(TEXAS COUNTY, Okla.) — The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said it is looking into the “suspicious disappearance” of two women in Texas County.
The women, Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were traveling together to pick up children when they went missing, the bureau said in a statement.
“They never made it to the pickup location,” a law enforcement advisory said. “Their car was located abandoned on the side of the road.”
Their vehicle was found near Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, in Texas County, the bureau’s statement said.
The Texas County Sheriff’s Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other agencies are aiding the investigation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Police in Nashville, Tennessee, said they are searching for a man, Anton Rucker, 46, who is suspected of a shooting during an Easter brunch.
One man was killed and five others were hurt “non-critically” in Sunday’s shooting, authorities said. Police later identified the man who died as Allen Beachem, 33.
Around 3 p.m. ET an altercation occurred between two men while brunch was being served at Roasted in Nashville, Don Aaron, the public relations director for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, said at a media briefing Sunday night.
As the altercation escalated, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots, Aaron said. He added that authorities believe the deceased was the other party involved in the altercation with the alleged gunman. Only the alleged shooter brandished a weapon.
One of the injured suffered a graze wound, though it was not clear if the person had been shot or became injured by scraping against something.
A total of eight people were transported from the scene, including the decedent.
Authorities have no information that the two men knew each other.
Police released photos of the suspect on X (formerly known as Twitter) Sunday, and asked people to call the authorities if they have any information.
Detectives are currently working to “determine a motive” for the suspected gunman opening fire at a restaurant on Garfield St.
“Shooting occurred at 3 p.m. Gunman fled in this Mercedes GLS 450. Know him? 615-862-8600,” read a post on the Metropolitan Nashville Police’s X page.
BREAKING: Detectives are working to determine the motive for this gunman opening fire during Sunday brunch at Roasted on Garfield St. 1 man killed, several others hurt, non-critically. Shooting occurred at 3 p.m. Gunman fled in this Mercedes GLS 450. Know him? 615-862-8600. pic.twitter.com/bwJrCjwmhf
At Sunday night’s press briefing, Aaron said police believe they have identified the alleged gunman but were not releasing his name at that time. Rucker’s name and photograph were later released in a statement on social media.
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried arrives for a bail hearing at Manhattan Federal Court on August 11, 2023 in New York City. — Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Former crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried told ABC News in an exclusive interview that he is remorseful for his actions that last week resulted in a 25-year prison sentence for fraud.
“It’s most of what I think about each day,” he said.
Bankman-Fried’s sentence capped off a 17-month saga that began in November 2022 when FTX, a global cryptocurrency exchange he co-founded and served as CEO, imploded, resulting in a $8 billion loss for its customers. Bankman-Fried resigned amid the company’s fall and the new ownership filed for bankruptcy. Prosecutors said he stole from FTX customers and used the money for political contributions, investments and personal gain. Last fall, he was convicted of seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, which led to Thursday’s sentencing.
Speaking exclusively to ABC News via email throughout the weekend from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Bankman-Fried said FTX’s insolvency was the result of several “bad decisions” he made in 2022.
“I never thought that what I was doing was illegal. But I tried to hold myself to a high standard, and I certainly didn’t meet that standard,” he said.
During his sentencing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Bankman-Fried committed perjury in his testimony and was “often evasive.” The judge also said that the defendant’s remarks never conveyed “a word of remorse for the commission of terrible crimes.”
Bankman-Fried said Sunday that “of course” he is remorseful.
“I’ve heard and seen the despair, frustration and sense of betrayal from thousands of customers; they deserve to be paid in full, at current price,” he said.
“That could and should have happened in November 2022, and it could and should happen today. It’s excruciating to see them waiting, day after day,” he said.
He added that he “felt the pain” from co-workers as he “threw away what they poured their lives into” and from the charities he supported “as their funding turned into nothing but reputational damage.”
“I’m haunted, every day, by what was lost. I never intended to hurt anyone or take anyone’s money. But I was the CEO of FTX, I was responsible for what happened to the company, and when you’re responsible it doesn’t matter why it goes bad. I’d give anything to be able to help repair even part of the damage. I’m doing what I can from prison, but it’s deeply frustrating not to be able to do more,” he said.
In his statement to the court Thursday, Bankman-Fried, 32, said that had he or another FTX employee remained in place as CEO, customers would have been “paid back long ago.” He blamed the company’s decision to not restart the FTX exchange, which he said could have potentially led to long-term value.
“There are and always have been plenty of assets to repay customers, lenders, and investors in full, at current prices or prices at the time,” he said.
In a court filing last year, Bankman-Fried accused Sullivan & Cromwell, the law firm representing FTX’s new ownership, of working with prosecutors and said he had a right to see the FTX documents the company shared with prosecutors. For that reason, Bankman-Fried suggested on Sunday he was not given a fair trial.
“At the root, SullCrom’s role in the prosecution, the one-sided media frenzy they incited, and the defense’s inability to get in critical evidence at trial, infected the whole process,” he said.
Sullivan & Cromwell did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
Bankman-Fried also said his defense team plans to appeal later this year based on certain trial testimony that he said, “greatly misstated what actually happened” and the fact that his defense was “not allowed to introduce crucial evidence or put on important witnesses.” He did not offer specifics, explaining he did not want to impact his defense team’s legal strategy.
Following his Thursday sentencing, Bankman-Fried said he, “lost everything I had to lose.”
“I’d give anything to be out there, trying to make a positive difference in the world, but I know that’s not going to happen. I can’t help from prison,” he said in court.
A view of a partial solar eclipse seen, on October 25, 2022 in New Delhi, India. — (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — North America’s April 2024 total solar eclipse will cast a historic shadow across parts of the U.S., but even in the path of totality, weather conditions could cloud your view.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and, for a short time, completely blocks the face of the sun, according to NASA. The path of totality is how the agency refers to the specific locations on Earth that fall in the center of the moon’s shadow.
On Monday, April 8, the total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States, and Canada, according to NASA. The agency reports another total solar eclipse will not return to North America for 20 years, making this natural phenomenon a must-see event.
“You want to avoid any type of cloud, if you can,” Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of “Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024,” told ABC News of eclipse day.
“Let’s say it’s on a sunny day with some puffy cumulus clouds around. All you need is for one of those clouds to be in front of the sun and you’ve missed the total eclipse. So, you’re really looking for a place with as few clouds as possible,” Espenak said.
In the US, the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA.
Espenak suggests that viewing the eclipse in the southern parts of the US will yield the best chances for clear skies.
“The further south you are, the better the long-term weather prospects are probably going to be,” Espenak said. “But we really can’t tell on eclipse day because I’ve seen satellite maps over the past 20 years of data taken during April 8. And every place along the eclipse path is clear on some days and cloudy on others. More frequently, it’s clear in the southern states versus the northern.”
The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) created a U.S. Climate Normals-based interactive map to show the average heat index, temperature, dewpoint, wind chill and obscuration levels across the path of totality in the U.S.
Based on the map’s data, the top three areas with the highest likelihood of clear skies are:
Texas
Oklahoma
Southeast Missouri
While it’s still too early to provide specific cloud cover forecasts for April 8, meteorologists can look at past weather data and climatology to provide general guidance on what specific locations can typically expect this time of year.
In early April, for locations along the path of totality, average cloud coverage during the afternoon hours typically increases the farther north and east you go.
Average cloud coverage on April 8, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
Dallas, Texas: 54% mostly cloudy or overcast, 46% clear to partly cloudy skies
Little Rock, Arkansas: 51% mostly cloudy or overcast, 49% clear to partly cloudy skies
Indianapolis, Indiana: 66% mostly cloudy or overcast, 34% clear to partly cloudy skies
Buffalo, New York: 67% mostly cloudy or overcast, 33% clear to partly cloudy skies
“I think seeing a total eclipse is something that should be on everybody’s bucket list and this April is just a golden opportunity,” Espenak said, noting that eclipse viewing is not just for scientists and astronomers, but for everyone.
“It’s an incredible event that will be something that people will remember for their entire lives,” Espenak continued. They’ll be telling their grandchildren about the total eclipse they saw in April of 2024, if they managed to get into the path of totality and have some good weather.”
“So I wish everybody fair skies next April,” Espenak said.
In this booking photo released by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Chad Daybell is shown. — Ada County Sheriff’s Office
(BOISE, Idaho) –Chad Daybell, the husband of Lori Vallow, is set to go on trial in Idaho in the murders of his wife’s two children, nearly a year after she was convicted of the same crime in a so-called doomsday plot.
His triple-murder trial is scheduled to start on Monday in Ada County with jury selection. It is expected to last around nine weeks, court records show.
Daybell and Vallow were both charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for the 2019 deaths of her children, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16. Their remains were found on an Idaho property belonging to Chad Daybell in June 2020 following a monthslong search, police said.
The complaint alleges that Daybell, 55, “did endorse and espouse religious beliefs for the purpose of encouraging and/or justifying” the homicides of the two children.
Vallow and Daybell were both charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Chad Daybell’s former wife, Tamara Daybell, who died Oct. 19, 2019, less than a month before Lori and Chad married in Hawaii. Vallow was found guilty of all charges in her trial.
Daybell was also charged with his former wife’s murder and with two counts of insurance fraud related to life insurance policies he had on her for which he was the beneficiary, prosecutors said.
Daybell pleaded not guilty to his charges. He faces the death sentence if convicted of murder.
“At this point, we’re ready to go forward and he wants to tell his story,” Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, told ABC Boise affiliate KIVI in an interview ahead of the trial.
“I’ve had three years and 10 months to go through all the evidence, to sort of look at what I want to present to the jury, and I’m looking forward to my opportunity to do that,” Prior told the station.
It is unclear if Vallow will testify at Daybell’s trial. Neither testified in her trial, and her lawyers rested their case without calling any witnesses.
Prior told KIVI “it’s always possible” that anyone who is connected to a case could be called, but stressed: “I’m not telling you I am or the state or anybody is.”
Daybell’s case will be presided over by the same judge in Vallow’s trial, Judge Steve Boyce.
Boyce sentenced Vallow to life in prison without parole for the murders of the two children. The judge had granted the defense’s motion to dismiss the death penalty in her case before her trial began.
In handing down the sentence in July 2023, Boyse said Vallow suffers from mental health issues, adding, “Something radically changed in you that led you to where you are today.”
A mother killing her children is the most “unimaginable type of murder,” he said.
The judge said he didn’t think she’s shown any remorse for the crimes or for those who searched for her children while they were missing.
Vallow, 50, denied murdering her children, saying in court at her sentencing: “Jesus Christ knows the truth of what happened here. … No one was murdered in this case. Accidental deaths happen. Suicides happen. Fatal side effects from medications happen.”
Her attorney filed a notice of appeal in the case last year.
Daybell, the author of many religious fiction books, is Vallow’s fifth husband. The couple both reportedly adhered to a doomsday ideology, with Vallow at one point claiming she was “a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ’s second coming in July 2020” and didn’t want anything to do with her family “because she had a more important mission to carry out,” according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
Friends have said Vallow’s 13-year marriage to her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, started to deteriorate after she became a fan of Daybell’s books, and the two separated in 2019. Their blended family had included Tylee from her third marriage and Charles Vallow’s nephew J.J., whom they adopted.
Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Vallow’s brother, Alex Cox, in 2019 during a confrontation at her Arizona home. Her brother told police he shot his brother-in-law in self-defense. Police were investigating the claims when Cox himself died months later.
Vallow faces charges alleging she killed Charles Vallow and plotted to kill the ex-husband of her niece. She has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree premeditated murder.
In an aerial view, cargo ship Dali is seen after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
(BALTIMORE) — A cargo ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning, causing a near-total collapse of the span and halting vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore.
Six construction workers are believed to have fallen from the collapsing bridge into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River below. The bodies of two of the victims have been recovered so far, while four remain missing and are presumed dead, officials said.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 01, 6:19 AM Mayor warns of heavy rain on Monday
Baltimore was expecting heavy rain on Monday morning, adding to potential delays for commuters already “expecting delays” because of the bridge collapse, the mayor said.
“Baltimore — we know we’re already expecting delays due to the ongoing situation with the Key Bridge Collapse,” Mayor Brandon M. Scott said on social media.
He added, “With the added complication of this expected weather, please allow for extra time during your commutes and be patient for your fellow Baltimoreans!”
The National Weather Service, which is publishing hour-by-hour forecasts for the area near the Key Bridge response, said Monday morning will bring winds gusts up to 15 mph and an about 92% chance of precipitation, which may taper off after about 9 a.m.
Mar 31, 9:23 PM Capt. of the Port of Baltimore is preparing to open a ‘temporary alternate channel’ in the vicinity of the Key Bridge
The Captain of the Port of Baltimore (COTP) is preparing to establish a temporary alternate channel on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge for commercially essential vessels.
“This will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” said Capt. David O’Connell, federal on-scene coordinator, Key Bridge Response 2024. “By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”
This action is part of a phased approach to opening the main channel. The temporary channel will be marked with government lighted aids to navigate and will have a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance of 96 feet.
The current 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels and the marine environment. No vessel or person will be permitted to enter the safety zone without obtaining permission from the COTP or a designated representative.
The COTP will issue a Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) via VHF-FM marine channel 16. Mariners are requested to monitor VHF channel 16 for the latest information.
Members of the public may not enter the safety zone unless authorized by the COTP or a designated representative. Those in the safety zone must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or a designated representative.
Mar 31, 5:41 PM 2,600 Carnival cruise passengers rerouted from Baltimore arrive in Virginia
The first of multiple Carnival cruise ships rerouted from Baltimore due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge arrived at a port in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday
About 2,600 guests aboard the Carnival Legend returned from a cruise to the Bahamas, getting off the ship in Norfolk. The passengers boarded 70 buses and were driven four hours back to Baltimore, where many left their cars parked.
“When we left Baltimore, we had to go under that bridge,” passenger Viktoriia Aldred told ABC affiliate station WVEC in Norfolk. “The bridge looked amazing and you go under the bridge and you’re like ‘wow.'”
Baltimore native Michael Lukoski told WVEC he heard the news of the bridge collapse while on the cruise to the Bahamas.
“When I got the news Tuesday morning … you couldn’t believe it,” said Lukoski. adding that when he first heard of the bridge collapse “it was like, ‘no way.'”
Mar 31, 4:52 PM 200-ton piece of collapsed Key Bridge removed
A 200-ton piece of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was removed Sunday from the vast debris field of twisted metal and concrete clogging entry to the Port of Baltimore, officials said.
Tons more wreckage as well as the crippled container ship Dali that crashed into the span and collapsed it still needs to be cleared, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told ABC News Sunday.
“We’re talking about huge pieces,” Moore said of the debris crews are cutting up and preparing to remove from the waterway. “I mean, just sitting on the Dali, you’re looking at 3,000 or 4,000 tons of steel sitting on top of the ship.”
The operation to clean up the disaster site and reopen the channel began on Saturday and continued throughout Sunday, officials said.
Moore told ABC News a timeline hasn’t been set on when the channel will be reopened, echoing a statement from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Additionally, crews conducted a “grounding survey” on Sunday to “determine how hard the ground around the Dali is to inform the strategy for pulling it off,” officials told ABC News.
Seven juveniles, including a 12-year-old, were injured when gunfire erupted outside a mall in downtown Indianapolis late Saturday night, authorities said — the third consecutive weekend city police have responded to a mass shooting.
The violence occurred despite more than 25 officers patrolling downtown Indianapolis as part of a scaled-up police presence to control roving bands of juveniles in the area during the evening hours, according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey.
“My assumption, based on what we know right now, is that there was some sort of disturbance that occurred right before this and someone or persons decided to use a gun to solve that problem, which is never the right answer,” Bailey said during a news conference early Sunday.
The shooting unfolded at 11:36 p.m. local time outside the Circle Centre Mall at the intersection of West Maryland and South Illinois streets in the city’s Mile Square entertainment district and several blocks from the Indiana State Capital building, according to police.
Officers patrolling Mile Square heard the gunshots and raced to the scene, finding six young victims suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, said Deputy Chief Tanya Terry, head of IMPD operations.
A seventh juvenile victim later showed up at a hospital seeking treatment for a bullet wound, Terry said.
She said one victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition but has since been upgraded to stable condition. She said the other victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are all in stable condition.
The victims range in age from 12 to 17, Terry said.
No suspects have been identified and no arrests were announced as of Sunday afternoon.
Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting to contact the police department’s Aggravated Assault Unit. Investigators are combing through security video in the hope of identifying those responsible for the shooting, police said.
Terry said that based on the evidence collected at the scene, investigators believe there was more than one firearm involved.
“It is extremely concerning to us that so many of our young people have been victims of gun violence this evening. Once again we have a situation in which young people are resolving conflict with firearms,” Terry said.
Before Saturday night’s shooting, the IMPD said it had increased the number of police officers deployed to the Mile Square area to control large groups of juveniles circulating in the downtown area.
“Until there is some kind of crime committed, the officers can only observe the crowds and attempt to get them dispersed,” Terry said.
Terry said she had a message for the parents of the victims: “I think everybody sees the messages in the evening at 10 o’clock of ‘Parents do you know where your children are?’
“We would ask our parents to get involved in what their children are out doing, especially at these hours of the evening,” Terry said. “This is 11:30 at night, the evening right before Easter. So, if you don’t know where your 12-year-old is, I think that should be a priority for you.”
Chief Bailey echoed Terry’s statement.
“I’m extremely disappointed that we’re here again talking about mass violence in our city,” Bailey said. “We all have to take a collective look in the mirror and find out what more we can do to try to prevent these things from happening in the first place. But I will say this: It starts at home.”
The shooting came a week after one person was killed and five others were wounded, including a police officer, during an early morning shooting outside a bar east of downtown Indianapolis, police said. Two uniformed police officers, who were moonlighting at the bar as security, engaged in a gunfight with the suspect, who was killed in the March 24 incident, according to police. One of the officers involved in the gunfight was shot in the leg and suffered a shoulder injury when he fell, police said.
On March 16, an early morning shooting inside a bar north of downtown in the Broad Ripple neighborhood left one man dead and six other patrons wounded, police said. A 25-year-old suspect was arrested in the shooting and charged with murder, according to police.
On Feb. 19, a 35-year-old woman was fatally shot and four other people were wounded when gunfire broke out inside a Waffle House restaurant west of downtown Indianapolis, police said. The shooting erupted during an argument between two groups of customers, police said. No arrests have been announced.
Two people were killed as a single-engine plane crashed while attempting to land in Truckee, California, on Saturday, local airport and law enforcement officials said.
The Daher TBM 900 took off from Denver, Colorado, on Saturday afternoon, according to aircraft tracker FlightAware.
The aircraft crashed at about 6:38 p.m. “near the area of Glenshire Drive and Olympic Blvd.,” a crossroads northwest of the Truckee Tahoe Airport, police said in a statement.
“At this time there is no threat to any structures and no road closures,” police said. “There will be a heavy presence of emergency responders in the area for an extended period of time.”
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived at the crash site Sunday morning to begin documentation, according to a statement from the NTSB.
“The wreckage will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation,” the NTSB said. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days of the accident, according to the NTSB.
Its investigation will involve three primary areas — the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment, the agency said.
The NTSB has requested witnesses of the accident or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation to contact the agency at witness@ntsb.gov.
Christian communities in the U.S. and Canada are holding walks this Easter weekend to advocate for a cease-fire in Israel’s war with Hamas.
Members of Vancouver’s Christian community made a 25-mile solidarity march on Saturday, to match the approximate length of Gaza’s Mediterranean coast. More than 2,000 miles away, many in Nashville’s Christian community did the same. About 560 miles from there, Pittsburgh Christians made a similar trek. Gaza Cease-fire Pilgrimage walks were also held in San Diego, California; Buffalo, New York, and Spokane, Washington, as well as other cities.
Gaza’s Mediterranean coast ends in the south in Rafah, the city that holds the crossing into Egypt. More than 1 million Palestinians have made this journey to Rafah to leave the heavy fighting in northern Gaza in the hopes of entering Egypt.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in response to Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Terrorists killed 1,200 people and took 253 others hostage, according to Israeli officials, who say roughly 100 hostages may remain alive inside Gaza. Israel maintains its goal is to free the hostages and destroy Hamas.
Holding the public’s attention on the conflict “makes critical movements like this even more consequential,” said Jer Swigart, lead organizer for the walk in Spokane.
The organizers say the purpose of the walks is to draw attention to four main goals, including a cease-fire in the war, the unblocking of humanitarian aid, the end of Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, and regional peace through the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners. The pilgrimage is overall ecumenical — primarily Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, Catholic and Evangelical, according to organizers.
“Jesus was a Palestinian Jew who lived his life serving others and promoting liberation,” said Jonathan Walton, organizer for New York City’s walk that took place Friday. More than 150 people attended the walk, organizers said. The actions of both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces are “totally outside the call and teachings of Jesus,” Walton said.
Organizers of the walks told ABC News they are against antisemitism and advocate for nonviolent demonstrations, but are critical of Israel’s military actions.
Holding a pilgrimage during Lent is significant as Holy Saturday is traditionally a day of lament within Christianity, according to organizers. Lindsay Acker, an organizer for the Buffalo walk, said this is a time to sit with grief and mourn together as a community amid the rising death toll in Gaza. Some participants say they are even fasting to mirror the Palestinian experience during the religious month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast between dawn and sunset.
Organizers credit peace advocate James Harris for sparking the idea for the walks. At the start of Lent in February, he documented his pilgrimage from Australia’s Byron Bay to Ballina, a similar distance from Gaza City to Rafah. Similar walks advocating for a cease-fire have taken place in dozens of cities across 19 countries, organizers say. Many of the walks are put on by Christian churches, they say.
“We’re utilizing the power of media and experience and access to grow more pro-human understanding of the conflict, with the hyperfocus on U.S. American Christians,” Swigart said. He emphasized his outreach to Evangelical Christians.
As director of Global Immersion, a faith-based peace advocacy organization, Swigart, who holds a doctorate in leadership in global perspectives from Portland Seminary, said he was in Gaza on Oct. 7 doing on-the-ground work as a delegate between his Palestinian colleagues and his Israeli colleagues. When he returned to the U.S., he said, he put his work into overdrive, knowing that the events of Oct. 7 were going to “fundamentally change everything.”
Spokane’s walk began Saturday morning and followed Centennial Trail in six intervals, denoting periodic breaks for prayer. Swigart said more than 200 people attended.
“The essence of this is that this is a pro-human movement. It’s not a pro-Palestinian movement because while it’s wildly pro-Palestinian, to say ‘pro-Palestinian’ suggests that it’s anti-Israeli. That is just not the case,” said Swigart. “Our one-sideism is lethal, and if there’s ever been question on how lethal our one-sideism is on this particular issue, we’re looking at it right now.”
Organizer David Vidmar has worked closely with Swigart and is leading this weekend’s walk in Buffalo. For him, the walk is an entry for Christian involvement in calling for a cease-fire in the war.
“We’re not feeling starvation,” said Acker. We’re not feeling the bombings. We’re not feeling the effects of the genocide, but in this very tiny way, we can feel what it’s like to flee 25 miles.”
Organizers say they will split the proceeds from the walks between several charities. Acker says she has dedicated a third of Buffalo’s proceeds to a Palestinian immigrant in Buffalo who has been trying to get his mom and five sisters out of Gaza.
“Together we channel this into action of the body, action with our money, action in our community, and also action in prayer,” Acker said.
(NEW YORK) — Slain New York Police Department Officer Jonathan Diller was remembered as a hero who gave the ultimate sacrifice during his funeral on Saturday.
Police said Diller, 31, was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop in Queens on Monday — becoming the first NYC police officer killed in the line of duty in two years.
“Our pouring of grief for this young man is real, and it is raw,” Mayor Eric Adams, a retired NYPD captain, said during Diller’s packed funeral service at Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Massapequa, Long Island. “When you see the photos of him with his wife and young son, our hearts break.”
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said Dillen lost his life in a “sudden and senseless act of violence,” but that the fallen officer’s legacy will be “his grit, his devotion, his love” and a life rooted in service.
“He loved this work and he was darn good at it,” Caban said in his remarks during the funeral. “He went toward the danger, he put himself in harm’s way, and he did it so that other New Yorkers wouldn’t have to.”
On Monday, Officer Diller approached an illegally parked vehicle with another officer and asked the two men inside to move their car, according to police. Police say the men in the car refused to roll down their windows — and instead of showing their hands as requested, one shot the officer.
Diller yelled out that he had been shot but was able to wrestle the firearm away from the gunman, officials said.
“Even after he was mortally wounded, John kept fighting,” Caban said. “He wrestled the gun out of the shooter’s hand, saving lives to the very end.”
Caban posthumously promoted the fallen officer to detective first grade with the shield number 110 — his 1-year-old son’s birthday.
Through tears, Stephanie Diller said her husband was her soul mate, and that he always wanted to be a dad.
“He loved to make everyone laugh and he had the most infectious personality,” she said during the funeral service.
She said their lives were “pretty much perfect” until five days ago.
“He wasn’t the type to sugarcoat anything, so I won’t sugarcoat this: This is devastating,” Stephanie Diller said. “It’s a devastating, senseless and tragic loss for so many — our family, our friends and the entire city of New York.”
“It’s a shame that someone who brought so much positivity to the world was given such a negative ending,” she continued.
Stephanie Diller said it breaks her heart that her son was robbed of getting to know his dad, and that her husband won’t be able to teach him how to play ice hockey, ride a bike or drive.
“How many more police officers and how many more families need to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them?” she said. “I don’t wish this kind of pain on anyone.”
Guy Rivera, 34, the suspect accused of fatally shooting Diller, was charged with murder of a police officer, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He was being treated for a gunshot wound to the back after Diller’s partner shot him during the incident. Rivera has yet to be arraigned on the charges.
The second suspect in the incident — 41-year-old Lindy Jones — was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a defaced firearm. During a court appearance on Wednesday, prosecutors highlighted his history of violent crime and missed court dates in arguing for holding him without bail. The judge agreed that he posed a flight risk and remanded him.
Both suspects have a lengthy criminal history: Jones, who has had 14 prior arrests including attempted murder and robbery, was out on bail in connection to a separate crime, police records indicate. Rivera was previously arrested by the NYPD 21 times, according to police records.
Adams vowed to never forget Diller’s sacrifice.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure that all New Yorkers and police officers live in the safest big city in America,” he said. “We’re going to make sure you have everything you need to do your job, including making sure that violent career criminals are held accountable for their crimes, and doing all we can to end gun violence in this city.”
“That is what Jonathan was committed to doing, and that is what we will continue to do,” the mayor continued.
The funeral followed two days of wakes. Former President Donald Trump attended the wake on Thursday, telling reporters afterward, “What happened is such a sad, sad event, such a horrible thing.”
President Joe Biden spoke to Eric Adams on Thursday to offer his condolences for Diller’s killing, according to the White House.
