(CHOCTAW, Okla.) — A teenager was killed and several people were injured after gunfire erupted at a high school football game in Oklahoma Friday night, police said.
The shooting occurred at Choctaw High School during the third quarter of the school’s game against Del City High School, police said.
Police believe an argument between at least two men that broke out on the visitor’s side of the stadium led to the shooting, according to Choctaw Police Chief Kelly Marshall.
A 16-year-old boy was shot in the groin area and later died from his injuries, police said Saturday. The teen, who has not yet been publicly identified, was not a student at either school, police said.
Two other people sustained gunshot wounds in the shooting and were transported to a local hospital. A 42-year-old man who was shot in the chest is believed to be in stable condition in the intensive care unit following surgery, Marshall said. A young woman who was shot in the thigh has since been treated and released, police said.
Two female victims who are believed to be students were injured while attempting to flee the shooting, sustaining broken wrists and a broken leg, police said.
Two guns and eight rounds were recovered at the scene, police said.
A person of interest is still on the loose, according to police. The Uvalde Foundation for Kids has offered a financial reward for information leading to an arrest.
“In a stadium filled with spectators and students, someone knows something. Do the right thing & say something,” Uvalde Foundation for Kids national director Daniel Chapin said in a statement.
A Del City officer working security at the game also discharged his firearm at the scene, Del City Police Chief Loyd Berger said. The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discharge.
Skordle.TV’s live coverage of the game captured the moments when shots were fired. The video shows players running off the field to the initial bewilderment of the announcers, before one of them says, “Oh, we’ve got people shooting.”
Chief Marshall said she will be meeting with school officials on Saturday to “provide counseling as well as discuss further safety measures for our students and spectators.”
“We are determined to solve this senseless act and restore a sense of safety to our community,” Marshall said.
(LAKE CITY, Fla) — A 12-year-old girl died this week after shots were fired into her Florida home.
Police in Lake City, Florida, said officers found the girl suffering from a gunshot wound on Thursday night.
EMS and officers administered first aid but the girl died from her injuries. Police said she was sitting on a couch inside the home when shots were fired.
Video from ABC Jacksonville affiliate WJXX-TV showed where bullet holes had pierced the home.
Police have not announced any arrests in connection to the shooting and have asked the public for any information on a suspect.
“The loss of a young life is an indescribable pain that affects not only the immediate family but also the entire school community,” Columbia County Schools said in a statement Friday following the shooting.
Counseling services will be made available to students “to provide guidance and emotional support to those affected by this heartbreaking loss. We will continue to provide updates and resources to the school community as we work through this tragedy together,” the school district added.
News of this latest shooting underscores how gun violence continues to impact children and families across the country.
More than 4,000 children and teenagers have been shot this year, according to data published by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). At least 6,170 children and teenagers were shot in 2022, according to GVA.
Separately, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis this week found that gun-related deaths were again the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in 2021, surpassing motor vehicles, drug overdoses and cancer.
“In the operating room and across our communities, we continue to see an increase in gun violence among children,” said Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Northwell Health in New York.
(MOSCOW, Idaho) — Attorneys for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho college students last fall, have asked the judge to nix cameras in the courtroom “for the remainder of the proceedings.”
In a new court filing released Friday, the defense says the “camera-[wielding] courtroom observers have failed to obey” an earlier directive not to focus “exclusively” on their client, pointing to photos that they said were a “blatant violation,” and to headlines they called “blatantly sensationalistic and prejudicial.”
That, the defense said, necessitates the “expulsion of cameras from future proceedings.”
The defense stated cameras’ “continued exclusive focus” on Kohberger also provides “fodder” for those on social media “who are not bound by notions of journalistic integrity and who have potentially an even greater reach than traditional media outlets.”
“Considering this is a capital case it is not surprising defense counsel seeks to insulate the defendant as much as possible,” David Calviello, a former New Jersey prosecutor who is now a criminal defense attorney, said. “In order to improve the clients chances of success in a capital case it’s imperative that they get a jury that knows little to nothing about the case. It doesn’t help to have unflattering images of the defendant’s face emblazoned in their memory.”
Arguing that rampant coverage could prejudice a potential jury pool, Kohberger’s lawyers said that that risk is “wherever they go, viewable on their smartphones and constantly updated by thousands of unchecked sources.”
“Far from constituting an undue and over restrictive burden on the press’ right of free speech,” Kohbeger’s lawyers said, “Mr. Kohberger is entitled to defend himself against capital criminal charges without cameras focused on his fly.”
The judge has not yet weighed in on their request.
Kohberger’s push to banish cameras from court comes as the one-time doctoral candidate, now facing capital murder charges, has also just moved to dismiss the indictment against him for the second time, arguing in a separate court filing that prosecutors used “inadmissible evidence” in presenting their case to the grand jury, that they lacked sufficient evidence, and have withheld evidence that might aid Kohberger in defending himself in the capital murder case he faces.
A memo with further details has been filed under seal, but in their filing Kohberger’s lawyers have cited select Idaho statutes that they say the prosecution violated during the Grand Jury process. One state rule of evidence they specifically point to says evidence must be proven authentic to back up the case – whether it’s witness testimony, “distinctive characteristics of the item, taken together with all the circumstances,” or an “opinion identifying a person’s voice,” the rule says.
Their public filing does not delve into the specifics of what Kohberger’s team alleges, but police have insisted that a critical eyewitness account on the night of the murders links Kohberger to the scene.
Prosecutors allege that in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, broke into an off-campus home and stabbed to death four University of Idaho students: Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
Around the time the killings allegedly occurred, authorities say one of the surviving roommates in the home heard “what she thought was crying coming from Kernodle’s room,” and “heard a male voice say something to the effect of ‘it’s ok, I’m going to help you.'”
Opening her door, the roommate “saw a figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking towards her,” a figure she described “as 5’10” or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows,” according to the affidavit.
Authorities said Kohberger’s driver’s license information and photograph “indicates that Kohberger is a white male with a height of 6′ and weighs 185 pounds. Additionally, the photograph of Kohberger shows that he has bushy eyebrows,” which they said was “consistent with the description of the male” which the surviving roommate “saw inside the King Road Residence” on the night of the killings.
After a six-week hunt last winter, police zeroed in on Kohberger as a suspect, saying they tracked his white Hyundai Elantra and cell phone signal data, and recovered what authorities said was his DNA on a knife sheath found next to one of the victims’ bodies. He was arrested on Dec. 30 and indicted in May, and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. At his arraignment, he declined to offer a plea, so the judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
If convicted, Kohberger could face the death penalty.
Though the trial was initially set for Oct. 2, on Wednesday, Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial, postponing the trial indefinitely.
Calviello said with their latest motion to dismiss Kohberger’s team is attempting to poke holes in the case against their client, citing “foundational rules that form the threshold for a legitimate claim” as they try to show the case “fails to be sufficient.”
“Whether or not they’ll succeed in this motion remains to be seen, and without knowing the details we’re left to speculate – but it tells us they may be upping the ante, especially now that they have more time to do so,” Calviello told ABC News.
One of the rules cited in Kohberger’s latest attempt to dismiss the indictment notes that “evidence about a process or system” should show that it “produces an accurate result.”
Kohberger’s defense has repeatedly pushed for prosecutors to disclose more information about the investigative genetic genealogy which eventually helped law enforcement link him to the crime scene.
The prosecution’s assertion that Kohberger’s DNA was found on the button snap of that knife sheath is a critical linchpin of their larger circumstantial case – while Kohberger’s defense has attempted to cast doubt on the strength of investigators’ DNA evidence, and whether it pointed irrefutably to just their client.
Kohberger’s defense has alleged that his DNA could have been put on the Ka-bar knife sheath by someone other than him — for instance, during the investigation which spanned “hundreds of members of law enforcement and at least one lab,” they suggested in a June court filing.
This is not Kohberger’s first attempt at tossing out the indictment. In late July, they asked that the indictment be dismissed, arguing that the indictment is flawed because the grand jury was “misled as to the standard of proof required.” That motion is still pending.
Responding to Kohberger’s second push to dismiss in a filing released Friday, prosecutors leading the case against him asked for more time to respond, pointing to the more than 100-page supporting argument Kohberger’s team included in their motion, including “detailed factual and evidentiary issues” which the prosecution team say required review of the grand jury transcript and “complex scientific representations and disputes.”
The prosecution asked to address both his attempts to dismiss the charges against him in one hearing in late September, a request to which Kohberger’s attorney agreed.
The judge has yet to weigh in on that motion, as well.
(NEW YORK) — Evacuation orders have been lifted in a Louisiana town following a chemical leak and fire at a refinery, officials said.
Crews responded Friday to a release of naphtha — a flammable liquid that can be used as fuel — and a fire at a storage tank at Marathon Petroleum’s refinery in Garyville, about 40 miles west of New Orleans, the company said.
“The release and fire are contained within the refinery’s property and there have been no injuries,” Marathon Petroleum said in a statement. One firefighter is being evaluated for heat stress, Marathon Petroleum later noted.
Precautionary evacuations were mandated for all residents in a two-mile radius after the fire started, according to St. John the Baptist Parish officials.
Some area schools were evacuated while others were ordered to shelter in place.
The fire was still burning Friday afternoon but under control, parish officials said.
Marathon Petroleum said “the facility began a shutdown process of units closest to the fire this morning,” adding that “facility operations will continue to be evaluated, with safety as our top priority.”
The cause of the incident will be investigated, parish officials said.
(NEW YORK) — Evacuations are underway in a Louisiana town following a chemical leak and a fire at a refinery, officials said.
Marathon Petroleum said crews are responding to a release of naphtha — a flammable liquid that can be used as fuel — and a fire at a storage tank at its refinery in Garyville, about 40 miles west of New Orleans.
“The release and fire are contained within the refinery’s property and there have been no injuries,” Marathon Petroleum said in a statement.
“We’re doing everything possible to get the fire out,” a Marathon official said at a news conference.
Evacuations are underway in a two-mile radius, Louisiana State Police said. Marathon said the evacuations are as a precaution.
Some area schools have been evacuated while others are under shelter in place orders.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — At least five people have died in Michigan from severe thunderstorms that tore through the state overnight.
A car crash sparked by flooding claimed the lives of a woman and two young children in Kent County, which encompasses Grand Rapids, an official told ABC Grand Rapids affiliate WZZM.
Another person died on a roadway in the Lansing area when a possible tornado moved through the area, according to the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office.
And in Lansing, one person was killed when a tree fell on a house, according to police.
More than 440,000 customers in Michigan are without power Friday morning.
Almost 7 inches of rain fell just south of Detroit, flooding streets and neighborhoods. The Detroit area recorded wind gusts near 70 mph.
Tornadoes were also reported. National Weather Service officials on Friday will conduct damage surveys at the sites of two suspected tornadoes: one in the Grand Rapids area and one in the Lansing area.
Flash flooding from the storm also struck Ohio.
That system is moving east, bringing strong thunderstorms and potential flooding to the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic.
(MAUI, Hawaii) — Maui County has released a validated list of the names of 388 individuals who have been reported unaccounted for following the deadly Lahaina wildfire disaster that began on Aug. 8.
Officials say the names have been compiled by the FBI and are being provided publicly in an effort to identify those who can be accounted for.
“We’re releasing this list of names today because we know that it will help with the investigation,” said Maui Police Chief John Pelletier in a statement. “We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed. This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”
The names were deemed validated if the first name and the last name of the unaccounted for were provided, as well as a verified contact number for the person who reported the unaccounted individual.
The FBI urges those who recognize a name on the list and know the person to be safe, or have additional information that may help locate them, to contact the agency at (808) 566-4300 or HN-COMMAND-POST@ic.fbi.gov as soon as possible.
Those who believe an individual is still unaccounted for and is not included on the validated list of names should email unaccounted@mpd.ne to provide the Maui Police Department with the information on that person.
For immediate family members of individuals who are believed to be still unaccounted for, officials are asking them to visit the Family Assistance Center in the Monarchy Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency in Ka’anapali to provide a DNA sample to assist with the identification process.
Individuals outside of Maui should contact the FBI at (808) 566-4300 or HN-COMMAND-POST@ic.fbi.gov to coordinate the submission of a DNA sample.
As of late Thursday, officials say 1,732 individuals who had originally been reported as unaccounted for have since been found safe.
(SAN DIEGO) — A U.S. military jet crashed near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego early Friday, ABC News has learned.
Authorities said the crash happened near Interstate 15 in the early morning hours.
It was unclear what caused the crash and officials have not yet disclosed the condition of the pilot or if there were any other people on board the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.
A defense official confirms that the Marine F/A-18 crashed during a training flight.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(CHARLESTON, W.V.) — West Virginia has the right to block the sale of the abortion drug mifepristone, even though federal regulators have decided the medication is safe, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers is a blow to abortion rights groups that had hoped to strike down state bans using a novel and somewhat arcane legal argument invoking an idea known as “federal preemption.”
In a statement, GenBioPro CEO Evan Masingill said the company was considering “next steps” and maintained that “we are confident in the legal strength of our claims.”
GenBioPro manufactures the generic version of mifepristone.
Since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade last year, at least 17 states have ceased nearly all abortions, including access to medication abortion. The limited access has resulted in soaring demand for mifepristone, a single pill that terminates an early pregnancy up to 10 weeks by blocking the hormone progesterone.
While many people rely on unregulated distributors to obtain the drug online — a practice discouraged by drug safety experts — legal access remains heavily restricted by the Food and Drug Administration. Mifepristone can only be prescribed by certified providers who understand how the drug works and agree to look out for potential complications or medical conditions such as ectopic pregnancy, which requires immediate medical attention.
At the same time, the FDA says mifepristone is safe enough to be provided via telehealth appointments and mailed to a patient without evaluating them in person.
In January, GenBioPro filed a lawsuit against West Virginia arguing that the state’s law banning access to the drug was in direct conflict with federal rules governing its distribution.
At the time, advocates hoped the legal strategy could be used to strike down other state abortion bans as well.
Under the Constitution, federal laws preempt state laws when they are in conflict.
In his ruling Thursday, Chambers, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, cited the “overwhelming evidence of the safety and efficacy of mifepristone” and noted the two decades that the drug has been on the market.
Chambers also said West Virginia shouldn’t be allowed to prohibit telehealth access because it’s still up to the FDA to decide how a drug can be provided to patients.
Still, the judge pointed to the decision by the Supreme Court to leave the question of abortion up to the states and said states have the right to impose “morality-based laws.”
“Morality-based laws often curtail the sale of goods. The vendors of curtailed goods may lose sales opportunities. Outraged, vendors can feel the laws must somehow be unconstitutional,” Chambers wrote. “And yet, the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals have repeatedly affirmed that morality-based product bans do not intrinsically offend the dormant Commerce Clause.”
