(NEW YORK) — Thousands of guns — including numerous assault-style rifles and “ghost guns” — were surrendered in a single day over the weekend across the state of New York in exchange for gift cards, according to the state attorney general.
Describing it as a “landmark event,” New York State Attorney General Letitia James, whose office hosted and coordinated Saturday’s program, said more than 3,000 guns were surrendered at nine buyback locations throughout the state, including two in New York City.
In Syracuse, New York, where police crime statistics show a 133% jump in homicides in the first four months of this year compared to the same time frame last year, 751 firearms were turned over by community residents.
“Gun violence has caused so many avoidable tragedies and robbed us of so many innocent New Yorkers,” James said in a statement. “Every gun that we removed out of Syracuse homes and off the streets is a potential tragedy averted and another step in protecting communities throughout New York state.”
The buyback program came just days after Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said at a news conference that the ongoing proliferation of guns in his community is contributing to a rise in the city’s violent crime rate in the first quarter of the year.
“There are too many damn guns in this country. They’re everywhere. And we have too many states that are abdicating their responsibility to ensure that guns are being sold safely,” Walsh said at the news conference. “And our federal government is abdicating their responsibility to ensure that guns are being handled safely.”
In comparison to the weekend’s gun buyback program, Syracuse police officers have seized and removed 76 guns from the community this year compared to 55 at the same point last year, Walsh said. He said 90% of the guns seized by police are from out of state.
Officials said 90 guns were surrendered in the first three hours of the buyback program at the at the All Saints Catholic Church in Brooklyn, New York.
“There’s a lot of firepower on this table,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, standing beside a table full of firearms turned over Saturday at the All Saints Church. “And each and every one of these guns is a potential life saved, and a non-fatal shooting avoided.”
In exchange for firearms with no questions asked, participants were given $500 gift cards for turning in assault-type rifles and untraceable “ghost guns.” People turning over handguns also received $500 gift cards for the first weapon surrendered and $150 give cards for each additional handgun.
Those surrendering other types of rifles and shotguns received $75 gift cards and $25 cards were given out for each non-working replica, antique or 3D printed gun.
(TULARE COUNTY, Calif.) — A man and child were rescued from a California river Friday night, while another adult remains missing, authorities said.
Rescue crews responded to the Kaweah River in Tulare County, where the man and 7-year-old child were stranded on a rock in the middle of the river, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies and teams from Tulare County Fire and Naval Air Station Lemoore base were able to recover the two, according to the sheriff’s office, which shared images from the scene of rescuers using a raft to reach the stranded people.
Both were being treated at a local hospital following the rescue.
Crews were still searching for a missing adult who did not surface from the water, the sheriff’s office said.
The rescue occurred at the Slick Rock Recreation Area, in the town of Three Rivers, near Sequoia National Park.
The Kaweah River is fed by runoff from the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which experienced a historic winter snowpack that has sparked flooding concerns as it melts.
(CLEVELAND, Texas) — Five people are dead after being shot in a Texas home by a suspect armed with an AR-15 style rifle in a horrific series of “execution style” shootings, police said.
A manhunt is currently underway for the suspect, identified by police as 39-year-old Francisco Oropeza, according to ABC station KTRK in Houston.
A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Oropeza and assigned a $5 million bond. Authorities believe Oropeza left by walking or on a bicycle and is currently within a two mile radius of the scene, KTRK reported.
Police said the incident occurred at 11:31 p.m. local time on Friday when officials from the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office received a call about harassment in the town of Cleveland, about 55 miles north of Houston.
When authorities arrived at the location, they found several victims shot at the property, police said. Three of the deceased were females and two were males, including the youngest, an 8-year-old boy.
Two female victims were discovered in the bedroom lying on top of two surviving children, authorities told ABC News.
Three minors were located uninjured, but covered in blood. They were transported to a local hospital.
Police said they believe the massacre occurred after neighbors asked the suspect to stop shooting his gun in the front yard because there was a baby trying to sleep.
“My understanding is that the victims, they came over to the fence and said ‘Hey could [you not do your] shooting out in the yard? We have a young baby that’s trying to go to sleep,” and he had been drinking and he says ‘I’ll do what I want to in my front yard,'” San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers told KTRK.
Capers told KTRK the case went from harassment to a shooting very quickly. He said that authorities believed some of the victims were trying to shield their children — with bodies found on top of children who were unharmed.
“In my opinion, they were actually trying to take care of the babies and keep them babies alive,” Capers told KTRK.
Authorities said Oropeza is armed with an AR-15 style rifle and was believed to be intoxicated. Deputies describe Oropeza as a Hispanic man who is 5-foot-8. He was last seen wearing jeans, a black shirt and work boots. Investigators said he has a goatee and short black hair, according to KTRK.
Police said the suspect “has been known to shoot his .223 out in his front yard, which is evident by the shell casings that are laying in the front yard.”
Capers said the shooter used a .223 rifle in the shooting. Capers could not confirm how many times his deputies had been called to the shooter’s property previously.
At least 10 people were in the home when police arrived on scene and all of the victims were between the ages of eight and 40.
Capers believes the 10 people in the home lived together, with four to five of them just moving into the home from Houston within the last three or four days.
Residents are being told to “stay inside [and] stay clear” of the crime scene until the investigation has concluded, but do not believe the suspect, a Mexican national, is in the area.
“We are getting closer to him every minute of every hour but we know who he is,” Capers told KTRK.
Police did not disclose the identity of the victims but said the shootings all took place in one home, the victims were all from Honduras and that four of the victims were declared dead at the scene. The fifth victim — an 8-year-old boy — was taken to a hospital and he has since been pronounced dead.
Capers told KTRK all of the victims were shot from the neck up “almost execution style.”
Capers said footage from a Ring doorbell at the victims’ house shows the shooter entering the home where the shooting took place with a weapon.
Police found two other weapons in the house in a search following the shooting. Capers also confirmed they are interviewing the shooter’s wife.
Nearby resident, Veronica Pineda, spoke with KTRK and said she has grown accustomed to neighbors shooting firearms in the area.
“There’s always shootings, there’s always shooting,” she said to KTRK. “There’s always people calling the cops and there’s nothing being done.”
She said that neighbors would frequently shoot firearms on weekends and holidays and that the sound of gunshots overnight was normal.
“We were in bed and my kids — I have two babies — they got scared, and we’re like, ‘it’s normal they’re always shooting.'”
She said she did not know the alleged shooter well but she would wave to him when he would pass by with his horses.
ABC News’ Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The intersection of policing, race, and autism has the potential to result in tragic outcomes.
Black Americans are two to three times more likely to be killed by cops than white Americans, according to police data. Some of the hallmarks of autism – a developmental disability that millions of Americans have been diagnosed with – can further complicate interactions with police.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism can create challenges in social interactions, communication, and behavior.
“Many individuals with autism don’t respond immediately to commands. Many don’t necessarily understand even some of the complicated commands that may be given by law enforcement agencies. So that may be seen as a form of noncompliance,” autism advocate and ABC News contributor Areva Martin told “Nightline.”
In 2019, now 24-year-old Matthew Rushin caused a life-threatening multivehicle crash in Virginia Beach. His mother, Lavern Rushin, says her son’s echolalia – a coping mechanism some people with autism may use when struggling to find their own words – was misunderstood by police at the scene of the crash.
Lavern and Matthew Rushin say he was not suicidal and did not intentionally cause the car crash. Lavern Rushin said he was experiencing a focal seizure at the time of the crash, the result of traumatic brain injury sustained in a car accident two years earlier.
“You can’t fault somebody for having a medical episode. Just like you can’t fault someone for having a heart attack behind the wheel,” she said.
Matthew Rushin was arrested and initially charged with attempted murder. He eventually pleaded guilty to three felonies including malicious wounding and hit and run. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Believing her son’s sentence to be unfair, Lavern Rushin took to social media to share Matthew’s story. Her posts went viral, and in early 2021, then Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam granted Matthew a conditional pardon – freeing him after more than two years behind bars.
“I truly believe that the petitions and the posts [and] just everything was brought up because he’s a Black autistic young man that was wrongfully prosecuted,” Lavern Rushin said.
Matthew Rushin is still considered a felon and barred from driving and from contacting any of his victims or their families. He and his mother are now seeking a full pardon, saying that his felony conviction makes it harder for him to get a job.
The family of one of his victims, George Cusick, is strongly opposed to Matthew Rushin receiving a full pardon.
George Cusick, one of the victims in the crash, was so badly injured he’ll never walk, talk, or feed himself again, and needs 24-hour care, according to his family. Cusick’s family maintains that Matthew was suicidal when the crash took place.
“Matthew Rushin should not have been driving that night. He should never drive again. The parole restrictions must remain in place to protect him and the public,” Cusick’s wife Danna told “Nightline.”
The Virginia Beach Police Department said in a statement that their officers have been trained to identify and respond to people with autism, and expressed sympathy for “all who were impacted by the events of this tragic day.”
“My son is not a killer,” Lavern Rushin said.
Iyun and Sylvester Osagie’s autistic son, Osaze, also had a tragic encounter with police that turned out to be deadly. The 29-year-old was shot and killed by State College, Pennsylvania police in 2019 after a tense confrontation.
The violent nature of his death is a stark contrast to the gentle and deeply religious young man they loved.
“He was the peacemaker [with his siblings]. He was the one that would try to make sure that they don’t fight and they get along very well,” Sylvester Osagie said.
Osaze Osagie also had schizophrenia and at times his parents had asked the police for help.
“We actually thought they understood because they knew his situation,” Sylvester Osagie said.
As a young adult, Ozaze Osagie had been living in a residential program with his peers. He found comfort in the structure, like many people with autism.
“He liked a pattern of activities,” Sylvester Osagie said. “But when he was not in that structured environment, the level of discouragement and anxiety was overwhelming. And that’s when he got off his medication and his situation would just spiral.”
When he left the program to live in an apartment with a roommate, the change seemed to disrupt him. In March 2019, his father received worrying messages and texts including one that indicated there would be trouble with the police “in a little bit.”
Sylvester Osagie says he frantically searched for his son, then alerted police when he couldn’t find him. Osaze Osagie was not located that night.
The next morning, Sylvester Osagie says he drove to his son’s apartment only to find police and media swarming the building.
“Eventually, they told me that they confronted him, that he had a knife and they shot him,” Sylvester Osagie said.
Police say someone saw Osaze that morning at a nearby grocery store and alerted police. The closest on-duty officer was sent to Osaze Osagie’s apartment – an officer, the Osagies say, who did not know their son or his case.
When Osaze Osagie opened his apartment door, police say he was holding a knife in his hand and that after unsuccessfully trying to subdue him, they opened fire – killing him.
“A lot went wrong, just men with guns that show up to an autistic child’s apartment and give him a million instructions. It shouldn’t be this way,” said Iyun Osagie.
The district attorney declined to bring charges against the police officers, saying the shooting was justified.
The Osagies have now filed a lawsuit saying police did not respond appropriately to someone with a known disability having a crisis and that they used “excessive force.”
The borough of State College called the shooting ” a tragedy,” but stated,” that the police have “handled thousands of other mental health-related calls (including several with Osaze), with a number of these calls involving threats of violence and weapons, and none previously ended with a negative result and/or the need to deploy deadly force.”
Osaze’s mother says she believes the fact that her son was a young Black man played a role in his death.
“I made it very clear to them personally that if that had been their son at the other end of their gun, they wouldn’t kill him,” Iyun Osagie said.
Around 20% of autistic youth had been stopped and questioned by police and nearly 5% had been arrested by age 21, according to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
“Unfortunately, what we see in law enforcement is that most of societal issues are placed upon the officer in the street. Now all of a sudden he or she has to react immediately and be able to see something and make that pivot almost immediately,” said former NYPD and ABC News contributor Robert Boyce.
Sleepy Hollow, New York, Police Officer Wendy Yancy is working to find ways to improve outcomes between the autism community and police. It’s personal for her as she has a young son who is autistic.
She attended a training session for law enforcement on working with autistic individuals two years ago.
“This type of training should be given to police departments as a whole, not just a select few,” Yancy said.
Only eight states require law enforcement to receive training specifically related to autism, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Yancey is now implementing a new program she created for her department that allows families to voluntarily provide authorities with information about the needs of an autistic individual so first responders know what to do and not do in an emergency.
“For example, if it’s noise sensitivity, we would know because you would put it in here, that we have to tell officers to arrive with the sirens off, and then this way he’s not triggered or upset,” Yancy told a parent at a recent event.
Yancy said she hopes other police departments follow suit with similar programs.
“You need to sit with the people, talk to the people and show you truly care,” she said. “The only way they trust you is if they know you and they can’t know you from behind the window of a car.”‘
(NEW YORK) — The Mississippi River is cresting in the north to dangerous levels, while the water continues to rise downriver in the Midwest.
Flooding has threatened communities along the upper Mississippi River this week due to the rapid melting of a giant snowpack in Minnesota.
As of Friday morning, 32 gauged locations along the Mississippi River are in, or forecast to be in, a major flood stage across four states — Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. The river has risen to its highest levels in decades in some areas.
In La Crosse, Wisconsin, the river crested Wednesday at 15.89 feet — the highest since 2001. In St. Paul, Minnesota, the river crested on Wednesday at 18.24 feet, the highest since 2019, and is receding now.
The river is continuing to rise downriver; in Davenport, Iowa, the river is forecast to crest Monday into Tuesday at 21.6 feet, which would be the highest level since 2019.
The flooding is halting shipping along portions of the river for several weeks. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report Thursday that no freight access is being accepted along the Twin Cities and Mid-Mississippi portions of the river, and that all locks and dams north of Lock 17 — near New Boston, Illinois — are expected to remain closed for the next three weeks.
The report also indicates that other portions of the river may be closed as far south as Lock 22, near Saverton, Missouri, for approximately two weeks “because of possible high water.”
The halt will likely force shipments of grain and fertilizer to be diverted to alternative shipping means, such as rail or automotive.
The swelling river has also forced some to leave their homes in Wisconsin, while in Iowa, those who live along the river have been stockpiling sandbags, pumping out water or evacuating amid the rising waters.
Amy Phelps told Cedar Rapids ABC affiliate KCRG-TV she and her family evacuated their home a week ago and have been monitoring the water levels through apps and cameras on their property in the river community of Abel Island, Iowa.
“We take on water by 17 [feet], so we’re sitting around 4 feet of water,” Phelps told the station.
The family made improvements to limit damage from water after experiencing flooding in 2019. Phelps said they still plan to be gone for at least a month amid the latest flooding.
“It’s a little overwhelming sometimes,” Phelps told KCRG. “We miss our home probably the most.”
Dottie Reimer, who lives on nearby Esmann Island, has decided to wait out the rising waters while hoping they continue to have electricity. The water hasn’t reached her home yet, but she’s currently only able to leave her home by boat, KCRG reported.
“Last week we knew that it was coming up, we didn’t realize that it was gonna come up this high,” Reiman told KCRG.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued disaster proclamations for 15 counties to provide residents with resources in response to the Mississippi River flooding.
(JASPER, Texas) — Four teenagers have been arrested in the wake of a shooting that injured 11 people at an after-prom party at a home in Texas, authorities announced on Friday.
The suspects, an 18-year-old man and three 19-year-old men, are charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and engaged in organized criminal activity, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said.
About 250 people were at the home at the time of the early Sunday morning shooting.
The investigation is ongoing and authorities ask anyone with information to come forward.
(NEW YORK) — One of three Colorado teenagers accused of throwing large landscaping rocks toward at least seven cars allegedly took a photo of the final victim’s car after hitting it “as a memento,” according to court documents.
Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, all 18-year-old high school seniors, were arrested this week in connection to the April 19 rock-throwing spree, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said. The final rock-throwing incident claimed the life of 20-year-old driver Alexa Bartell. In two of the seven incidents, drivers suffered minor injuries.
After Bartell’s death, Kwak said Koenig and Karol-Chik talked about being “blood brothers,” and said they agreed to never speak of the incident again, according to court documents. The day after Bartell was killed, they allegedly met up to discuss what happened, according to court documents.
Karol-Chik told police all three teens threw rocks at cars and they were “excited” when they hit them, according to court documents. He said Kwak was the one who threw the fatal rock at Bartell’s car, the documents said. After Bartell’s car was hit, Kwak allegedly said, “We have to go back to see that,” and when they turned around, Kwak allegedly took a photo of Bartell’s car, according to the documents.
When Kwak was questioned, he admitted taking a photo, saying “he thought Joseph or Mitch would want it as a memento,” according to court documents.
Kwak said the impact of the rock on Bartell’s car made a very loud noise, like a “rail gun shooting a block of concrete,” and he saw the 20-year-old’s car leave the road, according to court documents.
The teens are charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference. Additional charges are expected, authorities said.
Koenig and Karol-Chik had allegedly thrown rocks at cars on at least 10 separate occasions since February, according to court documents.
As the three suspects made their first court appearance on Thursday, prosecutors said the community is outraged, and that the teens’ reckless and irresponsible actions took away “an innocent life.”
The teens, who were held on no bond, are set to return to court on May 3.
Koenig’s father was also arrested for allegedly trying to obstruct his son’s arrest, the sheriff’s office said.
(NEW YORK) — A 70-year-old man survived a cougar attack in Utah without serious injuries, officials said.
He suffered only lacerations to his head and arms when he was confronted by the animal at Spanish Fork Canyon around 1 p.m. Thursday, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said.
He was hospitalized and listed in fair condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities said officials with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will search for the cougar on Friday.
Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, are seen regularly in mountainous regions of Utah. There are about 1,600 cougars in Utah, according to the Division of Wildlife Resources, though that number is declining “due to increased trophy hunting and habitat loss.”
(NEW YORK) — Multiple tornadoes were reported in Florida and Georgia on Thursday, as a new storm brings a severe weather threat and possible tornadoes to Texas.
Seven tornadoes were reported in the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia on Thursday. A large and “extremely dangerous” tornado was confirmed west of Tallahassee Thursday afternoon. Major damage to homes was reported in Hosford in the area.
Straight-line winds gusted to 76 mph near Panama City, Florida, as severe storms progressed east across the southeast Big Bend.
Another storm is forecast to bring a severe weather threat for most of eastern Texas Friday, from Dallas to Houston and down to Corpus Christi.
Damaging winds in excess of 75 mph, huge hail and tornadoes are possible. The highest tornado threat will be from Dallas to Waco Friday afternoon between 3 and 7 p.m. CT.
On Saturday, this severe threat moves into the Florida Panhandle again, as well as southern Georgia and Alabama. Damaging winds will be the biggest threat, but a few tornadoes can’t be ruled out.
(FAIRBANKS, Alaska) — Three soldiers were killed and one has been injured after two Army helicopters crashed during training over Alaska on Thursday, officials said.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson said two AH-64 Apache helicopters returning from a training mission collided and crashed near Healy.
Two of the soldiers were declared dead at the scene and another died while en route to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, the base said. The fourth soldier is being treated at the hospital for injuries.
The helicopters were from the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion’s 25th Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, officials said.
“This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division,” Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, said in a statement. “Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we are making the full resources of the Army available to support them.”
“The Fort Wainwright community is one of the tightest military communities I’ve seen in my 32 years of service,” Eifler added. “I have no doubt they will pull together during this exceptional time of need and provide comfort to our families of our fallen.”
Fort Wainwright’s Emergency Assistance Center has been activated for support, and people can call 907-353-4452, officials said.
The incident is being investigated. Healy is about 110 miles southwest of Fairbanks by vehicle.
In March, nine service members died after two Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a training mission in Trigg County, Kentucky, an Army official said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Peter Charalambous, Victoria Arancio, Kevin Shalvey and Jaclyn Lee contributed to this report.
