(NEW YORK) — New York City Police officers are searching for a gunman after a subway passenger was shot and killed in what investigators describe as an unprovoked attack.
The suspect was pacing back and forth in the last car of a Manhattan-bound Q train as it crossed over the Manhattan Bridge around 11:45 a.m. Sunday when he pulled out a gun and “without provocation” fired it at a 48-year-old passenger at close range, striking him in the chest, witnesses told investigators, NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey announced at a press conference.
When the train pulled into the Canal Street station — the first Manhattan stop on the Q line — the suspect fled, Corey said, describing him as dark-skinned with a beard and “heavy-set” and last seen wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and white sneakers. He is still at large.
Emergency responders attended to the victim at the scene, Corey said. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he later died. His identity has not yet been released.
No others were injured in the shooting, Corey said.
Preliminary information suggests there was no prior contact between the victim and suspect, Corey said.
Witnesses who may have photos or video of that altercation are asked to share them with investigators.
Sunday marks the second New York City subway shooting in recent months.
On April 12, 10 people on board the N train were shot as it approached the 36th Street station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood. The alleged gunman, Frank James, is being held without bail on charges of carrying out a terror attack against a mass transit system and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Corey said Sunday that the NYPD is committed to protecting the city’s mass transit system and will continue to place officers at stations and aboard trains on patrol.
“We put a lot of additional officers down into the subway system,” he said. “We continue to do that to patrol this very extensive transit system that we have.”
ABC News’ Will McDuffie and Matt Foster contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The first batch of imported baby formula under “Operation Fly Formula” arrived in the United States on Sunday as the Biden administration tries to alleviate the nationwide baby formula shortage.
Military aircraft transported the shipment of three formula brands, the equivalent of up to half a million 8-ounce bottles, from Ramstein Air Base in Germany to Indiana. The shipment included Nestlé Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior as well as Gerber Good Start Extensive HA, all of which are hypoallergenic formulas for children with cow’s milk protein allergies.
The Department of Agriculture said Saturday that “additional flights will be announced in the coming days.”
“Typically, the process to transport this product from Europe to U.S. would take two weeks. Thanks to Operation Fly Formula, we cut that down to approximately three days,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
This shipment is the first of multiple planes of imported formula expected to arrive in the U.S. in the coming weeks.
“Folks, I’m excited to tell you that the first flight from Operation Fly Formula is loaded up with more than 70,000 pounds of infant formula and about to land in Indiana. Our team is working around the clock to get safe formula to everyone who needs it,” President Joe Biden tweeted Sunday ahead of the plane’s arrival.
Biden also signed legislation aimed at improving access to baby formula for low-income families last week.
The Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022 ensures families can use benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — also known as WIC — to buy formula products outside what is normally designated for the program during times of crisis.
The program purchases about half of all infant formula supply in the U.S., with some 1.2 million infants receiving formula through WIC.
Typically, each state relies on a contract with a single manufacturer to supply products for WIC participants. But a recall from Abbott, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers, highlighted flaws within the federal nutrition program.
“When we became aware of all of this we came together very quickly to do what we could,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said in remarks from the floor after the legislation passed, though she said she wished it would’ve never gotten to this point for families.
“The reality is that half of the baby formula in this country goes to moms and babies that are on a very important program that is called the Women, Infants, and Children’s program,” Stabenow continued. “We know that we’ve got to do anything humanly possible to take away any barrier available for them to get this important food for children.”
Now, the United States Department of Agriculture will have authority to amend WIC program rules during a shortage, recall or other emergencies and allow families to buy whatever products are available in the store.
The law also requires formula manufacturers that provide products for WIC participants to have a contingency plan for responding to shortages or recalls in the future.
Biden signed the baby formula bill into law during his five-day trip to Asia, according to the White House. He also signed a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine as Russia’s invasion stretches into its fourth month.
The Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022 had overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, passing the House in a 414-to-9 vote and the Senate via unanimous consent.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrated the bipartisan moment in the chamber.
“It’s rare that we have unanimity in the Senate on important measures, and I wish we had more, but this is one of these important issues and I’m glad we’re acting with one voice,” said Schumer, calling the shortage “stuff of nightmares” for parents.
For the week ending May 15, nearly 45% of products in the U.S. were unavailable, according to the data tracking firm Datasembly, up slightly from the 43% out-of-stock rate reported the week ending May 8.
The House also tried to give $28 million in emergency assistance to the Food and Drug Administration to enhance safety inspections and prevent fraudulent products from getting into stores. But the bill failed to move forward in the Senate, as Republicans on Capitol Hill remain opposed to giving the agency more funds.
FDA chief Robert Califf was grilled by lawmakers this week on the agency’s response to the formula shortage. He said it will the situation is “gradually” getting better, but that it “will be a few weeks before we’re back to normal.”
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Stop AAPI Hate has become a leading force in tracking and addressing the rise in anti-Asian attacks in communities across the country.
The leaders behind this group are taking to the California legislature to turn this community-driven effort into legislation with its No Place for Hate policy initiative.
Unlike other legislative proposals, the group and legislators they’re working with are not focusing on new criminal laws, but rather public health and research initiatives. The idea is to work on community building and other initiatives rather than putting more people in jail.
“Anti-Asian racism exists — it’s systemic, and it’s pervasive, and it’s sinister,” said Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate. “Members of our communities don’t feel free to walk on the sidewalks, to take public transit, to go grocery shopping.”
Between March 2020 and December 31, 2021, Stop AAPI Hate has recorded more than 10,000 reports of hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) persons across the U.S. This is markedly higher than the number of reported hate crimes, which advocates say are undercounted.
Several tragedies including a Dallas salon shooting that targeted three Korean women, and the mass shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-based Asian-owned or operated spas in 2021 have highlighted the growing, deadly nature behind anti-Asian hate.
This kind of hate has particularly impacted Asian American communities in California. In San Francisco, for example, anti-Asian hate crimes saw an astonishing 567% from 2020 to 2021, according to Mayor London Breed.
“One of the things that we believe in fundamentally is that we all deserve to feel safe and to move about freely without being targets of hate and harassment,” Choi said.
The No Place for Hate initiative includes three bills that target the kinds of places where these hate incidents are happening frequently: AB 2549 which declares street harassment a public health problem; SB 1161, aiming to protect the safety and welfare of public transit passengers; and AB 2448 to end harassment in businesses.
The Ending Street Harassment Bill, AB 2549, declares street harassment a public health issue, and will fund research and programs to prevent common forms of harassment.
“If you think about what it means for women and the AAPI community and others to be going down the street, there’s no recourse to be able to share that you’ve been verbally assaulted,” Assemblymember Mia Bonta told ABC News.
Bonta and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who helped author the bill, say a public health approach allows for solutions to focus on education and building community, rather than putting more people into the criminal justice system.
“There have been many Asian American community organizations that have expressed concerns about focusing on criminal laws as tools to address the issue of hate crimes,” Muratsuchi told ABC News. “That’s why we’re taking this innovative public health approach.”
The Increasing Safety for Public Transit Riders Bill, SB 1161, will require transit agencies to gather data on ridership and rider safety. That data would then be used to implement solutions that could address the harassment and assaults that people have experienced while using public transit.
State Sen. Dave Min, the author of the bill, told ABC News that a lot of women from all backgrounds have been reporting that they feel unsafe or have been repeatedly harassed while using public transit.
“They’ve had to change their routes to avoid being stalked or harassed or followed, so this is a chronic problem,” Min said.
He said the legislation doesn’t direct transit officials to take any specific kind of action, but looks toward the collected data to propose the best solutions: “Should we have more security at certain places? Should there be training for transit operators on what to do in the event that someone reports harassment to them?”
The Expanding Civil Rights Protections at Businesses Bill, AB 2448, would direct businesses to develop and implement protections against discrimination and harassment for customers.
These bills are currently being reviewed and debated by their respective committees.
“It’s important for us to do more than just put out slogans and develop hashtags,” said Bonta. “It’s incredibly important for us to develop viable solutions that have the weight of impact and an opportunity to change people’s everyday experience.”
They say these bills don’t just solve the anti-AAPI hate issue, but reach further to offer solutions to the same issues many marginalized people from different backgrounds have also been experiencing.
Choi calls it “cross-solidarity, community-building work.”
“Everyone including women of color, people with disabilities, the young, the elderly, the LGBTQI community — we want to be able to walk to the park, to take public transit, shop, care for our families, and live our lives without being harassed and so our bills really speak to that,” Choi said.
The organization hopes it will set an example for states across the country that are grappling with anti-Asian hate, though several cities have begun to make strides in these efforts.
“At the end of the day, what we what we firmly believe is that it’s not one piece of legislation, it’s not one intervention — we need to take a whole of society approach to addressing all these forms of harm,” Choi said.
(NEW YORK) — The Biden administration is planning for a likely wave of COVID-19 infections this fall and winter by ensuring both a “new generation” of vaccines and access to treatment and testing, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said on Sunday — but he stressed that plan depended on congressional funding.
“We have the resources,” Jha told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “One of the reasons I’ve been talking a lot about the need for Congress to step up and fund this effort is if they don’t, Martha, we will go into the fall and winter without that next generation of vaccines, without treatments and diagnostics. That’s going to make it much, much harder for us to take care of and protect Americans.”
Jha has been urging lawmakers to approve President Joe Biden’s request for an additional $22.5 billion in COVID funding, warning that the nation has spent much of the money dedicated to pandemic testing and treatments, including what was in the $1.9-trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law last year. That request, however, remains stalled in Congress amid GOP opposition.
Meanwhile the U.S. is experiencing another COVID wave, with cases rising in nearly every state. Official infection numbers are up to more than 100,000 per day and COVID-related seven-day average hospitalizations rose by around 24% from the prior week, according to the latest CDC data. Experts say this surge is due in part to the virus’ continued variants and subvariants, some of which are increasingly contagious. Vaccination, the White House says, remains a key strategy at preventing severe illness death and lessening the spread.
“What we know is that this virus is evolving very quickly and every iteration of it has more and more immune escape [which] makes it harder for this virus to be contained unless we continue vaccinating people and keeping people up-to-date,” Jha said on “This Week.”
With the recent spikes in COVID cases and hospitalization numbers, Jha said vaccination or boosters were crucial and that he felt “very strongly” Americans should wear masks indoors again.
“When you’re in an indoor space, you should be wearing a mask,” he said. “First and foremost, my advice is if you have not gotten vaccinated in the last five months, if you have not gotten boosted, you need to go out to do that now.”
Raddatz pressed Jha on whether the administration had considered a new public health strategy considering their consistent advice had not broken through to all quarters of the public.
But, Raddatz asked, had the administration been considering another public health strategy considering their consistent advice (vaccines, masking) had not broken through to all quarters of the public?
“You said month after month after month, put your masks on, get a vaccine, get a booster, but the numbers aren’t really moving. So what kind of discussions do you have about another plan?” Raddatz said.
“We want to help people understand that we are in a different moment than we were two years ago, right? We are at a point where lots of people are vaccinated and boosted, where we do have widespread therapies available,” Jha said.
“And so the key discussion now is: How do we help Americans through this moment? And, this is really important, Martha, how do we prepare for future variants, how do we prepare for the evolution of this virus, and how do we make sure we have the resources to do it so we can protect Americans as this virus continues to evolve?”
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week backing booster eligibility for children 5 to 11 at least five months after their initial shots, Raddatz pressed Jha on when kids not yet eligible may be able to get their first shots.
“But what about 5 and under? How soon might we see that?” Raddatz asked.
“What I know is that Moderna has completed its application, those data are being looked at very closely right now by FDA [Food and Drug Administration] experts. And my expectation is that as soon as that analysis is done, probably within the next few weeks, we’re going to get that expert outside committee,” Jha said, referring to an FDA advisory committee. “And then after that, FDA’s going to make a decision.”
“My hope is that it’s going to be coming in the next few weeks,” he said.
Jha also talked about another infection that has gained increasing attention: monkeypox. Biden recently said it was “something that everybody should be concerned about.”
Jha, however, cautioned that there were significant differences between the COVID pandemic and the latest monkeypox cases, which have two confirmed infections so far in the U.S.– in Massachusetts and New York.
The U.S. is equipped with vaccines against it, Jha noted. And monkeypox has long been studied around the world.
“I would not be surprised, Martha, if we see a few more cases in the upcoming days. And I think the president’s right: Anytime we have an infectious disease outbreak like this we should all be paying attention,” he said. “But I feel like this is a virus we understand. We have vaccines against it, we have treatments against it, and it spreads very differently than SARS-CoV-2. It’s not as contagious as COVID.”
(GOSHEN, Ind.) — “Multiple people” were injured in a shooting in northern Indiana Saturday, police said.
The victims were transported to area hospitals and their conditions are unknown at this time, the Goshen Police Department said on Facebook.
“Based off of information that officers have obtained, it is not believed there is any danger to the public related to this incident,” the department said.
The shooting occurred on the south side of Goshen Saturday afternoon, police said. No additional information was provided.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(GAYLORD, Mich.) — Two people are dead, multiple people were injured and “heavy damage” reported after a destructive tornado tore through northern Michigan Friday afternoon, authorities said.
The National Weather Service said the tornado has been given a preliminary rating of EF-3. Peak winds were estimated to be up to 140 mph.
6,500 homes are without power in Gaylord with some also without power in the surrounding area, Lt. Derrick Carroll, PIO with the Michigan State Police, said at a press conference Saturday.
“The area is not safe we are in the process of stabilizing it,” Carroll said, urging those affected to stay at home and shelter in place.
In addition to the two dead, 44 are injured and one person is still unaccounted for after a tornado hit the Gaylord, Michigan area. The two people who died were in their 70s and both lived in a mobile home park, Carroll said.
The tornado touched down on Friday at 3:48 p.m., near Nottingham Forest, a mobile home park, and continued along the M-32 Highway through the Gaylord business area, causing “extensive damage” to other commercial and residential structures in the tornado’s path, Carroll said.
Otsego County Fire Chief Chris Martin added that about 95% of the mobile home park has been destroyed, with “trailers picked up and turned over on top of each other.”
The tornado warning code red alert sent out gave people in the Gaylord area about 10 minutes to prepare, John Boris, Science and Operations Officer with the National Weather Service, said.
Data collected by the NWS suggests that the tornado was on the ground for 26 minutes, with the storm moving at about 55 mph. It moved east through Gaylord before hading north, according to Boris.
As of Friday, the injured were being treated at four separate hospitals. 23 patients have been admitted at Otsego Memorial Hospital, 12 patients at Grayling Hospital, eight patients at McLaren Northern Michigan Petoskey, and one patient Munson Medical Center Traverse City.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a declaration of emergency for Otsego County on Friday night.
“Michiganders are tough. We are resilient. We will do what it takes to rebuild. There’s no challenge we can’t get through together,” she said on Twitter.
Michigan State Police for the Seventh District confirmed that a tornado touched down in Otsego County.
“Trees and power lines blocking roadways. Multiple homes and businesses damaged,” the agency said on Twitter. “Avoid the Gaylord area. Emergency crews are responding.”
Images from the scene showed leveled buildings, damaged roofs on businesses, downed trees and cars flipped over.
“My heart goes out to the families and small businesses impacted by the tornado and severe weather in Gaylord,” Whitmer said on Twitter. “To the entire Gaylord community — Michigan is with you. We will do what it takes to rebuild.”
William Gretsky and Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden signed legislation Saturday aimed at protecting low-income families as the United States grapples with a nationwide baby formula shortage.
The Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022 ensures families can use benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — also known as WIC — to buy formula products outside what is normally designated for the program during times of crisis.
The program purchases about half of all infant formula supply in the U.S., with some 1.2 million infants receiving formula through WIC.
Typically, each state relies on a contract with a single manufacturer to supply products for WIC participants. But a recall from Abbott, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers, highlighted flaws within the federal nutrition program.
“When we became aware of all of this we came together very quickly to do what we could,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said in remarks from the floor after the legislation passed, though she said she wished it would’ve never gotten to this point for families.
“The reality is that half of the baby formula in this country goes to moms and babies that are on a very important program that is called the Women, Infants, and Children’s program,” Stabenow continued. “We know that we’ve got to do anything humanly possible to take away any barrier available for them to get this important food for children.”
Now, the United States Department of Agriculture will have authority to amend WIC program rules during a shortage, recall or other emergencies and allow families to buy whatever products are available in the store.
The law also requires formula manufacturers that provide products for WIC participants to have a contingency plan for responding to shortages or recalls in the future.
Biden signed the baby formula bill into law during his five-day trip to Asia, according to the White House. He also signed a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine as Russia’s invasion stretches into its fourth month.
The Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022 had overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, passing the House in a 414-to-9 vote and the Senate via unanimous consent.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrated the bipartisan moment in the chamber.
“It’s rare that we have unanimity in the Senate on important measures, and I wish we had more, but this is one of these important issues and I’m glad we’re acting with one voice,” said Schumer, calling the shortage “stuff of nightmares” for parents.
For the week ending May 15, nearly 45% of products in the U.S. were unavailable, according to the data tracking firm Datasembly, up slightly from the 43% out-of-stock rate reported the week ending May 8.
The House also tried to give $28 million in emergency assistance to the Food and Drug Administration to enhance safety inspections and prevent fraudulent products from getting into stores. But the bill failed to move forward in the Senate, as Republicans on Capitol Hill remain opposed to giving the agency more funds.
FDA chief Robert Califf was grilled by lawmakers this week on the agency’s response to the formula shortage. He said it will the situation is “gradually” getting better, but that it “will be a few weeks before we’re back to normal.”
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) — Nine people were shot, including one fatally, during a party in Southern California late Friday night, police said.
Police officers responded to a shooting at a business in the city of Highland, east of Los Angeles, shortly before midnight Friday, the San Bernardino Police Department said.
“Upon arrival, officers encountered a large crowd and learned that they were in the area attending a party,” Sgt. Equino Thomas, a department spokesperson, said in a statement.
One shooting victim was found outside the business, which was located in a shopping center, and pronounced dead at the scene, Thomas said. No further information on the victim was released.
Eight additional shooting victims have since been confirmed, Thomas said. Most of the victims brought themselves to local hospitals and were treated for what appear to be non-life-threatening injuries.
The motive and suspect in the shooting are under investigation, police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, it does not appear that the victims were intentionally targeted and that this may have stemmed from a conflict in a crowded room that spilled out into the parking lot of the business,” Thomas said.
Footage from the scene overnight showed a large police presence outside the strip mall and at a gas station across the street.
A witness told ABC Los Angeles station KABC that shots were also fired from a car at the gas station.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 21, 11:42 am
Biden signs $40 billion Ukraine aid bill into law
President Biden signed the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill into law Saturday, the White House announced in a press release.
The bill provides supplemental emergency funds to Federal agencies to respond and provide assistance to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Biden on Twitter for the aid.
“The leadership of US, President Biden & the American people in supporting Ukrainians fight against the Russian aggressor is crucial. Look forward to new, powerful defense assistance. Today it is needed more than ever,” Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Max Uzol
May 21, 10:44 am
Russian Foreign Ministry publishes list of Americans banned from entering Russia
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday published a list of American citizens who are barred from entering the Russian Federation on a permanent basis.
Russia said the move was in retaliation for anti-Russian sanctions currently imposed by the U.S.
The list published on the ministry’s website comprises 963 U.S. citizens, including President Joe Biden.
May 20, 5:00 pm
More than 40 countries to take part in next Ukraine Contact Group meeting
More than 40 countries will be represented at the second meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group, formed last month to coordinate international support for Ukraine, according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.
Monday’s meeting “will allow us to continue to dip into a process to get Ukraine, or at least to make other nations available and knowledgeable about what Ukraine needs as the fight is ongoing,” Kirby told reporters during a briefing Friday.
More than 40 nations attended the first meeting both virtually and in-person at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. New countries will attend the second, which will be strictly virtual, Kirby said.
“There are some countries that have shown an interest in participating that weren’t in the first meeting,” said Kirby, who called the first iteration “a true global community” of countries in NATO and beyond.
May 20, 3:41 pm
Russian Ministry of Defense claims it has taken complete control over Azovstal steel plant, Mariupol
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed Friday it has taken complete control of the Azovstal plant and Mariupol from the Ukrainian forces, expelling them from the port city.
The underground facilities of the plant, in which the Azov National Regiment militia were hiding, came under the complete control of Russian forces, the ministry claimed.
The commander of the Azov Regiment was reportedly taken out of the territory of the plant in an armored car, the ministry said.
Russia claims 2,439 Ukrainian servicemen have laid down their arms and surrendered since May 16.
May 20, 1:10 pm
Russia to cut off Finland’s natural gas Saturday morning
Gasum, Finland’s natural gas company, announced Friday that it was informed its imports from Russia’s Gazprom Export will be cut off on Saturday at 7 a.m. local time.
The move by Russia comes days after Finland submitted its application to join NATO.
“It is highly regrettable that natural gas supplies under our supply contract will now be halted. However, we have been carefully preparing for this situation and provided that there will be no disruptions in the gas transmission network, we will be able to supply all our customers with gas in the coming months,” Gasum CEO Mika Wiljanen said in a statement.
Gasum will supply natural gas to its customers from other sources though the Balticconnector pipeline, which connects Finland with Estonia, the company said in a statement.
Gasum said its gas-filling stations in the network area will continue in normal operation.
May 20, 8:57 am
US-supplied howitzers to Ukraine lack accuracy-aiding computers
Dozens of artillery systems supplied by the United States to Ukraine were not fitted with advanced computer systems, which improve the efficiency and accuracy of the weapons, ABC News has learned.
The M777 155mm howitzers are now being used by the Ukrainian military in its war with Russia.
The Pentagon did not deny that the artillery pieces were supplied without the computers but said it had received “positive feedback” from the Ukrainians about the “precise and highly effective” weapons.
That positive sentiment was echoed by a Ukrainian politician, who spoke to ABC News on condition of anonymity. However, the politician also expressed frustration that the artillery pieces had not been the fitted with the digital computer systems.
Artillery is currently playing a crucial role in the fighting across eastern Ukraine, as Russia continues its offensive in that part of the country. U.S. officials recently confirmed that all but one of the 90 howitzers promised to Ukraine had now been delivered, along with tactical vehicles used to tow them.
If fitted to a howitzer, the digital computer system enables the crew operating the weapon to quickly and accurately pinpoint a target. Howitzers without a computer system can still be fired accurately, using traditional methods to calculate the angle needed to hit a target.
Modern computer systems, however, rule out the possibility of human error. Why the artillery pieces supplied to Ukraine did not have the digital targeting technology installed is unclear. The Pentagon said it would not discuss individual components “for operational security reasons.”
-ABC News’ Tom Burridge and Luis Martinez
May 20, 6:58 am
1,700 Ukrainian soldiers likely surrendered from Mariupol plant, UK says
As many as 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers have likely surrendered from the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant in war-ravaged Mariupol this week, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense.
“An unknown number of Ukrainian forces remain inside the factory,” the ministry said Friday in an intelligence update. “Once Russia has secured Mariupol, it is likely they will move their forces to reinforce operations in the Donbas.”
For weeks, Ukrainian fighters and civilians were holed up inside the sprawling industrial site as the remaining pocket of resistance to Russia’s relentless bombardment of Mariupol, a southeastern Ukrainian port city strategically located on the Sea of Azov between eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russia claimed Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered in Mariupol over the previous three days, while Ukraine confirmed Tuesday that more than 250 had yielded in the initial hours after it ordered them to do so.
Mariupol is the largest city that Russian forces have seized since launching an invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24. Its complete capture gives Russia total control of the coast of the Sea of Azov as well as a continuous stretch of territory along eastern and southern Ukraine.
“Staunch Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol since the start of the war means Russian forces in the area must be re-equipped and refurbished before they can be redeployed effectively,” the U.K. defense ministry said. “This can be a lengthy process when done thoroughly.”
“Russian commanders, however, are under pressure to demonstrably achieve operational objectives,” the ministry added. “This means that Russia will probably redistribute their forces swiftly without adequate preparation, which risks further force attrition.”
May 20, 6:42 am
Belarus says nearly 28,000 Ukrainians have arrived since Russian invasion
Nearly 28,000 Ukrainian citizens have arrived in Belarus since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to the Belarusian State Border Committee.
“Between 6 a.m. on February 24 and 6 a.m. on May 20, a total of 27,868 Ukrainian citizens arrived in Belarus, including 15,793 who crossed the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, 10,563 by transit through Poland, 1,305 through Lithuania, and 207 through Latvia,” the committee said in a statement Friday.
In the past 24 hours alone, 154 Ukrainian citizens arrived in Belarus, including 120 via Poland, according to the committee.
Belarus shares a land border with both Ukraine and Russia, and is Moscow’s main ally.
May 19, 8:07 pm
Biden to sign Ukraine aid bill while abroad
President Joe Biden will sign the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill while he’s in Asia, a White House official said.
“The president does intend to sign the bill while he’s on the road so that he can sign it expeditiously,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to the region Thursday evening. “The modalities of that are being worked right now so that he can get it and sign it.”
The bill, which passed the Senate earlier Thursday with bipartisan support, will need to be flown to the region so that Biden can sign it. The practice of flying bills to presidents for signature dates back to the Truman administration, but this is a first for Biden.
Biden departed for South Korea Thursday and will visit Japan later in the week during his first trip to Asia as president.
(NEW YORK) — Just one week ago, an 18-year-old suspect allegedly gunned down 10 Black people at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York, in what authorities called a “racially motivated hate crime.”
A day later, a shooting at a Southern California church would leave one person dead, five others injured. The suspect, a 68-year-old man, was motivated by the political tension between China and Taiwan, the Orange County Sheriff’s office said this week.
In both cases, the FBI is said to be investigating the shootings for possible hate crimes.
But aside from those high-profile deadly shootings, a recent spate of violence has occurred at gatherings typically known to bring joy and celebration to children and parents alike — graduations.
There have been at least three shootings this week at graduation ceremonies across multiple states, none appearing to be at random.
An 18-year-old identified as Hasani Brewer was killed and a 17-year-old injured in a shooting Wednesday night as a crowd was leaving a Riverdale high school graduation ceremony being hosted on the Middle Tennessee State University campus.
Murfreesboro Police said the shooting stemmed from an altercation between Brewer and the teen near the on-campus arena when another 17-year-old opened fire. The alleged teen shooter was taken into custody Thursday and arraigned in juvenile court on a first-degree murder charge, according to police.
In Louisiana, chaos ensued Thursday night when shots rang out as family and friends were leaving the University Center at Southeastern Louisiana University’s campus after a Hammond high school graduation ceremony.
Hammond Police said three bystanders were shot after an argument turned into gunfire and another person was injured attempting to flee the scene. All the injuries were considered to be non-life threatening, according to police. No students were believed to be involved or among the injured.
“The sad thing is that people bring guns to events like this when it should be a joyous moment for people that have spent the last twelve years of their life, come to a graduation and all of a sudden we end up in a situation like this,” Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said during a press conference.
“[I’m] in disbelief that something like this could be happening at such a joyous occasion for these, you know, there was 280-something kids graduating,” Penny Lapre told ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV. “It was mass chaos,” Lapre said.
20-year-old Trent Thomas was arrested in connection to the shooting and faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder, possession of a firearm in a gun-free campus, and obstruction of justice, according to Southeastern Louisiana University Police Chief Michael Beckner.
And in Michigan, two people were injured Thursday when gunfire erupted in the parking lot of a high school campus hosting a graduation ceremony on its football field with 400 people in attendance.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office said a gun battle between two vehicles occurred in the parking lot following the end of a graduation for Crossroads Alternative High School students at East Kentwood High School. A 16-year-old male from Texas suffered a wrist wound and has since been released from the hospital. The vehicles involved had fled the parking lot. A 40-year-old Grand Rapids woman suffered wrist and abdomen injuries and remained hospitalized in critical, but stable condition, authorities said. The vehicles involved had fled the parking lot.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office said they had located the two vehicles involved, a white Hyundai sedan and a white Mercedes-Benz sedan. The Hyundai was found abandoned and still running behind a business in Grand Rapids. The car had bullet holes in it and was reported stolen from the city of Kentwood.
Later that day, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office announced they had detained five people in connection with the shooting following a traffic stop in Livonia, Michigan.
“It is believed that two of the individuals detained were involved with the shooting incident at East Kentwood. There is possibly a third individual as well, but we are awaiting further investigation by detectives on scene,” a statement said. Multiple guns were recovered.
The series of shootings at graduations adds to an ongoing alarming trend of gun violence in the United States. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 1,247 teens ages 12 to 17 were killed in 2021, and 3,381 others were injured.
So far this year there have been 487 teens killed in that same age group and 1,248 injured.
More broadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data this month showing gun homicides increased 35% across the country during the first year of the pandemic to the highest level in 25 years.
According to the new CDC study, firearm homicides increased 40% for those ages 10 to 24 in 2020 — the highest increases for people of color, notably Black males.
The rise in violence could be attributed to the social and economic pressures stemming from the pandemic that reinforced “longstanding” inequities between communities, the study noted.
“Longstanding systemic inequities and structural racism have resulted in limited economic, housing, and educational opportunities associated with inequities in risk for violence,” the authors of the study wrote, “the COVID-19 pandemic might have exacerbated existing social and economic stressors.”
The new CDC data confirms trends identified by ABC News as it studied data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive over the past year.
Back in Tennessee, a family and community is in mourning over the loss of their loved one.
“Always had a smile, always ready to joke, he was a prankster. He just had this light,” said Natalie Gant speaking at a vigil Thursday evening for her son, Hasani Brewer, also known as Sunny Gant, WKRN reported.
ABC News’ Med Unit contributor Eli Cahan contributed to this report.
