(NEW YORK) — Mexican drug kingpin Rafael Caro-Quintero, wanted in the 1985 killing of a U.S. anti-narcotics agent, has been detained in Mexico, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News Friday evening.
Caro-Quintero, the former leader of the Guadalajara Cartel, has been wanted over his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique Camarena in Mexico. Camarena’s capture and torture were dramatized in the Netflix show “Narcos.”
Caro-Quintero has been on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list since 2018. In addition to the kidnapping and murder of a federal agent, he was wanted for violent crimes in aid of racketeering, among other alleged federal violations.
The FBI was offering a $20 million reward for information leading to his arrest or capture and warned that he should be considered “armed and extremely dangerous.”
Caro-Quintero allegedly is involved in the Sinaloa Cartel and the Caro-Quintero Drug Trafficking Organization in the region of Badiraguato in Sinaloa, Mexico, the FBI said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Caro-Quintero would be extradited to the United States.
Word of the capture comes just days after President Joe Biden met with his Mexican counterpart in Washington, D.C.
Mexican President Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been loath to go after cartel leaders because, he has said, he is more interested in reducing violence in Mexico.
(NEW YORK) — Elon Musk asked a Delaware court on Friday to reject Twitter’s attempt to put the $44 billion merger case on trial in September, arguing it’s an “unjustifiable” timeframe.
Twitter sued Musk in an attempt to force him to complete his purchase of the company, after declaring he was walking away from the deal.
Twitter sought a four-day trial in September, arguing the deal faces an October deadline to close.
“Twitter’s bid for extreme expedition rests on the false premise that the Termination Date in the merger agreement is October 24, glossing over that this date is automatically stayed if either party files litigation. By filing its complaint, Plaintiff has rendered its supposed need for a September trial moot,” Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, wrote in a Friday court filing.
Delaware Chancery Court will determine whether Musk remains obligated to purchase Twitter or whether he was entitled to walk away because the company failed to provide him data he requested.
“Twitter’s sudden request for warp speed after two months of foot-dragging and obfuscation is its latest tactic to shroud the truth about spam accounts long enough to railroad Defendants into closing,” the filing said.
Musk has claimed Twitter failed to disclose the number of fake accounts on the platform. Twitter has said 5% of active users are bots but Musk has said he does not believe the figure.
“Post-signing, Defendants promptly sought to understand Twitter’s process for identifying false or spam accounts. In a May 6 meeting with Twitter executives, Musk was flabbergasted to learn just how meager Twitter’s process was,” Musk’s filing said.
Musk asked the court to set a trial date no earlier than mid-February.
(CHEYENNE, Wyo.) — Lyle Neiberger would have turned 33 this year. But he is forever 17, frozen in his father Lance’s memory.
“I’ve never been angry at my son. I’ve always been angry at me. Why didn’t I see it? What if I would have done something different?” he lamented, while sitting in his woodshop at his home in central Wyoming.
It’s been 16 years since Lyle died by suicide. Lance Neiberger had no idea his son was contemplating suicide and Lyle left no note behind.
Memories of Lyle line the walls of Neiberger’s woodshop – a hobby father and son bonded over. “We’re all in the cowboy-up attitude, you know. Real men don’t cry. Real men don’t have problems,” he said.
Here in Wyoming, nicknamed the Cowboy State, “real men” are taught that when they have a problem, they pick up and fix it without looking back, Neiberger said.
“We all have something go wrong, and we all need help at times. And when you learn that you don’t need help and you just go on, maybe that makes life a lot tougher,” Neiberger said.
U.S. suicide rates are the highest they’ve been since World War II. At 30.5 per 100,000 persons in 2020, Wyoming’s rate is more than double that of the national average and the highest rate per capita in the nation, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.
At 71, Neiberger has taken on the responsibility of helping to curb Wyoming’s high suicide rate by telling Lyle’s story to schools in the surrounding area and by heading the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force. He hopes he can save at least one life.
The task force meets once a month in Casper, Wyoming, to plan events, pool resources and keep track of the lives lost.
At nearly 60,000 residents, Casper is Wyoming’s second largest city. Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters told ABC News that his officers respond to suicide calls twice as often as they do for shoplifting.
“I just want to go over the statistics that we are showing. Year to date last year, my officers had responded to 256 persons who were considering suicide and, this year, we have seen an absolute negligible change; so, year to date from May 15, 253,” he said at a recent task force meeting.
Sixteen years ago, one of those calls came from Lance Neiberger – when he found Lyle at home. Neiberger said he had no idea his son was suicidal.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him. Now, after his death, it was horrible. It was just miserable. It was crying. It was the whys, the kicking yourself, everything. Today, I can often think about Lyle just with a smile on my face. I came to a point where I realized that it was Lyle’s decision and his decision only,” he said.
When asked why he thinks the suicide rate in Wyoming is so high, he had many reasons, one of them the state’s rural landscape.
Wyoming, accounting for its land mass, is the tenth largest state in the country; by population, it’s the smallest. So, even if you wanted help – help might be a long way from you.
Andrea Summerville, the executive director of the Wyoming Association of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Centers, showed ABC News’ Trevor Ault the area right outside of Casper. She pointed out miles and miles of sweeping plains with very few people in sight.
“You’ll hit a major town about every hundred miles. And when I say a town, I mean a town of 5,000 people,” she said. “You might get a call from somebody that’s 100 miles away from the nearest town, but you might also just not have the mental health professionals. Wyoming has been a mental health professional shortage area, always, designated by the Rural Health Agency. The entire state. Not just an area, not just a town, but the entire state.”
Now federal legislation to help any American in crisis reach a counselor by phone is set to launch July 16. It will transition the ten-digit suicide hotline into a three-digit number, 988. But in Wyoming, even that will be an uphill climb to adopt.
“There are some logistics tied with 988, specifically things like geo location. So with 911, everybody knows if you call 911 they know where you’re at to locate your cellphone. You’re not going to find a cell tower every 50 miles or so here. And so making sure that we are meeting those infrastructure challenges is probably going to be our biggest, most expensive long-term project,” Summerville said.
The 988 hotline is being touted as a one stop shop for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis, but funding the project so that health care providers are ready for the influx of calls is proving to be challenging.
Similarly to 911, 988 will be funded by a monthly fee on all phone lines. The fee is determined by each state.
The Department of Health and Human Services expects the volume of calls to double within the first year. However, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, only Colorado, Nevada, Washington, and Virginia have enacted a comprehensive plan for funding.
The Central Wyoming Counseling Center is one of two suicide hotlines centers already up and running in Wyoming. It opened two years ago.
The workers know this state’s layout, its culture, its resources or lack thereof– which is essential in a crisis.
They’ve secured $2.1 million to expand the suicide hotline to a 24-hour service, most of it federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act that Wisconsin Gov. Mark Gordon appropriated, but with the state legislature refusing to expand Medicaid, federal funding will soon run out.
Summerville told ABC News they currently only have the funding to continue 988 for two more years. “In terms of putting it into operation in Wyoming, It’s going to take a lot of work. We only have four crisis stabilization centers across the state. So how do we move people across the state?”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the 45,979 who died by suicide in the United States in 2020, nearly 70% were white men. Men are less likely to reach out for help, a fact that Dr. Amanda DeDiego, an Assistant Professor at the University of Wyoming, is all too aware of.
“There’s that heavy, heavy stigma about help seeking behavior. And then there’s not a lot of options for you to be able to seek care in these rural communities and have your confidentiality. It’s not that your provider is not honoring the confidentiality. It’s just that everybody knows everything,” DeDeigo said.
Along with Lisa Scroggins, the Executive Director of the Natrona County Library, she is spearheading a new project to create spaces that sidestep the issue of stigma. It’s called Wyoming Public Access to Telehealth Services or WyPATHS. It will be a booth placed in local libraries that is soundproof and provides a space for people to be able to connect through telehealth to their health care providers.
They plan on training library staff across Wyoming in suicide prevention.
“A big part of the training is being empathetic to your fellow citizen or resident. So seeing the person who walks into the door and realizing their situation may be different than yours and looking for signs that a person may be needing help and then saying, ‘Hey, right here, here’s your help,’” said Scroggins.
Lance Neiberger still thinks about how Lyle didn’t come to him about his negative thoughts when he reflects on the loss of his son.
“He didn’t feel comfortable enough to come to me and say, ‘Dad, life’s kicking my butt. I’m really struggling here.’ So, I think what he was doing was acting up and as his drama increased, I got angry. I didn’t like the drama. We weren’t communicating about the problem. So he took his drama to another level and I took my anger to another level. And at the time of his death and when he needed me the most, I wasn’t there for him because we were going in opposite directions instead of working together,” he said.
Neiberger said he considered taking his own life during the six months after Lyle died. “It wasn’t until our daughter gave birth to our granddaughter that I really realized what I would have missed had I not lived back then.”
As Neiberger stared at Lyle’s gravestone, decorated with mementos from friends and family, he couldn’t help but wonder what his son’s life would have been like had he lived past 17. But he is determined to keep having these very uncomfortable conversations in the hopes that Lyle’s death will not be in vain.
“That’s what keeps me going. My faith in the fact that I truly believe I’ll see him again someday. I’ll be with him. That’s what’s given me the hope to continue,” he said.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The rollout of the national 988 mental health hotline is expected on July 16.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(NEW YORK) — As the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline prepared for the launch of a nationwide three-digit number on Saturday, local, state and federal government officials gathered in Philadelphia Friday to discuss the effort to get the new nationwide 988 calling code.
“There’s been a lot of work to get to this day,” Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, said. “But what we’ve done is we’ve made it easy. 988 is easy to remember. Now we have to make it clear to the entire country that it is a sign of strength to call it and use it, and not a sign of weakness.”
The Lifeline has been in operation at a ten-digit number (1-800-283-TALK) since 2005, has taken over 20 million calls in that time, and that number will continue to route callers to the Lifeline following the launch of 988. However, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (a division of HHS) anticipates the increased ease of use for the three-digit number will dramatically increase calls to the service.
Tim Jansen, chief executive officer of Community Crisis Services Inc. in Hyattsville, Maryland, told ABC News that call volume at his facility has gone up over the last few years, and he expects the increase will continue amid the launch of 988.
“I think we’re going to see a significant uptick in calls,” Jansen said, adding that his facility has been working to increase their staff over the last six months in preparation. “I think the big thing is [988 will] make the number much easier to remember.”
The Biden administration has put an unprecedented amount of funding toward launching the new number for the Lifeline. Following the addition of $150 million for the Lifeline as part of the recently passed gun safety legislation, the federal investment in 988 stands at $432 million.
Jansen says that funding, along with about $5 million in funding from Maryland that will be distributed across the state this fiscal year, has helped his facility increase the salary of existing staff and hire about 150 new employees. CCSI now has about 225 employees available to answer calls, chats and texts for the Lifeline in its capacity as both a local center and one of the national backup call centers.
Experts say that, ideally, Lifeline calls should be answered at the local level so callers can be more easily connected with follow-up resources in their area, but there are several national backup centers (such as CCSI) that can field calls from anywhere in the country if a particular center is unable to answer.
Jansen explained that local centers have about 30 seconds to answer a call before it is forwarded to the next nearest local or regional call center. If it is not answered by that center within about three minutes, he added, it then goes to the national backup network.
Nationwide, HHS officials say, the influx of federal funding for the Lifeline has enabled call centers to field 17,000 more calls, 37,000 more chats and 3,000 more texts in June of this year, compared to 2021.
While the federal funding has increased the ability of the Lifeline to respond nationwide, answer rates still vary from state to state, as much of the funding for these call centers happens at the state level.
When Congress designated 988 as the new number for the Lifeline in 2020, it gave states the authority to levy fees on cell phone bills to help sustainably fund the service, similar to how 911 call centers are funded.
So far, only four states have passed that legislation. Some others, like Maryland, have allocated some funding for the launch. Experts worry, however, that many states will not be able to accommodate the volume of calls anticipated after the new number launches.
HHS officials continue to emphasize the need for state-level investment for this system to be built out long-term and able to handle the volume of calls.
“Failure is not an option,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said at the launch news conference on Friday.
“988 is a three digit number, but it really is more.” Becerra said. “It’s a message — when you need someone, we will be there.”
The transition to a fully reimagined mental health crisis care system — the ultimate goal of 988 — will take time, officials say.
While most of the callers reaching out to the Lifeline during a mental health crisis can be deescalated over the phone, some require additional care, which can include a visit from a mobile crisis response team, a trip to a crisis stabilization unit or in some cases, inpatient hospitalization.
Those additional elements of what experts call the “crisis care continuum” are currently available in some cities across the country, but that portion of the crisis care system will take additional time to build out, they say.
“One of the challenges with 988 is it’s going to expose the fact that there are not enough vendors, not enough therapists, not enough counselors,” Jansen said.
Despite the expected hiccups in the overall nationwide rollout, he said, “To me, one life saved is success,” adding, “But I think that the ultimate gauge of what makes [988] successful is if we ultimately see a reduction in the rates of suicide. That’s going to take some time.”
An employee for nearly 26 years at the center he now runs, Jansen said, “It’s one call, one text, one chat at a time … [Every day] You can walk out of here knowing that I helped somebody with a safety plan. Somebody said that their only option was dying and now they have other options.”
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text the new three digit code at 9-8-8. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org or dial the current toll free number 800-273-8255 [TALK].
(JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia) — President Joe Biden on Friday, after a much-criticized meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said he had raised the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi with the de-facto Saudi leader.
“I raised it at the top of the meeting,” Biden said of the case of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist based in the U.S., “making it clear what I thought of it at the time, and what I think of it now.”
“I was straightforward and direct in discussing it. I made my new crystal clear. I said very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am,” he added.
Mohammed bin Salman’s response was that he was not personally responsible, Biden said. “I indicated I thought he was,” Biden continued about the 2018 killing at the Saudi embassy in Turkey that U.S. intelligence says the crown prince approved.
Before the meeting, Biden had declined to commit to raising Khashoggi’s murder and the Saudi record on human rights in general.
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancee, previously described Biden’s decision to visit Saudi Arabia as “heartbreaking.” On Friday, she criticized Biden’s seemingly warm welcome with the crown prince, adding a photo of them fist bumping.
“What Jamal Khashoggi would tweet today,” Cengiz wrote on Twitter. “Hey @POTUS, Is this the accountability you promised for my murder? The blood of MBS’s next victim is on your hands.”
When asked about her statement, Biden said she was “sorry she feels that way” and continued to condemn Khashoggi’s killing as “outrageous.”
BREAKING: Pres. Biden says he raised murder of Jamal Khashoggi at top of meeting in Saudi Arabia: “I was straightforward and direct in discussing it. I made my view crystal clear…I’ll always stand up for our values.” https://t.co/o4hQ2HoBg4pic.twitter.com/DaHI2Pv6B8
“The fist bump between President Biden and Mohammed bin Salman was worse than a handshake—it was shameful,” Washington Post Publisher and CEO Fred Ryan said in a statement. “It projected a level of intimacy and comfort that delivers to MBS the unwarranted redemption he has been desperately seeking.”
The meeting comes three years after Biden vowed, as a presidential candidate, to make the Saudis and MBS, as he’s known, a global “pariah.”
Nevertheless, Biden was given a warm reception on Friday in Jeddah as he sat across from the Saudi crown prince.
“Mr. President, welcome to Saudi Arabia,” said a smiling crown price, clearly delighted that Biden made the trip to his turf.
Mohammed bin Salman and members of the Saudi delegation appeared pleasant throughout their brief discussion, with the powerful Saudi leader appearing to nod as Biden spoke to him.
Before reporters were ushered out, they peppered the leaders, unsuccessfully, with questions, asking the crown prince if he would apologize to the Khashoggi’s family.
When one reporter asked Biden if Saudia Arabia is still a pariah state, a noticeable smirk was briefly spotted on Mohammed bin Salman’s face.
Biden, continuing his first visit to the Middle East as president, shared a fist bump with Mohammed bin Salman upon meeting him outside the Al Salam Royal Palace,, ahead of their highly-anticipated meeting despite criticism around the Saudi Arabia stop. The close-up photo of the moment was provided by the Saudis, who wanted it seen around the world.
Biden met, separately, with the prince’s father, King Salman.
Earlier, the president stepped off Air Force One in Jeddah and onto a lavender carpet — symbolic of blooming flowers in the Saudi Kingdom — shortly after 11 a.m. ET, descending the steps and greeted immediately by two individuals. He fist bumped the first greeter and shook hands with others. He then walked towards the “Beast” — the armored presidential limousine — stopping to greet a few other officials lined up for his arrival, accompanied by national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Sullivan pushed back again Friday on a reporter’s suggestion that Biden was “dancing around” whether he would directly address Khashoggi’s murder, despite the slain journalist’s fiancé saying the White House assured her his specific case would be raised.
“I think it’s wrong to say the president was dancing around it,” Sullivan said, ticking through Biden’s statement on the matter.
“First statement, he doesn’t describe the details of what he is going to raise in meetings, particularly before he’s had them, because he wants to go have those meetings. Second statement, he always raises issues of human rights, and this will be no different,” Sullivan said.
Although, as a presidential candidate, Biden vowed to make oil-rich Saudi Arabia a “pariah” state over Khashoggi’s murder, the rapprochement in U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations comes at a time when gas prices have skyrocketed as the West has attempted to boycott Russian oil, ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, and as Biden faces calls to balance security interests with human rights concerns.
Biden has defended his trip to the oil-rich nation, writing in an op-ed for The Washington Post published ahead of his visit that “my aim was to reorient — but not rupture — relations with a country that’s been a strategic partner for 80 years.”
“As president, it is my job to keep our country strong and secure,” he wrote. “We have to counter Russia’s aggression, put ourselves in the best possible position to outcompete China, and work for greater stability in a consequential region of the world.”
But Sullivan on Friday ahead of the meeting downplayed any chance of an agreement from Saudi Arabia to increase oil production as a result of Biden’s meetings in the kingdom.
“I don’t think you should expect a particular announcement here bilaterally,” he told reporters on AF1. “We will discuss energy security at this meeting,” he said broadly, when asked if the public should expect an agreement.
Since taking office, Biden has spoken twice with King Salman, the crown prince’s father, who officially rules the country, but had dispatched Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to serve as his administration’s point of contact with the crown prince, in what was widely perceived as a snub to the powerful Saudi leader.
On Saturday, Biden plans to attend a summit of Arab leaders in Jeddah, a meeting that the crown prince will also attend, though it’s not yet clear how the two leaders will interact or engage there.
Biden noted in his op-ed he would be the first U.S. president to fly from Israel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, describing it as a “small symbol” of the deepening ties between Israel and the Arab world.
ABC News’ Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Brittney Griner’s attorney presented new evidence on the fourth day of her trial in Russia, where the WNBA star has been detained for nearly five months.
The lawyer had a letter from an American doctor giving Griner permission to use cannabis to reduce chronic pain.
Griner was expected to testify but her testimony was delayed until July 26 at the request of her legal team so she can have more time to prepare.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was visiting Russia to play basketball in the off-season when she was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport after being accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country.
If convicted, Griner, 31, faces up to 10 years in prison and also has a right to an appeal.
Griner pleaded guilty on drug charges in court last week, saying that the vape cartridges containing hashish oil were in her luggage mistakenly.
Griner, who has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17, said she had no “intention” of breaking Russian law and did not mean to leave the cartridges in her bag.
Her legal team told ABC News in a statement last week that her “guilty” plea was recommended by her Russian attorneys.
“Brittney sets an example of being brave. She decided to take full responsibility for her actions as she knows that she is a role model for many people,” they said in the statement. “Considering the nature of her case, the insignificant amount of the substance and BG’s personality and history of positive contributions to global and Russian sport, the defense hopes that the plea will be considered by the court as a mitigating factor and there will be no severe sentence.”
Her trial, which is taking place in Khimki, a suburb of Moscow, began on July 1 as the U.S. government works to secure her release.
At the trial on Thursday, several Russian individuals testified as character witnesses about their experience with the Phoenix Mercury player, who also played in the WNBA offseason for UMMC, a Russian basketball club in the city of Yekaterinburg.
The first witness was Maxim Ryabkov, the director of UMMC. The second witness was team doctor Anatoly Galabin, who said that Griner never tested positive for doping while playing for the team. A third witness, Evgenia Belyakova, one of Griner’s Russian teammates, said that Griner was the leader of the team.
The U.S. government classified Griner’s case on May 3 as “wrongfully detained.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last week that Griner’s guilty plea will have “no impact” on any of the negotiations to bring her home.
Calls to free Griner escalated following the release of U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed last month, who was freed from a Russian prison as part of a prisoner exchange. Former Marine Paul Whelan has also been detained in Russia since 2019.
“We’re going to do everything that we can to bring home Brittney Griner safely, and to also make sure that we bring Paul Whelan back home, as well,” Jean-Pierre said.
ABC News’ Joseph Simonetti, Tanya Stukalova, Patrick Reevell and Henderson Hewes contributed to this report.
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — A pilot who landed his plane on a Missouri highway early Friday after running out of fuel was arrested for allegedly flying while intoxicated, authorities said.
Troopers responded to reports of a small plane blocking the westbound lanes of I-70 near the Kansas City suburb of Grain Valley around 3 a.m. local time.
“Interstate 70 (westbound lanes) BLOCKED by an AIRCRAFT!” Missouri State Highway Patrol tweeted while warning commuters to expect delays.
The plane managed to avoid hitting any vehicles but had a “minor collision” with a guardrail, Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The pilot, who was the only person on board, suffered minor injuries, it said.
Authorities determined that the plane had run out of fuel when the pilot radioed in and made an emergency landing on the highway.
Interstate 70 (westbound lanes) BLOCKED by an AIRCRAFT!
Initial report is a small plane landed on the highway for an unknown reason. The pilot was the only person onboard w/ minor injuries. NO vehicles were hit!@MoDOT_KC is responding due to lane closure. Expect delays. pic.twitter.com/Q6SIIJhXRk
The pilot, identified by authorities as 35-year-old John Seesing was arrested after he was “found to be intoxicated,” Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
Sgt. Andy Bell, a public information officer for Missouri State Highway Patrol, said troopers suspected impairment by a combination of alcohol and drugs.
Missouri State Highway Patrol records show that Seesing, of Prairie Village, Kanas, was arrested on charges including DWI, careless and imprudent driving involving a crash, felony possession of a controlled substance, felony unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Seesing was treated at a local hospital for his injuries and underwent blood testing in connection with the charges, Bell said. He has since been released, he said.
It is unclear if Seesing has an attorney.
The single-engine Piper plane was towed from the scene and all lanes on the highway had reopened by 5:30 a.m.
Troopers believe the pilot was flying from Florida to the Kansas City Downtown Airport.
Flight Aware records show the plane left the Kansas City area early Thursday morning before arriving in Daytona Beach, Florida, then started making its way back toward the Kansas City area later that night.
The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident.
(NEW YORK) — Car manufacturer Ford is recalling over 100,000 SUVs and trucks because of fire risks in the engine, nearly a month after recalling millions of its vehicles.
The company is recalling some of its 2020-2022 Ford Escapes, 2021-2022 Lincoln Corsairs and 2022 Mavericks equipped with 2.5-liter hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
If engine failure occurs, engine oil and fuel vapor could be released into the chamber where the engine is stored and collected around ignition sources such as the engine and exhaust components.
People who own any of the vehicles affected should park and turn off the engines “as quickly as possible” when they hear “unexpected engine noises, notice a reduction in vehicle power, or see smoke,” NHTSA said.
There have been no reported injuries, Ford said.
In May, Ford recalled over 39,000 Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators because they ran the risk of catching fire under the hood even when parked or turned off. The company expanded that recall to include 66,000 more vehicles after it received reports of five more fires, according to the Associated Press.
Last month, the company recalled 2.9 million vehicles with transmission issues that increased the risk of rolling away even when parked.
(AKRON, Ohio) — Tensions between protesters and law enforcement have persisted amid weekslong demonstrations following the fatal police shooting of 25-year-old Jayland Walker.
As protesters seek accountability from police in Walker’s death, local and national advocacy groups have released lists of demands for the mayor and local law enforcement.
“Without a new approach to policing and public safety broadly, policymakers keep taking us through the same cycle of violence; more militarization and surveillance, more prisons, and more Black people murdered by police,” said Sakira Cook, of the social justice organization Color Of Change. “Yet, we are not deterred. Together, alongside our members and partners, we’ll continue to work to end our violent policing system, redefine public safety, and invest in Black communities.”
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan has offered to sit down and have meetings with the various advocacy groups, according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
Walker was unarmed when he was fatally shot in Akron, Ohio, by police on June 27 after a traffic stop turned into a pursuit. He was running away when eight officers opened fire on him, body-camera footage released by the city showed.
Officials said they attempted to pull over Walker for a traffic violation and an equipment violation with his car. He allegedly refused to stop, which set off a chase that ended in his death.
Officials said a flash of light seen in body camera footage appeared to be the muzzle flash of a gun coming from the driver’s side of Walker’s car.
In a second body camera video, officers are heard radioing that they heard a shot being fired from Walker’s car. The footage shows the officer following Walker’s Buick off Route 8 and continuing the pursuit on side streets.
At one point, Walker slowed down and jumped out of the passenger side door before it came to a full stop. As Walker ran away from police, several officers simultaneously fired several bullets, fatally shooting him.
A gun was later recovered inside the car, but Walker was unarmed when he was shot.
The officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave and have not been named.
The incident is under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
“When an officer makes the most critical decision in his or her life as a police officer, it doesn’t matter where in the country this happens, when they make that most critical decision to point their firearm at another human being and pull the trigger, they’ve got to be ready to explain why they did what they did,” Police Chief Steve Mylett said in a July 3 press conference, as the department released body camera footage.
A list of demands from Color Of Change and social advocacy group The Freedom BLOC for Akron officials has already received more than 3,000 signatures.
It calls for the abolition of the use of tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets, the release of all protesters from jail with charges dropped and records expunged, as well as an order for police to stop arresting protesters.
The demands also include funding an unarmed traffic enforcement unit for routine traffic stops, as well as a unit to respond to mental health calls and anti-violence community programs.
Demonstrators also demand the city create a citizen-led commission to reallocate money from the police department to other community programs that invest in housing, public transportation, health care and more.
The Department of Justice Community Relations Service has offered to be mediators in these conversations between officials and the organizations, and “we believe this is the best path forward for our community,” a spokesperson from the mayor’s office told ABC News.
Akron officials have implemented a curfew to quell protests, saying that the nationwide outrage about Walker’s death has put the city on edge.
Two relatives of police shooting victims – Jacob Blake Sr., the father of Jacob Blake, and Bianca Austin, an aunt of Breonna Taylor – were arrested on rioting charges while protesting the police shooting in the city.
According to local reports from WKYC, demonstrators claimed to have been tear-gassed while protesting.
The Akron Police Department did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the allegations.
Ohio officials called for protesters to pause demonstrations on July 8, after two people were killed in unrelated gun violence in other parts of Akron.
“This has been a very difficult week for Akron, almost two weeks for Akron. The heat is very very high, tensions are running high in this city,” Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said at a press briefing that night. “We’re asking for people to stand down for at least 48 hours, let the temperature come down.”
Both the family and police have called for peaceful demonstrations after officials said some protests turned violent. Some officers also claim to have received threats due to their involvement in the department.
“So long as the participants are non-violent, we are going to give them space,” said Lt. Michael Miller in a July 11 press conference.
Following that press conference, the legal team representing Walker’s family held a press conference in response.
“We don’t stand for any violence towards anyone, whether it be a police officer or a citizen but here’s the fact of the matter: the police are in control here, aren’t they?,” attorney Bobby DiCello said. “When the community is hurting, they need to let that hurt out and not take it personally.”
The city officially declared July 13 a day of mourning in Walker’s name in a new resolution to quell the tension.
In it, officials call for peaceful protesting and healing throughout the community. “The City urges that the friends and family of Jayland Walker, and the entire Akron community, be surrounded with love and peace, and that the City would begin to heal,” the city said.
(LAFAYETTE, Ind.) — An Indiana police department is praising a “heroic” 25-year-old Good Samaritan who rescued five children from a massive house fire.
Nicholas Bostic saved an 18-year-old who was home with her siblings, ages 2, 6 and 13, Lafayette Police Lt. Randy Sherer said. Bostic also rescued a friend of the 13-year-old who was there spending the night, Sherer said. The siblings’ parents weren’t home, Sherer said.
The blaze broke out around 12:30 a.m. Monday, Sherer said. Bostic was driving by when he spotted the house fully engulfed in flames and pulled over, he told ABC News, beating first responders to the scene.
Bostic didn’t have his phone to call 911, so he ran to the back of the house to see if he could spot anyone, he said.
Bostic went inside and raced upstairs, where he found the 18-year-old, 2-year-old and two 13-year-olds, and he led them down the stairs and outside, Bostic said.
“I asked them if anybody was left in there — and that’s when they told me that the 6-year-old was,” Bostic said.
Bostic said he ran back inside to look for the 6-year-old girl, but the thick smoke made it hard to see and the overwhelming heat scared him.
That’s when he heard the little girl whimper, which he said gave him the courage to keep going. All the while, he was terrified the house would explode.
“The last thing I could do was waste a second panicking,” he said.
Once Bostic found the 6-year-old, he punched through a window so they could escape, he said.
Bostic was hospitalized for severe smoke inhalation and a serious cut to his arm, police said. He has since been released.
All of the children are doing well, Sherer said.
Sherer called Bostic’s actions “heroic. The city in a statement said Bostic has “impressed many with his courage, tenacity, and steadfast calmness.”
Bostic said he’s spoken with the children’s parents.
“The dad said he’d love to take me out for a dinner,” he said. “They have wide-open arms welcoming me as a part of their family.”
“I’m glad I was there at the right time, the right place,” Bostic added.
And Bostic, still recovering, said he wouldn’t hesitate to race into another house fire.
“If opportunity came again and I had to do it, I would do it,” he said. “I knew what I was risking. I knew the next second it could be my life. But every second counted.”
