National

(DELPHI, Ind.) — The family of Libby German, one of the two teenage girls murdered on a Delphi, Indiana, hiking trail in 2017, is now grappling with the news that the suspect in custody is a local resident.

“It’s a small community,” Libby’s grandmother and guardian, Becky Patty, told ABC News hours after Richard Allen’s arrest was announced. “For it to be one of us, it’s hard.”

“How can somebody do that and then just go on living life like nothing happened?” Libby’s grandfather, Mike Patty, added.

Indiana State Police revealed Monday that Allen, 50, a Delphi resident, is charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of 14-year-old Libby and 13-year-old Abby Williams.

Abby and Libby, best friends in the eighth grade, were walking on a trail in broad daylight when they were killed on Feb. 13, 2017. Delphi, a close-knit town of nearly 3,000 residents, was filled with fear in the wake of the double homicide. For more than five years, officials pleaded with the public to come forward with information.

Libby’s sister, Kelsi German, said she always felt the girls’ killer must be someone familiar with the Delphi area, but she said she didn’t want to believe the suspect “was right here among us.”

Libby’s aunt crossed paths with Allen at CVS once, according to the Pattys. The aunt brought in pictures of Libby to print for her funeral and said Allen didn’t charge her for them.

A CVS spokesperson said in a statement, “We are shocked and saddened to learn that one of our store employees was arrested as a suspect in these crimes. We stand ready to cooperate with the police investigation in any way we can.”

Monday marks the first time police have named a suspect in the case. Police have still not released how the girls were killed.

Libby’s sister said the arrest for her brings “new obstacles and emotions that we have to learn how to deal with.”

German said she visited her sister’s grave on Sunday to talk to her about the updates in the case.

Mike Patty commended the police officers who he said were diligent and “sacrificed their own family time” trying to solve his granddaughter’s case.

“They never let up,” he said.

Allen, who was taken into custody on Oct. 26, had his initial hearing and entered a not guilty plea, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said Monday. He’s being held without bond and is set to return to court in January, McLeland said. The prosecutor would not say when Allen became a suspect or if he knew Abby or Libby.

“There’s a lot of questions we have that are unanswered,” Mike Patty said, “but all in due time that will come.”

Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said the investigation is ongoing. Carter added that if anyone else was involved, that person will be held accountable.

Police encourage the public to continue to submit tips at abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or 765-822-3535.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PARKLAND, Fla.) — Family members of the 17 students and staff killed in the Parkland high school massacre will have the opportunity to address gunman Nikolas Cruz in court on Tuesday as he’s sentenced to life in prison.

Last month, a Florida jury rejected prosecutors’ appeals for the death penalty, reaching a verdict on life in prison for the 2018 mass shooting Cruz committed at age 19 at South Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Many victims’ parents were outraged by the verdict, arguing that sparing Cruz the death penalty may send a bad message to future school shooters.

The jury’s decision needed to be unanimous to sentence Cruz to death.

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

Nov 01, 7:03 AM EDT
Outraged parents: ‘This jury failed our families’

Hours after the sentence was announced on Oct. 13, Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son, Joaquin, was among the victims, told ABC News Live he had hoped for the death penalty.

“Even the death penalty was not enough for me,” he said. “The way that Joaquin died … the amount of suffering and pain, the shooter will have never received that punishment.”

His wife, Patricia Oliver, told ABC News she feels enraged by the jury’s decision, and said her son did not get justice.

To jurors who voted against the death penalty, she said, “They have to live with that in their conscience. Life is about karma. They will remember what they did when the time comes.”

Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the massacre, said he was “stunned” by the verdict.

“I could not be more disappointed,” he told reporters on Oct. 13. “I don’t know how this jury came to the conclusions that they did.”

“This decision today only makes it more likely that the next mass shooting will be attempted,” he said.

Guttenberg said he thinks the next mass shooter is planning his attack now, and “that person now believes that they can get away with it.”

“There are 17 victims that did not receive justice today,” Guttenberg said. “This jury failed our families today. But I will tell you: The monster is gonna go to prison, and in prison, I hope and pray, he receives the kind of mercy from prisoners that he showed to my daughter and the 16 others. … He will die in prison, and I will be waiting to read that news on that.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(CHICAGO) — As many as 14 people, including a 3-year-old, were injured in a drive-by shooting in Chicago on Halloween, Chicago police said.

At least one person opened fire from a vehicle into a crowd in Garfield Park, a west Chicago neighborhood, officials said.

“We have reported at least up to 14 people shot,” Superintendent David Brown told reporters. “They’re all in various conditions, between critical and non-life-threatening. We also have a person struck by a vehicle at the scene as well.”

The injured included a 3-year-old and an 11-year-old, Brown said. He said there may also be a 13-year-old who was injured.

Police said they’re reviewing a video that captured the shooting, which lasted only a few seconds.

“We know it’s a drive-by,” Brown said. “We know it happens in just a few seconds. It begins and then it’s over. In about three seconds, the car’s pulling out after driving by and shooting randomly into the crowd.”

Police said they haven’t yet identified a suspect or motive for the shooting. There were “no known conflicts” at the corner where the shooting happened, Brown said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot just keeps getting bigger.

There was no winner that matched all six numbers after Monday’s drawing, and now the estimated jackpot for Wednesday is $1.2 billion, with a cash value of $596.7 million, Powerball said.

The winning numbers in Monday night’s estimated $1 billion jackpot were 19, 13, 39, 59 and 36, and the Powerball was 13. The powerplay number was 3.

While there was no jackpot winner, there was more than 5.4 million tickets totaling $59.5 million in cash prizes won on Halloween, Powerball said in a press release, including 10 tickets that matched all five white balls for a $1 million prize.

Wednesday’s jackpot marks the third time in the game’s 30-year history that the main prize has hit the $1 billion milestone.

If there’s a winner Wednesday night, the jackpot would be the second-largest jackpot in Powerball history and fourth-largest in U.S. lottery history, Powerball said.

The largest prize in Powerball history, sold in January 2016, was $1.586 billion and was shared by three winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.

What are your odds of winning the lottery

The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to a statement from Powerball.

How late can you buy Powerball tickets

According to Powerball, “sales cut-off times vary by selling jurisdiction. Please check with your local lottery for more information.”

What time is the Powerball drawing

The Powerball drawings happen Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, testifying Monday in the Oath Keepers’ seditious conspiracy trial, disputed claims by defense attorneys that members of the militia group were seen assisting and protecting him during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Five members of the group, including founder Stewart Rhodes, are currently standing trial on charges of conspiring to oppose by force the transfer of presidential power following the 2020 election. All have pleaded not guilty.

Dunn, who has been one of the most outspoken members of the Capitol Police to condemn the attack and those who incited the mob, was asked repeatedly about a photograph showing him in the Capitol with his back to a staircase that leads to the Rotunda.

Defense attorneys have repeatedly sought to claim the photo shows members of the Oath Keepers serving as a barrier to protect Dunn from members of the pro-Trump mob that were storming through the halls of the building.

Defense attorneys claim that such a posture would directly dispute the narrative put forward by prosecutors that the militia members who breached the Capitol were engaged in a violent plot to overthrow the U.S. government.

But Dunn testified that at no point did any individual in the photo offer him assistance or give him any impression they were protecting him.

“We have dozens of officers down, they’re taking them out on stretchers. Y’all are f—ing us up,” Dunn could be heard saying in video played by prosecutors.

“I’m not letting you come this way,” Dunn is heard saying later. In another video, he can be heard saying, “You all want an all-out war. You want to kill everybody.”

Dunn testified that immediately after he left the top of the stairwell, he saw two fellow officers being “accosted” by rioters. He said he sought to intervene by “making my presence known,” yelling at the rioters to get out.

He said he tried to keep his distance from the mob because he was holding a rifle and was concerned that a rioter could try and grab it.

Asked if he was intimidated, Dunn answered, “Yes, but I didn’t let that affect how I did my job.”

Asked what any of the rioters could have done to help him at that point, Dunn bluntly answered, “Leaving the building.”

Under cross-examination, defense attorneys for the Oath Keepers sought to poke holes in Dunn’s statements that he didn’t believe the group was protecting him.

He was asked by attorney Juli Haller about his posture in the photo, in which she said he looked “relaxed.”

“No, I was not relaxed at any point that day,” Dunn replied. “I was distressed, I was angry and I was scared.”

Prosecutors also played out a cellphone video shot by Dunn the day before the riot on Jan. 5, when he and several other officers were tasked with keeping people out of the street at a “Stop the Steal” protest in front of the Supreme Court.

At one point in the video, a man approaches Dunn and asks him if he knows the location of the “Oath Keepers command post.”

Dunn responds in the video that he doesn’t. After the man turns and leaves, Dunn asks a fellow officer, “Oath Keepers? What the f— are the Oath Keepers?”

Prosecutors said the exchange shows that Dunn did not know anything about the group prior to Jan. 6.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Five people, including a 1-year-old girl, were killed in a near-head-on collision on a Florida highway Sunday night, authorities said.

A 2015 Ford Explorer traveling north crossed the center line of the highway and collided nearly head-on with a 2021 Nissan Frontier, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a press release.

The 20-year-old female driver of the SUV and three of the vehicle’s six passengers, including 1-year-old and 12-year-old girls, suffered fatal injuries, the FHP said. A 56-year-old woman was also killed. The other three passengers, girls and women ages 5, 22 and 31, were in serious condition, according to the FHP.

It’s unclear why the SUV crossed over the highway, the FHP said. The incident happened at 9:22 p.m. on SR-39 in Hillsborough County, north of Plant City and about 25 miles northeast of Tampa. The driver and all passengers were wearing seatbelts or in child restraints, according to the FHP.

After the initial accident took place, a tractor-trailer collided with the pickup truck, which was in the southbound lane with no lights illuminating it following the crash, according to the press release.

The pickup truck driver, a 53-year-old man, suffered fatal injuries at the scene, the FHP said. The 1-year-old died at an area hospital, the highway patrol said.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 60-year-old man, suffered no injuries, according to the FHP.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(RALEIGH, N.C.) — Two South Carolina sheriffs are pushing back against claims that officers targeted a bus full of students from a historically Black university earlier this month.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright and Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller said at a joint press conference Monday that Shaw University President Paulette Dillard’s version of events of a traffic stop were wrong.

Eighteen students and two staff advisers from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, were on their way to the Center for Financial Advancement Conference in Atlanta on Oct. 5 when their bus was stopped by police over a minor traffic violation in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Dillard told ABC News Raleigh-Durham station WTVD-TV.

Dillard claimed Spartanburg County Sheriff police dogs searched through the students’ bags.

“President Dillard said they were searched by blood-thirsty dogs. There was one dog; he was on a leash. Students were never even close to that dog,” Wright said at the news conference. “None of the students were even asked off the bus.”

Dillard said the traffic stop was reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s when segregation was still practiced widely in the South.

“This behavior of targeting Black students is unacceptable and will not be ignored nor tolerated,” Dillard told WTVD. “Had the students been white, I doubt this detention and search would have occurred.”

She went on, “I wish racism would die the ugly, cruel death it deserves. And if anything we are ever doing is racist, I want to know it, I want to fix it and I want to never let it happen again, but this case right here has nothing to do with racism.”

In body camera footage from the South Carolina Sheriff’s Office, which was obtained by ABC News, officers can be seen approaching the bus, checking out the bus driver’s license and speaking to the driver while a police dog sniffed luggage located underneath the vehicle.

The video also shows an officer searching the driver for weapons after he placed his hand in his pockets. The driver pulls out candy from his pockets while engaging in conversation with the officer, according to the video.

Law enforcement officials issued the bus driver a written warning, the video shows.

Wright said he’s reached out to Dillard but hasn’t been able to speak to her.

Neither Shaw University nor Cherokee County Sheriff offices immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment. The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s office referred ABC News to its Facebook page, where it posted the press conference and bodycam footage.

Shortly after the alleged incident, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper expressed “deep concern” over what school officials say transpired during the traffic stop.

“The Governor shares the deep concern of Shaw University leaders about the treatment and safety of their students and has asked North Carolina Public Safety officials to discuss this matter with South Carolina law enforcement officials and express that concern,” according to a statement from Cooper’s office.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot ahead of Monday night’s drawing is an estimated $1 billion, only the second time in the game’s 30-year- history that the main prize has hit that milestone.

The cash value is estimated at $497.3 million, according to Powerball.

No one matched the winning numbers on Saturday night, where the jackpot was $825 million. Saturday’s numbers were 40, 19, 57, 31, 46 and the Powerball was 23. The powerplay number was 3.

Powerball said players won over $38 million in non-jackpot prizes on Saturday. Six tickets in California, Maryland, Michigan and Texas were valued at $1 million and a ticket holder in Florida won $2 million.

The jackpot is Powerball’s largest prize so far this year, the second-largest Powerball jackpot ever and the fifth-largest in U.S. lottery history, according to a press release from Powerball.

The largest prize in Powerball history was $1.586 billion sold in January 2016 and shared by three winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.

What are your odds of winning the lottery

The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to a statement from Powerball.

How late can you buy Powerball tickets

According to Powerball, “sales cut-off times vary by selling jurisdiction. Please check with your local lottery for more information.”

What time is the Powerball drawing

The Powerball drawings happen Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.

ABC News’ Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) — Two people are dead after a shooting erupted at a post office in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sunday night and ended when the suspect died crashing into a strip mall business while attempting to flee, police said.

The shooting unfolded about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Police officers responded to a report of shots fired at a post office in a neighborhood southeast of downtown Chattanooga, police Chief Celeste Murphy said at a news conference early Monday.

“Right now, all we know is that we have two people who are shot and the investigation is ongoing,” Murphy told reporters.

Murphy confirmed the post office shooting and a vehicle crash six miles away were connected to the same incident.

“The situation is contained. There is no further threat to the public,” Murphy said.

She said a motive for the shooting is under investigation. The names of the two people killed were not immediately released.

It was not immediately clear if the two people killed were employees of the post office. The postal facility was closed to the public at the time of the shooting.

The suspect, who was also shot in the incident, fled in a pickup truck, police said. The suspect drove about six miles before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into a business at the Northgate Mall.

The truck plowed through the front door of the Apple Nail Bar and continued through a wall into an adjacent FedEx office.

Alex Nguyen, who owns the Apple Nail Bar, told ABC affiliate station WTVC-TV in Chattanooga that he was scheduled to take over the business on Tuesday.

“I don’t know where to start to clean up because there’s so much work to do,” Nguyen said.

Murphy said the incident was contained to the post office and the mall where the crash occurred.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — A Grand Rapids police officer charged with second-degree murder of Patrick Lyoya will go to trial.

Christopher Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the Grand Rapids Police Department, has pleaded not guilty.

Judge Nicholas Ayoub reviewed evidence presented in Schurr’s preliminary hearing last week.

Lyoya, a 26-year-old native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was shot in the head on April 4 after Schurr pulled him over for a faulty license plate. His death prompted protests throughout Grand Rapids.

Body camera video showed Schurr shouting at Lyoya to “get in the car.” The footage was released nine days after the shooting.

Schurr can be heard asking Lyoya if he spoke English and then demanding that Lyoya show his driver’s license. Lyoya turned to a passenger in the car, closed the door and started to walk away from Schurr, according to the video.

Lyoya started to run. Schurr grabbed Lyoya and struggled with him before eventually forcing him to the ground, shouting “Stop resisting,” “Let go” and “Drop the Taser,” according to the video. The body camera was deactivated during the struggle, according to police.

Police said Lyoya grabbed at Schurr’s stun gun during the altercation. Schurr then shot Lyoya while he was on the ground, according to cellphone footage of the incident.

Cellphone footage from Lyoya’s friend Aime Tuiishme showed the moment Schurr shot Lyoya in the back of the head. The fatal shot was confirmed by both an independent autopsy report as well as the Kent County medical examiner.

Neighborhood resident Wayne Butler spoke to the court on Thursday, describing the altercation as “wrestling” and noted that Lyoya was not “on the offensive.”

Schurr was fired from the Grand Rapids Police Department in June after waiving his right to a discharge hearing.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.