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(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Anger boiled over Wednesday at the sentencing hearing of Buffalo mass shooter Payton Gendron, when a family member of a victim charged after Gendron and had to be restrained by courtroom guards.

The explosive moment came as Barbara Massey whose sister, Katherine Massey, was giving an emotional victim impact statement: “I want to personally choke you,” she said to 19-year-old Gendron.

As she was speaking, a relative lunged toward Gendron, who was seated at the defense table sobbing in tears. Guards quickly restrained the man as they hustled Gendron from the courtroom. Judge Susan Eagan temporarily halted the hearing and called for order in the court.

“I am sure you all are disturbed by the physicality we’ve seen today. I understand the emotion and I understand the anger but we cannot have that in the courtroom,” Eagan said.

Garnell Whitfield Jr., whose 86-year-old mother died in the Tops supermarket massacre last May, said he’s not interested in hearing what the gunman has to say when he plans to apologize to victims’ families.

“Nothing he’s going to say to me is going to bring my mother back. It’s not going to take away the pain of losing her,” Whitfield, the retired Buffalo fire commissioner, told ABC News. “I’m assuming that whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it for himself.”

Gendron, who killed 10 people on May 14, will be sentenced later today to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He pleaded guilty in November to 15 charges, including murder and attempted murder. He is the first person in state history to be charged with domestic terrorism motivated by hate. He has pleaded guilty.

In addition to the state case, he is facing hate and domestic terrorism charges in federal court. His attorneys said he might consider pleading guilty if prosecutors agree not to pursue the death penalty.

Gendron, a self-professed white supremacist who livestreamed part of the attack, plans to make a statement at Wednesday’s hearing, in which he is expected to apologize to the loved ones of those he gunned down, sources told The Buffalo News.

Wayne Jones, whose 65-year-old mother was killed in the rampage, said he plans to speak at the sentencing hearing.

“My message for him will be [about] mistakes, that there are mistakes you can’t take back and now you have to live with the consequences,” Jones told ABC News. “He can apologize. I’ll respect that, but he needs to sit and think about the situation as much as I do everyday. For me, it never goes away.”

Jones and Whitfield are among the family members of those killed who have submitted victim impact statements to the court.

“The emotions of the families that we speak for run the entire gamut. There are those who are anxious to see the maximum penalty imposed on the shooter but there are also family members who regard the shooter as irrelevant and pay him no deference as they strive to achieve something positive from this horrific experience,” Terry Connors, an attorney who represents several families who lost loved ones.

Attorney John Elmore, who also represents the families of three victims, said more than a dozen people are expected to deliver victim impact statements before Judge Susan Eagan imposes the sentence.

Whitfield told ABC News on Tuesday he’s yet to decide whether to read the statement in court, saying, “If I do, it will be on behalf of my father.”

Whitfield’s father, 88-year-old Garnell W. Whitfield Sr., suffers from dementia and lives in a nursing home.

Gendron planned the massacre for months — including previously traveling twice to the Tops store he targeted, a more than three-hour drive from his home in Conklin, New York — to scout the layout and count the number of Black people present, according to prosecutors. Wearing tactical gear, body armor, and wielding an AR-15 style rifle he legally purchased and illegally modified, Gendron committed the rampage on a Saturday afternoon when prosecutors said he knew the store would be full of Black shoppers.

The attack was caught on a Tops supermarket surveillance camera and a helmet camera worn by Gendron that he used to livestream on Twitch. Prior to the attack, he also posted a racist screed online containing the names of past mass shooters he admired.

“Whatever he does in court is a procedural thing. His fate is sealed, there’s no discretion in the sentencing. It’s life without parole, period,” Whitfield said.

Whitfield said any statement he makes will be focused on “the people and places and things that empowered him, that radicalized him, that helped him do what he did.”

In October, New York State Attorney General Letitia James released the report, alleging several online platforms played roles in the May 14 mass shooting by radicalizing Gendron, as he consumed voluminous amounts of racist and violent content, and then by allowing him to broadcast the deadly attack. The report found anonymous, largely unmoderated websites and platforms, like 4chan, allegedly influenced Gendron. It also said livestreaming platforms like Twitch were “weaponized” to publicize and encourage copycat attacks.

Ordinarily, social media platforms cannot be sued over content, but Elmore told ABC News there are grounds for viable suits against several social media platforms over the way they’re designed to promote constant engagement. “The litigation we are preparing will deter the social media platforms from continuing their policies of directing their algorithms to radicalize people to become dangerous to our society,” Elmore said.

Elmore added that Gendron “was trained and inspired to commit this tremendous murder by social media.”

“All those things are still in place and still in a position to continue the perpetuation of all the injustices and evils that are part of our society,” Whitfield said. “[Gendron] did this for attention. Let’s not give it to him.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Anger boiled over Wednesday as Buffalo mass shooter Payton Gendron was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility parole, with a judge telling the 19-year-old he deserved “no mercy” and a victim’s family member lunging at him in the courtroom.

After hearing emotional statements from the families of the victims, Eagan imposed the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, saying, “Our characters are being tested, the future of our nation is at stake.”

“There is no place for you or your ignorant, hateful and evil ideologies in a civilized society. There can be no mercy for you, no understanding, no second chances. The damage you have caused is too great and the people you have hurt are too valuable to this community,” Eagan told Gendron. “You will never see the light of day as a free man ever again.”

She imposed a sentence of life in prison without parole for all 10 victims he killed on May 14, 2022, at a Tops market on the east side of Buffalo and 25 years for each of the three victims he shot and wounded.

Earlier in the hearing, an explosive moment occurred Barbara Massey whose sister, Katherine Massey, was giving an emotional victim impact statement: “I want to personally choke you and leave my fingers on your neck,” she said to Gendron.

As she was speaking, a relative standing next to her lunged toward Gendron, who was seated at the defense table. Guards quickly restrained the man as they hustled Gendron from the courtroom. Eagan temporarily halted the hearing and called for order in the court.

“I am sure you all are disturbed by the physicality we’ve seen today. I understand the emotion and I understand the anger but we cannot have that in the courtroom,” Eagan said.

The first victim impact statement was read by Kimberly Salter, the widow of Aaron Salter Jr., the retired Buffalo police officer and armed guard at the Tops store who was killed when he confronted Gendron, firing shots that bounced off the killer body armor.

Kimberly Salter told the court why she came wearing red and black: “Red for the blood [her husband] shed for his family and for his community and black because we are still grieving.”

She read passages from the Bible, emphasizing the scripture, “You will reap what you so.”

Simone Crawley, the granddaughter of 86-year-year-old Ruth Whitfield, the oldest victim killed in rampage, told Gendron, “You clearly did not value your own life, which allowed you to devalue the lives of others.”

“Even with all the heartache you caused, you have failed to break our family’s spirit. You thought you broke us, but you awoke us,” Crawley went on. “We all know the pure hatred and motivations behind your heinous crime and we are here to tell you that you failed.”

Wayne Jones, the only child of murder victim Celestine Chaney, told Gendron, “You took from us a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt cousin and friend.”

“Because of your senseless act, we will never have another birthday, or get together, another celebration,” Jones said. “While I was writing this, tears fell from my eyes, thinking about what a beautiful person you took.”

Jones, wearing a cross with containing a photo of his mother, told Gendron that because of “your hate, which you learned from the internet, I want you to remember some of the things that I say to you.”

“Mistakes, some are big and some are small. This one here is a real big one that you can’t take back. You have to live with this one, bro, just as I have to live with this every day,” Jones said. “I’m a parent and I feel sorry for your parents. You will never get to hug them again, like I won’t. You will never get to see your grandparents again.”

Referring to a federal case still pending against Gendron on charges that could get him the death penalty, Jones said, “I don’t wish the death penalty on you. I hope they keep you alive so you have to suffer with the thought of what you did for the rest of your life. To me killing you is the easy way out.”

After other family members spoke, Gendron offered a brief apology, saying he was “very sorry for all the pain” he caused “for stealing the lives of your loved ones.”

“I did a terrible thing that day. I shot people because they were Black,” Gendron said.

Garnell Whitfield Jr., the son of Ruth Whitfield, summited a victim impact statement but did not speak in court..

“Nothing [the shooter] is going to say to me is going to bring my mother back. It’s not going to take away the pain of losing her,” Whitfield, the retired Buffalo fire commissioner, told ABC News. “I’m assuming that whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it for himself.”

Gendron pleaded guilty in November to 15 charges, including murder and attempted murder. He is the first person in state history to be charged with domestic terrorism motivated by hate.

In addition to the state case, he is facing hate and domestic terrorism charges in federal court. His attorneys said he might consider pleading guilty if prosecutors agree not to pursue the death penalty.

Gendron planned the massacre for months — including previously traveling twice to the Tops store he targeted, a more than three-hour drive from his home in Conklin, New York — to scout the layout and count the number of Black people present, according to prosecutors. Wearing tactical gear, body armor, and wielding an AR-15 style rifle he legally purchased and illegally modified, Gendron committed the rampage on a Saturday afternoon when prosecutors said he knew the store would be full of Black shoppers.

The attack was caught on a Tops supermarket surveillance camera and a helmet camera worn by Gendron that he used to livestream on Twitch. Prior to the attack, he also posted a racist screed online containing the names of past mass shooters he admired.

Whitfield said his written statement focused on “the people and places and things that empowered him, that radicalized him, that helped him do what he did.”

In October, New York State Attorney General Letitia James released the report, alleging several online platforms played roles in the May 14 mass shooting by radicalizing Gendron, as he consumed voluminous amounts of racist and violent content, and then by allowing him to broadcast the deadly attack. The report found anonymous, largely unmoderated websites and platforms, like 4chan, allegedly influenced Gendron. It also said livestreaming platforms like Twitch were “weaponized” to publicize and encourage copycat attacks.

Ordinarily, social media platforms cannot be sued over content, but Elmore told ABC News there are grounds for viable suits against several social media platforms over the way they’re designed to promote constant engagement. “The litigation we are preparing will deter the social media platforms from continuing their policies of directing their algorithms to radicalize people to become dangerous to our society,” Elmore said.

Elmore added that Gendron “was trained and inspired to commit this tremendous murder by social media.”

“All those things are still in place and still in a position to continue the perpetuation of all the injustices and evils that are part of our society,” Whitfield said. “[Gendron] did this for attention. Let’s not give it to him.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(EAST PALESTINE, Ohio) — Trespassing and resisting arrest charges were dismissed Wednesday against NewsNation reporter Evan Lambert, who was arrested at a press conference last week about the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment.

“My office has reviewed the relevant video and documentary evidence, and is dismissing the charges against Evan Lambert as unsupported by sufficient evidence,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Wednesday.

“While journalists could conceivably be subject to criminal charges for trespassing in some situations, this incident is not one of them. The reporter was lawfully present at a press conference called by the Governor of the state. His conduct was consistent with the purpose of the event and his role as a reporter,” Yost added.

Lambert had been charged with resisting arrest, a second-degree misdemeanor, and criminal trespassing, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

According to NewsNation, Lambert was doing a live report while Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine spoke at a press conference about the cleanup efforts following a train derailment in a small Ohio village, prompting law enforcement to ask Lambert to be quiet. NewsNation said that Lambert concluded the segment before being asked to leave.

Multiple videos from the incident show officers arresting and subsequently forcibly removing Lambert.

“I’m still processing what was a traumatic event for me, in the context of a time where we are hyper aware of how frequently some police interactions with people of color can end in much worse circumstances. That is not lost on me,” Lambert said in a statement.

He continued, “At the same time, as a journalist who has spent more than a decade covering crime, courts and more recently federal law enforcement, I have great respect for the officers who do their jobs each day with integrity, civil rights, justice and safety at the core of their mission.”

DeWine’s office said he did not see the incident but heard a “disagreement,” according to his press secretary.

“Regardless of the intent, arresting a journalist reporting at a press conference is a serious matter,” Yost said. “Ohio protects a free press under its constitution, and state officials should remember to exercise a heightened level of restraint in using arrest powers.”

ABC News’ Peter Charalambous and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(EAST LANSING, Mich.) — Three students were killed and five others were wounded in Monday night’s mass shooting at Michigan State University.

The Michigan State University Police Department has released the names of the young lives lost.

Arielle Anderson

Arielle Anderson was a junior from Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Her family remembered her as a “precious daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend” in a statement shared Tuesday evening through her mother’s employer, Comerica Bank.

“As much as we loved her, she loved us and others even more,” the family said. “She was passionate about helping her friends and family, assisting children and serving people.”

Anderson, who was described as “sweet and loving with an infectious smile,” wanted to be a surgeon, her family said.

“Driven by her aspiration to tend to the health and welfare of others as a surgeon, she was working diligently to graduate from Michigan State University early to achieve her goals as quickly as possible,” the family said.

“We are absolutely devastated by this heinous act of violence upon her and many other innocent victims,” the statement added.

Brian Fraser

Brian Fraser was a sophomore, also from Grosse Pointe.

Fraser’s “light shined bright with love, leadership and kindness,” according to a statement from his church.

Fraser was president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Michigan State.

“As the leader of his chapter, Brian was a great friend to his Phi Delt brothers, the Greek community at Michigan State, and those he interacted with on campus,” Phi Delta Theta said in a statement.

Fraser was on his high school’s swimming and diving team.

“Brian had an infectious smile and sense of humor that could light up the pool deck and bring laughter to the entire team,” the team said in a statement.

Alexandria Verner

Alexandria Verner was a junior from Clawson, Michigan.

Verner was a “tremendous” student and athlete while at Clawson High School, Clawson Public Schools said in a statement.

She “exemplified kindness every day of her life,” the school district said. “If you knew her, you loved her and we will forever remember the lasting impact she has had on all of us.”

Billy Shellenbarger, a family friend and Verner’s high school principal, described her as empathetic, humble and a leader who carried herself with integrity.

“Very, very kind to everyone she came in contact with. Always positive. Incredibly compassionate. Just embodied so many of those things you would want in your daughter, your student, your sister,” Shellenbarger, now the Clawson Public Schools superintendent, told ABC News.

Verner was a forensics major at Michigan State. She was in her lab class at Berkey Hall when she was shot, Shellenbarger said.

Verner is survived by her parents, older brother and younger sister.

Shellenbarger asked others to “be kind, like Al was.”

“Help somebody like Al did. And walk a path of impact like she was doing,” he continued. “And if you can do that in her honor, then we’re taking some steps in the right direction, because that was exactly the path that she was walking.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(EAST LANSING, Mich.) — Three students were killed and five other students were injured by a gunman who opened fire at an academic building and the student union on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing on Monday night, police said.

After an hourslong manhunt, police found the 43-year-old suspect, Anthony McRae, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound off campus.

All five injured students remain in critical condition Tuesday morning, officials said.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 15, 5:42 AM EST
MSU student survives bloodshed 14 months after another mass shooting

ABC News spoke to Matt Riddle, who said his daughter survived the bloodshed at Michigan State University on Monday night, 14 months after surviving another deadly mass shooting at a high school in Oxford, Michigan.

The shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, left four people dead and seven others wounded.

“Having been through it in Oxford … it helped her understand what she needs to do in these situations,” Riddle told ABC News during an interview on Tuesday night. “I don’t like that she has those tools. I wish she didn’t, but she does.”

Feb 14, 7:58 PM EST
Classes to resume on Monday

Classes at Michigan State, which have been canceled in the wake of the tragic shooting, will resume on Monday, school officials said.

A vigil is also planned on campus Wednesday night in honor of the victims, all of whom were students at the school, officials said.

“We are devastated by this tragedy and wrap our collective arms around the victims’ families and friends who face unimaginable injury and loss,” Kim Tobin, vice president of university advancement, said in a statement Wednesday announcing the details.

Feb 14, 6:27 PM EST
Victim Arielle Anderson remembered for passion to help others

Arielle Anderson, a junior from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, was one of the three Michigan State students killed in the shooting. Her family remembered her as a “precious daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend” in a statement shared Tuesday evening through her mother’s employer, Comerica Bank.

“As much as we loved her, she loved us and others even more,” the family said. “She was passionate about helping her friends and family, assisting children and serving people.”

Anderson, who was described as “sweet and loving with an infectious smile,” wanted to be a surgeon, her family said.

“Driven by her aspiration to tend to the health and welfare of others as a surgeon, she was working diligently to graduate from Michigan State University early to achieve her goals as quickly as possible,” the family said.

“We are absolutely devastated by this heinous act of violence upon her and many other innocent victims,” the statement added.

Feb 14, 3:26 PM EST
University releases names of victims

The three Michigan State students killed in the shooting have been identified by university police.

Brian Fraser, a sophomore, and Arielle Anderson, a junior, were both from Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Alexandria Verner, a junior, was from Clawson, Michigan.

Five other students remain in the hospital in critical condition following the attack.

Feb 14, 2:19 PM EST
Suspect walked from his home to campus, viewed himself as ‘loner’

The FBI offered new details on the suspected gunman in a confidential briefing to law enforcement on Tuesday.

Investigators have determined 43-year-old Anthony McRae walked from his home to Michigan State and had no connection to the university or the victims.

Authorities said that when McRae was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he had a “3-page document expressing his reasons for the attack and a number of additional locations in Lansing and Holt, Mich.; Ewing Township and Franklin Park, NJ; and Colorado Springs, Colo., which had ‘hurted’ (sic) him and, therefore, were deserving of attack.” Agents believe he had “personal grievances” with people at those locations.

McRae lived with his father, who is cooperating with the investigation, the FBI reported.

Investigators said the suspect’s writings confirmed he “was often alone.” The briefing said the gunman viewed himself as “a loner” and an “outcast” who was “never noticed or accepted by others.”

-ABC News’ Josh Margolin

Feb 14, 1:12 PM EST
Biden urges Congress to ‘enact commonsense gun law reforms’

President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday, “Our hearts are with these young victims and their families, the broader East Lansing and Lansing communities, and all Americans across the country grieving as the result of gun violence.”

Biden noted that the Michigan State mass shooting came one night before the U.S. marked five years since the Parkland, Florida, high school massacre. In the Feb. 14, 2018 school shooting in Parkland, 17 students and staff were gunned down.

“I have taken action to combat this epidemic in America, including a historic number of executive actions and the first significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years, but we must do more,” Biden said.

He stressed, “Congress must do something and enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, closing loopholes in our background check system, requiring safe storage of guns, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets. Action is what we owe to those grieving today in Michigan and across America.”

Feb 14, 1:04 PM EST
Timeline of the shooting

The first active shooter call came in at 8:18 p.m. from Berkey Hall, an academic building, and the university immediately told students to shelter in place, the Michigan State University Police Department said.

Shots were fired soon after at the student union.

At about 11 p.m., the suspected gunman was seen on campus security cameras, police said.

Images of the suspect were shared with the public at 11:18 p.m., police said.

At about 11:35 p.m., a caller’s tip led police to the suspect, authorities said.

Feb 14, 12:36 PM EST
Suspect had 2 guns, numerous magazines

The suspected shooter, 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, lived in Lansing, officials said.

The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as law enforcement was approaching, a law enforcement source briefed on the situation said.

The source added that a firearm was recovered at the scene, and a second firearm was found in a backpack along with numerous magazines.

McRae served 18 months in prison between 2019 and 2021 on a weapons charge for having a loaded weapon in his vehicle, according to Michigan’s Department of Corrections.

-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Luke Barr and Josh Margolin

Feb 14, 12:25 PM EST
Michigan State police releases names of 2 victims

Two of the three Michigan State students killed in the shooting have been identified by university police.

Brian Fraser, a sophomore, was from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, while Alexandria Verner, a junior, was from Clawson. Authorities said they will not be naming the third victim at the request of the family.

Five other students remain in the hospital following the attack.

Feb 14, 11:56 AM EST
Shock, fear, confusion at Michigan State

At Michigan State, students and staff are overcome with shock, fear and confusion, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor told ABC News’ GMA3.

“It’s a terrible time. No mayor, no governor, no elected official ever wants to be up all night or wake up to a situation like this,” he said.

Schor said mental health resources are available.

Schor said the five injured students “are critical but stable.”

“It’s touch and go,” he said. “and the doctors are doing their best to work as aggressively as possible.”

Feb 14, 11:02 AM EST
Suspect had note indicating threat to NJ schools

When the suspect, 43-year-old Anthony McRae, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said there was a note in his pocket indicating a threat to two public schools in Ewing, New Jersey, according to Ewing police.

McRae had local ties to Ewing but hasn’t lived in the area in several years, police said.

Ewing Public Schools are closed on Tuesday out of an abundance of caution, police said. However, no threat has been found and schools are expected to reopen on Wednesday, police said.

McRae “had a history of mental health issues,” police added.

Feb 14, 8:47 AM EST
No motive known

No motive is known, police said. The 43-year-old suspect, Anthony McRae, had no known connection to the university, according to authorities.

After police released the suspect’s photo, a tip from a caller led authorities to finding him, officials said.

A search warrant has been executed at a home, police said.

Feb 14, 8:14 AM EST
Michigan leaders call out US gun violence

At a news conference Tuesday, Michigan leaders called out the prevalence of U.S. gun violence.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said, “I cannot believe I am here again doing this 15 months later,” speaking at the scene of another Michigan school shooting, referring to the November 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School where four students were killed and several others were injured.

“I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference about our children being killed in schools,” she said.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer added, “We’re all broken by an all-too-familiar feeling.”

“We cannot keep living like this,” she said. “Our children are scared to go to school. People feel unsafe in their houses of worship or local stores.”

Feb 14, 6:00 AM EST
City manager thanks ‘brave’ first responders after ‘horrific act of violence’

Interim East Lansing City Manager Randy Talifarro described Monday night’s mass shooting at Michigan State University as a “horrific act of violence.”

“The City of East Lansing is mourning the devastating shooting that occurred on the campus of Michigan State University tonight,” Talifarro said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all of the victims of this horrific act of violence as well as their family and friends. East Lansing and MSU have always shared in each other’s victories and each other’s losses. Tonight, we hold space while we grapple with this devastating loss of life together.”

Talifarro also thanked the “brave first responders who quickly responded to MSU’s campus.”

“Against every natural instinct they ran towards the sound of danger, seeking not their own wellbeing, but instead to protect and serve those in need,” he said. “And we stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone impacted by tonight’s events. Please know that you’re not alone in your grief. We stand with you and will be here as we seek to heal as a community.”

City buildings and offices, including city hall, the public library and the district court, will be closed to the general public on Tuesday. Essential city employees will be reporting to work.

Drop-in counseling services will be available for members of the community at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center beginning at 9 a.m. ET.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A man driving a U-Haul was “suffering from a mental health crisis” and was off his medication when he allegedly struck nine people with the rented box truck in Brooklyn on Monday, one of whom died, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.

The suspect, Weng Sor, told police he saw an “invisible object” come toward his vehicle and said, “I’ve had enough” before beginning what police later called a “violent rampage” through Brooklyn, Essig said.

Sor, 62, was charged Tuesday with one count of murder and seven counts of attempted murder.

The incident left four people hospitalized, two in critical condition and two in serious condition, according to police.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell promised to work with the Brooklyn DA’s office to achieve a “measure of justice” for the victims.

One victim, a 44-year-old, died from his injuries, police sources later told ABC News.

The NYPD said the victims range in age from 30 to 66 years old.

One of the eight injured was a police officer who tried to stop the driver, Sewell said.

According to Essig, when police finally stopped Sor near the Battery Tunnel, he said to the officers, “You should have shot me.”

Sor lives with his mother in Las Vegas, where he has eight prior arrests dating back to 2002 for DWI, evading a police officer, battery, resisting arrest, domestic battery and battery with a deadly weapon, according to authorities.

He was also stopped in South Carolina in the rented U-Haul on Feb. 5 for reckless driving and marijuana possession, police said.

Sor rented the U-Haul in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 1 and remained in the state through Feb. 4, which police said they confirmed through ATM withdrawals.

On Feb. 6, he showed up at the Brooklyn residence of his son, from whom he is estranged, to shower. He returned to Brooklyn Monday after driving through Millburn, New Jersey, a day earlier, Essig said.

Police said the rampage lasted more than an hour, beginning at 10:20 a.m. in Sunset Park, continuing through Bay Ridge before finally ending at 11:24 a.m. in Red Hook.

U-Haul said in a statement that the truck was rented for 30 days with a return date of March 3, and that the daily cost of the rental was paid in advance and on a valid contract.

“It was an in-town rental, meaning the equipment was supposed to be returned to the location from which it was dispatched,” U-Haul said. “Our customers provide valid identification/driver’s license, valid form of payment, and any additional forms of meaningful assurance our rental agents deem necessary to try to make certain our equipment will be returned in proper condition, and at the stipulated time and place. These criteria must be met before a transaction occurs.”

ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(EAST LANSING, Mich.) — Three students were killed and five others were wounded in Monday night’s mass shooting at Michigan State University.

The Michigan State University Police Department has released the names of the young lives lost.

Arielle Anderson

Arielle Anderson was a junior from Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Her family remembered her as a “precious daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend” in a statement shared Tuesday evening through her mother’s employer, Comerica Bank.

“As much as we loved her, she loved us and others even more,” the family said. “She was passionate about helping her friends and family, assisting children and serving people.”

Anderson, who was described as “sweet and loving with an infectious smile,” wanted to be a surgeon, her family said.

“Driven by her aspiration to tend to the health and welfare of others as a surgeon, she was working diligently to graduate from Michigan State University early to achieve her goals as quickly as possible,” the family said.

“We are absolutely devastated by this heinous act of violence upon her and many other innocent victims,” the statement added.

Brian Fraser

Brian Fraser was a sophomore, also from Grosse Pointe.

Fraser was president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Michigan State.

“As the leader of his chapter, Brian was a great friend to his Phi Delt brothers, the Greek community at Michigan State, and those he interacted with on campus,” Phi Delta Theta said in a statement.

Alexandria Verner

Alexandria Verner was a junior from Clawson, Michigan.

Verner, who graduated from Clawson High School in 2020, “was a tremendous student, athlete, leader,” Clawson Public Schools said in a statement.

She “exemplified kindness every day of her life,” the school district said. “If you knew her, you loved her and we will forever remember the lasting impact she has had on all of us.”

Verner is survived by her parents, sister and brother, according to the school district.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(EAST LANSING, Mich.) — Three students were killed and five other students were injured by a gunman who opened fire at an academic building and the student union on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing on Monday night, police said.

After an hourslong manhunt, police found the 43-year-old suspect, Anthony McRae, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound off campus.

All five injured students remain in critical condition Tuesday morning, officials said.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 14, 6:27 PM EST
Victim Arielle Anderson remembered for passion to help others

Arielle Anderson, a junior from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, was one of the three Michigan State students killed in the shooting. Her family remembered her as a “precious daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend” in a statement shared Tuesday evening through her mother’s employer, Comerica Bank.

“As much as we loved her, she loved us and others even more,” the family said. “She was passionate about helping her friends and family, assisting children and serving people.”

Anderson, who was described as “sweet and loving with an infectious smile,” wanted to be a surgeon, her family said.

“Driven by her aspiration to tend to the health and welfare of others as a surgeon, she was working diligently to graduate from Michigan State University early to achieve her goals as quickly as possible,” the family said.

“We are absolutely devastated by this heinous act of violence upon her and many other innocent victims,” the statement added.

Feb 14, 3:26 PM EST
University releases names of victims

The three Michigan State students killed in the shooting have been identified by university police.

Brian Fraser, a sophomore, and Arielle Anderson, a junior, were both from Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Alexandria Verner, a junior, was from Clawson, Michigan.

Five other students remain in the hospital in critical condition following the attack.

Feb 14, 2:19 PM EST
Suspect walked from his home to campus, viewed himself as ‘loner’

The FBI offered new details on the suspected gunman in a confidential briefing to law enforcement on Tuesday.

Investigators have determined 43-year-old Anthony McRae walked from his home to Michigan State and had no connection to the university or the victims.

Authorities said that when McRae was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he had a “3-page document expressing his reasons for the attack and a number of additional locations in Lansing and Holt, Mich.; Ewing Township and Franklin Park, NJ; and Colorado Springs, Colo., which had ‘hurted’ (sic) him and, therefore, were deserving of attack.” Agents believe he had “personal grievances” with people at those locations.

McRae lived with his father, who is cooperating with the investigation, the FBI reported.

Investigators said the suspect’s writings confirmed he “was often alone.” The briefing said the gunman viewed himself as “a loner” and an “outcast” who was “never noticed or accepted by others.”

-ABC News’ Josh Margolin

Feb 14, 1:12 PM EST
Biden urges Congress to ‘enact commonsense gun law reforms’

President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday, “Our hearts are with these young victims and their families, the broader East Lansing and Lansing communities, and all Americans across the country grieving as the result of gun violence.”

Biden noted that the Michigan State mass shooting came one night before the U.S. marked five years since the Parkland, Florida, high school massacre. In the Feb. 14, 2018 school shooting in Parkland, 17 students and staff were gunned down.

“I have taken action to combat this epidemic in America, including a historic number of executive actions and the first significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years, but we must do more,” Biden said.

He stressed, “Congress must do something and enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, closing loopholes in our background check system, requiring safe storage of guns, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets. Action is what we owe to those grieving today in Michigan and across America.”

Feb 14, 1:04 PM EST
Timeline of the shooting

The first active shooter call came in at 8:18 p.m. from Berkey Hall, an academic building, and the university immediately told students to shelter in place, the Michigan State University Police Department said.

Shots were fired soon after at the student union.

At about 11 p.m., the suspected gunman was seen on campus security cameras, police said.

Images of the suspect were shared with the public at 11:18 p.m., police said.

At about 11:35 p.m., a caller’s tip led police to the suspect, authorities said.

Feb 14, 12:36 PM EST
Suspect had 2 guns, numerous magazines

The suspected shooter, 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, lived in Lansing, officials said.

The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as law enforcement was approaching, a law enforcement source briefed on the situation said.

The source added that a firearm was recovered at the scene, and a second firearm was found in a backpack along with numerous magazines.

McRae served 18 months in prison between 2019 and 2021 on a weapons charge for having a loaded weapon in his vehicle, according to Michigan’s Department of Corrections.

-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Luke Barr and Josh Margolin

Feb 14, 12:25 PM EST
Michigan State police releases names of 2 victims

Two of the three Michigan State students killed in the shooting have been identified by university police.

Brian Fraser, a sophomore, was from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, while Alexandria Verner, a junior, was from Clawson. Authorities said they will not be naming the third victim at the request of the family.

Five other students remain in the hospital following the attack.

Feb 14, 11:56 AM EST
Shock, fear, confusion at Michigan State

At Michigan State, students and staff are overcome with shock, fear and confusion, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor told ABC News’ GMA3.

“It’s a terrible time. No mayor, no governor, no elected official ever wants to be up all night or wake up to a situation like this,” he said.

Schor said mental health resources are available.

Schor said the five injured students “are critical but stable.”

“It’s touch and go,” he said. “and the doctors are doing their best to work as aggressively as possible.”

Feb 14, 11:02 AM EST
Suspect had note indicating threat to NJ schools

When the suspect, 43-year-old Anthony McRae, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said there was a note in his pocket indicating a threat to two public schools in Ewing, New Jersey, according to Ewing police.

McRae had local ties to Ewing but hasn’t lived in the area in several years, police said.

Ewing Public Schools are closed on Tuesday out of an abundance of caution, police said. However, no threat has been found and schools are expected to reopen on Wednesday, police said.

McRae “had a history of mental health issues,” police added.

Feb 14, 8:47 AM EST
No motive known

No motive is known, police said. The 43-year-old suspect, Anthony McRae, had no known connection to the university, according to authorities.

After police released the suspect’s photo, a tip from a caller led authorities to finding him, officials said.

A search warrant has been executed at a home, police said.

Feb 14, 8:14 AM EST
Michigan leaders call out US gun violence

At a news conference Tuesday, Michigan leaders called out the prevalence of U.S. gun violence.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said, “I cannot believe I am here again doing this 15 months later,” speaking at the scene of another Michigan school shooting, referring to the November 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School where four students were killed and several others were injured.

“I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference about our children being killed in schools,” she said.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer added, “We’re all broken by an all-too-familiar feeling.”

“We cannot keep living like this,” she said. “Our children are scared to go to school. People feel unsafe in their houses of worship or local stores.”

Feb 14, 6:00 AM EST
City manager thanks ‘brave’ first responders after ‘horrific act of violence’

Interim East Lansing City Manager Randy Talifarro described Monday night’s mass shooting at Michigan State University as a “horrific act of violence.”

“The City of East Lansing is mourning the devastating shooting that occurred on the campus of Michigan State University tonight,” Talifarro said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all of the victims of this horrific act of violence as well as their family and friends. East Lansing and MSU have always shared in each other’s victories and each other’s losses. Tonight, we hold space while we grapple with this devastating loss of life together.”

Talifarro also thanked the “brave first responders who quickly responded to MSU’s campus.”

“Against every natural instinct they ran towards the sound of danger, seeking not their own wellbeing, but instead to protect and serve those in need,” he said. “And we stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone impacted by tonight’s events. Please know that you’re not alone in your grief. We stand with you and will be here as we seek to heal as a community.”

City buildings and offices, including city hall, the public library and the district court, will be closed to the general public on Tuesday. Essential city employees will be reporting to work.

Drop-in counseling services will be available for members of the community at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center beginning at 9 a.m. ET.

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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Waterways along the Ohio River are still contaminated with hazardous materials following a train derailment that spilled multiple toxic chemicals, but officials are confident that those waterways are contained and not affecting water supplies. Officials announced the latest news during a press conference on Tuesday.

Four tributaries over a space of 7.5 miles are contaminated, director of Ohio Department of Natural Resources Mary Mertz told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday.

According to Mertz, the contaminated waterways has led to the deaths of at least 3,500 fish. Mertz also stated that officials have detected 12 different species of dead fish, but none of those species are threatened or endangered. There is also no evidence that non-aquatic species have been impacted.

However, there does not appear to be any increase in the number of fish killed since the initial derailment, Mertz said.

The Norfolk Southern Railroad train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3 while traveling from Illinois to Pennsylvania. It contained several types of hazardous materials, such as vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colorless gas produced for commercial uses, as well as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene, according to a list of the cars that were involved in the derailment and the products they were carrying released by Norfolk Southern.

No vinyl chloride or pre-product has been detected in the water, Tiffani Kavalec, chief of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s division of surface water, told reporters in Tuesday’s news conference. The contamination mostly consists of fire contaminant combustion materials, Kavalec said.

Health officials are tracking a plume filled with contaminants that is currently floating down the river at about one mile an hour, Kavalec said. Around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, it was near Huntsville, West Virginia.

“There are very very low levels of volatile organic compounds in the Ohio River itself,” she said. “It appears it’s been very diluted.”

The contamination dissipates to non-detectable levels near Little Beaver Creek, Kavalec said, adding it’s not affecting the drinking supply for residents.

“We’re pretty confident that these low levels are not getting passed on to the customers,” she said.

Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, advised residents who are living on private water systems to get their wells tested, especially if they are pregnant, breastfeeding or preparing baby formula.

Most of the residents in East Palestine are on municipal water, Vanderhoff said.

Surveillance video of the crash appears to show a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat moments before the derailment, the National Transportation Safety Board announced on Tuesday in a press release.

Following the crash, emergency response teams worked to immediately slow the contamination of waterways from the runoff, while firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, DeWine said.

For days, large plumes of smoke containing vinyl chloride, phosgene, hydrogen chloride and other gases were emitted during a controlled release and burn at the crash site, prompting officials to issue mandatory evacuation orders for homes and businesses within a 1-mile radius.

DeWine decided that the controlled burn was the best course of action after he was advised that a catastrophic explosion was likely, which would result in shrapnel being flung out for up to a mile from the site, he said.

“My objective is to do everything we can to get this cleaned up as quickly as we can,” the governor said.

The hazardous materials that burned in the wreckage of the train derailment in Ohio had the potential to be deadly if evacuations not been ordered, experts told ABC News last week. Residents living in nearby homes were contacted at least three times before the controlled burn began, Dewine said.

The evacuation orders were lifted on Feb. 8 after air and water samples taken the day before were deemed safe, officials said.

There were 20 total hazardous material cars in the train consist,10 of which derailed, according to the NTSB. Five of the 10 cars containing toxins also contained vinyl chloride, officials said.

A total of 38 cars derailed, which caused a fire that damaged an additional 12 cars, according to the NTSB.

The train was not considered a “high hazardous material train,” and therefore the railroad was not required to notify state officials about what the cars were containing, DeWine said.

“If this is true, and I’m told it’s true, this is absurd,” Dewine said. “We need to look at this. Congress needs to look at how these things are handled.”

The tank cars are currently being decontaminated, according to the NTSB. Once the decontamination process has completed, NTSB investigators will return to Ohio to complete a thorough examination of the tank cars.

No detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride were identified for the 291 homes that had been screened, according to the EPA. As of Monday evening, 181 homes remained to be screened. Local schools and the library were screened yesterday, the EPA announced.

The fume inhalation of vinyl chloride could cause dizziness, nausea, headache, visual disturbances, respiratory problems and other health-related issues, Ashok Kumar, a professor in the University of Toledo’s department of civil and environmental engineering, told ABC News last week.

Hydrogen chloride fumes could irritate the throat and cause skin problems, while phosgene fumes may lead to chest constriction and choking, Kumar said.

Vanderhoff emphasized that volatile organic compounds are a part of “everyday life” and are typically inhaled if in the presence of burning wood or natural gas or someone who is smoking.

“Most people can be around these volatile organic compounds at low levels without really feeling health effects,” he said. “At higher levels, especially over a longer period of time, then we can have longer-term health effects.”

Norfolk Southern announced in a statement Tuesday that it has helped 1,000 families as well as a number of businesses in the community. The railway operator has also distributed $1.2 million to families to cover costs related to the evacuation.

Alan Shaw, the CEO Norfolk Southern, pledged that the railway operator would guarantee the cleanup from the accident, Dewine said.

A lawsuit filed by two residents of East Palestine on Feb. 9 called for the rail operator to pay for medical screenings and related care for anyone living within a 30-mile radius of the crash site, as well as undetermined damages, The Associated Press reported.

“Norfolk Southern is responsible for this problem,” DeWine siad. “We fully expect them to live up to what the CEO committed to me. Is that they will pay for everything.”

The NTSB is conducting a safety investigation to determine the probable cause of the derailment, the agency said.

ABC News’ Amanda Maile and Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.

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(EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo.) — A Missouri man accused of holding a woman captive for a month in his basement has been indicted by a grand jury on charges including kidnapping and rape, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Timothy M. Haslett, 40, was arrested in October 2022 after a woman reportedly said she was being held captive in his Excelsior Springs home.

A grand jury has indicted him on nine charges — including rape in the first degree, four counts of sodomy in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree and two counts of assault in the first degree — Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.

If convicted of all charges, he faces up to five life sentences and 36 years in prison, he said.

“We would not be here today if not for the bravery of one woman, and the tireless efforts of the men and women of 16 different agencies,” Thompson said.

Grand jury proceedings in Missouri are confidential, Thompson noted.

Haslett is currently being held on a $3 million bond and is next due in court on Feb. 17, Thompson said. His public defender, Tiffany Leuty, told ABC News they have no comment at this time.

The indictment alleges that the crimes were committed between Sept. 1 and Oct. 7, 2022, and that several were committed with the intent of “terrorizing” the victim.

Haslett was also indicted on endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly leaving firearms unsecured around an 8-year-old, according to the indictment.

Haslett was initially charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault of the 22-year-old woman who allegedly escaped from his home last year. He entered a not-guilty plea to those charges in October.

The woman told the neighbors she had been held captive for a month in Haslett’s basement and had been bound, beaten and raped, according to police.

“It was readily apparent that she had been held against her will for a significant period of time,” Excelsior Springs Police Lt. Ryan Dowdy told reporters during a news conference on Oct. 7, according to ABC News Kansas City affiliate KMBC.

Haslett’s basement room was consistent with what the victim described, according to a probable cause affidavit for the arrest.

The victim, who is Black, fled to a neighbor’s home wearing lingerie, a metal collar with a padlock and duct tape around her neck, according to the affidavit.

Missouri community members, including Kansas City community leader Bishop Tony Caldwell, have claimed other Black women have been abducted and murdered without any police follow-up before this incident last fall.

There is no public evidence supporting this claim, police said. The Kansas City Police Department told ABC last fall there were no filed missing person reports to the department, specifically reports from Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, where the woman was allegedly taken.

Prosecutors said Tuesday they were still searching for a potential witness whose whereabouts are unknown. Thompson said the person may have information relevant to the case, though did not elaborate.

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