(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — One woman has died and nine other have been injured after a firework exploded at a home late Monday night, police say.
The explosion happened at a home in Park Township, Michigan, near the intersection of Main Street and N. 160th Avenue, at approximately 11 p.m., according to ABC News’ Grand Rapids affiliate station WZZM-TV.
It is unclear if the explosion was caused by a manufacturing fault or by user error but a lieutenant from the Ottowa County Sheriff’s Office told WZZM at the scene that a 43-year-old woman had died in the accident in Holland, Michigan, which is located some 30 miles west of Grand Rapids and nestled on the east side of Lake Michigan.
Nine others were hurt in the explosion and taken to hospital with the conditions of the victims ranging from minor to critical, the Ottowa County Sheriff’s Office told WZZM.
Several nearby homes and vehicles were also damaged in the blast, according to WZZM.
Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — A doting grandfather who immigrated from Mexico to give his family a better life and two parents on a fun outing with their toddler were among the seven people shot and killed last year at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
A 21-year-old gunman allegedly carried out the mass shooting in the leafy suburban Chicago town that, according to FBI statistics, hadn’t had a murder in more than 20 years.
Five of the victims who were randomly shot died at the scene of the shooting, while one perished at a hospital, according to officials. One day after the massacre, a seventh victim succumbed to his injuries at Evanston Hospital, officials said.
More than 30 people were wounded by the barrage of bullets that silenced the marching bands and prompted paradegoers to scramble for cover.
Katherine Goldstein, 64
Katherine Goldstein was a mother of two adult daughters, an avid bird watcher and someone who loved to travel, a friend told ABC News.
Betsy Backes said she first met Goldstein at a local community center north of Chicago when they were both pregnant with their second children. Goldstein invited Backes to her home and the two mothers began a close, 20-year friendship that ended abruptly when Goldstein was gunned down at the parade.
Backes spoke glowingly of her “dear friend Katie G.,” describing her as an “extraordinary person” and “everyone’s best friend” who was “always around for her kids.”
She said their daughters grew up together, and the families would go on adventures — all of them planned by Goldstein.
“No one could plan an adventure like she did,” she said.
On Halloween nights, she said the mothers would pass out candy at the Goldsteins’ front door while the fathers took the daughters trick-or-treating. Afterward, they would order Thai food and all sit together to eat.
“It is such a happy memory,” Backes said. “The little girls were so happy to be out with their daddies, and I was so happy to be with my friend, Katie, and passing out candy to the neighborhood kids.”
Goldstein was an avid bird watcher and loved visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden, Backes said. She said her friend was also a great cook, who made salmon for lunch and was always experimenting with new recipes.
“She would cook meals that were so adventurous and fun,” said Backes, who spotted a recipe notebook on the kitchen counter when she visited the Goldstein home Tuesday.
In it was a list of new recipes Goldstein had planned to try, including a Middle Eastern dish with za’atar spice.
“I looked down and I smiled because I thought, ‘Of course you’re doing that, Katie. Of course you’re doing that,'” Backes said.
Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37
Irina and Kevin McCarthy lived in Highland Park and were at the town’s July 4 parade with their 2-year-old son, Aiden, when they were both fatally shot, according to the Highland Park City manager.
Dana and Gregory Ring, who survived the shooting, told ABC News how another parade-goer found little Aiden alone, scooped him up and handed him to them in the chaos after the rampage.
“Every time I tried to ask him what his name was, the response he gave to me was, ‘Mama, Dada come get me soon. Mommy’s car come to get me soon,'” Dana Ring recalled in an interview with ABC News.
Unsure of what to do, the Rings took Aiden to a nearby fire station and the boy was later reunited with his grandparents.
Stephen Straus, 88
Stephen Straus was the oldest victim to die in the massacre, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
His son, John Straus, told the Chicago Tribune that his father was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side and described him as “a product of Chicago.”
But he said his dad loved his adopted hometown of Highland Park, where he lived for decades and raised his two sons with his wife of nearly 60 years, Linda.
“My dad was just very much a Highland Parker,” another son, Peter Straus, told the Tribune. “He lived here, and unfortunately he died here.”
A grandfather of four, Stephen Straus enjoyed attending the Highland Park Fourth of July parade every year, Peter Straus said.
“I called him [on the day of the shooting] just to wish him a Happy Fourth of July and he didn’t respond, which I didn’t make much of,” Peter Straus, who lives in San Francisco, told the newspaper. “And then news stories started coming out about a shooting in Highland Park.”
Jacki Sundheim, 63
Jacki Sundheim, a dedicated congregant and worker at her synagogue, North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Illinois, was shot and killed at the Independence Day parade in Highland Park, according to the synagogue.
In a statement, the North Shore Congregation Israel described Sundheim as a “beloved” staff member who spent her early days teaching preschool and her entire life worshipping at the synagogue.
“There are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jacki’s death and sympathy for her family and loved ones,” the synagogue said.
Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78
Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza was one of the slain victims from the parade, according to his family.
“My grandpa was a funny man. He’d always joke around and be playful with his grandkids. He arrived [in] the U.S. in the ’80s and worked around the Highland Park area for many years. He spent his last days swimming and fishing and being among family,” Toledo-Zaragoza’s grandson, David Toledo, told ABC News in a statement.
Toledo-Zaragoza was a native of Morelos, Mexico.
Eduardo Uvaldo, 69
The seventh victim to die from injuries suffered in the mass shooting was 69-year-old Eduardo Uvaldo.
Uvaldo’s granddaughter, Nivia Guzman, wrote on a GoFundMe page that her family attended the Highland Park parade every year.
In an interview with ABC News, three of Uvaldo’s four daughters said nine family members were at the parade when the shooting started. Uvaldo’s 13-year-old grandson, Brian, was shot in the arm and Uvaldo’s wife, Maria, was hit in the head by shrapnel, the family said.
They said Eduardo Uvaldo was shot in the arm and the back of the head.
“We just heard pop, pop, pop. We thought it was fireworks and then my sister saw the shooter,” Uvaldo’s daughter, Nubia Hogan, told ABC News.
Fred Castro, Eduardo Uvaldo’s son-in-law, said he also saw the gunman firing at the crowd from a rooftop.
Castro said he made sure other family members got out of harm’s way, then went back and stayed with Eduardo Uvaldo.
Another daughter, Susanna Uvaldo-Moncivais, told ABC News that she and her sisters, along with their mother, made the agonizing decision to have their father removed from a ventilator after doctors told them there was nothing more they could do to save his life.
But she said her father’s vitals remained stable and that her family prayed “for a miracle” that was never realized.
“He’s taught us how to be responsible,” Hogan said of her father. “My dad worked his whole life without missing a day. He always had the perfect attendance. He’s a good man.”
Eduardo Uvaldo was a grandfather of 13 and a great-grandfather of six.
“My grandpa is a kind, loving, and funny man who did not deserve this,” Guzman wrote in her GoFundMe statement.
(PHILADELPHIA) — Four people are dead and two others are hospitalized in stable condition following a mass shooting late Monday night in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Philadelphia, officials said.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle M. Outlaw said two people were in custody: a 40-year-old man who is believed to be the suspected shooter, and a second person who authorities believe picked up a firearm and started shooting at the suspect. Police said the suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest and had multiple magazines, and was firing randomly.
“Officers responded quickly and showed bravery and courage,” Outlaw said during a press conference, adding, “Their actions prevented potentially more victims.”
Police received reports of gunfire in the area behind Chester Street around 8:56 p.m. ET. Officers responded to the scene and found the gunshot victims, who have not yet been identified, police said.
Of the four deceased victims, three are between 20 and 59 years old, while the fourth victim may be between 16 and 21, authorities said. All are male. The two stable victims, who are also male, are children ages 2 and 13, according to police.
Gunshots were heard in several areas near the first location during the shooting, Outlaw said.
After arriving on the scene, officers located the suspect and pursued him on foot, according to police. The suspect was apprehended at the rear alley of 1600 Frazier Street, and allegedly had an AR-style rifle and handgun, as well as a police scanner, authorities said. Another rifle was discovered in the alleyway and is believed to be one allegedly used by the second man, who police said had been firing at the suspect.
Authorities said they’re still trying to determine the motive for the shooting, and no connection between the victims and the suspect has been identified yet.
Police began canvassing the area for witnesses and camera footage following the shooting.
(NEW YORK) — A woman was pronounced dead early Monday morning after becoming unconscious during a hike in the Grand Canyon as temperatures reached triple digits, officials said.
On Sunday at approximately 6:30 p.m., a U.S. park ranger received a report about a hiker who was in distress in the Tuweep area of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, the National Park Service (NPS) said in a news release.
Officials said a 57-year-old woman was on an 8-mile hike in the remote area of the park when she lost consciousness.
“A ranger arrived on scene at approximately 1 a.m. on July 3 and pronounced the hiker deceased,” the NPS said.
The temperature at Tuweep was over 100 degrees on Sunday, NPS said. At Phantom Ranch, southeast of the site and near the Colorado River, it reached 114 degrees.
Parts of the Grand Canyon are under an excessive heat warning through Wednesday, NPS officials said. Park rangers recently told hikers and backpackers to prepare for extremely high temperatures in the weeks ahead.
About 35 million Americans are on alert for dangerously high temperatures heading into the Fourth of July, with the center of the heat dome over the West.
On Monday, temperatures reached 114 degrees in Phoenix, 112 in Las Vegas, 114 in Palm Springs and 120 in Death Valley.
In at least eight southern states from Texas to Georgia, Saturday’s heat index ranged from 105 to 115 degrees.
The excessive heat which parts of the country have been experiencing in recent weeks has been linked to multiple deaths.
Emergency room visits in Texas have increased from the same time last year, as the state experiences extreme heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As for the Grand Canyon, park rangers have advised people to avoid hiking the inner canyon between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
“Hiking in extreme heat can lead to serious health risks including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyponatremia, and death,” the National Park Service said.
The NPS and the Mohave County Medical Examiner are investigating the incident.
(WASHINGTON) — The search for a suspect in a series of small but damaging explosions in Washington, D.C., continued on Monday.
The explosions, all of which occurred early Sunday, seem to be isolated to three incidents in the northeast part of the district and are likely the work of a local vandal or vandals, multiple sources tell ABC News.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ local office responded to the explosions over the weekend and announced a $20,000 reward “for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved.”
A suspect believed to be connected to the explosive incidents was captured in surveillance camera footage, according to the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
“In each of these offenses, it appears the suspect targeted commercial establishments and it does not appear the suspect was targeting any members of the public,” the MPD said in a statement. “The establishments were closed at the time of the offenses. There were no reported injuries as a result of these offenses.”
The suspected is believed to have detonated one explosive near a bank and ATM and another near a shoe store, according to the MPD.
Within 15 minutes, the suspect also threw a “Molotov cocktail style object” at a nearby grocery store, police said.
There are no current threats to the city, a police official said Monday afternoon. As part of July 4th holiday safety preparation, D.C. police are boosting staffing levels and coordinating with federal officials.
Interim D.C. Police Chief Ashan Benedict warned visitors and residents on Friday against shooting guns into the air and asked the public not to touch or handle commercial-grade fireworks.
“It opens yourself up to punitive damages, including federal prosecution when it comes to guns,” Benedict said. “For some reason, people like to shoot guns on the Fourth of July and also on New Year’s Eve. And it just boggles my mind because what goes up must come down.”
Police will rely in part on the public to report shootings over the holiday given the challenges of using gunshot detection technology during fireworks.
(NEW YORK) — A murder investigation is underway after six people were found dead at the scene of a house fire in Colleton County, South Carolina, the local sheriff’s office said.
A seventh victim, a 13-year-old, survived the attack in Green Pond, about 40 miles west of Charleston, and was hospitalized in critical condition, the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office said.
When authorities responded to a 911 call on Sunday reporting a stabbing and a fire, they found the home fully engulfed in flames and the only survivor outside, Colleton County Sheriff Guerry “Buddy” Hill Jr. said at a news conference Monday.
The surviving teenager, who suffered stabs and cuts, told police the first name of the suspect and said the victims had been stabbed, the sheriff said.
The suspect, Ryan Manigo, 33, was arrested nearby, the sheriff said.
Manigo is the father of one of the slain victims — an 11-year-old girl — and the brother-in-law of another slain victim, the sheriff said.
No motive is known, the sheriff said.
Manigo has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, and more charges are expected, Solicitor Duffie Stone said. Manigo is being held without bond.
“He’ll never be forgiven,” a relative of the victims said at Manigo’s bond hearing Monday.
“I wish you death. I wish they give you the death penalty. … We hate you,” she said.
(BALTIMORE) — As investigators worked Monday to identify the suspects who killed two people and injured 28 others when they unleashed a barrage of gunfire early Sunday on a Baltimore block party, a reward was offered for information leading to the arrests and prosecution of the perpetrators.
During a news conference Monday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott expressed concerns about more violence erupting during gatherings on the Fourth of July.
“As we head into tonight and tomorrow, the Fourth of July, we know that people will continue to gather with their loved ones to celebrate. We want people to gather and celebrate at the Inner Harbor, at Cherry Hill, where they have their festival as they do every year,” Scott said. “But I implore everyone to please be safe. Think of those around you and the lives that you could potentially impact if you make a wrong choice.”
The mayor added, “We are gearing up every resource at our disposal … as we work to ensure that we have a safe Fourth of July.”
Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley said investigators are working to identify the suspects but added no arrests have been made.
“I strongly urge anyone with information to help us bring these individuals to justice,” Worley said.
He announced that a $28,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the shooting rampage.
The mass shooting unfolded around 12:30 a.m. in the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood in the southern district of the city. Worley said police officers rushed to the scene when numerous 911 callers reported shots being fired.
Worley said the barrage of gunfire broke out during a block party at a housing development in the 800 block of Gretna Court. The event was not permitted, he later told the media.
Killed in the shooting were 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzales and 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi, according to police.
Among the 28 other victims who were shot, 15 were between the ages of 13 and 17, Worley said.
Based on different caliber shell casings collected at the scene, investigators believe multiple people fired weapons during the mass shooting, officials said.
Scott said seven of the victims remained in hospitals on Monday, including four who are in critical condition.
Dr. Hania Habeeb, associated chair of the emergency department at MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, said 19 victims, including 14 teenagers, were brought to her medical facility for treatment for gunshot wounds.
“We didn’t know if we were safe. We didn’t know if the shooter or shooters were right outside our hospital doors,” Habeeb said. “We approached what could have been an overwhelming and mentally chaotic and terrifying situation with calmness, bravery and a systematic approach with a key being teamwork.”
(NEW YORK) — College admissions have come under scrutiny following the Supreme Court’s decision to curtail affirmative action in higher education.
On Monday, several civil rights and advocacy groups including the Chica Project and Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a federal civil rights complaint against Harvard College. The complaint calls on the Department of Education to launch a federal investigation into Harvard’s practices surrounding legacy and donor preferences.
“Harvard’s practice of giving a leg-up to the children of wealthy donors and alumni – who have done nothing to deserve it – must end,” Michael Kippins, a fellow at the Lawyers for Civil Rights, said in a statement. “Particularly in light of last week’s decision from the Supreme Court, it is imperative that the federal government act now to eliminate this unfair barrier that systematically disadvantages students of color.”
A 2019 National Bureau of Economic Research study of publicly released reports from Harvard University found that almost half of the university’s white students were either related to alumni, recruited athletes or children of faculty and staff.
Less than 16% of African American, Asian American and Hispanic students at Harvard fall into these “ADLC” categories, according to the study.
ADLC candidates make up less than 5% of applicants to Harvard but constitute around 30% of admitted students, according to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissenting opinion.
“Given the lengthy history of state-sponsored, race-based preferences in America, to say that anyone is now victimized if a college considers whether that legacy of discrimination has unequally advantaged its applicants fails to acknowledge the well documented ‘intergenerational transmission of inequality’ that still plagues our country,” she wrote.
ABC News has reached out to Harvard University for comment.
In response to the Supreme Court ruling, the university said in a statement that it will continue to consider race in admissions via “an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life.”
“We write today to reaffirm the fundamental principle that deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences,” the university said in a statement. “That principle is as true and important today as it was yesterday. So too are the abiding values that have enabled us—and every great educational institution—to pursue the high calling of educating creative thinkers and bold leaders, of deepening human knowledge, and of promoting progress, justice, and human flourishing.”
President Joe Biden also criticized the practice of using such preferences in the college admissions process.
He told reporters he would direct the Department of Education “to analyze what practices help build a more inclusive and diverse student bodies and what practices hold that back, practices like legacy admissions and other systems that expand privilege instead of opportunity.”
(NEW YORK) — Jackie Miller James, a beauty influencer who suffered a brain aneurysm while nine months pregnant, has woken up from a coma and reunited with her baby, according to her family.
“We are beyond thrilled to share that your loving prayers for Jackie have been working!” James’ family wrote in an Instagram post Sunday. “Jackie is awake and was recently transferred to one of the best neurological rehabilitation hospitals in the country.”
James’ family had confirmed in a June 8 Instagram post that she had “suffered an aneurysm rupture one week from her due date” in May and had been placed in a medically induced coma.
James had severe brain bleeding and injury after the aneurysm rupture and underwent an emergency cesarean section and brain surgery, a spokesperson for the family told ABC News in early June. Her story highlighted the risks of a potential stroke during pregnancy, a condition the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note can be more likely to occur since pregnancy can make the blood clot more, potentially causing a blood vessel obstruction.
After birth, James’ baby spent time in a hospital neonatal intensive care unit, but the baby was discharged home in early June, James’ sisters said.
In their latest update, James’ family said, “Doctors have been pleased upon her latest tests, numbers, and evaluations, noting that Jackie is performing above expectations at this stage of her recovery and is progressing more with every passing day.”
The family said James has a “long road to recovery,” but that her baby girl “is a constant source of light for the entire family.”
“Jackie has also recently been reunited with her baby, and spends a great deal of each day with her entire family while in the hospital,” the family wrote.
James, a California-based influencer, is popular among her social media fans, with over 81,000 Instagram followers and over 5,000 TikTok followers. She shared posts throughout her pregnancy, giving her followers updates into her third trimester.
James’ family added in their update that with James now awake, any subsequent new posts will be from James “if and when she is ready.”
