Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting trial begins, prosecutors pursuing death penalty

Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting trial begins, prosecutors pursuing death penalty
Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting trial begins, prosecutors pursuing death penalty
Butler Co. Prison

(PITTSBURGH) — A federal death penalty trial began Tuesday for the man accused of killing 11 worshippers in a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, with victims’ families looking on from the courtroom.

Robert Bowers allegedly stormed the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, gunning down 11 people in the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history. Bowers allegedly told investigators after his arrest that he wanted to kill Jewish people, according to a criminal complaint.

The jury is comprised of 11 women and seven men, and includes an intensive care nurse, a new father and a veteran.

The prosecution began its opening statements Tuesday by introducing the jurors to the victims, which included a 97-year-old woman who often read the “Prayer for Peace” at Shabbat services and a husband and wife in their 80s who were married in the same sanctuary where they were killed.

Bowers, according to authorities, made posts on the social media site Gab and allegedly posted and reposted photos with antisemitic tropes.

Bowers — armed with a semi-automatic assault-style rifle and three handguns — allegedly posted online minutes before the massacre: “I can’t stand by and watch my people get slaughtered. … I’m going in,” according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Bowers moved “methodically” through the synagogue and shot many of his victims at close range.

Prosecutor Soo Song warned the jurors that some testimony and evidence may be difficult to hear, including survivors recounting their “terror, confusion and pain.”

Bowers, who faces charges including hate crimes resulting in death, has pleaded not guilty.

The defense began its opening statement by admitting that Bowers was the shooter, calling his actions “incomprehensible” and “inexcusable.”

Bowers “shot every person he saw … and injured first responders who came to their rescue,” defense attorney Judy Clarke said. “There will be no question that this was a planned act and that he killed 11 people and injured others.”

But Clarke asked the jurors to look at the evidence and “scrutinize his intent.”

Testimony is expected to last three weeks. If Bowers is convicted, the sentencing phase could last an additional six weeks.

The defense is expected to argue during the sentencing phase that Bowers suffers from mental illness including schizophrenia, functional brain impairments and health issues such as epilepsy. The judge required Bowers to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, the results of which will remain under seal unless the case moves to a sentencing phase and his team proceeds with a mental health defense.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ninth victim rescued from partially collapsed building; five unaccounted for, two may still be inside

Ninth victim rescued from partially collapsed building; five unaccounted for, two may still be inside
Ninth victim rescued from partially collapsed building; five unaccounted for, two may still be inside
Scott Olson/Getty Images

(DAVENPORT, Iowa) — In the wake of the partial collapse of an Iowa apartment building, five people remain unaccounted for, including two people who may still be inside the building, officials announced Tuesday.

Officials have met with the families of the two people who may be inside, Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said at a news conference Tuesday, calling it an “unthinkable situation.”

On Monday, officials had said there was no credible information that anyone was missing and the city was moving forward with plans for staging a demolition beginning Tuesday.

Officials said Tuesday that instead of beginning a demolition, they’re now working to determine the best way to conduct another search, noting that the building is unstable and continues to worsen as time progresses.

The six-story building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon in Davenport, a city in Iowa’s Scott County located along the Mississippi River. The building housed a total of 84 apartments, including residential and commercial. The cause of the collapse is unknown.

More than a dozen people evacuated the building at the time of the partial collapse and eight people were rescued in the 24 hours that followed.

Over 150 personnel took part in “extensive rescue operations,” using thermal imaging, drones and a team of service dogs in an attempt to locate victims within the structure, according to city officials.

Then, on Monday night, after officials said they believed no one was missing, a ninth victim was extracted.

A crowd of people gathered at the site on Monday, calling for “accountability” and pleading with officials to postpone demolition because they believed more survivors could be inside.

Johnnie Woods told ABC News on Tuesday morning that her nephew, building resident Brandon Colvin, remains unaccounted for. She expressed her frustration that officials would possibly continue with a demolition as he remains missing.

“It’s like burying them in the rubble,” Woods said. “This is ridiculous.”

“We feel like they don’t care,” she added. “Our relatives, loved ones don’t count.”

But Amy Anderson, whose relative, Ryan Hitchcock, is also unaccounted for, asked protesters to stand down at Tuesday’s news conference.

“The city does have a plan,” she said. “Ryan wouldn’t want anyone else to put their lives at risk to [help], unfortunately, somebody who probably has not survived.”

Anderson said city officials have “given us their word that they’re going to treat that already collapsed area with sensitivity” to work to recover any remains.

“I plead with our community just to let the city do their job,” she said. “We don’t want anyone else hurt.”

ABC News’ Laryssa Demkiw, Andy Fies, Jessica Gorman, Ahmad Hemingway and Alex Perez

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kids among nine injured in shooting along Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida: Police

Kids among nine injured in shooting along Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida: Police
Kids among nine injured in shooting along Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida: Police
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

(HOLLYWOOD, Fla.) — Nine people, including children, were injured in a shooting along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk on Florida’s east coast Monday night after a dispute broke out between two groups, according to police.

Four children between the ages of 1 and 17 were shot, including a baby between 15 and 18 months old, according to Hollywood police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi.

The other five victims were adults ages 25 to 65.

Six patients — four children and two adults — remain hospitalized on Tuesday, all in stable condition, according to hospital officials. The other three adults were treated and discharged.

Hollywood Beach Mayor Josh Levy said “multiple” people have been detained.

“No stone will be left unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” Levy said in a statement Tuesday. “We will utilize every available resource to apprehend those responsible.”

“It is completely unacceptable that innocent people spending time with family on a holiday weekend have been affected by a shooting altercation between two groups who came into our city with guns and no regard for the safety of the law abiding public around them,” Levy added.

ABC News’ Darren Reynolds, Peter Charalambous and Okelo Pena contributed to this report.

 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Search suspended for four people missing after Alaskan charter boat sinks: Coast Guard

Search suspended for four people missing after Alaskan charter boat sinks: Coast Guard
Search suspended for four people missing after Alaskan charter boat sinks: Coast Guard
Oliver Helbig/Getty Images

(SITKA, Alaska) — The Coast Guard suspended its search late Monday for four missing people after a charter fishing boat sank off the coast of Alaska.

Rescuers located one deceased individual and the vessel partially submerged near a small island 10 miles from Sitka, Alaska, according to the Coast Guard.

Kingfisher Charters, a Sitka-based company that operates all-inclusive fishing trips, reported the missing vessel to the Coast Guard on Sunday evening. The boat was carrying four passengers and one guide when it sank, according to the Coast Guard.

The 30-foot aluminum vessel was last seen on Sunday afternoon near Kruzof Island, less than 10 miles from the small rocky island where the ship was found.

“Despite our best efforts and those of several partner agencies, we were not able to find the four remaining individuals, ” Coast Guard Captain Darwin Jensen said. “Suspending a search is never an easy decision. We extend our deepest sympathy to the loved ones during this difficult time.

Kingfisher Charters offers all-inclusive fishing packages and operates guided trips on 30-foot power boats that can carry up to six anglers on a boat, according to the company website.

Kingfisher Charters did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Rescuers, including the Coast Guard, local officials, and private boaters, searched 825 miles over 20 hours before suspending the search.

Sitka often attracts anglers from across the United States for its king salmon and halibut fishing, both currently in season. Located in Alaska’s Southeast panhandle, Sitka has over 8,000 residents across Baranof Island, according to the latest census data.

ABC News’ Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Partially collapsed apartment building set to be demolished in Iowa amid protests

Ninth victim rescued from partially collapsed building; five unaccounted for, two may still be inside
Ninth victim rescued from partially collapsed building; five unaccounted for, two may still be inside
Scott Olson/Getty Images

(DAVENPORT, Iowa) — A partially collapsed apartment building is set to be demolished in eastern Iowa on Tuesday morning, despite calls for a delay from members of the community who say their loved ones are still missing.

A six-story building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon in Davenport, a city in Iowa’s Scott County located along the Mississippi River. The building housed a total of 84 apartments between residential and commercial, according to Davenport Mayor Mike Matson and Davenport Fire Chief Michael Carlsten. The cause of the collapse was unknown and remains under investigation.

More than a dozen people evacuated the building at the time of the collapse, while eight others had to be rescued in the hours afterward. The eighth victim was extracted from the site late Sunday and transported to a hospital in unknown condition, Matson and Carlsten said at a press conference on Monday morning. At that time, no deaths had been confirmed and there was no credible information that anyone is missing.

Over 150 personnel have taken part in the “extensive rescue operations,” using thermal imaging, drones and a team of service dogs in an attempt to locate victims within the structure, according to a press release from the Davenport city government. As of Monday night, crews had found “no confirmed viable signs of life” since rescuing the eighth victim, the city said.

The city hired an independent and certified structural engineer to evaluate the structural integrity of the building. The engineer determined that the building is “in imminent danger of collapse with the condition on site continuing to worsen,” the city said. Officials are working with a local contractor on a plan to safely dismantle and demolish the remaining structure.

A notice and order for demolition has been served to the owner of the property. Demolition is expected to begin Tuesday morning. Due to the unstable condition, residents will not be allowed back into the building prior to demolition, according to the city.

“With the current structure in imminent danger of collapse, the necessity to demolish this building stems specifically from our desire to maintain as much safety for the surrounding areas as possible,” said Rich Oswald, director of the City of Davenport’s Development and Neighborhood Services, said in a statement late Monday. “We appreciate the expertise of the professionals collaborating on site to determine the best way to do this.”

Meanwhile, the Davenport Police Department has been working to make contact with and account for all individuals known to be residents in the building at the time of the collapse. There are currently an unspecified number of residents who remain unaccounted for, according to the city.

A large crowd gathered at the site on Monday, calling for “accountability” and pleading with officials not to demolish the structure because they believe people could still be alive inside. A protest is scheduled for Tuesday morning ahead of the planned demolition.

Johnnie Woods told The Des Moines Register that her nephew Branden Colvin, who lived on the fifth floor of the building, didn’t show up to a family gathering on Sunday and hasn’t been seen since.

“He didn’t make it, so then we heard about this building collapse where he lived and we just assumed he must have been in the building,” Woods told the newspaper on Monday.

“My other nephews and other people have been trying to call his phone, and he’s not answering his phone,” she added. “So we’re assuming something, that he can’t talk, his phone is dead, or something. Really, we don’t know anything.”

Woods said she wants officials to share more information about who was in the building and who had or had not been located.

“You don’t have to say names, but you can at least say: ‘We have everybody out. We have the list of names from the apartment complex, and we got everybody out,'” she told The Des Moines Register.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Children among nine injured in shooting along Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida: Police

Kids among nine injured in shooting along Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida: Police
Kids among nine injured in shooting along Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida: Police
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

(HOLLYWOOD, Fla.) — Nine people, including children, were injured Monday night in a Memorial Day shooting along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Florida after a dispute broke out between two groups, according to police.

One person of interest has been detained, and police are seeking an additional suspect who is still on the loose, Hollywood Police Department Public Information Manager Deanna Bettineschi said.

Four juveniles between the ages of 1 and 17 were shot, including a child between 15 and 18 months old, Bettineschi said, as well as five adults ages 25 to 65. One person is in surgery and the rest of the victims are stable at this point, she added.

Hollywood Beach Mayor Josh Levy said he was “saddened and angered” by the shooting and that “innocent bystanders” were injured as a result of the altercation between two groups.

“People come to enjoy a holiday weekend on the beach with their families, and to have people in complete reckless disregard of the safety of the public and to have an altercation with guns in the public setting with thousands of people around them is beyond reckless,” he said during a press conference.

Police are asking locals to avoid the area as the investigation continues.

Bettineschi also asked anyone who might have video or photos of the incident to send them to pdvideorequest@hollywoodfl.org.

Hollywood Beach is along Florida’s eastern coast, about 10 miles south of Fort Lauderdale and 20 miles north of Miami.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

One dead, four missing after luxury fishing charter boat sinks off the coast of Alaska

Search suspended for four people missing after Alaskan charter boat sinks: Coast Guard
Search suspended for four people missing after Alaskan charter boat sinks: Coast Guard
Oliver Helbig/Getty Images

(SITKA, Alaska) — The Coast Guard is searching for four missing people after a luxury charter fishing boat sank off the coast of Alaska.

Rescuers located one deceased individual near the vessel partially submerged near a small island close to Sitka, Alaska.

Kingfisher Charters, a Sitka-based company that operates all-inclusive fishing trips, reported the missing vessel to the Coast Guard on Sunday evening. The vessel was last seen on Sunday afternoon near Kruzof Island, less than 10 miles from the small rocky island where the ship was found, according to the Coast Guard.

“We’re working quickly to locate the unaccounted-for individuals,” Coast Guard Commanding Duty Officer Trevor Layman said, citing multiple “unknowns” involved in the search.

Kingfisher Charters offers all-inclusive fishing packages and operates guided trips on 30-foot power boats that can carry up to six anglers on a boat, according to the company website.

The Coast Guard did not immediately provide information about the missing fisherman.

Kingfisher Charters did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

The Sitka Fire Department and nearby vessels are assisting the Coast Guard in the search efforts. The Sitka Fire Department declined to comment on the search, referring all questions to the Coast Guard.

Sitka often attracts anglers from across the United States for its king salmon and halibut fishing – both currently in season. Located in Alaska’s Southeast panhandle, Sitka has over 8,000 residents across Baranof Island.

ABC News’ Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Two inmates escape from Mississippi jail weeks after four others broke out from same facility

Two inmates escape from Mississippi jail weeks after four others broke out from same facility
Two inmates escape from Mississippi jail weeks after four others broke out from same facility
Hinds County Sheriff’s Office

(HINDS COUNTY, Miss.) — Two inmates allegedly escaped from a Mississippi jail on Monday, just weeks after four others broke out from the same facility.

Michael Lewis and Joseph Spring were both found missing during Monday morning’s headcount at the Raymond Detention Center, according to the sheriff’s office in Hinds County, which encompasses Jackson.

It was not immediately clear how they escaped. The sheriff’s office said there was a “breach in the facility.”

Weeks earlier, on April 21, four other men broke out of the same jail by escaping through the roof. Two of those detainees were apprehended, one was killed in a shootout with law enforcement and the fourth was found dead in a car in New Orleans.

ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Eighth person rescued from partial building collapse in Iowa, no deaths reported

Eighth person rescued from partial building collapse in Iowa, no deaths reported
Eighth person rescued from partial building collapse in Iowa, no deaths reported
georgeclerk/Getty Images

(DAVENPORT, Iowa) — An eighth person was rescued overnight from a partial apartment building collapse in Davenport, Iowa, officials said, adding that no one appears to remain missing.

More than a dozen people self-evacuated when the six-story residential and commercial building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon, Davenport Fire Chief Michael Carlsten said.

“It felt like there was an earthquake, or somebody had rammed a bulldozer into the building,” Linnea Hoover, a building resident and journalist at ABC Davenport affiliate WQAD, told ABC News.

“I can’t describe the shaking. It felt like the ground was going to fall out from under me,” Hoover said.

Seven people were rescued from the site on Sunday and the eighth victim was extracted overnight, officials said Monday morning. That victim is recovering at a hospital in unknown condition, officials said.

No deaths have been confirmed and there’s no credible information that anyone is missing, officials said.

Hoover said she saw rubble, smoke and dust in the stairwell as she evacuated the building.

Once outside, she said she saw people running and screaming.

The cause of the collapse is unknown, officials said.

The building remains structurally unsound and not safe for first responders, officials said.

ABC News’ Alex Perez, Andy Fies and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Teen dies, another injured in shooting outside Atlanta high school following graduation party: Police

Teen dies, another injured in shooting outside Atlanta high school following graduation party: Police
Teen dies, another injured in shooting outside Atlanta high school following graduation party: Police
kali9/Getty Images

(ATLANTA) — A teenager was shot and killed early Sunday morning outside an Atlanta high school after a confrontation that began at a graduation party, according to police.

The Atlanta Police Department said it responded to calls about multiple people shot at 2:27 a.m. near Benjamin E. Mays High School.

Upon arriving at the scene, authorities said they discovered a 16-year-old who was critically injured. She was transported to the hospital and succumbed to her injuries, police said.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to ABC News that Breasia Powell was killed in the incident.

A 16-year-old boy also checked himself into the hospital with a gunshot wound from the same incident, police said. He’s currently in stable condition.

Powell was scheduled to begin working for the City of Atlanta on Tuesday as a participant in their youth employment program, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said during a news conference Sunday.

Atlanta Public Schools Police handed the investigation over to Atlanta Police Homicide, authorities and the school district said.

The Atlanta Homicide Department said it has reason to believe those involved were also high school-aged. There is also a $10,000 Crime Stoppers reward related to information about the shooting.

Dickens said he graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School and has an intimate connection with its community.

Dickens went on to say students should be able to enjoy a “fun, enjoyable, safe summer” without violence. He said he hopes students make conscious and quality decisions while encouraging guardians to stay involved in their children’s whereabouts.

Dr. Lisa Herring, superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, said the district will continue to offer employment resources and mental health services to students and their families.

“We recognize that this impact creates trauma,” Herring said.

The district offers free telehealth and counseling services for all students. Benjamin E. Mays High will have on-sight crisis teams Tuesday for teachers and parents who may need to identify resources for the summer months, according to the district.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.