New York AG asks judge to reject Trump lawsuit seeking emergency protections

New York AG asks judge to reject Trump lawsuit seeking emergency protections
New York AG asks judge to reject Trump lawsuit seeking emergency protections
YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday urged a federal judge in Florida to reject a lawsuit against her by a “disgruntled” Donald Trump.

Trump, in the suit, is seeking emergency protection for the revocable trust in which he parked his ownership of the Trump Organization. He accused James of seeking to invade his privacy by asking for documents about the trust as part of her $250 million civil lawsuit filed in September against the former president and his family.

The state attorney general’s office, in a new court filing Wednesday, said Trump deserves no relief from the court.

“There is no emergency requiring the Court to grant the extraordinary relief of a temporary injunction,” James’ filing said. “Instead, there is a just a disgruntled litigant, Donald J. Trump, who impermissibly seeks to evade the jurisdiction of a New York state court that is presiding over an enforcement action alleging pervasive fraud and illegality by him and others in the conduct of his New York-based business and has issued a number of rulings that he considers unfavorable.”

James has alleged Trump improperly adjusted the values of his real estate holdings to suit his business interests of the moment. His counterclaim in Florida, she said, is an attempted “end-run around the jurisdiction of the New York state court” where her lawsuit is filed.

Trump has denied all wrongdoing.

James defended her pursuit of information about the trust because, her filing said, it owns all of the assets that are valued in Trump’s financial disclosures. James has alleged those disclosures were fraudulent because they inflated Trump’s net worth and tricked banks into giving the former president more favorable loan terms than he deserved.

Fearing the alleged fraud was still going on, James last month convinced a judge to impose an independent monitor to oversee aspects of the Trump Organization’s business, including the preparation of Trump’s financial disclosures.

Trump argued the details of his trust should remain shielded from James because she would “widely publish” them, violating his right to privacy.

“Such a conclusory allegation is legally insufficient to support a motion for a preliminary injunction and belied by the documentary record,” James’ filing said. “Moreover, Mr. Trump fails to acknowledge that appropriate reasonable redactions are available to him in order to mitigate against any purported, albeit speculative, harm related to his estate planning information.”

The case, originally filed in Florida state court, was removed to federal court last month and assigned to a judge who has previously sanctioned Trump’s legal team for filing a frivolous lawsuit.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Patrick Lyoya’s family files lawsuit against police officer who fatally shot him

Patrick Lyoya’s family files lawsuit against police officer who fatally shot him
Patrick Lyoya’s family files lawsuit against police officer who fatally shot him
Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty Images

(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — The family of Patrick Lyoya, who was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Grand Rapids, Michigan, police officer in April, has filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against the officer and the city.

Their attorneys, Ben Crump and Ven Johnson, announced the lawsuit at a Wednesday press conference, alongside Lyoya’s father Peter Lyoya.

The complaint against the now-former officer Christopher Schurr and the city of Grand Rapids includes both state and federal counts, Johnson said. The first claim alleges that Schurr used “unnecessary illegal excessive force.” The second claim alleges the city’s policies, practices, and training “led to Schurr utilizing excessive force.”

The attorneys played three videos of the April 4 incident at the press conference, including footage from the dashcam of Schurr’s car, his body camera, and cellphone footage taken by the passenger in Lyoya’s vehicle. Lyoya’s lawyers also allege they have the Ring home security camera video from the house across the street. They said they are also hoping to obtain the camera footage from the stun gun Schurr deployed during his confrontation with Lyoya.

Body camera and dashcam footage showed Schurr pulling Lyoya, a 26-year-old native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, over because his license plate allegedly didn’t match his car. After Schurr asked for his driver’s license, Lyoya started to run.

Schurr then pursued and tackled him to the ground. Both were struggling on the ground and then Lyoya grabbed the officer’s stun gun. Lyoya was allegedly attempting to deflect the stun gun away from himself, not to wrestle it from Schurr to use against him, the attorneys said at the press conference Tuesday.

After restraining Lyoya by pressing his knee to his back, Schurr shot Lyoya while he was face down, the bodycamera and cellphone footage show.The Kent County medical examiner confirmed Lyoya died from a gunshot to the back of his head.

Lyoya’s family lawyers said the video footage and their consultations with police misconduct experts and taser experts will prove Schurr had racially profiled Lyoya when pulling him over and used excessive force, resulting in his death. The incident prompted protests throughout Grand Rapids.

Lyoya’s attorneys said Lyoya’s death was not an isolated incident, claiming there is a pattern of behavior in the police department that involves allegations of excessive force. Johnson said they found that between June 2015 and May 2020, 79 citizen complaints for excessive use of force were lodged against Grand Rapids police officers. All but two officers were “exonerated or otherwise cleared.”

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights is also investigating complaints of racial profiling and discrimination from Grand Rapids police officers, Johnson said.

An April 2017 study concluded that Black drivers in Grand Rapids were more than twice as likely compared to white drivers to be stopped by police despite constituting only 14 percent of the city’s population.

“You have this pattern and practice of excessive force, so when you take ‘driving while Black’ plus excessive force, you end up with Patrick Lyoya being unjustly executed by this Grand Rapids police officer,” Crump said at the press conference.

A Grand Rapids spokesperson said in a statement that the city has not yet received the lawsuit and cannot address the specifics.

“Upon receipt, we will review the lawsuit and respond appropriately in court,” the spokesperson said.

Schurr’s attorneys did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.

Schurr’s legal team previously wrote in a statement to Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM-TV that Lyoya’s death was “not murder but an unfortunate tragedy, resulting from a highly volatile situation.”

“Mr. Lyoya continually refused to obey lawful commands and ultimately disarmed a police officer,” they wrote. “Mr. Lyoya gained full control of a police officer’s weapon while resisting arrest, placing Officer Schurr in fear of great bodily harm or death.”

Schurr, a seven-year veteran of the Grand Rapids Police Department, has also been criminally charged with second-degree murder in the case and will stand trial. He pleaded not guilty.

Schurr was fired from the police force in June.

Peter Lyoya, who says he watched the footage of the April 4 confrontation for the first time at the press conference, said he continues to have nightmares about his son getting shot. But he said he hopes the lawsuit will help prevent other parents from experiencing the loss he did.

“The pain is so deep,” he said in his native language Swahili through an interpreter. “The bitterness is so deep to the point that I can even lose my life every time when I think about my son leaving us.”

“I don’t want else to happen to other parent because if Patrick gets his justice today, it will stop a lot of things to happen to a lot of young men out there, Black or white, their parents don’t go through what I’m going through,” he said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Off-duty FBI agent appears to fatally shoot person at DC’s Metro Center station, police say

Off-duty FBI agent appears to fatally shoot person at DC’s Metro Center station, police say
Off-duty FBI agent appears to fatally shoot person at DC’s Metro Center station, police say
Oliver Helbig/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — An off-duty FBI agent appeared to fatally shoot a person at a metro station in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night, police said.

Police responded to reports of multiple shots fired on the Red Line platform at the Metro Center station shortly before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, D.C. Metro Transit Police said.

Based on preliminary reports, the federal officer opened fire, fatally striking one individual, police said. The officer was also transported to a local hospital with “unknown injuries,” police said.

Ashan Benedict, Metropolitan Police Department executive assistant chief of police, later said it appeared two individuals, including the agent, were involved in an altercation, where one apparently grabbed the other and both went over a side wall, away from the tracks, which was an 8-foot drop.

The struggle continued and shots were fired, Benedict said.

The FBI agent was transported to an area hospital with minor injures, he added.

Multiple sources told ABC News there is no ongoing threat to the public.

Red Line service has been suspended between Farragut North and Gallery Place amid the investigation and delays are expected in both directions.

ABC News’ Jack Date and Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Storm systems bring snow and flood threats to Northern Rockies and Plains

Storm systems bring snow and flood threats to Northern Rockies and Plains
Storm systems bring snow and flood threats to Northern Rockies and Plains
Anna Kraynova / EyeEm/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Several storm systems are moving across the country, raising the risk of avalanches in certain states.

Snow will continue in the Rockies on Wednesday, with some areas getting 6 inches to 12 inches.

There could be heavy rain and flash flooding in the Plains on Wednesday into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

In the mid-South and the East Coast, periods of rain will continue Wednesday as the storms continue.

The heaviest rain over the next 48 hours will be from Oklahoma to Tennessee, where some areas could see 2 inches to 4 inches. Some localized flash flooding is possible.

For the Midwest, some of that rain will turn to snow, where several inches are possible. A winter weather advisory has been issued for the area.

A new storm system moves into the West Coast Wednesday. Another storm over the weekend will dump an additional 6 feet of snow in California.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Repairs on sabotaged NC power grid completed as search continues for suspects

Repairs on sabotaged NC power grid completed as search continues for suspects
Repairs on sabotaged NC power grid completed as search continues for suspects
Dominik Stötter / EyeEm/ Getty Images

(MOORE COUNTY, N.C.) — Equipment damaged in an attack that caused a massive electrical blackout in a North Carolina county has been completely repaired or replaced and authorities said Wednesday that power is expected to be restored to tens of thousands of utility customers by midnight.

The announcement from Duke Energy, the local utility company, came as many residents in Moore County awoke for the fourth day Wednesday without electricity and as law enforcement continued to the search for the gun-wielding perpetrator or perpetrators who sabotaged two key power distribution substations Saturday night.

“Once we have completed all necessary testing, the gradual restoration of service to those Moore County communities still without power will begin,” Duke Energy said in a statement. “To avoid overwhelming the electrical system we will bring power back on gradually, with the goal of having the majority of customers restored before midnight tonight.”

While no new significant details on the investigation were released Wednesday, Moore County Chief Sheriff Deputy Richard Maness told ABC News that investigators are are closely analyzing evidence discovered at the two crime scenes and following up on tips from the public. No arrests have been announced and authorities have not commented on a possible motive.

“I can confirm that multiple shell casings were recovered,” said Maness, who declined to say what type of firearm was used in the attack or the caliber of the shell casings collected.

According to Poweroutage.us, a website that tracks outages across the country, 9,808 Duke Energy customers were still without electricity as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, down from about 35,000 Tuesday night. Schools remained canceled on Wednesday and a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew has been imposed.

“We worry about the health and safety of people, particularly those in adult care homes and those who live by themselves, particularly our senior citizens and those who are vulnerable,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in an interview Wednesday on ABC’s GMA3.

Cooper reiterated that the criminal or criminals knew what they were doing when the power stations were riddled with bullets.

“This was a malicious attack on an entire community, and it plunged tens of thousands of people into darkness. They knew what to do to disable this substation. … But we know that people are very frustrated here, and that’s very understandable,” Cooper said.

The crisis in Moore County has prompted local law enforcement to call in the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to help in the probe of what has been deemed a criminal act. The White House is also closely monitoring the situation, officials said.

Asked at a news conference on Monday whether the attacks are being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism, Cooper said, “I think investigators are leaving no stone unturned as to what this is as they are looking at every motivation that could possibly occur.”

Moore County law enforcement said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference that one person died inside a residence without power, but it remained unclear if the death is related to the electrical outage.

Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields told ABC News earlier that murder charges could be filed against those responsible for the attack if anyone dies as a result of the power outage.

“What was done was an intentional act. It was not a random act,” Fields said.

Carthage business owner Rachel Haviley used her portable generator to serve up coffee and food to neighbors in need.

“My kids are home, they’re not in school. My husband was supposed to go to D.C., now he’s in daddy day care,” Haviley told WSOC. “I have a friend that was supposed to be at the hospital for class, now she’s not there. There are elderly people who rely on things that help keep them alive, so people’s lives and families have been impacted by this.”

The attacks occurred just after 7 p.m. Saturday, officials said.

The attacks came amid protests over a Downtown Divas drag show in the Moore County city of Southern Pines. The drag show had been scheduled for Saturday night and was disrupted due to the blackout.

Fields said no evidence has yet been uncovered linking the power outage to the drag show.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

DOJ watchdog finds ‘serious’ problems in handling of ‘Whitey’ Bulger prison transfer

DOJ watchdog finds ‘serious’ problems in handling of ‘Whitey’ Bulger prison transfer
DOJ watchdog finds ‘serious’ problems in handling of ‘Whitey’ Bulger prison transfer
Stuart Cahill/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — An investigation by the Justice Department’s top watchdog uncovered “serious” failures in the Bureau of Prison’s handling of the prison transfer of notorious mobster James “Whitey” Bulger prior to his murder in custody in 2018, a new report released Wednesday said.

Bulger was found dead in his prison cell just 12 hours after his arrival at the U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia after suffering brutal injuries to his head and face. Three inmates in the prison have been charged in connection with his murder and are awaiting trial.

The Justice Department’s inspector general mounted a separate investigation into how the agency handled Bulger’s transfer. While its report Wednesday said investigators did not find evidence of “malicious intent” or purposely improper behavior on the part of BOP officials, they identified numerous failures at multiple levels of the prison system as well as puzzling bureaucratic issues in how Bulger’s transfer was allowed to go through.

“In our view, no BOP inmate’s transfer, whether they are a notorious offender or a non-violent offender, should be handled like Bulger’s transfer was handled in this instance,” Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in a statement accompanying the release of the report.

Bulger was 89 years old and in a wheelchair at the time of his transfer from the high security federal prison at USP Coleman II in Florida to USP Hazelton, where he was immediately placed within the general population despite his notoriety as one of New England’s most sinister gangsters and previous history as an informant for the FBI.

Officials at USP Coleman began the process of seeking Bulger’s transfer in early 2018 after he reportedly issued a threat against a nurse at the facility, which led to his placement in a single cell in Coleman’s Special Housing Unit.

While Bulger was at the time designated as a ‘level 3’ medical care inmate due to his development of a heart condition while he was in federal custody, officials in BOP sought to downgrade his classification to make him eligible for placement at a higher number of other facilities, the report found.

Despite repeated efforts to reclassify Bulger as a ‘level 2’ medical care inmate, officials were instructed that Bulger’s health situation warranted him remaining at ‘level 3,’ the report said. But officials at Coleman seemingly ignored the recommendation and omitted other key information about Bulger’s health in their final transfer request before he was sent to Hazelton, a high-security level 2 care facility.

Investigators found that after Bulger’s transfer was approved, more than 100 employees at BOP received notifications and multiple inmates at Hazelton began sending communications about the transfer making clear they were aware he was due to arrive. Investigators said they were unable to determine which particular BOP employees at the prison were responsible for improperly disclosing news of Bulger’s transfer to inmates at Hazelton.

One alarming portion of the report found that a unit manager at Hazelton specifically requested Bulger be assigned to their unit even despite the fact that it housed another organized crime associate who would have familiarity with Bulger’s history. When interviewed by the inspector general’s office, the unit manager responded he was not a “gang expert” and was not aware of information “being discussed or put out” by others before Bulger arrived.

The inmate, Fotios Geas, was serving a life prison sentence on RICO charges and was associated with the Genovese Organized Crime Family and was one of the three individuals charged in Bulger’s death.

Investigators also found additional issues with how officials at Hazelton assessed the risk of harm Bulger faced from other inmates upon his transfer to the facility. According to the repot, BOP policy did not require Bulger to undergo a risk assessment by a BOP officer prior to his transfer which — if conducted, would have singled him out as likely ineligible for placement with the general population.

Bulger, who after 8 months in the single-cell Special Housing Unit at Coleman had reportedly started saying he had lost any will to live, also expressed a preference to be placed with the general population. Investigators also say he lied on an intake form that had asked whether he had ever been a member of a gang or if he provided cooperation to a law enforcement investigation.

Upon conclusion of their investigation the IG’s office made 11 recommendations to the Bureau of Prisons for improvements to their policies, all of which the agency accepted.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Idaho murders: Police to start removing victims’ belongings from house

Idaho murders: Police to start removing victims’ belongings from house
Idaho murders: Police to start removing victims’ belongings from house
Heather Roberts/ABC News

(MOSCOW, Idaho) — As police in Moscow, Idaho, continue their search for the suspect who killed four University of Idaho students, they’ll begin to remove some of the victims’ personal belongings from the house where the crimes unfolded.

Belongings “no longer needed for the investigation” will begin to be collected Wednesday morning to get returned to the families, who have asked for some of the items, police said Tuesday.

“It’s time for us to get those things back that really mean something to those families, and hopefully help with some of their healing,” Moscow Police Chief James Fry said.

It’s been nearly one month since roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, as well as Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death in the girls’ off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13.

No suspects have been identified.

Two surviving roommates — who police said are not suspects — were home at the time and likely slept through the attacks, according to authorities. They were on the ground floor while the four victims were on the second and third floors.

Police added Tuesday that “the house remains an active crime scene” and said “progress continues to be made in the investigation.”

Police urge anyone with information to upload digital media to fbi.gov/moscowidaho or contact the tip line at tipline@ci.moscow.id.us or 208-883-7180.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Atatiana Jefferson’s family seeks ‘accountability’ as former officer stands trial in her fatal shooting

Atatiana Jefferson’s family seeks ‘accountability’ as former officer stands trial in her fatal shooting
Atatiana Jefferson’s family seeks ‘accountability’ as former officer stands trial in her fatal shooting
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — The family of a Black woman who was fatally shot in her home by a former Fort Worth, Texas, police officer in 2019 said they’ve been waiting for justice for over three years.

Atatiana Jefferson’s sister Ashley Carr said it’s “surreal” to finally see the case go to trial.

“We’ve been fighting and fussing about having this day and making sure that accountability is served for my sister’s death,” she told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “But now it’s really here, and it’s a realization that this is not in our control. This is in control of the jurors.”

Opening statements began on Monday in the trial of former police officer Aaron Dean who was charged with murder after fatally shooting Jefferson in her Fort, Worth Texas, home on Oct. 12, 2019. Dean was responding to a concerned neighbor’s request to check on Jefferson’s wellbeing after noticing her house’s front door open at night, police said.

Dean pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Though some of the 12 selected jurors are people of color, none are Black, which drew backlash and prompted protests in 2019.

The trial so far has hinged on the handgun in Jefferson’s hand right before Dean shot her. During opening arguments, his defense attorney, Miles Brissette, argued Dean was acting in self-defense after seeing Jefferson’s silhouette in the window holding a firearm with a green laser pointed directly at him. The prosecution, on the other hand, argued Dean couldn’t have seen her gun in the split second before he opened fire.

The trial’s first witness was Zion Carr, Jefferson’s then 8-year-old nephew who was playing video games and cooking hamburgers with his aunt right before Dean shot her in their house. During questioning, Carr, 11, was asked to recount the traumatic events from that night, testifying that his aunt had never raised the gun from her side.

Brissette declined ABC News’ request for comment.

Ed Kraus, the Fort Worth Police chief at the time of the shooting who has since retired, said in 2019 that Dean’s conduct was in violation of multiple police department policies, including “our use of force policy, our de-escalation policy, and unprofessional conduct.”

“I certainly have not been able to make sense of why she had to lose her life,” Kraus said at the time. “On behalf of the men and women of the Fort Worth Police Department, I’m so sorry for what occurred.”

Jefferson, a pre-medical graduate of Xavier University, is survived by her three siblings: Ashley, Amber and Adarius, who say they’ve been one another’s “support system” their entire lives. Their mother, Yolanda Carr, who died just months after Jefferson’s death, nicknamed her children the “A-Team” because their names all start with the letter A.

“We understand as a family that there is nothing that we can do in this process but be present,” Ashley Carr said. “So our goal is to be present to make sure everyone knows that Atatiana was loved.”

Ashley Carr said she and her family have tried to “keep the momentum” going to ensure Jefferson’s name is not forgotten, including speaking at the White House and U.S. Senate.

“They joined the fight for families all across the country,” Lee Merritt, the family’s attorney, told Good Morning America. “They’ve been a part of a community of activists and organizers who were at the forefront of what became a major moment in history during the Black Lives Matter movement.”

Jefferson’s siblings also started a nonprofit called the Atatiana Project that strives to promote STEAM education and activities among urban youth. They’ve even hosted a free summer camp where kids could build their own computers and robots.

“Our goal is just to amplify how beautiful Atatiana was,” Carr said, remembering her sister as an avid video gamer, animal lover and aspiring medical student. “If you go on our website, we say she didn’t die. She will multiply through the generations that we serve.”

“She was my little sister, but was such a big person,” she added.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ted Cruz’s daughter OK, family asks for privacy after police called to senator’s home

Ted Cruz’s daughter OK, family asks for privacy after police called to senator’s home
Ted Cruz’s daughter OK, family asks for privacy after police called to senator’s home
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

(HOUSTON) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s office said late Tuesday that his daughter is OK and asked for privacy for the family after Houston police and fire personnel were called to his home.

“This is a family matter and thankfully their daughter is okay,” Cruz’s representatives said in a statement to ABC affiliate KTRK-TV and other outlets.

“There were no serious injuries. The family requests the media respect their daughter’s privacy at this time,” Cruz’s office said.

According to KTRK, the Houston Police Department said they received reports just before 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday of a 14-year-old with self-inflicted stab wounds on their arms in the neighborhood River Oaks, where the Republican lawmaker resides with his wife, Heidi, and their two daughters.

Authorities said the unidentified teen was taken to the hospital but could not say whether the 911 call involved a member of Cruz’s family.

When KTRK arrived to the scene, police officers were outside Cruz’s home.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Timeline of sabotage triggering North Carolina power outage

Timeline of sabotage triggering North Carolina power outage
Timeline of sabotage triggering North Carolina power outage
Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

(MOORE COUNTY, N.C.) — The gun attack that crippled two power substations and knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of utility customers in Moore County, North Carolina, is being investigated as a criminal act and law enforcement, including the FBI, are working around the clock to identify suspects and determine a motive behind the sabotage.

The criminal vandalism has caused major disruptions throughout the county, including the closures of public schools and prompted officials to impose a nightly curfew.

Here is a timeline of how the crisis unfolded and the race by utility crews to repair what authorities described as “millions of dollars in damages”:

Dec. 3 — Just after 7 p.m. on Saturday, Duke Energy company, the local utility provider, responded to a failure at an electrical substation near the city of Carthage, which was soon followed by the failure of a second substation, authorities said. The incident plunged roughly 45,000 utility customers into darkness as freezing temperatures set in.

Dec. 4 — Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields announces at a news conference that gunfire caused extensive damage to the two substations, describing the incident as “intentional vandalism.” On Sunday afternoon, Fields says the FBI and the state Department of Public Safety were assisting in the investigation, and notes multiple shots were fired at each substation and that a gate to one of them was rammed open. A countywide state of emergency is declared and officials announce a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew would be imposed. The sheriff says investigators are looking into whether the attacks are related to protests over a Downtown Divas drag show in the Moore County city of Southern Pines Saturday night, but that no evidence had been uncovered linking the two events.

Dec. 5 — Schools throughout Moore County are cancelled as Duke Energy officials say the damage to the substations is substantial and would take multiple days to replace equipment that was completely destroyed. The federal Department of Homeland Security and the White House announce they were monitoring the situation and providing federal assistance. Fields tells ABC News that the perpetrator or perpetrators knew exactly what they were doing and could face murder charges if someone dies as a result of the power outage. Gov. Roy Cooper says at a news conference that “this kind of attack raises a new level of threat” and that officials would begin working on ways to harden security to protect key infrastructure throughout the state.

Dec. 6 — Schools are cancelled for the second day following a second night in which a curfew was imposed on county residents. Duke Energy says more than 35,000 customers are still without electricity.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.