(DETROIT, MI) — Arielle Anderson, a 19-year-old Michigan State University student gunned down on campus, dreamed of becoming a surgeon.
She even planned to graduate early to get a head start on her career, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at her funeral Tuesday.
But “her future was robbed from her by a senseless act of violence,” the governor said at the service at Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit.
Anderson was one of three students shot and killed on Feb. 13. Five others were injured. The suspected gunman was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“While her life was cut short in the cruelest of ways, her impact is undeniable as I look around this church, as I listen to stories,” Whitmer said.
The teenager who loved photography and her family had “wisdom beyond her years,” the governor said.
Whitmer said Anderson had a “quiet confidence” and was known for her “loud compassion.”
In middle school, Anderson “led by example” and “was an advocate of making sure everyone belonged,” Roy Bishop Jr., deputy superintendent of Educational Services for Grosse Pointe Public Schools, said at the service. Two of the three victims of the shooting, including Anderson, were from Grosse Point.
Bishop called her drive and compassion inspirational.
In eighth grade mock elections, Anderson was voted most likely to succeed, and Bishop said “she would go on to do just that.”
When Anderson headed to high school, she announced she’d become a doctor, Bishop said.
In a college recommendation letter, Bishop said one of Anderson’s teachers described her as “hard-working, dedicated, talented and driven,” as well as “compassionate, thoughtful and mature.”
“She embraced her middle name, Diamond,” Bishop said. “She shined so bright for everyone to see.”
“Arielle’s life, her impact, her mere presence, has changed the world for the better,” Bishop said.
The 19-year-old is survived by her mother, father, grandparents, siblings and a great-grandmother.
Anderson was very close with her mom and had a special bond with her aunt, who has special needs and is nonverbal, her family said.
(WASHINGTON) — The Mormon Church agreed Tuesday to pay $5 million to settle charges involving disclosure failures and misstated regulatory filings.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its investment management company, Ensign Peak Advisers, failed for 20 years to file forms that would have disclosed the church’s equity investments and, instead, filed forms for shell companies that obscured the church’s portfolio, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ensign Peak agreed to pay $4 million and the church itself will pay $1 million to settle the charges.
“We allege that the LDS Church’s investment manager, with the Church’s knowledge, went to great lengths to avoid disclosing the Church’s investments, depriving the Commission and the investing public of accurate market information,” said Gurbir Grewal, director of the SEC enforcement division. “The requirement to file timely and accurate information on Forms 13F applies to all institutional investment managers, including non-profit and charitable organizations.”
The church was concerned the disclosure of a portfolio that grew to $32 billion would lead to negative consequences so it consented to the creation of more than a dozen shell companies to cover its investments, according to the SEC.
“To address this issue, on March 21, 2005, the senior leadership of the Church approved a new reporting entity to be created with ‘better care being taken to ensure that neither the ‘Street’ nor the media [could] connect the new entity to Ensign Peak,'” the SEC order said.
It continued, “The senior leadership of the Church approved Ensign Peak’s recommendation to ‘gradually and carefully adapt Ensign Peak’s corporate structure to strengthen the portfolio’s confidentiality.'”
Through the use of this approach for almost 20 years, Ensign Peak’s significant role in the securities markets as an institutional investment manager was not disclosed to the SEC, the markets and the investing public, the SEC said.
(PHILADELPHIA) — An 18-year-old “tussled” with Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald before the teenager allegedly gunned down the officer and fled in a stolen car, according to Philadelphia authorities.
The shooting unfolded on Saturday evening, after Fitzgerald saw three men in masks in an area where there have been a series of robberies and carjackings, Philadelphia Police Homicide Unit Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom said. Fitzgerald was alone at the time, according to the university.
When Fitzgerald tried to conduct a “pedestrian investigation,” the three men fled on foot, and Fitzgerald radioed to say he was chasing them, Ransom said at a news conference Tuesday.
Fitzgerald caught up with one of the men, 18-year-old Miles Pfeffer, Ransom said. Fitzgerald told Pfeffer to “go to the ground,” and video showed the two “tussle,” according to Ransom.
Pfeffer allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the officer, Ransom said. After Fitzgerald fell to the ground, the gunman fired several more shots, Ransom said.
The suspect tried to take Fitzgerald’s handgun, Ransom said. After he was unsuccessful, he ran away and allegedly carjacked a driver, telling the victim, “Gimme the car or I will kill you,” Ransom said.
A police corporal who heard Fitzgerald’s radio call and heard the gunshots saw two young men fleeing the area, Ransom said. She ordered those young men, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, to stop, and they were detained and interviewed, Ransom said. Interviews from the 16-year-old and 17-year-old — who did not have guns on them — led authorities to Pfeffer, police said.
On Sunday, Pfeffer was arrested on charges including murder and robbery, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Fitzgerald, a father of five, was fatally shot in the face and upper torso.
He is the first Temple officer to be killed in the line of duty.
Fitzgerald joined Temple’s police department in October 2021, according to Jennifer Griffin, Temple University’s director of public safety.
Through tears, Griffin said Tuesday, “His father, a former Philadelphia police commander and current chief, has shared that he was proud to be a police officer, but that he was exceptionally proud and loved being a Temple University police officer.”
“There are no words to express how heartbroken we are,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said. “I’m outraged by this and every senseless act of violence.”
(OAKWOOD, Ohio) — One person was killed and multiple others were injured in a fiery explosion at a manufacturing plant in Ohio, according to a local official.
Steven Mullins, a 46-year-old man from North Ridgeville, Ohio, was found dead at the scene, said Christopher Harris, external affairs manager of the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Monday afternoon explosion took place at I. Schumann & Co., which manufactures brass and bronze alloy, in Oakwood, Ohio, according to Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS-TV.
Firefighters were able to get the blaze under control.
There were “multiple burn victims” from inside the plant taken to the hospital, Bedford Heights Police Department Sgt. Robert Majer told ABC News.
WEWS initially reported that 14 people were injured, including one critically.
(OAKWOOD, Ohio) — Multiple people were injured on Monday after an explosion at a manufacturing plant in Ohio caused fires, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
The explosion happened at I. Schumann & Co., which manufactures brass and bronze alloy, located in Oakwood, Ohio, according to ABC News Cleveland affiliate WEWS-TV.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by Monday afternoon.
There were “multiple burn victims” from inside the plant taken to the hospital, Bedford Heights Police Department Sgt. Robert Majer told ABC News.
According to WEWS, 14 people were injured in the explosion, one critically.
Debris from the explosion damaged several vehicles at a parking lot across the street from the plant, Oakwood Village Fire Capt. Brian DiRocco told reporters on Monday. Injuries stemmed from the fire and not the flying debris, according to DiRocco.
According to DiRocco, one person was pulled from the debris and received medical attention at the scene. The person’s condition is unknown.
I. Schumann & Co. did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
(JACKSON, Miss.) — In recent years, Jackson, Mississippi, has grappled with crisis after crisis with its water infrastructure. Historic flooding in late summer and freezing temperatures in December damaged the city’s water distribution system, leaving many residents without running water or under boil-water notices for weeks at a time.
The Justice Department appointed a third-party manager in November to fix the ailing system and manage some of the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding earmarked to address the crisis. Ted Henifin spoke to “GMA3” hosts DeMarco Morgan and Stephanie Ramos about why the problem has gone on for so long and how the city plans to solve it.
STEPHANIE RAMOS: Ted, thank you so much for being with us. Right off the bat, can you explain what your position is?
TED HENIFIN: Yeah, it’s a tough one to explain. So the Department of Justice and EPA came to town and negotiated a deal with the city and the state Department of Health to create basically a third party to manage the system. And so that was presented to the court at the end of November. And the judge entered that order, effectively appointing me as this interim third-party manager. So I’m an officer of the court working here for the good of the citizens of Jackson.
DeMARCO MORGAN: All right, Ted, according to The Washington Post, there have been more than 100 complaints about the water. The city has had to warn residents their water may be undrinkable. The water supply was reportedly shut off for 45 days last summer. So why has this gone on for so long and what needs to happen in order to end this crisis?
HENIFIN: Well there’s been, I think, decades of under-investment here in Jackson for a variety of reasons, shrinking population, older core cities — lot of folks start moving out of those and they leave a large infrastructure that needs to be maintained and operated. As such, there’s fewer ratepayers to deal with that. There have been many, many challenges on that end. And climate change. We’ve had sort of the freeze of the century the last five years here in Jackson, like a lot of the other Southern cities. Our facilities weren’t built for that. So as those things continue, we’re really thankful to have the federal dollars available to start making those investments that need to be made. And over the next five years and a lot in the next couple of years, we’ll see some significant investments. Already today we’re really able to provide pretty consistent pressure through the system, which is a big improvement over the last several months. That’s been the biggest problem.
You can live on bottled water for a while, to take care of your drinking and teeth brushing. But no water at all, having no water to flush the toilet, wash the dishes, wash your clothes. That’s a real tragedy. Any time you have anybody without water in a water system like this, it’s terrible. So, whether it’s one or 1,000 or 2,000, it doesn’t matter. We’re really striving to eliminate that and put that in Jackson’s history as we move forward.
RAMOS: And Ted, you’re tasked with coming up with a water system financial management plan. Not easy, given all the issues there in that city. How are you tackling that? What’s in the plan and when will residents start to feel safe when it comes to the water there?
HENIFIN: I would hope they would feel safe again. Building that trust is tough, but the water has been heavily tested since the fall, with EPA on site doing additional water testing, that went all the way through January. So I was telling folks here, it’s the most-tested water in America and it was for some time and continues. We’re going to continue to have EPA come in periodically to validate the testing we’re doing. But we’ve found no issues with the water up to this point, since it’s been back in functioning fully the way it has been since the fall.
But the other parts of the plan include really creating a sustainable source of local revenue. We really need to build the rate structure that folks can afford their water and pay their bills, because at the end of the day, this federal dollar, which is wonderful to have, this money coming for infrastructure, that’s one-time money. And if we don’t do something to make sure we’ve got a sustainable plan going forward, it won’t be maintained, and we’ll find ourselves back here in 20 years.
MORGAN: Ted, I used to live in Jackson, actually went to Jackson State there, and it’s no secret that water quality issues have historically hit black and poor communities the hardest. The mayor of Jackson has accused the governor of racism over this. Is this a discrimination problem or just a problem with bad management and planning over the years?
HENIFIN: I would say, from my perspective, it’s probably more bad planning and management. But there’s been lots of challenges between the state and the city. And you have to wonder a little bit about the motivations and a lot of that. But I’ve been really trying to be forward focused, trying to solve the problem. And one of the issues that does exist and it is a continual challenge, is the location of the water treatment plants.
Both water plants are on the eastern edge of the city, one very much in the northeast corner, and the other on the eastern side of downtown. And the areas that suffer the most during our problems are really the furthest away from the plants. And those happen to be the furthest south and the furthest west. If you know Jackson State, DeMarco, then you know that’s in that southwest part of the city. And that water has to go through a lot more piping and a lot further elevation. It’s actually a higher elevation than where the river and the reservoir are. So as a result of that, they feel the pressure problems the worst, and they are some of the most disadvantaged parts of the city. Again, I don’t think that’s a direct correlation, but I do believe that we need to do a lot more to make sure that those pressure issues are resolved. And that’s one of the things we’re working on right now.
RAMOS: And we really hope that happens quickly. Ted, you’ve got a big job ahead of you. Thank you for joining us. And best of luck there in Jackson.
(NEW YORK) — A string of deadly shootings across the nation has marred the Presidents Day weekend as law enforcement officers in major cities and rural areas investigated separate violent episodes, many involving children — including a baby killed in Chicago.
Gunfire erupted over the holiday at a pre-Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, a party in Columbus, Georgia, and on a freeway in Chicago, authorities said. Among those killed were beloved Catholic auxiliary bishop gunned down in a Los Angeles home and a college campus police officer fatally shot execution-style.
In four of the shootings that have occurred since Friday, at least 16 juveniles were shot, four fatally, according to police.
Baby killed in Chicago freeway shooting
A 1-year-old girl was among three people killed when gunfire erupted Sunday night on Chicago freeway, police said.
The baby, identified as Amara Hall, was fatally shot around 10:30 p.m. while riding in an SUV in the northbound lanes of Interstate 57 on the city’s South Side, according to the Illinois State Police. A 14-year-old boy and a woman were also killed in the incident.
Three other people were wounded, including two boys — ages 13 and 14, police said.
No arrests have been announced and a motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
5 shot, 1 fatally, at New Orleans parade
A pre-Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans turned chaotic Sunday night when a barrage of gunfire left a man dead and four other people injured, according to police.
The shooting occurred around 9:30 p.m. along the route of the popular Krewe of Bacchus parade and sent people running for cover, witnesses said.
Two men, a woman and a juvenile girl were wounded in the shooting.
One suspect was arrested but police said it appeared that additional shooters were involved. Two weapons were recovered at the scene.
A motive was under investigation.
Camryn Lafleur, 19, described the gunfire as a “continuous loud noise that kept going off.” He said he saw “faces of pure horror” fleeing the gunfire.
2 related Memphis shootings leave 1 dead, 10 injured
Three people of interest were being sought for questioning Monday in a pair of related shootings in Memphis that left one man dead and 10 people wounded, according to the Memphis Police Department.
Gunfire erupted around 12:43 a.m. Sunday at the Live Lounge in the city’s Whitehaven neighborhood, police said. Officers found two shooting victims suffering from critical injuries and learned that at least five other victims were taken to hospitals in private vehicles, according to police.
As police were investigating the nightclub shooting, gunfire broke out at an intersection about a mile away. When they arrived at that scene, officers located three victims in critical condition. One victim later died at a hospital.
Police said the second shooting stemmed from the incident at the nightclub.
No arrests have been announced and a motive for the shootings is under investigation.
2 teens among 4 killed in New Jersey murder-suicide
A family of four, including two teenagers, was found shot to death in a home in Linden, New Jersey, in what police suspect was a murder-suicide committed by the father, authorities said.
Police were called to the family’s home about 9:30 a.m. Sunday and discovered three people dead and a teenage boy gravely injured, police said. The boy was taken to a hospital but was later pronounced dead.
The boys sister, father and mother were pronounced dead at the scene.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead said the brother and sister killed in the incident were ages 13 and 14.
Temple University police officer killed
An 18-year-old man was arrested Sunday in the fatal shooting of a Temple University police officer in north Philadelphia, authorities said.
Miles Pfeffer, 18, of Buckingham Township, Pennsylvania, is facing charges including murder, murder of a law enforcement officer, robbery, carjacking and related offenses in the shooting on Saturday night that killed officer Christopher Fitzgerald, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
Fitzgerald, the married father of four children, encountered Pfeffer while investigating a robbery near the Temple University campus, officials said.
A struggle allegedly occurred between Fitzgerald and Pfeffer, in which the officer was shot, officials said. After shooting Fitzgerald once, Pfeffer allegedly stood over the officer and fired several more shots at him, including at least one to the head from point-blank range, killing him, officials said.
Investigators alleged that Pfeffer attempted to rob the officer, rifling through his pockets as he lay dying in the street.
Auxiliary bishop shot dead in Los Angeles
A long-serving Catholic bishop known as a “peacemaker” was fatally shot in a Los Angeles home on Saturday, prompting police to launch a murder investigation, officials said.
Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, who had been a priest and then a bishop during his 45 years with the church, was found dead in a home in the unincorporated Los Angeles County community of Hacienda Heights.
On Monday, police sources told ABC News that a person of interest has been detained for questioning in O’Connell’s homicide.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s investigators said they received a medical emergency call at 12:57 p.m. Sunday and deputies responded to a home in the unincorporated neighborhood of Hacienda Heights. There, they found the 69-year-old O’Connell unresponsive and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
9 juveniles wounded in Columbus, Georgia
A confrontation at a house party in Columbus, Georgia, prompted a shooting at a nearby gas station that left nine juveniles wounded, including a 5-year-old boy, police said.
The shooting happened just after 10 p.m. Friday.
A fight broke out at a house party and the violence spilled across the street to a Shell gas station, where gunfire erupted, according to Columbus police.
In addition to the 5-year-old, the other victims ranged in age from 12 to 17, police said.
No arrests were announced and a motive is under investigation.
6 killed in Mississippi shooting rampage
A 32-year-old man was arrested on murder charges after allegedly going on a shooting rampage in rural Mississippi, killing six people in three different locations, according authorities.
The shooting spree erupted Friday in Arkabutla, an unincorporated community of less than 300 people in Tate County.
The suspected gunman, Richard Dale Crum, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to the Tae County Sheriff’s Office.
Crum allegedly began the rampage outside a convenience store in Arkabutla, where a victim was shot at random while sitting in a parked car, sheriff’s officials said.
Crum then traveled three miles to ex-wife’s home where he allegedly shot her dead and wounded her husband, officials said.
Two other people were found shot to death inside a house near Crum’s Arkabutla residence and two handymen were found fatally shot on an access road to Crum’s property, according to the sheriff’s office.
Crum was arrested outside his home, where deputies seized two handguns and a shotgun.
A motive for the killing spree is under investigation.
(PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.) — An 85-year-old woman was killed by an alligator in Florida on Monday, according to state wildlife officials.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about an alligator bite in St. Lucie County, Florida.
Officials recovered the woman’s body and the alligator was captured by a nuisance alligator trapper, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the victim,” a representative for the agency said in a statement.
According to the FWC, serious injuries that stem from alligators are rare in the state.
The St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office and Florida and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
On Sunday, a 4-foot-long alligator was removed from a lake at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York, city officials said.
According to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the alligator was “very lethargic and possibly cold shocked since it is native to warm, tropical climates.”
In August, an 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina when she was gardening near a pond in Sun City Hilton Head, an adult-only community, and slipped in, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Natural Resources.
Officials said that the alligator, a 9-foot, 8-inch male, was euthanized.
Another elderly woman in Florida was killed in July after she fell into a pond and was attacked by two alligators, authorities said.
Alligators are active during spring and summer because when temperatures rise, their metabolism increases and they look for food, a spokesperson for FWC told ABC News last year.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images
(LOS ANGELES) — Police have identified the suspect in the fatal shooting a long-serving Catholic bishop known as a “peacemaker” in Los Angeles.
Sixty-five-year-old Carlos Medina was arrested in connection with the murder of Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, officials said at a Monday press conference. Medina is the husband of the bishop’s housekeeper, Los Angeles County Sherriff Robert Luna said.
O’Connell, who had been a priest and then a bishop during his 45 years with the church, was found dead in a home Sunday in the unincorporated neighborhood of Hacienda Heights after sheriff’s deputies responded to an emergency medical call, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives received a tip Sunday night that Medina was acting strangely and accused O’Connell of owing him money, according to Luna.
Medina reportedly had an SUV similar to the one seen pulling up in the bishop’s driveway, officials said Monday.
The killing of the beloved bishop sent shock waves through the Los Angeles Catholic community, prompting some parishioners to go to the scene of the O’Connell’s death to pray.
José H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, said O’Connell was known as a “man of deep prayer.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s investigators said they received a medical emergency call at 12:57 p.m. Sunday and deputies responded to a home in Hacienda Heights. There, they found the 69-year-old O’Connell unresponsive and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the upper torso.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. It’s unclear how long O’Connell had been dead before sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home.
“He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected,” Gomez said.
“It broke me and I was scared to tell my wife because my wife loved him so much,” parishioner Johnny Flores told ABC Los Angeles station KABC.
Another parishioner, Glendy Perez, described O’Connell as “a humble soul.”
“He was not the type that would have confrontations with nobody,” Perez told KABC. “He was very loving, and he had like a gift of healing. When you would attend his ceremonies, it was like a gift of healing.”
O’Connell, who was born in Ireland, was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015.
O’Connell studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained in 1979 to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. After ordination, he served as associate pastor and pastor at several parishes in Los Angeles.
Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images
(LOS ANGELES) — A person of interest has been detained for questioning in the fatal shooting in Los Angeles of a long-serving Catholic bishop known as a “peacemaker,” officials said Monday.
Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, who had been a priest and then a bishop during his 45 years with the church, was found dead in a home Sunday in the unincorporated neighborhood of Hacienda Heights after sheriff’s deputies responded to an emergency medical call, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.
A news conference is expected to be held later Monday on the investigation.
The killing of the beloved bishop has sent shock waves through the Los Angeles Catholic community, prompting some parishioner to go to the scene of the O’Connell’s death to pray.
José H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, said O’Connell was known as a “man of deep prayer.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s investigators said they received a medical emergency call at 12:57 p.m. Sunday and deputies responded to a home in the unincorporated neighborhood of Hacienda Heights. There, they found the 69-year-old O’Connell unresponsive and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
It’s unclear how long O’Connell had been dead before sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home.
Detectives were piecing together the circumstances of the homicide on Sunday and working to determine the identity of the O’Connell’s killer.
“He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected,” Gomez said.
Upon hearing of O’Connell’s death, parishioners went to the crime scene and said prayers in front of the home.
“It broke me and I was scared to tell my wife because my wife loved him so much,” parishioner Johnny Flores told ABC Los Angeles station KABC.
Another parishioner, Glendy Perez, described O’Connell as “a humble soul.”
“He was not the type that would have confrontations with nobody,” Perez told KABC. “He was very loving, and he had like a gift of healing. When you would attend his ceremonies, it was like a gift of healing.”
O’Connell, who was born in Ireland, was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015.
O’Connell studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained in 1979 to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. After ordination, he served as associate pastor and pastor at several parishes in Los Angeles.
