(NEW YORK) — A young man playing with a gun pointed it at a 12-year-old boy and opened fire, shooting him in the lobby of a Brooklyn apartment building, police said.
The boy was shot in the left shoulder at the apartment building in the Brownsville neighborhood just before 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
He was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center in stable condition and is expected to survive.
A group of eight to 12 youths were “playing or hanging out” in the lobby of the apartment building when the incident occurred, according to police.
The youths were reportedly playing with a gun when, based on video or witness accounts, detectives believe one of them removed a magazine from the firearm, pointed it at the victim and pulled the trigger.
“That’s the way the investigation is leaning right now. He takes out the magazine, there is one still in the chamber. He points it, fires and according to witnesses, they say ‘what did you do. what did you do,”’ NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.
There were no prior disputes or arguments prior to this incident, Essig said. Police recovered one .380 shell casing and a .380 Smith & Wesson firearm at the scene, he said.
The group scattered after the shot was fired, dropping the weapon behind, Essig said.
No arrests were immediately made. Detectives are pleading for the public’s help to find the suspect who shot the 12-year-old.
(NEW YORK) — A massive ice storm is freezing Texas and the southern United States on Wednesday.
Some 60 million people in 22 states — from New Mexico to Maine — are on alert for dangerously cold weather, ice and flooding.
Freezing rain and sleet are in the forecast from Texas to Tennessee, before slowly transitioning into just rain as temperatures warm up late Wednesday into Thursday.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 01, 12:54 PM EST
Pistons stuck in Dallas, Wizards vs. Pistons game postponed
Wednesdays night’s basketball game between the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons has been postponed because the ice storm has stranded the Pistons in Dallas.
The Pistons were in Texas for a Monday night game, and now the weather conditions are preventing the team from returning home, according to the NBA.
Feb 01, 12:32 PM EST
Dallas airports face major flight cancellations
More than 2,200 flights have been canceled amid the storm.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has canceled 75% of its flights while Dallas Love Field Airport has called off 68% of its flights.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Feb 01, 12:12 PM EST
Over 280,000 without power in Texas
More than 280,000 customers are without power in Texas on Wednesday afternoon as a massive ice storm slams the South.
Feb 01, 9:55 AM EST
Over 250,000 without power in Texas
More than 250,000 customers are without power in Texas on Wednesday morning as a massive ice storm slams the South.
Feb 01, 9:26 AM EST
Latest forecast
The latest weather forecast for Wednesday shows waves of freezing rain and sleet continuing to move through the southern Plains and the Mid-Mississippi River Valley, from western Texas to western Tennessee.
Some areas have already accumulated more than a half an inch of freezing rain, as well as 1 to 2 inches of sleet.
Numerous roads and highways have been shut down, many schools have been closed and state of emergencies have been declared in the South due to the icy storm.
Freezing rain and sleet will continue from Texas to Tennessee, before slowly transitioning into just rain as temperatures warm up late Wednesday into Thursday.
The Texas cities of Austin, Dallas and Midland as well as Arkansas’ capital, Little Rock, can expect to see freezing rain on Wednesday evening at around 7 p.m. CT. That ice will turn into rain the next morning at 6 a.m. CT.
Up to half an inch of additional ice accumulation is in the forecast for these areas.
The brutal cold is not expected to last long, however. Much warmer weather is in the forecast by Sunday and into early next week.
Feb 01, 9:03 AM EST
Over 1,400 flights already canceled nationwide
More than 1,400 flights scheduled for Wednesday nationwide had already been canceled by the morning, according to the tracking service FlightAware.
The list for cancellations included both major airports in Dallas, as well as airports in Austin and Nashville.
Feb 01, 8:56 AM EST
Over 200,000 without power in Texas
More than 200,000 customers were without power in Texas on Wednesday morning, as a massive ice storm slams the South.
Power was out for 231,081 customers across the Lone Star State as of 7:08 a.m. CT, according to data collected by the website PowerOutage.us.
(WASHINGTON) — A gunman opened fire in several locations in a string of random shootings Wednesday, killing a DC Metro subway employee and injuring three others.
The DC Metro worker was fatally shot after trying to intervene when the gunman got into a confrontation with a woman on the subway platform at the Potomac Avenue station, according to police.
“His heroism has to be recognized here today,” Ashan Benedict, the executive assistant chief of police for the Metropolitan Police Department, said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Police said they believe the shooter may have been trying to rob the young woman.
Benedict said a second employee was able to deescalate the situation and stop the string of attacks. He suffered minor injuries by shrapnel from the shooting of the other employee, police said.
The shootings began on a Metrobus, where the gunman allegedly shot someone in the leg. He then shot another person in the leg inside the nearby subway station. Both are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
“The fact that our citizens have to intervene with an armed gunman is disturbing to me,” Benedict said.
Officers found the suspect on the Potomac Avenue Metro Station train platform and took him into custody, but police do not yet know the motive for the attacks.
A weapon was recovered on the train tracks.
“We have a gun violence problem in America, and sometimes unfortunately that comes into Metro. But this is not a Metro-specific safety issue. It’s an American gun violence issue. And I think that’s becoming increasingly clear all over America day in and day out,” said Randy Clarke, general manager and CEO for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — A New York City woman has been charged with using cryptocurrency to provide financial support to terrorist groups in Syria, a rare prosecution involving virtual currency to fund terrorism.
The 11-count indictment charged Victoria Jacobs, 43, who was known as Bakhrom Talipov, with providing support for an act of terrorism, money laundering and other crimes.
Jacobs provided material support to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a U.S. State Department-designated foreign terrorist organization, and provided more than $5,000 to the terrorist training group Malhama Tactical, which fought with and provided special tactical and military training to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the indictment said.
“This case marks the first time that terrorism financing is being prosecuted in New York State Court and is one of the rare cases worldwide where cryptocurrency is alleged to have financed terrorism,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
Jacobs allegedly laundered $10,661 on behalf of Malhama Tactical by receiving cryptocurrency and Western Union and MoneyGram wires from supporters around the globe and sending the funds to Bitcoin wallets controlled by Malhama Tactical. In addition to sending cryptocurrency, she also purchased Google Play gift cards for the organization, according to the indictment.
In October 2018, the defendant saved notes on her cellphone, which the indictment quoted as saying “Assalamu aleykum my dear brothers and sisters, we currently are buildings new place (train camp), it’s getting cold and we need new place, who want help us and support can do this safely and anonymously by Bitcoin wallet. Send me DM for details. Retweet.”
In December 2019, Jacobs provided a comprehensive U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook to an online group — which she believed was associated with both Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and al-Qaeda affiliated Jihadist group Hurras al-Din — to facilitate their bomb-making efforts in Syria, the indictment said.
Prosecutors said Jacobs bought military-style combat knives, metal knuckles and throwing stars in August 2021 that were found in her Upper East Side apartment.
“Disturbingly, approximately one month later, on September 21-22, 2021, the defendant, in a Telegram chat, claimed to be a ‘brother’ who was ‘behind enemy lines’ and asked for prayers for the ‘courage, strength, guidance, and wisdom to carry out certain missions,'” Assistant District Attorney Edward Burns said in a statement.
“Along with these statements, defendant posted a 15-second video clip of an unknown person ominously moving around with a firearm,” he continued. “The timing of this post and the defendant’s acquisition of the weapons supports the conclusion that she intended to use the weapons in an unlawful manner.”
Jacobs is being held without bail.
In a parallel investigation, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn charged four defendants in December with crowdfunding support for ISIS using cryptocurrency, Bitcoin wallets, GoFundMe and PayPal to collect what they called “blood money.” It’s alleged Jacobs was using some of the same crypto wallets as the federal defendants, according to a source familiar with the case.
(NEW YORK) — Residents of the Big Apple won’t be walking in a winter wonderland any time soon, but a light dusting of snowfall overnight means the record for the latest snow in a season now stands as Feb. 1, 2023.
The latest measurable snowfall ever recorded during a winter season in New York City — was broken Monday, and the city remained snowless until the early morning hours of Wednesday, when 4/10 of an inch of snow fell in Central Park, according to the National Weather Service.
Previously, the latest snowfall in the 154 years of record-keeping was Jan. 29, 1973, during the 1972-73 winter, according to the National Weather Service.
New York City also approached its longest streak without measurable snow, with the previous record at 332 days, occurring from Jan. 19, 2020 to Dec. 15, 2020.
The last time there was measurable snow in New York City was on March 9 of last year, when .4 inches was measured in Central Park. That record would have been broken had the city remained snowless until Feb. 5.
Storm systems moving into the Northeast on Jan. 25 brought along a chance of measurable snow in New York City, but the precipitation changed to rain after only a trace of snow had fallen, according to the NWS.
While brief flurries and snow showers have fallen occasionally this winter in New York City, accumulation of at least 0.1 inches must be recorded for it to be considered measurable snowfall by the NWS.
January has been relatively mild in New York City this year — normally a time when it should be racking up the coldest temperatures. As temperatures remain far above freezing, any precipitation will fall as rain.
Other major cities east of the Colorado Rockies are also experiencing record or near-record warmth. The least amount of snow in 16 years has fallen in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which is experiencing its warmest year on record.
Measurable snow has not fallen in Philadelphia, which is experiencing its second-warmest winter on record. Baltimore is also experiencing a snow drought this winter, its warmest on record.
Milwaukee; Detroit; Portland, Maine; Worcester, Massachusetts; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Norfolk, Virginia, are just a handful of the dozens of cities in the U.S. experiencing their warmest January on record.
The same can’t be said for Empire State residents in upstate New York.
Record-breaking amounts of snow fell just before the Christmas weekend, killing dozens of people.
The storm, described as the “blizzard of the century” by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, led to nearly 52 inches of snowfall and 39 deaths.
ABC News’ Melissa Griffin and Max Golembo contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A massive ice storm is freezing Texas and the southern United States on Wednesday.
Some 60 million people in 22 states — from New Mexico to Maine — are on alert for dangerously cold weather, ice and flooding.
Freezing rain and sleet are in the forecast from Texas to Tennessee, before slowly transitioning into just rain as temperatures warm up late Wednesday into Thursday.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 01, 9:55 AM EST
Over 250,000 without power in Texas
More than 250,000 customers are without power in Texas on Wednesday morning as a massive ice storm slams the South.
Feb 01, 9:26 AM EST
Latest forecast
The latest weather forecast for Wednesday shows waves of freezing rain and sleet continuing to move through the southern Plains and the Mid-Mississippi River Valley, from western Texas to western Tennessee.
Some areas have already accumulated more than a half an inch of freezing rain, as well as 1 to 2 inches of sleet.
Numerous roads and highways have been shut down, many schools have been closed and state of emergencies have been declared in the South due to the icy storm.
Freezing rain and sleet will continue from Texas to Tennessee, before slowly transitioning into just rain as temperatures warm up late Wednesday into Thursday.
The Texas cities of Austin, Dallas and Midland as well as Arkansas’ capital, Little Rock, can expect to see freezing rain on Wednesday evening at around 7 p.m. CT. That ice will turn into rain the next morning at 6 a.m. CT.
Up to half an inch of additional ice accumulation is in the forecast for these areas.
The brutal cold is not expected to last long, however. Much warmer weather is in the forecast by Sunday and into early next week.
Feb 01, 9:03 AM EST
Over 1,400 flights already canceled nationwide
More than 1,400 flights scheduled for Wednesday nationwide had already been canceled by the morning, according to the tracking service FlightAware.
The list for cancellations included both major airports in Dallas, as well as airports in Austin and Nashville.
Feb 01, 8:56 AM EST
Over 200,000 without power in Texas
More than 200,000 customers were without power in Texas on Wednesday morning, as a massive ice storm slams the South.
Power was out for 231,081 customers across the Lone Star State as of 7:08 a.m. CT, according to data collected by the website PowerOutage.us.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Tyre Nichols’ family will gather in Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday for his funeral, weeks after the 29-year-old died following a violent encounter with Memphis police officers caught on body camera.
The graphic footage of Nichols’ traffic stop and beating was released to the public on Friday and sparked nationwide outrage. Nichols, a young father who loved skateboarding, died on Jan. 10.
“This video illustrates exactly what happened on those streets that night. This also justifies our son showing that he was no threat to them,” Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, told ABC News Live. “We needed the public to see it so that they could make their own judgment.”
Five officers involved in the Jan. 7 traffic stop have been fired and arrested on charges including second-degree murder.
Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, said, “I just feel like my son was sent here on an assignment. His assignment was fulfilled and God took him home.”
“That’s what keeps me going, because I’m not going to stop until I get justice by my side,” she said.
Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Memphis for the funeral. Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, and George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, will also be in attendance.
The service begins at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 01, 6:11 AM EST
Memphis bridges to be lit up for Tyre Nichols
Two bridges in Memphis will be lit red and gold Wednesday night in honor of Tyre Nichols’ favorite football team, the San Francisco 49ers.
Feb 01, 5:23 AM EST
Vice President Harris to attend
Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Memphis, Tennessee, to attend Tyre Nichols’ funeral.
Nichols family attorney Ben Crump said Nichols’ parents spoke with Harris on the phone for over 30 minutes.
Harris and Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, “spoke exclusively, and during this emotional time, the Vice President was able to console Ms. Wells and even help her smile,” Crump said in a statement on Tuesday.
Principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton said Tuesday, “When President Biden spoke with Mr. Nichols’ families last week, he told them that he was going to be making the case to Congress to pass the George Floyd justice and policing act.”
Dalton added the administration’s usual caveat that Biden has basically maxed out his executive authorities on the issue, and that Congress needs to act to effect further change.
“President Biden is committed to doing everything in his power to ensure our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment and dignity for all,” she said.
“We need Congress to come together and take action to ensure our justice system lives up to its name,” she added.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Two of the former Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols were previously reprimanded for not filing required paperwork after forcibly arresting individuals, ABC News has learned.
ABC News obtained personnel records for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith, all of whom were fired from the Memphis Police Department last month before being arrested and charged with several felonies, including second-degree murder.
The records show Mills failed to submit a “Response to Resistance” form after using force to assist other officers with arresting a woman in 2019. According to the case summary, the woman was apparently drunk and resisting arrest, so Mills “grabbed [her] by the arms, taking her down to the ground.” He then “placed her arms behind her back and another officer put handcuffs on her,” the case summary stated. Mills later received a written reprimand for not filling out the “Response to Resistance” form, according to the records.
The records show Haley also failed to submit a “Response to Resistance” form after using force to assist other officers with arresting a woman in 2021. According to the case summary, Haley “grabbed [her] by the arm and turned her around to be handcuff (sic) as she resisted arrest.” He then “helped another officer with putting [her] in the backseat of a squad car,” the case summary stated. The woman blamed one of the other officers on scene for dislocating her shoulder during the encounter. Haley later received a written reprimand for not filling out the “Response to Resistance” form, according to the records.
Haley, Mills, Bean, Martin and Smith were involved in the traffic stop that allegedly led to Nichols’ death last month. Nichols was arrested in Memphis on the evening of Jan. 7, after officers attempted to make a traffic stop for reckless driving near the area of Raines Road and Ross Road, according to separate press releases from the Memphis Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. A confrontation unfolded as the officers approached Nichols, who ran away. Another confrontation occurred when the officers pursued Nichols and ultimately apprehended him, police said.
After the incident, Nichols “complained of having a shortness of breath” and was transported by ambulance to Memphis’ St. Francis Hospital in critical condition, according to police.
Due to Nichols’ condition, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office was contacted and TBI special agents were subsequently requested to conduct a use-of-force investigation, according to the TBI.
Nichols “succumbed to his injuries” on Jan. 10, the TBI said.
Local, state and federal authorities continue to investigate the Jan. 7 traffic stop and Nichols’ death.
Video of the incident, comprised of footage from the city’s surveillance cameras and the former officers’ body-worn cameras, was made public last Friday. The graphic video, which shows the officers beating Nichols, has sparked nationwide outrage.
According to a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by Nichols’ family and released by their lawyers, he suffered from “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”
Neither the independent autopsy report nor official autopsy report have been publicly released.
Bean, Haley, Martin, Mills and Smith were part of the SCORPION Unit, an acronym for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods launched in 2021 by the Memphis Police Department. The goal of the unit was created to address violent crimes in the city in a 50-person unit that operates seven days a week. According to the Memphis Police Department, the five former officers violated policies for use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render aid. Other officers are under investigation for department violations as well.
All five were booked into Shelby County Jail on Jan. 26. Bonds were set at $350,000 for Martin and Haley, and $250,000 for Bean, Mills and Smith, according to a TBI press release. Online jail records show they have since been released after posting bond.
Mills’ lawyer, Blake Ballin, and the attorney for Martin, William Massey, told reporters last month that their clients were “devastated” about the charges and will be pleading not guilty. Although there have been no public announcement of other defense attorneys representing the officers, Ballin and Massey told reporters that all former officers are currently represented.
A funeral for Nichols will be held in Memphis on Wednesday.
(SAN FRANCISCO) — A mountain lion attack just 40 miles south of San Francisco has left a young child in an unknown condition at a local trauma center.
The incident occurred at approximately 6:50 p.m. Tuesday on the 1000 block of Tunitas Creek Road in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County — which is located about 40 miles west of San Jose, California, and 40 miles south of San Francisco.
Officials from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they were “dispatched to a report of a mountain lion attack and we can confirm a child was transported to a local trauma center after the attack,” according to a statement posted on social media.
Authorities say the child was conscious when they were transported to the hospital but did not elaborate on their condition.
“Our coastal community has endured so much these past few weeks,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement responding to the incident. “Our entire agency is saddened of this news and sends many warm wishes to the child for a speedy and full recovery. Our thoughts are with the family at this time.”
Chad Conover, a neighbor of the family whose child was attacked by the mountain lion, told ABC News’ San Francisco station KGO-TV that the situation surprised him.
“They were pretty calm when I pulled up, they’re my neighbors so I asked them if they were okay,” Conover told KGO following the attack. “They said everybody’s fine, but they had to talk to fish and game, and a warden pulled up right as I pulled out. Typically the mountain lions avoid people, so it’s not often you hear about an attack on a human.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife are also currently investigating the reported attack and the status of the mountain lion involved is unknown.
(OMAHA, Neb.) — A man armed with an AR-15-style rifle was shot and killed by police after opening fire in a Target store in Nebraska, authorities said.
No injuries were reported among employees and shoppers at the Omaha store, police said.
Law enforcement officers responded to multiple reports of an active shooter at the west Omaha Target around noon local time on Tuesday, the Omaha Police Department said.
“The first arriving officers went into the building, confronted the suspect and shot him dead,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday.
The suspect, who was described as a white man estimated to be in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Schmaderer said the man entered the store armed with the gun and “plenty of ammunition” and began firing rounds. Police received more than two dozen 911 calls for an active shooter at the store, and multiple shell casings were found at the scene, police said.
The suspect had 13 loaded magazines, according to the police department.
It is unknown at this time if the suspect was firing at anybody, Schmaderer said.
No civilian injuries were reported after police conducted several sweeps of the store, Schmaderer said. A Target spokesperson also confirmed in a statement that all guests and workers had “safely evacuated the store.”
Omaha police thanked “brave” Target employees who recently underwent active shooter training and “assisted in getting shoppers out of the store.”
The store will be closed until further notice, the Target spokesperson said.
“We are partnering with the Omaha PD as we learn more,” the spokesperson said.
