(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — An employee allegedly shot and injured three co-workers at a Smile Direct Club manufacturing facility in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, early Tuesday, officials said.
One worker was struck in the chest, one in the abdomen and one in the leg, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said at a news conference.
One of the victims is in critical condition, he said.
The suspected gunman, a 22-year-old employee, left the building as officers responded to the call, but officers spotted him at an intersection and demanded he drop the weapon, police said.
The suspect, armed with a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, instead directed the gun toward officers, according to Aaron.
The suspect was shot by police and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
It appears the gunman acted alone, police said. The suspect, who was not named, started working at Smile Direct Club in June, police said. He also worked there from late 2019 to early 2020.
Smile Direct Club said in a statement, “The safety of our team members is a top priority for our Company and we maintain strict security protocols and a no weapons policy at all of our facilities. We are working with the local police as they investigate this matter.”
(NEW YORK) — One of five people shot over the weekend on Bourbon Street in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter was identified on Monday as one of two suspects in a gunfight that sparked panic in the popular tourist destination, police said.
New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson made the announcement at a news conference Monday in which he called an eruption of weekend gun violence “very disturbing, very alarming.”
He said police are searching for a second man suspected of being involved in the shooting. He released a grainy security camera image of the suspect and asked anyone with information about his identity to contact the police immediately.
The shooting broke out just after 2 p.m. Sunday on Bourbon Street and Orleans Avenue about two blocks from Jackson Square and around the corner from the famed Preservation Hall, according to police.
Ferguson said a city security camera captured the shooting giving police clear images of the two men involved.
Meanwhile, an EarthCam video camera mounted on Cat’s Meow Karaoke Bar, which normally provides a live feed of the party scene on Bourbon Street, captured the sound of multiple gunshots followed by chaos with panicked people running for cover in all directions. Several people narrowly avoided being hit by cars crossing Bourbon Street.
“One of the victims we do believe was a shooter in this incident,” Ferguson said. “We do believe there was an exchange of gunfire between two individuals.”
The chief did not release the wounded suspect’s name.
“His involvement is still under investigation. That is why we have not made a formal arrest,” Ferguson said.
He described the second suspect as a heavyset Black man, in his 30s, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7, with short dreadlocks or curly long twists.
Ferguson said a motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
About two-and-a-half hours after the Bourbon Street shooting, four people were shot in the adjacent Iberville neighborhood just northeast of the French Quarter. Ferguson said a 15-year-old boy was killed in the incident and another 15-year-old boy was arrested in the homicide after his mother turned him in, police said.
”It was the parent of this 15-year-old suspect that turned him in to ensure that that family has closure,” Ferguson said. “I have spoken to the mother of this 15-year-old suspect and, understandably so, she is very shaken up. She’s upset, she was very emotional. She had to make a difficult but courageous and the right decision.”
He said a motive for the shooting is under investigation, but that the suspect’s mother told him her son and the victim were once friends.
Ferguson said Sunday’s gun violence came after the city saw homicides fall to 23 in July compared to 25 in June.
New Orleans has recorded more than 250 shootings and more than 100 homicides already this year. In 2020, New Orleans police investigated 195 homicides, a 63% increase from 2019, according to police department crime statistics.
“Overall crime was down last week compared to the previous week,” Ferguson said. “This weekend just put a black eye and dampened the spirit of what we’ve been actually accomplishing over the last few weeks.”
(SAN FRANCISCO) — Fire conditions in the West are worsening this week, increasing the possibility of more blazes.
Currently, 90 large wildfires are burning in 12 states in the West — at least 35 of which ignited over the weekend due to lightning strikes.
Another heat wave is blanketing the region as moisture from the monsoons in the Southwest move away, leaving behind a dry atmosphere and tinderbox conditions. Heat advisories and excessive heat watches have been issued from Oregon to Arizona, with temperatures expected to surpass 100 degrees again.
The McFarland Fire in Wildwood, California, has prompted evacuations in the area after it grew to more than 2,100 acres and remains just 5% contained.
The Dixie Fire near the Feather River Canyon in Northern California, the largest in the state so far this year, is now at 248,000 acres. Firefighters were able to halt the blaze’s progression, which is now 33% contained, but some evacuation orders remain in place.
Firefighters in Oregon have made progress against the Bootleg Fire, the largest in the country, with 84% containment after it grew to nearly 414,000 acres, the third-largest wildfire in state history.
However, red flag warnings have been issued in Southern Oregon over the possibility that more fires will spark due to dry lightning. Hot, breezy conditions are expected to persist this week.
Above-normal significant fire potential is expected to continue in the Northwest, northern Rockies and northern portions of the Great Basin, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center’s National Fire Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for August through November.
Despite monsoon conditions in the Southwest last week, “exceptional drought” conditions are persisting across Northern California and the Northwest, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
ABC News’ Melissa Griffin and Max Golembo contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 613,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.1 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 58.1% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC last week, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.
Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:
Aug 02, 2:14 pm
Louisiana respiratory therapist: ‘We see families destroyed’
In Louisiana, which has the nation’s highest case rate per 100,000 residents, COVID-19 hospitalizations are reaching peak levels, with more than 1,700 patients now receiving care.
“We’re seeing people that are way too young to be so sick,” David Wrightson, a respiratory therapist and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) specialist for the Willis-Knighton Health System in Shreveport, Louisiana, told ABC News. “We see families destroyed. We see children without one or more parent because of this virus. We see a new mom who will never go home to see her newborn, will never see her child grow up.”
He went on, “When you see someone that’s 30 years old with no medical problems at all, nobody knew anything was wrong, and we have this person literally on death’s doorstep, doing everything in our power to turn them around and return them to their family. The vaccine is something worth getting.”
More people need to see and understand the reality of this disease, he said.
“I wish I could show them a few steps in our day to see what we see and to see what we have to do, and to go home at night and, and have nightmares about those things, and sometimes cry yourself to sleep,” he said.
-ABC News’ Erica Baumgart and Arielle Mitropoulos
Aug 02, 1:48 pm
Denver mandates vaccinations for workers in high-risk settings
Denver is mandating vaccinations for city employees and those in high-risk jobs like first responders, correctional workers and school personnel. The mandate also applies to staff at long-term care facilities, shelters and hospitals.
After considerable deliberation & consultation w/ public health experts, including @DDPHE‘s exec. director, I am approving a public health order mandating that all @CityofDenver employees and private-sector workers in high-risk settings, be fully vaccinated against COVID by 9/30. pic.twitter.com/VS73Z7HPvR
70% of adults in US have now had at least 1 vaccine dose
Seventy percent of adults in the U.S. have now had at least one vaccine dose, the White House announced Monday, nearly one month after President Joe Biden hoped to reach the milestone.
Biden said in May, “Our goal by July 4th is to have 70% of adult Americans with at least one shot and 160 million Americans fully vaccinated.” When that date finally rolled out, the White House touted that 70% of Americans ages 27 and up met the goal, but low vaccination rates among young people kept the country from fully meeting the target.
Biden is scheduled to give remarks on vaccination progress on Tuesday.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Aug 02, 11:50 am
Nearly 60% of counties reporting high community transmission
In the U.S., 59.72% of counties are reporting high community transmission. Five weeks ago, only 8% of counties were reporting high transmission, according to federal data.
Louisiana now has the highest case rate in the country with more than 600 new cases per 100,000 residents, according to federal data. Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi follow behind with 500, 400 and 300 new cases per 100,000 residents respectively.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Aug 02, 10:59 am
At least 1 patient checked in every hour at Louisiana hospital
At least one COVID-19 patient was checked in every hour Monday morning at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hospital officials told ABC Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ.
The hospital said Monday it has 301 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients and 52 vaccinated COVID-19 patients.
Our Lady of the Lake Hospital is among 45 hospitals in the state requesting extra staff, reported WBRZ.
Louisiana is recording a “remarkable increase in the number of newly vaccinated people,” White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar tweeted Monday.
Aug 02, 10:42 am
Masks strongly recommended indoors for the vaccinated, NYC mayor says
Masks are now strongly recommended in public, indoor settings in New York City, even for those who are vaccinated, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.
The mayor also announced that all new city hires must be vaccinated.
De Blasio noted that this week is the last week to get all children ages 12 and above fully vaccinated by the first week of school.
Aug 02, 10:09 am
New vaccine policy for NY transit workers
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports, have adopted the same policy the state has for its public sector employees in requiring either a vaccine or a weekly proof of a negative test. Subway, airport and bus and commuter rail workers must be vaccinated starting Labor Day or face a weekly test, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.
The number of COVID-19 cases in New York state has increased four-fold in the last month while hospitalizations have doubled.
Cuomo last week mandated vaccines for public-facing workers in state-run hospitals. If cases continue to rise, Cuomo said he would consider mandatory vaccines for teachers and nursing home employees.
Cuomo also said he is encouraging restaurants, bars and other business owners to adopt a vaccine-only policy.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Aug 02, 9:44 am
Tokyo COVID-19 cases up 200% in 1 week
There are 2,195 new COVID-19 cases in Tokyo, a 206.9% increase since last Monday, according to the Tokyo Media Center.
At the Olympics, there are 281 new COVID-19 cases, an increase of 17 cases in the last 24 hours, according to Tokyo 2020 organizers. None of these cases are athletes; they are all contractors, personnel or media.
Aug 02, 8:56 am
At least 1 patient checked in every hour at Louisiana hospital
At least one COVID-19 patient was checked in every hour Monday morning at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hospital officials told ABC Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ.
Our Lady of the Lake Hospital is among 45 hospitals in the state requesting extra staff, reported WBRZ.
Aug 02, 8:19 am
TSA screens highest number of people since start of pandemic
The Transportation Security Administration screened 2,238,462 people at U.S. airports on Sunday, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, the agency said. The continued spread of the highly contagious delta variant has not stopped travelers this summer and the TSA put out a tweet reminding fliers to mask up and socially distance.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 613,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.1 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 58.1% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC last week, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.
Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:
Aug 02, 9:44 am
Tokyo COVID-19 cases up 200% in 1 week
There are 2,195 new COVID-19 cases in Tokyo, a 206.9% increase since last Monday, according to the Tokyo Media Center.
At the Olympics, there are 281 new COVID-19 cases, an increase of 17 cases in the last 24 hours, according to Tokyo 2020 organizers. None of these cases are athletes; they are all contractors, personnel or media.
Aug 02, 8:56 am
At least 1 patient checked in every hour at Louisiana hospital
At least one COVID-19 patient was checked in every hour Monday morning at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hospital officials told ABC Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ.
Our Lady of the Lake Hospital is among 45 hospitals in the state requesting extra staff, reported WBRZ.
Aug 02, 8:19 am
TSA screens highest number of people since start of pandemic
The Transportation Security Administration screened 2,238,462 people at U.S. airports on Sunday, the highest number since the start of the pandemic, the agency said. The continued spread of the highly contagious delta variant has not stopped travelers this summer and the TSA put out a tweet reminding fliers to mask up and socially distance.
(NEW YORK) — The nation’s largest gun violence prevention organization is stepping up efforts to address the scourge of recent shootings across the country as part of a new initiative unveiled exclusively by ABC News on Monday.
Everytown for Gun Safety is delivering millions of dollars in grants and providing support to local organizations that aim to reduce gun crimes by tapping into communities most impacted by firearms. The new initiative, known as the Everytown Community Safety Fund, is dedicating $25 million over five years to gun violence prevention programs. The first million is set to be distributed across organizations next month.
“It’s an urgent moment,” said Michael-Sean Spence, Everytown’s director of community safety initiatives who is leading the rollout of the new initiative. “We’re in the middle of a public health crisis — one that has been brewing for a number of years and has really taken off over the last year, year and a half.”
The rate of homicides with a firearm is nearly 25 times higher in the U.S. compared to similar economically developed countries, according to a 2015 study published in the journal of Preventive Medicine. More recently, 2020 marked the highest number of firearm deaths in at least 20 years, according to Britannica, the group behind the famed encyclopedia, and the Gun Violence Archive.
On a recent week in July, a joint analysis by GVA and ABC News found that 2.4 people were killed and 5.5 people were wounded every hour.
“The trends we’re seeing today don’t approach the ’90s levels of gun homicides that we fortunately were able to reverse,” Spence told ABC News. “But they are some of the highest numbers we have seen since the early 2000s, and we’ve also seen a prolonged, persistent spike.”
The funds from Everytown will support 100 local intervention programs, building on its original list of 60 programs funded by the organization over the past two years.
“There are a number of factors that drive gun violence. One is the lack of opportunity,” Spence said. “Many of these programs, once they’ve identified individuals, can put them into workforce development programs and connect them with other opportunities to change their life.”
One of the groups set to receive funding is No More Red Dots, which runs a handful of gun violence prevention programs in Louisville, Kentucky. The organization maintains a database of high-risk individuals in the area and works to prevent them from engaging in future shootings.
Led by Dr. Eddie Woods, who has more than 20 years of experience in community safety, No More Red Dots has deep roots in Louisville. Some of the organization’s programs include an artist’s workshop and basketball league that are designed to build the skills and interests of at-risk youth and provide them with mentorship opportunities.
“We’ve been around forever, so a lot of the young people’s parents, and maybe in some cases grandparents, were in our group sessions back in the day,” Woods told ABC News. “So we kind of got a feel for the culture in some families — the personalities of some families.”
The hyper-local formula appears to be moving the community in a positive direction. Thousands of kids have gone through the program, Woods said, and more than 115 have gone from engaging in dangerous activity in the streets to obtaining a college education.
(NEW ORLEANS) — A barrage of gunfire erupted in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter early Sunday leaving at least five people wounded and a panicked crowd running for cover.The shooting broke out about 3 a.m. on Bourbon Street at Orleans Avenue, about two blocks from Jackson Square and around the corner from the famed Preservation Hall, according to police.
The New Orleans Police Department said one person was detained and was being questioned about the shooting, but released no further details.
“The investigation remains active and ongoing,” police said in a statement on Twitter.
An EarthCam video camera mounted on Cat’s Meow Karaoke Bar, which normally provides a live feed of the party scene on Bourbon Street, captured the sound of multiple gunshots followed by chaos with panicked people running for cover in all directions. Several people narrowly avoided being hit by cars crossing Bourbon Street.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Superintendent Shaun Ferguson of the New Orleans Police Department both went to the scene of the shooting but did not make any public comments.
Around 4:40 a.m. Sunday, New Orleans police responded to another shooting scene in the adjacent Iberville neighborhood just northeast of the French Quarter in which at least four people were shot, including a juvenile who was killed, authorities said. No other information was available on the Iberville incident.
Like other major cities across the country, New Orleans has seen a surge in shootings and homicides in the first seven months of 2021.
New Orleans has recorded more than 250 shootings and more than 100 homicides already this year. In all of 2020, New Orleans police investigated 195 homicides, a 63% increase from 2019.
In April, Cantrell announced the city was creating the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to focus on ways to intervene and mediate conflicts before they result in shootings. The program also focuses on providing jobs and job training programs for young people in the city.
“Nothing stops a bullet like a job,” Cantrell said at the time.
The weekend gun violence in New Orleans came as the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office in Colfax, about 200 miles north of New Orleans, continue to investigate a shooting that occurred on Friday at the Louisiana Mud Fest music festival. Chris Ardon, a Zydeco accordionist and singer, was shot and wounded on stage as his group was performing, according to ABC affiliate station WGNO-TV in New Orleans.
Ardon and a 14-year-old child in the crowd suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
In the aftermath of the shooting, thousands of people attending the music festival immediately began diving for cover and running for the exits, detectives told WGNO.
Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — Students at a historically Black college received a huge parting gift from their school during commencement ceremonies Saturday.
Larry Robinson, the president of Florida A&M University, announced the school spent over $16 million to cover fees, tuition and unpaid student account balances during the 2020-2021 school year.
“This is an indication of our commitment to student success and our hope that your time on the ‘Hill’ has been transformative as you take on the challenges of the day, go out and make a difference,” he told the graduates.
The university was able to use money from the federal Cares Act, which provides COVID-19 relief to organizations, to pay for the students’ costs.
FAMU Vice President for Student Affairs William E. Hudson, Jr told students the school wanted to give them some assistance given the struggles caused by the pandemic.
“Clearing student account balances from the previous school year was a way of practicing our motto of “Excellence with Caring” by supporting students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in a statement.
Florida A&M University is the latest HBCU to pay off their students’ debts and costs with the federal relief money.
Other schools that have announced similar plans include Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina, South Carolina State University and Spelman College.
(NEW YORK) — A pair of masked men unleashed a fusillade of gunfire on a crowded street in a New York City neighborhood Saturday night, wounding 10 people before getting on mopeds and speeding away, police said.
New York Police Department investigators said the episode appeared to be tied to gang violence, but that seven of the shooting victims were innocent bystanders, including a 72-year-old man.
“This was, as I can most accurately describe it, a brazen, coordinated attack,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a news conference on Sunday.
No arrests have been made.
The shooting occurred about 10:38 p.m. outside a barbershop and a restaurant in the city’s Queens borough.
The NYPD released a chilling surveillance video showing two men wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts walking east on 37th Avenue near 97th Street in Corona, Queens, both with their arms extended and firing handguns.
The video shows the pair of gunmen being trailed on the sidewalk by two other masked men, also wearing hooded sweatshirts, driving mopeds. Following the shooting, the gunmen calmly climbed onto the back of the mopeds and sped away.
At least 37 bullet shell casings were recovered, but Essig said police were combing the crime scene for evidence and suspect more shots were fired.
He said three of the people shot are members of the Trinitarios street gang and are believed to have been the intended targets of the shooting.
Essig said the shooting followed “reoccurring themes” police have recently noticed as the city has seen an alarming surge in gun violence.
“That’s gang members, that’s guns, multiple guns on the scene, scooters being used, masks and, lastly, unintended targets getting hit,” Essig said. “This is unacceptable in our streets in New York City, and it has to stop.”
He said the seven innocent bystanders left with non-life-threatening wounds ranged from age 19 to 72 and included two women.
He said the gunmen appeared initially to open fire on a group of people standing in front of a barbershop, but other people wounded were attending a party at a restaurant a few doors away.
NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes pleaded with the public to help police catch the gunmen and their getaway drivers.
“We need the community’s help on this one,” Holmes said.
She asked people to closely review the security video of the shooting that showed both gunmen wearing dark masks and dark hooded sweatshirts. One gunman was wearing white pants and Nike sneakers, while the other was wearing dark pants and dark sneakers.
One of the moped drivers was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and white pants, while the other driver had on what appeared to be a gray sweatshirt with a white hood and an American flag on the chest emblazoned with the letters “USA.”
“They know the area. That’s why they were wearing masks,” Holmes said. “They know the area, they come over here. Someone’s going to see that video, they’re going to see those still photos, they’re going to say, ‘Oh, I know that clothing … I know so-and-so walks that way.’ And that is why we are really, really appealing to the public. Our biggest asset is the public when it comes to solving crimes like this.”
(NEW ORLEANS) — A barrage of gunfire erupted in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter early Sunday leaving at least five people wounded and a panicked crowd running for cover.The shooting broke out about 3 a.m. on Bourbon Street at Orleans Avenue, about two blocks from Jackson Square and around the corner from the famed Preservation Hall, according to police.
The New Orleans Police Department said one person was detained and was being questioned about the shooting, but released no further details.
“The investigation remains active and ongoing,” police said in a statement on Twitter.
An EarthCam video camera mounted on Cat’s Meow Karaoke Bar, which normally provides a live feed of the party scene on Bourbon Street, captured the sound of multiple gunshots followed by chaos with panicked people running for cover in all directions. Several people narrowly avoided being hit by cars crossing Bourbon Street.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Superintendent Shaun Ferguson of the New Orleans Police Department both went to the scene of the shooting but did not make any public comments.
Around 4:40 a.m. Sunday, New Orleans police responded to another shooting scene in the adjacent Iberville neighborhood just northeast of the French Quarter in which at least four people were shot, including a juvenile who was killed, authorities said. No other information was available on the Iberville incident.
Like other major cities across the country, New Orleans has seen a surge in shootings and homicides in the first seven months of 2021.
New Orleans has recorded more than 250 shootings and more than 100 homicides already this year. In all of 2020, New Orleans police investigated 195 homicides, a 63% increase from 2019.
In April, Cantrell announced the city was creating the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to focus on ways to intervene and mediate conflicts before they result in shootings. The program also focuses on providing jobs and job training programs for young people in the city.
“Nothing stops a bullet like a job,” Cantrell said at the time.
The weekend gun violence in New Orleans came as the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office in Colfax, about 200 miles north of New Orleans, continue to investigate a shooting that occurred on Friday at the Louisiana Mud Fest music festival. Chris Ardon, a Zydeco accordionist and singer, was shot and wounded on stage as his group was performing, according to ABC affiliate station WGNO-TV in New Orleans.
Ardon and a 14-year-old child in the crowd suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
In the aftermath of the shooting, thousands of people attending the music festival immediately began diving for cover and running for the exits, detectives told WGNO.
