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(PHILADELPHIA) — A former Philadelphia sheriff’s deputy allegedly illegally sold two firearms that were used in a deadly school shooting, according to federal prosecutors.

Samir Ahmad, 29, of Philadelphia, has been charged with firearms trafficking and selling firearms to a person unlawfully in the U.S., the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Ahmad allegedly sold a confidential FBI informant who was unlawfully in the U.S. several firearms while he was employed as a deputy sheriff with the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday.

One of the sales, for a revolver, occurred on April 27, according to the complaint. Prosecutors further alleged that he sold the informant two semi-automatic pistols for $3,000 on Oct. 13.

Law enforcement traced the two pistols to a recent shooting outside Roxborough High School in Philadelphia, according to federal prosecutors. Five high schoolers were shot, one fatally, after at least four people opened fire outside the school on Sept. 27, the DOJ said.

“Just two weeks later, the defendant obtained two of the guns used in that shooting then sold them to the informant,” prosecutors said in a motion for pretrial detention filed on Wednesday. “The fact that the defendant had access to these guns so quickly after they were used to commit such a horrific crime speaks volumes about the danger that this defendant poses to the community.”

The motion further alleges that Ahmad sold the informant another semi-automatic pistol, as well as more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, on Oct. 18.

Ahmad, who had been employed as a deputy with the sheriff’s office since February 2018, was fired and arrested on Oct. 19, the DOJ said. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the firearms trafficking charges and could face additional charges for the alleged drug and firearm sales on Oct. 18, according to the DOJ.

It is unclear if Ahmad has an attorney. Online court records do not list any attorney information.

“As alleged, Samir Ahmad abused his authority — to the greatest extent possible — as a sworn law enforcement officer,” U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said in a statement, charging that the former deputy was “adding fuel to the already incendiary fire of deadly gun violence in the city of Philadelphia.”

The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Ahmad was dismissed “for repeated violations” of the office’s “directives, policies and procedures.”

“As always, the Office of the Sheriff will continue to cooperate with local, state and federal authorities,” the statement said.

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(CINCINNATI, Ohio) — The city of Cincinnati is considering making trick-or-treating a weekend-only activity to keep children safer.

Council members Liz Keating, Reggie Harris, Scotty Johnson and Meeka Owens filed a motion Wednesday to move the popular candy-centric activity to early evening hours on a weekend since it gives more access to parents and guardians while avoiding rush hour traffic.

The city traditionally observes trick-or-treating on Halloween between 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., local time, which the council says creates visibility and safety issues since the sun sets earlier in the fall.

“Moving the time one or two hours earlier would provide daylight and visibility for all; adding significant safety measures for our children and youth throughout the 52 neighborhoods in our city,” The council members said in their motion.

Pedestrian fatalities are 43% higher on Halloween than on other days, according to a study from Jama Network.

Children between 4 to 8 years old see a 10-fold increase in pedestrian deaths on Halloween, the study said.

Last year, the Cincinnati Police Department released tips to keep people safe for Halloween, which includes:

• An adult should always accompany young children while they are out trick-or-treating.

• Older kids who do not need an adult should always trick-or-treat in groups.

• Make sure you choose bright-colored costumes for your kids and give them things such as glowsticks or flashlights to use when the sun sets.

• Make sure you use the sidewalk whenever possible and walk in well-lit areas.

• Teach your kids never to enter a stranger’s home.

• Always check your child’s candy before letting them consume any.

• If you are driving during Halloween, use extreme caution while on the roadways. Watch for excited children out trick-or-treating or those whose vision may be obstructed by a costume.

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(AUSTIN, Texas) — Families of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting victims slammed the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Col. Steven McCraw, at an ongoing public safety commission meeting in Austin on Thursday.

Brett Cross, guardian of 10-year-old Robb Elementary School victim Uziyah Garcia, said Thursday that police waited outside as the children were “slaughtered.”

Cross called for McCraw’s immediate resignation, saying he “disgraced the state.”

“If you’re a man of your word, you’ll resign,” Cross said before he read the names of the 19 children and two teachers who were killed.

Jesse Rizo, uncle of 9-year-old victim Jackie Cazares, said at the hearing that the aftermath of the shooting was “unacceptable” and was “adding insult to injury.”

“Mr. McCraw, you have all the resources in the world,” he said. “Yet you come out, your staff comes out, [providing] misinformation after misinformation. And it continues to happen.”

“You basically lit a match and set the town on fire,” he said.

“All we want are answers and full transparency,” he said. “Take urgency and responsibility and tell us where you and your departments are on the investigation and how soon we’ll have a complete report.”

Kimberley Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, was killed in the massacre, told ABC News Thursday morning that she’s attending the hearing to support another parent who is speaking and to push for McCraw to resign.

“DPS officers failed Uvalde students and teachers and our community,” Rubio said. “He is the leader, and sometimes when those below you fail, you have to take responsibility for that.”

Democratic Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who addressed law enforcement at the start of the hearing, also called for McCraw’s resignation.

The massacre “shattered” Texans’ “illusion” that they could trust law enforcement, Gutierrez said at the hearing.

“These children waited 77 minutes” for help, he said. “Children trapped in a classroom had the courage to seek help by calling 911 over and over again. Law enforcement knew there were kids inside.”

He went on, “We’ll never know how many children could have been saved.”

Gutierrez said the parents of the Uvalde victims “wake up every day from a dream thinking life’s OK. A minute later knowing that they’re living in this horrible reality.”

McCraw is expected to give an update on the shooting probe and the DPS’s internal investigation at Thursday’s meeting. This marks the first public update since mid-July.

Nineteen children and two teachers were shot and killed with an AR-15-style rifle in the May 24 massacre. Nearly 400 officers rushed to the school, but didn’t go into the classroom where the gunman was confined with his victims until over an hour later.

That slow response has led to a wide chorus of criticism for the responders. The school district’s police chief was fired, as was one of the first Texas state troopers to arrive at the scene. A second trooper who left DPS to work for the Uvalde school system has since been terminated by the district.

Uvalde’s entire school district police force has also been suspended.

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(AUSTIN, Texas) — The head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Col. Steven McCraw, is expected to give an update on the Uvalde shooting probe and the DPS’s internal investigation at a public safety commission meeting in Austin on Thursday.

Families of the Robb Elementary School victims are also expected to speak.

This will mark the first public update since mid-July.

Nineteen children and two teachers were shot and killed with an AR-15-style rifle in the May 24 massacre. Nearly 400 officers rushed to the school, but didn’t go into the classroom where the gunman was confined with his victims until over an hour later.

That slow response has led to a wide chorus of criticism for the responders. The school district’s police chief was fired, as was one of the first Texas state troopers to arrive at the scene. A second trooper who left DPS to work for the Uvalde school system has since been terminated by the district.

Uvalde’s entire school district police force has also been suspended.

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(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — The Grand Rapids, Michigan police officer charged with second-degree murder in Patrick Lyoya’s death had a preliminary court hearing on Thursday.

Evidence presented in the preliminary hearing will determine if there’s probable cause that Christopher Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the Grand Rapids Police Department, killed Lyoya. If probable cause is determined, the case may continue to a jury trial.

Schurr pleaded not guilty during his arraignment.

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. Police said Lyoya grabbed at Schurr’s stun gun during the altercation.

The body camera was deactivated during the struggle, according to police.

Lyoya was then shot in the back of the head, according to an independent autopsy report and the Kent County medical examiner.

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

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(BRANSON, Mo.) — Seven people have been hospitalized after a train derailed at the Silver Dollar City amusement park in Branson, Missouri, Wednesday night.

Sections of the Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train derailed from the track, and six guests and one employee were transported to nearby medical facilities, the park said in a statement.

“At this time, we are wholeheartedly focused on providing support for guests and team members in partnership with Stone County first responders,” it added.

Stone County Emergency Management Director Tom Martin said three of the cars turned over, and the ride is closed.

“The state fire marshall has been contacted to investigate if any malfunctions happened on the ride,” Martin said.

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(NEW YORK) — A whopping $800 million is up for grabs in the next Powerball drawing on Saturday night, lottery officials said, in what is expected to be the second biggest jackpot drawing of all time.

The winning numbers drawn on Wednesday night were 19, 36, 37, 46, 56 and 24, and the Power Play is 2X.

Wednesday’s jackpot was Powerball’s largest prize so far this year, the fifth-largest in the American lottery game’s 30-year history and the eighth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever, according to a press release from Powerball.

Jackpot winners can either take the money as an immediate cash lump sum or in 30 annual payments over 29 years. The cash value of Wednesday’s $700 million jackpot is $335.7 million, Powerball said.

Tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was purchased, according to Powerball.

The jackpot grows based on game sales and interest rates. But the odds of winning the big prize stays the same — 1 in 292.2 million, Powerball said.

Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The drawings are also livestreamed online at Powerball.com.

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(NEW YORK) — A Texas man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly trying to smuggle dozens of undocumented immigrants across the U.S. border hidden in a dump truck, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Robert Flores Jr., 38, from Poteet, Texas, was charged with 84 counts of human smuggling after being stopped on Interstate Highway 35 in Cotulla, Texas, for a commercial motor vehicle safety inspection, authorities said.

Texas DPS said Flores Jr. was allegedly smuggling 84 migrants from Guatemala and Mexico.

The suspect allegedly bypassed a border patrol checkpoint in Texas’ Webb County when he was pulled over, Texas DPS spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez said on Twitter.

“The Texas Department of Public Safety remains committed in deterring human smuggling and disrupting criminal activity,” Olivarez told ABC News in a statement. “As part of Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, DPS will continue to enhance border operations and commercial motor vehicle safety inspections.”

The migrants were handed over to U.S. Border Patrol, according to Texas DPS.

U.S. Border Patrol’s apprehensions of migrants have exceeded two million so far this fiscal year, including people who turn themselves into authorities between land ports of entry, according to agency data from September.

Last year, law enforcement officials detained 1.66 million migrants and encountered them nearly two million times. As of September, there have been more than 2.4 million encounters.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice will not pursue any federal charges in the in-custody death of a mentally ill Black man at a South Carolina jail last year, officials said Wednesday.

Jamal Sutherland, 31, died on Jan. 5, 2021, at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston hours after deputies attempted to remove him from his cell to attend a bond hearing for a misdemeanor assault charge that morning. He was arrested the day before following a fight at a mental health and substance abuse center where he was being treated for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, his family said.

Body-camera footage released by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office showed deputies repeatedly deploy stun guns, use pepper spray and place a knee on Sutherland’s back. He became unresponsive and was later declared dead.

Two deputies, Lindsey Fickett and Brian Houle, were later fired amid the investigation into his death. A local solicitor ultimately declined to issue any criminal charges against them, saying the two made “grave mistakes” but that their actions didn’t amount to a crime. Charleston County agreed to pay a $10 million settlement to Sutherland’s family last year.

After reviewing evidence including “reports, law enforcement accounts, witness statements, physical evidence reports, training materials, photographs and videos of the incident,” the Justice Department said it will not pursue any criminal civil rights charges against two former deputies for Sutherland’s death, though it did not identify them by name.

“They also reviewed the Charleston County Solicitor’s Office’s public report on Sutherland’s death, including the expert force and medical analyses referenced in that report, which laid out the reasons why the state declined to pursue criminal charges,” the DOJ said in a press release.

Federal prosecutors were determining whether the force used against Sutherland violated federal criminal civil rights laws, including a federal criminal civil rights statute that “prohibits certain types of official misconduct,” the DOJ said.

“After this review, prosecutors determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that deputies willfully violated the federal criminal civil rights statutes,” the DOJ said.

Representatives of Sutherland’s family have been informed of the determination, and the department’s review of the incident has been closed, according to the DOJ.

Sutherland’s mother, Amy Sutherland, told reporters she spoke with DOJ officials in Charleston on Tuesday.

“I wanted to scream again, but screaming days is over,” Amy Sutherland said when asked about her reaction to the decision during a press briefing Wednesday. “My tears didn’t do anything to solve any problems.”

She said she did feel some closure at the news.

“I was upset from the time my son died until yesterday, because I felt like I had failed him in getting help,” she said. “But yesterday, after they came down, I was able to say, Jamal, your mom did all she could.”

ABC News was unable to reach Fickett or Houle for comment.

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(NEW YORK) — Angelo Colon-Ortiz pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder and unarmed robbery charges in connection with the 2016 killing of Vanessa Marcotte, a Google employee in New York City who was killed while jogging near her mother’s home in Princeton, Massachusetts.

Colon-Ortiz, who was arrested in 2017, was sentenced to life in prison.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said the Marcotte family asked prosecutors to accept the plea to spare them from listening to the details of Vanessa’s death during a trial.

“We know nothing can bring Vanessa back, but we know, through the meticulous work of the prosecutors and investigators involved, justice will be served, and the plea allows Vanessa’s family to move on from this tragedy,” Early said in a statement.

The Marcotte family issued a statement thanking prosecutors and remembering Vanessa.

“We are thankful and gratified the legal process has accomplished what we always wished for, that this man will now be in a place where he can’t hurt anyone else like the way he hurt Vanessa,” the Marcotte family said. “To honor and remember Vanessa, we will continue to educate and protect women through the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation.”

The foundation trains women in self-defense and teaches women and girls about jogger safety, violence prevention and healthy relationships.

Marcotte, 27, had worked for Google in New York City. She was visiting family in Massachusetts in August 2016 when she went out for a jog on the afternoon of Aug. 7, 2016, and was reported missing after she did not return to her family’s home. Marcotte’s body was discovered in the woods not far from her family’s home later that evening.

Investigators received more than 1,300 tips but a state trooper’s spotting of an SUV with a driver that matched the suspect’s description proved to be the big break in the case.

The trooper wrote down the license plate number on his hand and authorities were then able to obtain DNA from the suspect, who was identified as Colon-Ortiz. His DNA led to a match from evidence collected at the crime scene.

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