoke with six of the students.

Henry Terifay was 7 years old when he fled his classroom after hearing gunshots.

When he walks onstage to receive his high school diploma, he’ll have with him a constant reminder of what happened in his classroom on Dec. 14, 2012.

“I have my friend’s name tattooed on my shoulder so he stays with me every day,” Terifay, now 18, told Stephanopoulos, adding of all his classmates who were killed, “I just try and remember them every day.”

Emma Ehrens, now 17, was 6 years old and reading a book with her classmates when the shooter, a 20-year-old who went on to kill himself, entered her classroom.

“I remember being at the front of the classroom, and he came in and stood right next to me. And I watched all my friends drop,” Ehrens said. “One of the victims [who] did not make it, he told me and a couple other people to run, and we did. We ran out of the classroom, out of the school, and on the way we saw bodies in the hallways and doors blown off the hinges. And we just ran and ran and ran, out of the school, out of the parking lot.”

For another graduating senior, Matt Holden, his memory of Dec. 14, as a 6-year-old, centers on seeing his mom cry in a way she never has before or since.

“Once we finally got out of the school, I remember we were walking to the firehouse and my mom ran up to me crying, and I didn’t know what happened at the time,” he said. “I didn’t understand the gravity of the whole thing, but I knew if my mom was crying, my mom was so, so scared that, you know, something horrible had happened. I’d never seen her like that before and I never have since. I hope I never do.”         

Ella Seaver, who was 7 at the time of the shooting, said that even as she prepares to graduate high school and begin a new chapter, it remains hard to talk about what happened in her first-grade classroom all those years ago.

“It’s still, even over 10 years later, just so difficult to try and dig up those memories because of how traumatic and painful it is,” Seaver said, adding that it does provide comfort to share memories with fellow survivors. “For me personally, when I get to talk to these five other people, it’s comforting in a way, because you have this connection that’s never gonna go away.”

Seaver said her experience as a Sandy Hook survivor helped her decide the career she plans to pursue after college.

“I’ve basically known that I wanted to be a therapist since I was eight, which was really only a year after the shooting,” Seaver said. “I have been in and out of therapy almost my whole life, especially after the shooting, and it’s really just helped me cope and helped me learn about myself, so I want to try and pay that forward and help people who have gone through gun violence, or even people who haven’t, who are just struggling in their daily life.” 

Others said they plan to pursue careers in politics and law.

Since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook, more than 1,600 school shootings have taken place in the United States, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, an independent, nonpartisan research project.

“I really thought Sandy Hook would, you know, shock people and wake everybody up,” said Terifay, adding that he is tired of hearing “I’m sorry” from people without any action. “But it just keeps happening over and over and over again.”

Holden said that over one decade after a school shooting devastated his elementary school, things can feel “hopeless” as the number of school shootings continues to grow.

“The tragedy never ends,” said Holden. “The friends, family who were lost that day, the smiling faces that should be filling the seats in your classroom, the parents who should be able to watch their kids graduate, get married, the kids will never be able to hug their parents again. It’s never over.”

Lilly Wasilnak, who was 6 at the time of the shooting, said the increase in school shootings since Sandy Hook make her worried for the safety of her own future kids.

“As unfortunate as it is, it’s going to happen to someone else, and it’s going to keep happening to someone else until people like us have to make the change,” said Wasilnak, now 17. “We worry about one day when we’ll have kids, and I don’t want to send my kids to school in the way our world is.”

On June 7, Wasilnak joined five of her fellow Sandy Hook survivors in traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris for National Gun Violence Prevention Day.

Just months earlier, in December, Wasilnak, Ehrens and a fellow classmate, Grace Fischer, had also been in D.C., to meet with legislators and attend the 10th Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence.

“When I went there it was very eye-opening to me,” Fischer said. “We sat down with senators, representatives and their staffers, and that opportunity of me being able to go to Congress and speak to these people in such high positions of power … made me really want to fight for something that I wish to change.”

The last major action from Congress on gun laws, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, came in June 2022, nearly one month after the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers.

Seaver said if she could see one change on gun reform it would be to establish “regulations on AR-style assault weapons.”

“I think one of the hardest things is getting people to see eye-to-eye on it,” Seaver said. “And I think that stops a lot of regulations and legislation, which unfortunately is costing more and more lives every day.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WILMINGTON, Del.) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden is on trial in Delaware on three felony charges related to his efforts to obtain a firearm in 2018 while allegedly addicted to drugs.

The younger Biden, who pleaded not guilty last October after being indicted by special counsel David Weiss, has denied the charges. The son of a sitting president has never before faced a criminal trial.

The trial comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump’s conviction on felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment made to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.

The frequency of updates may be limited due to federal court restrictions:

Jun 11, 7:13 AM
Jury to resume deliberations

The 12 jury members who for the past week heard vivid and personal details about President Joe Biden’s family are set to continue their deliberations this morning in the federal gun trial of his son, Hunter Biden.

In their closing arguments yesterday, prosecutors argued that Hunter Biden lied on a federal gun-purchase form when he said he was not a drug addict, telling jurors “if this evidence did not establish that Hunter Biden was a crack addict and an unlawful user, then no one is a crack addict or an unlawful user.”

But defense attorney Abbe Lowell urged the jury to acquit his client, telling them, “We have had Hunter’s life in our hands. And now we have to give it to you.”

If convicted, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison — though legal experts believe he would not serve time due to his being a first-time, nonviolent offender.

Deliberations are scheduled to resume today at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Jun 10, 5:57 PM
Transcript shows Hunter Biden affirmed decision not to testify

Hunter Biden, in court today, affirmed his decision not to testify in his own defense, telling the judge “I do” when she asked him if he understood it was his own decision to make, according to the transcript of the proceedings released after court was dismissed for the day.

“Did you make a decision not to testify voluntarily?” Judge Maryellen Noreika asked him, according to the transcript.

“I did,” he said.

The questioning from Noreika occurred during a sidebar with Hunter Biden, his attorneys, and prosecutors that was conducted out of earshot of reporters but released as part of the transcript.

“You understand you have the right to testify in your own defense?” the judge asked Hunter Biden, per the transcript.

“I do,” he said.

“If you don’t testify, you understand your decision not to testify cannot be held against you and I will instruct the jury to that effect?” she asked.

“Agreed,” he responded.

“It’s your decision and yours alone to make, do you understand that?” the judge asked.

“I do,” he responded.

“It’s not your attorney’s decision, it’s not the government’s decision, it’s not my decision, you understand all that?” she asked.

“I do,” he said.

Jun 10, 4:44 PM
Day 1 of jury deliberations ends with no verdict

The jurors in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial have been dismissed for the day, after deliberating for one hour with no verdict.

Hunter Biden left the courthouse after the jury was dismissed.

The jurors will be back tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET to resume their deliberations.

Jun 10, 3:44 PM
Jury begins deliberations

The jury has begun deliberations on the three felony counts Hunter Biden faces in his federal gun case.

Prior to the jury getting the case, the government rebutted defense attorney Abbe Lowell’s closing argument by asserting again that Hunter Biden was a drug addict when he bought the gun at the center of the case and that he knew it — beyond a reasonable doubt.

There are “seven ways to Sunday” to show Hunter Biden was an addict and it was “preposterous” that he — a “Yale-educated lawyer” — didn’t know he was buying a gun while knowingly addicted, prosecutor Derek Hines argued.

Hines rebutted Lowell’s characterization of the government’s treatment of Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi Biden as “cruel.”

Naomi Biden was “completely uncomfortable” because “she couldn’t vouch for the defendant’s sobriety,” Hines argued.

Hines closed by saying that if the jury doesn’t determine Hunter Biden is a crack addict based on the evidence in the case, “then no one is a crack addict of unlawful use.”

Judge Maryellen Noreika then delivered the final portion of her instructions and sent jurors to begin their deliberations.

The judge indicated that she would not keep jurors past 4:30 or 4:45 p.m. ET today.

Jun 10, 3:00 PM
Defense calls government’s case ‘conjecture and suspicion’

Defense attorney Abbe Lowell, in his closing argument, urged jurors to dispense with the government’s “conjecture and suspicion” and find his client not guilty on all three counts.

“We have had Hunter’s life in our hands” until now, Lowell said, referring to his legal team. “And now we have to give it to you.”

Lowell repeatedly referred to prosecutors’ case as a “magicians’ trick” — to “watch this hand and pay no attention to that one,” as he said — arguing that prosecutors failed to “fill in the gaps” about Hunter Biden’s drug use around the time of his firearm purchase “because they don’t have the proof.”

Lowell also referred to prosecutors’ strategy of showing Hunter Biden’s pattern of drug use as an “accordion,” meant to “compress” the timeline and make it seem to jurors that he was actively using drugs in October 2018, when he said on a government form that he was not addicted to drugs in order to purchase a Colt handgun.

The defense attorney also attacked some of the tactics prosecutors used, calling their treatment of Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi Biden “extraordinarily cruel” and saying that many of their questions and evidence were introduced with the intention of “embarrassing Hunter.”

He also asked jurors to recall gaps in the recollections of Hunter Biden’s then-girlfriend Hallie Biden, and suggested they should remember the immunity agreement she struck with prosecutors for her testimony.

“These are serious charges that will change Hunter’s life,” he said of the three felony charges the president’s son faces, adding that “it’s time to end this case.”

Following Lowell’s closing, the government was scheduled to have a short rebuttal, at which point the judge was to finish her jury instructions before the jury gets the case.

Jun 10, 1:40 PM
Evidence supports ‘only one verdict’ prosecutor tells jury

Prosecutor Leo Wise used witness testimony and Hunter Biden’s own words from his memoir and text messages to argue that the president’s son “knew exactly what he was doing” when prosecutors say he falsely claimed he was not addicted to drugs in order to purchase a Colt handgun in 2018.

“Take the defendant’s word for it,” Wise said as he showed the jury excerpts from Hunter Biden’s book that described his drug use and addiction.

Wise, showing the jurors a side-by-side comparison of testimony regarding his truck from his daughter Naomi Biden and then-girlfriend Hallie Biden, said their testimony is “circumstantial evidence ” that shows “the defendant used crack in the truck” days after purchasing the firearm.

Naomi Biden testified that she returned the truck to her father “clean” on Oct. 19, 2018, and Hallie Biden testified that a few days later she found Hunter Biden’s gun in the vehicle along with drug paraphernalia and drug remnants.

Wise also showed the jury a calendar of the month of October 2018 that showed the cash withdrawals made by Hunter Biden. “None of the cash was for rehab,” Wise said.

The evidence, Wise told jurors in conclusion, “supports only one verdict.”

Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell then began his closing arguments.

Jun 10, 1:23 PM
Hunter Biden ‘knew he was using drugs,’ prosecutor argues

Prosecutor Leo Wise, continuing his closing argument, laid out his case for conviction by telling jurors that the evidence in the case was “ugly” but “necessary” to establish Hunter Biden’s drug use during the time in question — as well as in the months before and after.

“He knew he was using drugs,” Wise told the jury, a reference to the standard the jury must reach for conviction — that Hunter Biden had to “knowingly” lie on the gun-purchase form on which he said he was not addicted to drugs.

“That’s what the evidence shows,” Wise said.

Wise emphasized repeatedly to the jury that the government is not required to show specifically that Hunter used drugs when he owned the gun from the Oct. 12-23, 2018 — but rather they must “establish that pattern.”

To that end, Wise referenced the text messages spanning back to 2015 in which Hunter Biden appeared to purchase drugs or reference his addiction, as well as the testimony from his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and ex-girlfriend Hallie Biden, who said they either found his drug paraphernalia, saw him use drugs, or talked to him about it.

Wise also pointed to the testimony of ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, who testified she saw Hunter Biden using drugs in late September 2018 — just two weeks before he bought the gun.

“You can convict on that alone,” Wise told the jury.

Wise also referenced Hunter Biden’s memoir, “Beautiful Things,” saying it was a “searingly painful” but “honest” description of himself and his addiction.

The evidence showed Hunter Biden “habitually used,” Wise said.

Jun 10, 12:34 PM
‘None of that matters’ prosecutor says of large Biden contingent

Prosecutor Leo Wise began his closing argument by referencing the many Biden family members packed into the courtroom galley today.

“All of this is not evidence,” Wise said to the jury as he gestured toward the gallery where First lady Jill Biden and other members of the Biden family are jammed into the front three rows.

“You may recognize them from the news, from the community,” Wise told them. “None of that matters.”

Wise then reiterated the government’s opening remarks that no one is above the law, telling the jury that the case is no different from others — regardless “of who the defendant is.”

Jun 10, 12:14 PM
Biden family members jam into courtroom

Hunter Biden came to court today with what appears to be the largest number of friends and family members yet to appear at his trial.

The first row of the gallery was so packed with members of the Biden family this morning that the security guard on the end nearly fell off. The entire first three rows and some of the fourth row were filled with friends and family members — about 25 in total.

First Lady Jill Biden, her daughter Ashley Biden, and Hunter Biden’s wife Melissa Cohen Biden sat together in the front row, with Ashley Biden at one point comforting the others by putting her arm around her mother and then patting Melissa Biden’s back.

Through the morning’s lengthy sidebars and delays, Hunter Biden repeatedly engaged with them, chatting with them and exchanging hugs when he could.

When the defense rested its case, he stood up and hugged his uncle James Biden in the front row and appeared to say, “Love you.”

After another break, he returned to the courtroom holding the first lady’s hand.

Jun 10, 11:54 AM
Jury told not to judge Hunter Biden for not testifying

Judge Maryellen Noreika, in her initial instructions to jurors, explained how they are to apply the law to the facts of the case for the three criminal counts Hunter Biden faces.

“You must not attach any significance to the fact that the defendant did not testify,” she read aloud in the courtroom, after the defense decided not to call Hunter Biden to the stand.

The judge defined “knowingly,” the central term by which jurors must determine if Hunter Biden bought the gun at the center of the case “knowing” he was an addict or user of drugs, after he stated on the gun-purchase form that he was not.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 12:05 p.m. ET, after which the judge will give the jury her final instructions and their deliberations will begin.

Jun 10, 11:36 AM
Closing arguments up next after Hunter Biden does not testify

Closing arguments will begin at about noon ET after Hunter Biden chose not to testify in his federal gun case.

The defense rested without him taking the stand, after which prosecutors presented a brief rebuttal case, then the judge gave the jury their initial instructions.

Jun 10, 11:17 AM
Judge reads initial jury instructions

Following the prosecution’s rebuttal case, the judge read the jury their initial instructions.

Court is then expected to break for lunch, with closing arguments currently scheduled for the afternoon.

The judge will then give the jury their final instructions before they begin deliberations.

Jun 10, 11:05 AM
Prosecutors rest rebuttal case

The government rested its rebuttal case after a brief cross-examination of FBI special agent Erika Jensen, who testified about location and text message data relevant to the case.

Attorneys then gathered for another sidebar conference.

Jun 10, 10:54 AM
FBI witness returns to witness stand

After a lengthy sidebar, overflow room cameras suddenly turned on to show prosecutors questioning a previous witness, FBI agent Erika Jensen, suggesting that the defense has rested its case and prosecutors are introducing a rebuttal case before the trial moves on to closing arguments.

If so, that would indicate that Hunter Biden did not testify in his own defense.

Jun 10, 8:40 AM
Judge reviews motions regarding jury instructions

This morning’s proceedings are underway.

Judge Maryellen Noreika began by reviewing with both parties motions by the defense to change proposed jury instructions.

The jury is expected to be brought back into court at 9 a.m. ET.

Jun 10, 8:14 AM
Hunter Biden arrives at courthouse

Hunter Biden has arrived at the courthouse for Day 6 of his federal gun trial, accompanied by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden.

First lady Jill Biden arrived shortly afterward.

President Joe Biden’s brother James Biden and sister Valerie Biden also arrived.

The two waited outside until the court opened at 8 a.m. ET.

Jun 10, 7:17 AM
The big question: Will Hunter Biden take the stand this morning?

As the second week of Hunter Biden’s gun trial gets underway this morning, defense attorneys will confront their most consequential decision: whether to put their client on the witness stand.

To allow Hunter Biden to testify in his own defense would carry myriad risks, as the president’s son would likely face a grueling cross-examination from a prosecution team that has shows itself adept at eliciting testimony supporting their central contention in the case — that Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs at the time he purchased the handgun at heart of the case.

Jurors witnessed that on Friday, when Naomi Biden, the 30-year-old daughter of Hunter Biden, struggled to explain text messages she sent her father in October 2018 after he had purchased the gun — in which she seemed to express concern about his addiction, despite testifying moments earlier about how “great” her father seemed at the time.

If Hunter Biden decides not to take the stand, jurors could possibly have the case by the end of the day, after closing arguments and jury instructions.

Court is scheduled to get underway earlier than usual today, at 8:15 a.m. E.T.

Jun 07, 2:07 PM
Defense to decide if Hunter takes stand as court breaks for weekend

In an unexpected move, court recessed for the day following the lunch break, with the defense telling the judge they are “down to that last decision” — suggesting that they will determine over the weekend if Hunter Biden takes the stand Monday in his own defense.

Defense attorney Abbe Lowell told the court the defense decided not to call one of its expert witnesses.

It also appears defense attorneys reversed course on testimony from Hunter Biden’s uncle James Biden, who was already at the courthouse and who Lowell had earlier indicated would be testifying. James Biden was subsequently seen leaving the building.

Prosecutors said they are “still considering” whether they will put on a rebuttal case after the defense rests.

Judge Maryellen Noreika dismissed the jury, telling them to “enjoy a long weekend.”

“We are starting to wrap the evidence in this case,” she said.

The parties are scheduled to be back in court Monday at 8:15 a.m. ET.

Jun 07, 1:19 PM
Naomi Biden says her dad ‘seemed great’ after gun buy

Naomi Biden, the 30-year-old daughter of Hunter Biden, testified that her father “seemed great, he seemed hopeful” when she saw him on Oct. 18 or 19, 2018, in New York, where she was returning his vehicle to him — several days after he purchased the gun at the center of the case and just days before his then-girlfriend Hallie Biden discovered and discarded it.

Earlier, in August, Naomi Biden described visiting him in Los Angeles, where he was in a drug rehab program. “He seemed the clearest I’d seen him since my uncle died,” she said, referring to Hunter Biden’s brother Beau Biden.

It was important testimony for the defense in their attempt to show that Hunter Biden was not using drugs around the time of the gun purchase.

Defense counsel Abbe Lowell asked Naomi Biden about the car trip she and her then-boyfriend took from Washington, D.C., to New York in mid-October 2018 to return her father’s truck — a Ford Raptor — to him.

On cross-examination, prosecutor Leo Wise asked Naomi Biden if she ever witnessed her father using drugs — she said she had not — or whether she would know if he was using drugs based on his behavior.

“I guess not,” she said.

Wise also established that Naomi Biden did not leave any drugs or drug residue in the vehicle before returning it to her father — suggesting that the drug residue and paraphernalia Hallie Biden observed in the car days later arrived there after Hunter Biden retrieved the truck.

Jurors also saw some emotional text messages between Naomi Biden and her father during that mid-October timeframe.

“I’m really sad, I can’t take this,” she wrote her father, adding that “I really want to hang out with you.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been so unreachable,” Hunter Biden replied. “It’s not fair to you.”

On the stand, Naomi Biden spoke quietly, at one point saying, “Sorry, I’m nervous.” Her husband, Peter Neal, sat in the gallery next to first lady Jill Biden, and had his hand over his mouth for much of the testimony.

Hunter Biden appeared emotional and was seen at times touching his face during her testimony.

When her testimony concluded, she embraced her father before leaving the courtroom, and court recessed for lunch.

Jun 07, 12:22 PM
Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi takes the stand

Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi took the stand as the defense’s third witness.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOS ANGELES) — About 25 people were arrested Monday night as they attempted to set up a tent encampment on the University of California Los Angeles campus, university police said in a statement.

“The individuals are in the process of being cited, issued 14-day stay away orders from UCLA property, and released,” the UCLA Police Department said. “Approximately 150 protesters remain in the area as of the latest update.”

The arrests follow a series of tense days in late April and early May on the school’s campus, where pro-Palestinian protesters had created a sprawling encampment surrounded by plywood and metal barricades. Counter-protesters had clashed with the group on at least one occasion.

Police from several departments descended on the earlier encampment on May 2, arresting dozens of protesters and dismantling the tents and barricades.

About 100 people marched on Monday afternoon through campus, entering at least one hall and disrupting a final exam, police said.

The group, which was associated with a registered student organization, also set up “unauthorized and unlawful” encampments at several locations around campus. They used “tents, canopies, and barricades with patio furniture,” police said.

University officials asked the group to leave two locations — the Janss Steps and the Kerckhoff patio — and the group complied, police said.

The group had by early evening made their way to the courtyard between Dodd Hall and the School of Law, where they were seen assembling another tent encampment, police said.

“The group restricted access to the general public in violation of University policy and also disrupted nearby final exams,” police said in a statement.

About 25 people were arrested under a California law barring “Willful Disruption of University Operations,” police said.

One additional person had been arrested for interfering with a police officer as the group set up their first encampment, police said. That person was cited and released, police said.

“As a result of the unauthorized and unlawful encampments at the three locations, the group damaged the Shapiro fountain, spray-painted brick walkways, tampered with fire safety equipment, damaged patio furniture, stripped wire from electrical fixtures, and vandalized vehicles,” police said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WILMINGTON, Del.) — Jurors began deliberating Monday afternoon in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial after prosecutors urged them to use “common sense” to find him guilty of three felony gun charges, claiming to have proved their case “beyond a reasonable doubt seven ways to Sunday.”

“If this evidence did not establish that Hunter Biden was a crack addict, and an unlawful user, then no one is a crack addict or an unlawful user,” said prosecutor Derek Hines.

Abbe Lowell, the lead defense attorney, rebutted that claim by characterizing the government’s case as nothing more than “speculation and conjecture.”

The president’s son is accused of lying on a federal form when he said he wasn’t using drugs at the time he purchased a Colt revolver on Oct. 12, 2018.

The jury will resume its deliberations Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET.

Here are three big takeaways from Day 6 of the trial:

Prosecution says Hunter Biden ‘knew he was using drugs’

After the defense rested it case without Hunter Biden taking the stand in his own defense, the government, in its closing argument, laid out its case for Hunter Biden’s guilt on three criminal counts — two for lying on a federal form at a Wilmington gun shop and the other for possession of the firearm while an addict and user of drugs.

Prosecutor Leo Wise acknowledged the government’s case hinged on Hunter Biden’s “knowing” that he was a user and addict at the time he filled out the form.

“He knew he was using drugs,” Wise told jurors. “That’s what the evidence shows.”

Wise emphasized repeatedly to the jury that the government is not required to show specifically that Hunter used drugs when he owned the gun from Oct. 12-23, 2018 — instead, Wise said, they must show that the facts “establish that pattern.”

Wise pointed to text messages and book excerpts admitted into evidence, referencing Hunter Biden’s own words that he used to describe his addiction.

“Take the defendant’s word for it,” Wise told jurors.

Wise opened his closing argument by making a reference to the high profile of the case. The case is “not more or less important because of who the defendant is,” he said, gesturing toward the gallery where the first lady and president’s family sat.

“People sitting in the gallery are not evidence,” he said. “You may recognize them from the news, from the community … none of that matters.”

Defense calls government’s case a ‘magician’s trick’

During his 90-minute closing argument, Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell argued that the government did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that his client was actively using drugs at the time of the gun purchase — saying there were “gaping holes” in their case.

Lowell repeatedly referred to prosecutors’ case as a “magicians’ trick” — to “watch this hand and pay no attention to that one,” as he said — arguing that prosecutors failed to “fill in the gaps” about Hunter Biden’s drug use around the time of his firearm purchase “because they don’t have the proof.”

The “lack of text messages with drug lingo” and “photos” around the time of the gun purchase prove that prosecutors failed to prove that Hunter Biden was actively using drugs at that time, Lowell argued.

The defense also argued there is no evidence that the firearm Hunter Biden purchased was ever loaded or carried “until Hallie did all that,” referring to when Hunter Biden’s then-girlfriend Hallie Biden discovered the gun and took it to a nearby store to dispose of it.

Lowell called prosecutors’ treatment of Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi Biden “extraordinarily cruel” and said many of their questions and evidence were introduced with the intention of “embarrassing Hunter.”

“We have had Hunter’s life in our hands until now,” Lowell said before concluding his closing argument. “And now we have to give it to you.”

Government refutes defense’s characterization

In his rebuttal, prosecutor Derek Hines refuted Lowell’s characterization directly.

“Hunter Biden’s life is not in your hands,” he told the jury. 

Instead, he said they would judge the facts of the case and the law, as instructed, to determine his guilt. They would not sentence Hunter Biden or determine his fate.

Hines appealed to jurors’ common sense to establish that Hunter Biden knew he was a drug addict.

“Sometimes, some things in life don’t need an explanation,” he said, implying that Hunter Biden’s addiction was self-evident — so clear that he wrote extensively about it in his memoir.

Hunter Biden would have understood the words “addict and user” on the ATF form prosecutors allege that he lied on, Hines told the jury.

“He knew what those words meant,” the prosecutor said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump’s interview Monday with New York City probation officials lasted just under a half-hour, sources familiar with it told ABC News.

Trump participated in the interview remotely from Mar-a-Lago.

His defense attorney, Todd Blanche, was with him. Unlike most defendants, Trump was given permission to be accompanied by counsel.

The sources described the interview as cordial and routine. Trump was not asked anything surprising.

The New York City Probation Department will now prepare a report for Judge Juan Merchan ahead of Trump’s July 11 sentencing on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The report is supposed to include, among other things, Trump’s description of his crime, whether he expressed remorse and any statements he wished to make about why he did it.

Last month, a jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to hide information from voters ahead of the 2016 election, including a $130,000 money payment to buy the silence of adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleged she had an affair with him, which he has denied.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(BALTIMORE) — The Baltimore shipping channel where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed has fully reopened following the catastrophic collision in March, authorities said Monday.

The Fort McHenry Federal Channel has been restored to its original operational dimensions for commercial maritime transit through the Port of Baltimore, one of America’s busiest ports, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.

The Dali, a massive cargo ship, struck the Key Bridge on March 26, triggering a collapse that killed six workers and affected entry into the port.

In the weeks since, the channel has gradually opened to traffic as crews worked to clear 50,000 tons of bridge wreckage and remove the 984-foot-long and 158-foot-wide container ship from the crash site.

On Monday, the riverbed was certified as safe for transit and the channel reached its full operational dimensions of 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.

“We are proud of the unified efforts that fully reopened the Federal Channel to port operations,” Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said in a statement. “The partnerships that endured through this response made this pivotal mission successful.”

The incident remains under investigation.

According to a preliminary report released last month by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Dali experienced two power blackouts while docked, 10 hours before the collision that toppled part of a bridge span. After leaving the port in the early morning hours of March 26, it experienced two more blackouts close to 1:28 a.m., which is the time it collided with the bridge, according to the NTSB.

Federal investigators said that fuel tests did not show any irregularities and they are now focusing their probe on the ship’s electrical system.

The bridge’s reconstruction is expected to cost between $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion and last through 2028 at the earliest, transportation officials said last month.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The King County, Washington, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged a man with second-degree murder and assault, both felony counts, for allegedly shooting a teen he thought was holding a gun and who he believed was about to rob a sporting goods store.

Aaron Brown Myers, 51, told police he believed the 17-year-old victim had a gun and was going to rob a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in the Seattle suburb of Renton last Wednesday as the teen headed toward the retailer with two others, according to court documents filed by the prosecutor, Leesa Manion.

The boy was holding an airsoft gun, according to a police affidavit. An airsoft gun is a replica firearm that shoots low-power, nonmetallic pellets.

The two teens who were with the victim told police they were going to the sporting goods store to either return or exchange the airsoft gun because it was malfunctioning, the affidavit said.

Myers was charged on Monday with the two felony charges and is scheduled to be arraigned on June 24, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. Myers is currently being held on a $2 million bond, according to the office.

“The investigation revealed that the victim and two other 17-year-olds were walking toward a store to return a handgun-style BB gun when the armed suspect got out of his vehicle and confronted the trio,” according to the filing obtained by ABC News. “There was an altercation that turned physical, and the suspect allegedly shot the victim multiple times.”

Myers told police he works as an armed security guard elsewhere, and he had just gotten off work and was waiting in his car in a parking lot as his son attended martial arts classes nearby, according to the police affidavit.

“Myers indicated that he conducted ‘overwatch’ at the location as he has seen numerous crimes occur in the parking lot in the past,” the affidavit read.

Reports do not show that Myers was authorized to guard the area.

Myers saw three teens approach the Big 5 Sporting Goods store with what he thought were handguns and believed they were going to rob the store, according to the affidavit. He further stated that he felt he did not have time to call 911 and that he “had a duty to act to stop the individuals from hurting someone innocent, and to protect his son,” per the court filing.

Myers, who was armed with a registered semiautomatic pistol, told police he approached the teens with his gun out and told them to put their hands in the air, but no one complied, the police affidavit said. He then fired multiple rounds at the victim because he thought the teen was reaching into the waistband of his pants for what Myers believed was a gun and that the teen “was going to kill him,” according to the filing.

The 17-year-old, whose name was redacted from court records because he’s a minor, was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders, the filing said. Myers was immediately detained and taken into custody.

“Mr. Myers and his family are devastated by this tragedy and the fact that it resulted in the loss of a young man’s life. On the evening in question Mr. Myers sincerely believed that he was witnessing the beginning of an armed robbery,” Myers’ attorney said in a statement to ABC News. “Unfortunately, during the confrontation Mr. Myers became in fear for his own life and fired his duty weapon to defend himself.”

The two surviving teens said they previously used the airsoft guns to shoot in the woods and wanted help from the store with their replica firearms, which were malfunctioning, according to the affidavit.

Investigators stated in their report that surveillance footage of the incident appeared to contradict some of Myers’ statements.

The surveillance footage also shows Myers quickly approaching the teens in the parking lot, the filing said. After he forces one teen to the ground and straddles him, he points his gun at another, per the affidavit.

The teen with the gun pointed at him had his hands up but lowered one of his hands toward his waist, at which point Myers is seen firing his weapon multiple times, according to the filing.

“Based off these facts I believe there is Probable Cause to charge Aaron B Myers … with the crime of Murder in the second degree,” according to the police officer involved, the court filing said. “Myers actions of discharging his firearm, without premeditation, caused the death of another person.”

In response to an ABC News’ request for comment, the deceased boy’s father said he was too distraught to speak about the incident.

Renton, Washington, police told ABC News that surveillance footage of the incident will not be publicly available until their investigation is complete.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A 6-year-old girl died days after she was accidentally injured by a badminton racket while on vacation with her family in Maine, police said.

Lucy Morgan, of Stockholm, New Jersey, was playing with her older brother outside a home in Limerick on June 1 when the incident occurred, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety.

“Investigators learned that the aluminum shaft of a badminton racquet had become dislodged from the wooden handle, causing the shaft to strike the girl in the head, piercing through her skull,” the Maine Department of Public Safety said in a press release.

Lucy was sitting on the sideline when the “freak accident” occurred, her father, Jesse Morgan, a pastor at Green Pond Bible Chapel in Newfoundland, New Jersey, said in a blog post following the incident. The racket broke on a downward swing and the sharp piece caused a catastrophic brain injury, he said.

First responders brought Lucy to a hospital in Sanford before transporting her via helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where she died from her injuries on Wednesday, police said.

“There is so much more to say, scripture to unravel, people to thank, and tears to be cried,” Jesse Morgan said on his blog, urging people to “hug your kids more.” “We never asked for this immense trial, but the reports of other children coming to Christ, about neighbors having gospel conversations, and grief being shared helps us continue to walk by faith in this profound pain.”

Lucy’s memorial service is scheduled to be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. and livestreamed at greenpondbible.org.

“Our hearts are broken,” Green Pond Bible Chapel lead pastor Ryan Boys said in a letter to the church community on Wednesday. “Today we are caught in between two immutable truths. Lucy is experiencing ineffable joy with the Lord; we are experiencing unspeakable grief and sorrow.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.