National

(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) — The shooter who killed five and injured over a dozen more at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2022 is expected to accept a plea deal Tuesday and be sentenced in connection with federal hate crimes charges.

Anderson Lee Aldrich is expected to plead guilty to each of the 74 charges of violating provisions of the Matthew Shepard And James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 as well as gun crimes in the Club Q shooting, according to court documents filed on Jan. 9.

Federal prosecutors are recommending a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, to be followed by a 190-year sentence of imprisonment, according to court documents filed on June 4. Prosecutors said in a Jan. 9 filing they would not be seeking the death penalty.

The sentencing recommendation details Aldrich’s alleged past use of online platforms “to express anti-gay and anti-transgender views,” use of anti-gay slurs and harassment of a gay co-worker in the years preceding the attack.

In addition to the federal charges, Aldrich was already sentenced to over 2,000 years in state prison in June 2023 after pleading guilty to five counts of murder in the first degree and 46 counts of attempted murder in the first degree. Aldrich pleaded no contest to two bias-motivated crimes.

Aldrich opened fire in Club Q with an AR-15 style rifle and was wearing a tactical vest with ballistic plates and had “at least two additional magazines loaded with ammunition,” on the night of Nov. 19, 2022. The club had just hosted a drag show that night as one of several events to honor Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20, according to court documents.

Aldrich was only stopped after two patrons forcibly removed their gun.

Daniel Davis Aston, Kelly Loving, Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh and Raymond Green Vance were killed in the attack.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A person of interest is in custody in connection with the rape of a 13-year-old girl in a Queens, New York park last week, police sources told ABC News.

The person, an Ecuadorian migrant who entered the U.S. in 2021, was picked up overnight after community members recognized him from a photo and video released by police, according to the police sources. The person was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

The individual has several prior arrests since entering the U.S., sources said.

The sexual assault took place at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday when two schoolmates, a 13-year-old male and a 13-year-old female, were approached by a man in Kissena Park. The man flashed what police described as a “large machete-style knife” and forced the 13-year-old victims to walk for several minutes into a wooded area.

The individual then forcibly removed the cellphones of both victims, tied the boy and girl’s wrists together with a shoelace and sexually assaulted the female victim before fleeing the location on foot in an unknown direction.

The two 13-year-olds were taken to the hospital in stable condition after they returned to school to explain what happened.

Investigators recovered the shoelace used to tie the children’s hands together, along with a water bottle the suspect left behind.

The individual being sought was described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5-foot-5, in his 20s, with curly hair and last seen wearing red sneakers and carrying a green backpack. He appeared to have dental braces and had a tattoo of a boar or a bull with red eyes on his chest.

“The entire police department is focused on getting justice for this young survivor,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said last week during a press conference.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office on Tuesday said a current Boeing employee has come forward as a whistleblower, an announcement that comes hours before the airplane manufacturer’s chief executive is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill.

The senator’s office identified the employee as Sam Mohawk, a quality assurance inspector for Boeing in Renton, Washington.

Mohawk alleges that Boeing is cutting corners by losing track of parts that have been labeled as non-conforming or not up to design standards, according to Blumenthal. Sometimes these parts get a second chance because they can be fixed or were mislabeled, but often they should be discarded. Still, the parts sometimes end up in newly built airplanes, Mohawk said, according to the senator.

“He said that he has been told by his supervisors to conceal this evidence from the FAA, and that he is being retaliated against as well,” Blumenthal said in a statement.

A Boeing spokesperson said the company had received on Monday evening the documents supplied to Blumenthal by the whistleblower. The company is reviewing the claims now, the spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“We continuously encourage employees to report all concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our airplanes and the flying public,” the spokesperson said.

The latest whistleblower is stepping forward as Boeing CEO David Calhoun prepares to sit for a Senate hearing on his company’s “broken safety culture” on Tuesday afternoon. Previous whistleblowers have accused the Arlington, Virginia-headquartered company of cutting corners on safety practices as it builds aircraft.

Blumenthal in his opening statement during Tuesday’s hearing is expected to press Calhoun on whether the executive has made progress turning the company around.

The senator will mention the incident in January when a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 shortly after takeoff. He’ll say that the “façade quite literally blew off the hollow shell that had been Boeing’s promises to the world,” according to excerpts of his prepared remarks viewed by ABC News.

“Mr. Calhoun, you were brought in turn this company around,” Blumenthal is expected to say, according to his prepared remarks. “But instead of asking what has caused Boeing’s safety culture to erode, you and your colleagues in the C-suite have deflected blame, looked the other way, and catered to your shareholders instead.”

Calhoun in January said Boeing was “accountable for what happened” during the Alaska flight.

“Whatever the specific cause of the accident might turn out to be, an event like this must simply not happen on an airplane that leaves one of our factories,” he said at the time. “We simply must be better. Our customers deserve better.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Heat alerts have been issued for Tuesday in at least 19 states in the Midwest and Northeast, with some states expecting to see their hottest days in 30 years.

Areas in the Ohio Valley and up to Maine could see their warmest weather in three decades.

New York City is expecting a five-day heat wave with temperatures above 90 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

The city hasn’t experienced five consecutive days above 90 degrees since June 1988.

The heat wave brought record highs to at least six cities on Tuesday. Toledo, Ohio, hit 99; Chicago, Illinois, hit 97; Cleveland, Ohio, hit 96; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, hit 94; and Erie, Pennsylvania, hit 91. The sixth city, Syracuse, New York, touched a record 94 degrees on Tuesday and is expected on Wednesday to climb to 97.

The prolonged record heat is forecast to continue from the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes to the I-95 corridor into this weekend.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOS ANGELES) — A wind-whipped Southern California wildfire that started over the weekend ballooned to more than 15,600 acres on Monday, prompting the evacuation of more than 1,000 campers from a park, closing a popular recreation area on Father’s Day and threatening a major freeway in and out of Los Angeles, authorities said.

The Post Fire, which began after 2 p.m. PT on Saturday near Gorman, California, in the Tejon Pass area of Los Angeles County, saw flames jump from 5,000 acres to 14,625 acres by Sunday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

By mid-morning Monday, the fire spread to 15,610 acres, fueled by dry brush and wind gusts of 50 to 65 miles per hour, according to Cal Fire and National Weather Service. Firefighters managed to increase containment from 2% on Sunday to 8% on Monday, eventually reaching 20% containment Monday night, according to Cal Fire.

More than 1,140 firefighters, including air tankers and helicopter crews, are battling the fire from the ground and sky, authorities said.

Joe Sirard, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard, California, told ABC News a red flag warning signaling high fire risk has been issued for the area until at least 6 p.m. Tuesday. Sirard said gusty winds of more than 60 mph are forecast for the area Monday night.

Capt. Sheila Kelliher Berkoh of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said firefighting conditions were challenging due to the high wind gusts, low humidity of around 15% and temperatures in the low to mid-80s.

“It’s hot, it’s windy, it’s super slippery,” Berkoh told ABC News Monday of the area where firefighters are battling flames. “Those ridgelines are tough and with the fire coming at you, you can’t make a direct attack at that. So, you’re really trying to come around the side.”

She said 11 bulldozers were being used to cut containment lines as firefighters gained a handle on the fire from the ground.

Berkoh said firefighters are crossing their fingers and praying that the fire, now moving from the north to the west into remote vacant areas, doesn’t shift.

“Let’s hope that it doesn’t change direction and push the fire to the east because that’s into a little more populated area and then we’ll have a big fight on our hands,” Berkoh said.

Three hikers who were stranded when their off-road vehicle broke down in the fire zone had to be rescued Sunday morning, the Los Angeles County Fire Department told ABC News. The rescued hikers were taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries, officials said.

At least one structure was destroyed by the fire, Cal Fire said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

About 1,200 campers at the Hungry Valley Park State Vehicular Recreation Area were ordered to evacuate Saturday night, and authorities closed Pyramid Lake, which was expecting thousands of visitors for Father’s Day, due to the threat of the Post Fire, Cal Fire said.

The fire was burning parallel to Interstate 5, a major arterial highway in and out of Los Angeles. The freeway was briefly closed on Saturday, triggering a traffic jam, officials said.

Meanwhile, a second Southern California wildfire was burning near Hesperia in San Bernardino County. The blaze started about 6:49 p.m. PT on Saturday and had burned 1,078 acres by Sunday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.

The wind-driven fire was pushing east Sunday toward the Arrowhead Equestrian Estates in Hesperia, where residents remained under an evacuation warning Monday, according to Cal Fire.

The Hesperia Fire is 72% contained as of Monday evening. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage and the cause remains under investigation.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEWNAN, Ga.) — Six people died and five others were hurt in a house fire in Georgia early Monday, officials said.

Those who died ranged in age from 6 to 70 years old, Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk said.

Firefighters responded to the house in Coweta County — about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta — around 5 a.m. and found more than half of the house engulfed in flames, Coweta County Fire Rescue said.

All 11 people inside the house were evacuated, according to fire rescue officials.

Six people died and five others were hospitalized, some with serious injuries, officials said.

One firefighter also suffered minor injuries, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to officials.
 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The Northeast and Midwest, including New York City and Boston, are bracing for what could be the hottest stretch of weather in 30 years this week as a sweltering heat dome settles over a large part of the nation.

Over the next six days, 265 million people, or about 82% of the U.S. population, are likely to experience temperatures topping 90 degrees as the official first day of summer arrives on Thursday.

Many cities in the Midwest and the Northeast could experience what the National Weather Services calls rare and long-duration heat with up to five straight days of 95-plus-degree weather with high humidity that will make it feel 100 to 105 degrees.

As of Monday morning, 17 states from Iowa to Maine were under a heat alert. An Excessive Heat Watch was already issued Sunday for parts of New England, including Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The temperature in Concord, New Hampshire, is forecast to reach 101 on Wednesday.

The Ohio Valley could experience the most impactful heat wave of the 21st century. Louisville, Kentucky, is forecast to hit 94 degrees on Wednesday, 97 on Thursday and 99 on Friday.

New York City could feel its first heat wave of the year as temperatures are forecast to reach 91 degrees on Wednesday and 94 on Thursday and 96 on Friday.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Monday morning that he expects the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for the nation’s largest city on Thursday and Friday. He said the city will open cooling centers on Tuesday.

“We expect to hit peak heat on Thursday and Friday with the heat index possibly reaching 99 degrees,” Adams said. “We want to be clear, this is extremely hot for June and New Yorkers should not underestimate the heat.”

Pittsburgh is also in for a string of hot weather with temperatures expected to soar from 97 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday to 98 degrees on Thursday and Friday.

The heat-wave forecast for Pittsburgh could be the city’s hottest all-time for the month of June. The previous five-day June record occurred in 1994 with a temperature average of 96.4 degrees.

The all-time record for a heat wave in Pittsburgh happened in mid-July 1988 when city residents sweltered for five consecutive days with 98.6-degree temperatures.

Washington, D.C., is also expected to be inundated with 90-degree weather and could flirt with the century mark by Friday.

High temperatures are also forecast for Ohio and southeast Michigan, where an excessive heat watch is also in effect from Monday through Friday.

Daily temperature records are expected to fall this week in Chicago, Green Bay, Cleveland and Toledo.

Upstate New York could also see daily heat records fall. In Rochester, temperatures on Monday are forecast to hit 94 degrees, which would tie a daily record. Syracuse is also forecast to reach 94 degrees on Monday, which would break a daily record.

Out west, dangerous heat is expected for Texas, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.

An excessive heat warning was issued for Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, where temperatures threatened to hit the 110-degree mark on Sunday.

Roswell, New Mexico, is expected to reach 105 degrees on Sunday and El Paso and Fort Stockton, Texas, are expected to get just as warm.

Authorities warn people enduring such high temperatures to stay hydrated and out of the heat, and to check on elderly neighbors and relatives.

In 2023, there were 2,302 heart-related deaths across the country, a 34% increase from 2022.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.) — A man accused of attempted murder has escaped from custody in Southern California, according to authorities.

Deshaun Stamps broke out from the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga during an outside recreation period on Sunday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. It was not immediately clear how he escaped.

Stamps, 29, has been in custody for attempted murder since Jan. 30, 2023, the sheriff’s office said.

A search for Stamps is ongoing, authorities said.

Stamps is bald with green eyes and has tattoos on his neck and head, according to the sheriff’s office. He stand at 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds.

Authorities urge anyone with information on his whereabouts to call 911.

A trial date hasn’t been set for the attempted murder charge. Stamps was next due in court in August.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOS ANGELES) — A Southern California wildfire doubled in size overnight, causing the evacuation of more than 1,000 campers from a park, closing a popular recreation area on Father’s Day and threatening a major freeway in and out of Los Angeles, authorities said.

The Post Fire was burning out of control Sunday near Gorman, California, in the Tejon Pass area of Los Angeles County. The blaze started just before 2 p.m. PT on Saturday in the mountainous region and gusty winds caused flames to quickly spread to 5,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

On Sunday afternoon, the fire had grown to 12,266 acres with 2% containment, according to Cal Fire, growing to over 14,000 acres Sunday night.

A group of hikers stranded in the fire zone had to be rescued Sunday morning, the Los Angeles County Fire Department told ABC News. It was not immediately clear how many of the hikers were injured, officials said.

At least two structures have been damaged by the fire, Cal Fire said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday.

More than 300 firefighters, including air tanker crews, are battling the fire from the ground and sky, authorities said.

About 1,200 campers at the Hungry Valley Park State Vehicular Recreation Area were ordered to evacuate Saturday night, and authorities closed Pyramid Lake, which was expecting thousands of visitors for Father’s Day, due to the threat of the Post Fire, Cal Fire said.

The fire was burning parallel to Interstate 5, a major artery in and out of Los Angeles. The freeway was briefly closed on Saturday, triggering a traffic jam through the area, officials said.

Meanwhile, a second Southern California wildfire was burning near Hesperia in San Bernardino County. The blaze started about 6:49 p.m. PT on Saturday and had burned 1,131 acres by Sunday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.

The wind-driven fire was pushing east Sunday toward the Arrowhead Equestrian Estates in Hesperia, where residents were under an evacuation warning, according to Cal Fire.

The Hesperia Fire was 7% contained Sunday afternoon. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(Round Rock, Texas.) — Police in Round Rock, Texas, have asked for the public’s help in locating a suspect in connection with a shooting during a Juneteenth celebration that left two dead and 14 others injured.

The incident happened on Saturday night when a fight broke out between two groups at the Old Settlers Park at about 11 p.m. local time, Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said early Sunday. At about the same time, someone produced a gun and began to fire, Banks said, adding that multiple people were struck by gunfire.

Police said Sunday night in a post on X that they are looking for a suspect with a “thin build, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, short dreadlocks, and wearing a white hoodie at the time of the incident.”

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspect or who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Round Rock Police Department. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has put up a $5,000 reward for info leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects, police said Sunday night.

The two people who were declared dead at the scene did not appear to have been part of the larger altercation, and it was unknown how many shooters there had been, Banks said.

Round Rock Police confirmed on Sunday that 14 victims were taken to hospitals with gunshot wounds.

At least six people were transported to hospitals with “potentially serious” injuries, emergency response officials previously said. No details on the patients’ conditions were provided Sunday night.

Four adults and two children were transported to local trauma facilities, the Austin-Travis County EMS previously said.

The Juneteenth Festival, which was put on by a local nonprofit and the city government, included a free concert with a series of acts on Saturday night.

The shooting occurred near the vendor area of the concert stage, Banks said.
 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.