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Nearly every state expected to see increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, forecast shows

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the nation’s COVID-19 resurgence reaches its highest point since mid-February, daily hospital admission levels and new COVID-19 related deaths in the U.S. are projected to continue increasing over the next four weeks, according to newly updated forecast models used by the CDC.

The forecast now predicts that nearly every U.S. state and territory is projected to see increases in new hospitalizations over the next two weeks.

Models also show that about 5,300 deaths will occur over the next two weeks. California, New York, Georgia and Florida are projected to see the largest death tolls in the weeks to come.

In the weeks after the U.S. surpassed 1 million confirmed COVID-19 related deaths, models estimate that a total of 1,010,800 fatalities will be recorded by June 11.

The projected increases come as infection rates continue to rise across the country, with a growing number of COVID-19 positive patients, once again, entering hospitals and requiring care, federal data shows.

There are now more than 24,300 virus-positive Americans currently receiving care in the U.S. — the highest total since mid-March, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Although totals remain significantly lower than during other parts of the pandemic, when there were more than 160,000 patients hospitalized with the virus, more than 3,000 virus-positive Americans are entering the hospital each day — an average that has increased by 18.7% in the last week, and approximately doubled in the last month.

Admission levels are now on the rise in every region of the country, and the number of virus-related emergency room visits are now at their highest point since February.

Pediatric hospital admissions have also increased by about 70% over the last month.

Nationally, new infection rates have reached their highest point in nearly three months. An average of 94,000 new cases are being officially reported each day, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. In the last six weeks, new cases nationally have nearly quadrupled.

In the last week alone, the U.S. has reported nearly 660,000 new cases.

President Joe Biden’s new coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, acknowledged during a White House press briefing on Wednesday that the U.S. is currently seeing “a lot of infections,” which he said is largely the result of highly infectious omicron subvariants spreading across the country.

“Right now, [there are] some areas of increased infection and hospitalization in the Northeast and Eastern corridor as well as in the Upper Midwest,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday. “But we’ve seen with prior increases, different waves of infection have demonstrated that this travels across the country and has the potential to travel across the country.”

The Northeast remains the nation’s most notable COVID-19 hotspot. Many of the states with the highest case rate per capita over the last week — Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, and New York — are located in the Northeast. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Hawaii, have also all seen high case rates.

According to the CDC’s community levels, 32% of Americans live in an area with a medium or high COVID-19 community level. Since the prior week, an additional 8% of the US population is living in a county with the medium or high COVID-19 community level, Walensky reported.

The high community level suggests there is a “high potential for healthcare system strain” and a “high level of severe disease,” and thus, the CDC recommends that people wear a mask in public indoor settings, including schools.

Officials noted that with more at-home COVID-19 tests now available, most Americans are not reporting their results to officials, and thus, infection totals are likely significantly undercounted.

“We know that the number of infections is actually substantially higher than that. It’s hard to know exactly how many but we know that a lot of people are getting diagnosed using home tests,” Jha explained.

However, even with the rise in infections and hospitalizations, Jha stressed that the U.S. is “in way better place than where we were two years ago,” thanks to key tools such as vaccines, therapeutics and testing access.

“We’ve got to keep using [those tools] as the virus evolves and as the virus continues to do what it’s doing,” Jha said, noting that he remains concerned about the U.S. outlook for the fall and winter, as he reiterated his call for Congress to approve $22.5 billion in COVID-19 funding.

“There’s a range of models out there of what we might see in the fall and winter,” Jha said. “We have got a plan for a range of scenarios…we have to plan for a scenario where we don’t get any more resources from Congress. I think it’d be terrible. I think we’d see a lot of unnecessary loss of life, if that were to happen. But we’re looking at all the scenarios, and planning for all of them.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveils new gun law proposals in wake of Buffalo shooting

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled proposals Wednesday afternoon to strengthen the state’s gun laws and close “loopholes” in the wake of the deadly Buffalo mass shooting over the weekend.

The announcement was planned before the weekend shooting, and was delayed by President Joe Biden’s Tuesday visit to Buffalo, Hochul’s hometown.

However, the issue takes on increased urgency as her administration reviews how the 18-year-old suspect, Payton Gendron, legally purchased his weapons and then made modifications that are illegal in New York, already home to some of the nation’s strictest gun laws.

Gendron was able to buy a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle in part because he was never subjected to New York’s red flag law, which would have prevented the store from selling him a weapon. He had undergone a mental health evaluation in June 2021, after New York State Police responded to his high school to investigate a report that the then-17-year-old Gendron made reference to murder-suicide in a paper he submitted as part of a class.

Broome County, New York, District Attorney Michael Korchak said during a news conference Wednesday that Gendron was participating in an online class when he “made some disturbing comments about murder and suicide,” which prompted the teacher to follow up to “get clarification.”

“[Gendron] indicated he was just joking and said L-O-L,” Korchak said. He said the teacher still reported the incident to the police.

Because Gendron was not on campus at the time, state police went to his home to interview him, where he again “indicated that this was a joke,” according to Korchak.

State police then took Gendron to Binghamton General Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, Korchak said, adding that Gendron stayed at the hospital overnight but was ultimately cleared.

“This defendant had been interviewed by a mental health professional and professional who deemed him to be not dangerous or not at risk,” Korchak said. “[Gendron] was released to the custody of his parents and returned home. He was actually cleared and went back to school and participated in his high school graduation.”

Korchak defended the school and state police, saying a review of the incident found it was handled “appropriately.” Neither police nor his school applied for a court petition that would have resulted in a red flag.

“The unfortunate thing is the New York State Police, school officials and mental health professionals, they don’t have a crystal ball,” Korchak said. “They can’t read into the future. They can only evaluate the subject on the information that they had at that time.”

On Wednesday, Hochul sought to take the guesswork out of what should be reported as red flag behavior. She said she is requiring state police to file an “extreme risk” order of protection when they encounter someone they believe poses a risk to himself or others.

Because no red flag warning was issued against Gendron, he was able to legally purchased the Bushmaster at a gun store in Endicott, New York, which authorities said he modified with an extended magazine that is illegal to own in New York. Investigators said he purchased the magazine at a Pennsylvania gun store 10 minutes from his home in Conklin.

Hochul also formally requested New York State Attorney General Letitia James investigate “the online resources that were used to amplify the acts and intentions of Payton Gendron,” according to a letter from the governor obtained by ABC News.

“The investigation should be directed at those platforms that may have been used to stream, promote or plan the event including, but not limited to Twitch (owned by Amazon) 4chan, 8chan and Discord,” the letter said.

The shooting was partly livestreamed on Twitch. The suspect allegedly posted chronological details of the attack online using Discord, according to law enforcement sources. He also posted on 4chan and 8chan, the sources said.

“Think about all the people who saw the livestream,” Hochul said. “The virus spreads and they find others to share their worldview, radicalizing others.”

The investigation by James could result in a civil lawsuit or a criminal prosecution.

“The terror attack in Buffalo has once again revealed the depths and danger of the online forums that spread and promote hate,” James said. “The fact that an individual can post detailed plans to commit such an act of hate without consequence, and then stream it for the world to see is bone-chilling and unfathomable.”

The attorney general’s office is sending a letter to the social media companies instructing them to retain relevant documents.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families,” a Discord spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. “Hate and violence have no place on Discord. We are doing everything we can to assist law enforcement in the investigation.”

Hochul also announced the creation of a new domestic terrorism unit within the state Department of Homeland Security, meant to establish best practices to confront the intersection of guns and racially motivated threats.

Even before the mass shooting in Buffalo, there was a focus on guns in the state. Illegal gun possession statistics were up last month in the state and country’s largest city, New York City. New York police made 146 more arrests for illegal guns in April 2022 versus April 2021, a 65% increase, according to the NYPD. Shooting incidents, however, did drop 29% in April 2022 versus April 2021.

Proposals already under discussion in the state Capitol include requiring local law enforcement to report recovered weapons to a federal database in a timely manner, and allowing the state to conduct its own background checks.

New requirements could also be put in place for gun dealers, beefing up training for staff and record keeping.

Gendron is expected to make his next court appearance on Thursday.

Meanwhile, loved ones of those killed in the attack were preparing for the first funeral on Friday.

Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to speak at the funeral of Hayward Patterson, 67, a church deacon. Sharpton’s National Action Network has agreed to cover the funeral costs of all 10 victims killed.

DHS pauses much-scrutinized disinformation group for review but slams ‘gross mischaracterizations’

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday it was pausing its short-lived Disinformation Governance Board pending a review of the larger strategy behind it. The person tapped to lead the group, former Wilson Center fellow Nina Jankowicz, said she had resigned as a result.

Both Jankowicz and a DHS spokesperson said the group had itself become a target of disinformation since its creation was announced in late April. A DHS official went further on Wednesday, saying Jankowicz was “the subject of some particularly vicious and unfair attacks.”

As the official suggested, Jankowicz became the face of conservative-fueled criticism, some of it in personal terms. Others voiced concerns about her background: Jankowicz, who is routinely outspoken on Twitter, had publicly criticized Republicans and sowed doubt about the accuracy of press reports critical of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter.

More broadly, the disinformation board found detractors in the GOP and some leading civil liberties groups over the scope of its work. That scrutiny was fueled by an admittedly clumsy rollout — such as a confusing name — as well as an initial lack of specifics about the board’s operations.

In an interview with ABC News last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the board wasn’t rolled out “effectively,” but that its work was “exactly contrary” to how it was being portrayed.

“It was intended to ensure coordination across the Department’s component agencies as they protect Americans from disinformation that threatens the homeland,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. “The Board has been grossly and intentionally mischaracterized: it was never about censorship or policing speech in any manner. It was designed to ensure we fulfill our mission to protect the homeland, while protecting core Constitutional rights.”

“However,” the spokesperson continued, “false attacks have become a significant distraction from the Department’s vitally important work to combat disinformation that threatens the safety and security of the American people.”

The board is now on hold awaiting a report and a review of strategy for how the department can combat disinformation effectively while still protecting civil liberties. That work will be handled by members of the recently revamped Homeland Security Advisory Council. The DHS said that former Secretary Michael Chertoff and former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick were tapped by Mayorkas to produce recommendations on the future of the group within 75 days.

“During the HSAC’s review … the Department’s critical work across several administrations to address disinformation that threatens the security of our country will continue,” the DHS spokesperson said.

In her own statement on Wednesday, Jankowicz said, “With the Board’s work paused and its future uncertain, and I have decided to leave DHS to return to my work in the public sphere. … It is deeply disappointing that mischaracterizations of the Board became a distraction from the Department’s vital work, and indeed, along with recent events globally and nationally, embodies why it is necessary.”

“I maintain my commitment to building awareness of disinformation’s threats and trust the Department will do the same,” Jankowciz said.

Administration officials emphasized that the decision to temporarily suspend the board was in part due to the “extreme” reaction from those who disagreed with it.

“There have been gross mischaracterizations of what the board what the board’s work would be and there have been grotesque personal attacks,” one official said Wednesday. “And the reaction has candidly become a distraction to the department’s important work in addressing disinformation to security.”

Mayorkas himself ultimately made the move to reassess the board before the group ever hosted its first meeting, according to the official. Asked if the decision was politically motivated, the official said the broader point was to ensure the success of the department’s mission to counter misinformation campaigns, which the government believes compromise security.

The DHS had been on the defensive about the board for weeks, with Mayorkas being pressed by Republicans about it during a Senate hearing earlier this month.

The department previously admitted that “there has been confusion about the working group, its role, and its activities” and vowed to work on building greater public trust.

DHS has said the the panel would not be involved in managing department operations and Mayorkas said the group would “bring together the experts throughout our department to ensure that our ongoing work in combating disinformation is done in a way that does not infringe on free speech, a fundamental constitutional right embedded in the First Amendment, nor on the right of privacy or other civil rights and civil liberties.”

Addressing disinformation is a major homeland security priority and DHS had said the new board would help counter false claims from human smugglers and Russia. A homeland security spokesperson stressed that work again on Wednesday, noting “malicious efforts spread by foreign adversaries, human traffickers, and transnational criminal organizations.”

Some Republicans cheered the board’s suspension, renewing attacks that it was “Orwellian” in nature and would, despite DHS’ statements otherwise, be “policing” U.S. citizens.

“This board was only successful in reinforcing that the Department of Homeland Security’s priorities are severely misplaced,” Rep. Mike Turner, of Ohio, and New York Rep. John Katko said in a joint statement Wednesday. “When the border crisis is worsening daily, cyber-attacks from adversaries are threatening to cripple our critical infrastructure, the rise in violent crime is putting Americans across the country in danger, and disrupted supply chains are having devastating impacts on Americans, DHS is focused on policing Americans’ free speech.”

But the group was warily received by some civil liberties advocates, too.

“The burden is on the government to explain why a Homeland Security Department needs a disinformation board in the first place,” Ben Wizner, director of ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, told ABC News on Wednesday. “They really have only themselves to blame for the political backlash, given that they announced this without offering any clarity about the mission or scope of the board.”

A group of First Amendment-focused organizations wrote to Mayorkas earlier this month asking for the type of re-evaluation that DHS has now announced.

“The Department has demonstrated a readiness to cross the legal bounds of privacy and speech rights. Coupled with the Department’s checkered record on civil liberties, the Department’s muddled announcement of the Board has squandered the trust that would be required for the Board to fulfill its mission,” the groups, led by the nonprofit Protect Democracy, said in a statement.

Former Acting Head of Intelligence and Analysis at DHS John Cohen, who is also an ABC News contributor, said the responsibilities of the board were widely misunderstood.

“The intention of the board was to facilitate the discussion on policy issues impacting the department, it was meant to ensure that the department protected privacy and civil liberties, as they move to evaluate threat related online content,” Cohen said.

Cohen, who helped stand up the disinformation board and left the department last month, said earlier in May that the board addressed a communication issue within the department.

“It didn’t coordinate operational activities, it wasn’t governing intelligence operations, it had no input on how organizations collect intelligence or information,” he said then. “It was simply intended to be a working group that would gather on an ad hoc basis to address matters of policy.”

Martin Shkreli, infamous ‘Pharma Bro,’ released from prison early

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Martin Shkreli, who was derided with the nickname “Pharma Bro” after he hiked the price of a lifesaving drug, and who flaunted his pricey purchase of a one-of-a-kind Wu Tang Clan album, is out of prison, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Shkreli had been convicted of securities fraud and other offenses and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

He was released Wednesday after serving about five years.

“I am pleased to report that Martin Shkreli has been released from Allenwood prison and transferred to a BOP halfway house after completing all programs that allowed for his prison sentence to be shortened. While in the halfway house I have encouraged Mr. Shkreli to make no further statement, nor will he or I have any additional comments at this time,” defense attorney Benjamin Brafman said in a statement provided to ABC News.

Shkreli earned widespread condemnation in 2015 when he raised the price of Daraprim — an anti-malaria medication often prescribed for HIV patients — by 4,000%. He also initiated a scheme to block the entry of generic drug competition so that his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, could reap the profits from Daraprim sales for as long as possible, according to a federal judge that ruled earlier this year he should pay $64 million for his actions.

He was convicted of securities fraud in August 2017 in connection with his work at hedge funds MSMB Capital Management and MSMB Healthcare Management prior to founding Turing Pharmaceuticals. Shkreli, prosecutors said, used bogus information that defrauded investors in the hedge funds to pay back more than $10 million to disgruntled investors.

He had called the trial a “witch hunt” and blamed his increase in the cost of Daraprim for making him a target of federal investigators.

In addition to getting sentenced to seven years in prison for securities fraud, Shkreli was ordered to pay a $75,000 fine and $7.3 million in forfeiture.

Shkreli had unsuccessfully lobbied to be released from prison early on May 2020 after claiming his expertise could be used to find a cure for COVID-19.

ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

Russian soldier pleads guilty to shooting unarmed Ukrainian civilian

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(KYIV, Ukraine) — Russian Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin pleaded guilty on Wednesday to killing an unarmed Ukrainian civilian. The guilty plea carries a life sentence.

Shishimarin, 21, is accused of shooting a 62-year-old man on Feb. 28. The man was a resident of Chupakhivka who was riding a bike on the roadside when he was shot, according to Iryna Venediktova, Ukraine’s prosecutor general.

This is the first trial Ukraine has conducted for an act that could be considered a war crime.

Asked by the presiding judge whether he accepted his guilt, Shishimarin said: “Yes. Fully yes.”

Shishimarin is charged with murder and two counts of robbery. He surrendered to Ukrainian law enforcement and has been a prisoner of war since, Ukrainian prosecutor Andriy Syniuk said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the proceedings on Wednesday, telling reporters that accusations leveled against Russian soldiers by Ukraine were “simply fake or staged.”

Chinese plane crash that killed 132 caused by intentional act: US officials

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The China Eastern Airlines plane crash that killed 132 people is believed to have been caused by an intentional act, according to U.S. officials who spoke to ABC News.

The Boeing 737-800 passenger jet was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21 when it plunged into a mountainous area in Guangxi, China. All 123 passengers and nine crew members were killed.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news.

The officials who spoke to ABC News point to the plane’s flaps not being engaged and landing gear not put down. The near-vertical descent of the plane, they believe, would’ve required intentional force.

The plane slammed into the ground with such force that it created a 66-foot deep hole in the ground, according to Chinese officials.

Investigators also looked into the pilot’s personal life and background and believe he may have been struggling through certain issues right before the crash, ABC News has learned.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said all information on the investigation will come from their counterparts in the Civil Aviation Administration of China, but regulators and Boeing have not flagged any mechanical issues. Sources said Chinese investigators also haven’t flagged any mechanical issues.

“The NTSB will not be issuing any further updates on the CAAC’s investigation of the China Eastern 5735 crash,” the NTSB said in a statement. “When and whether CAAC issues updates is entirely up to them. And I haven’t heard anything about any plans for them to do so.”

The first black box, the cockpit voice recorder, was found on March 23, while the flight data recorder was found March 27.

ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

House holds hearing on abortion access as nation awaits final Supreme Court decision

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing Wednesday on abortion access as the nation awaits a final decision from the Supreme Court in a case that result in the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., kicked off the hearing with a warning that if the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion is in fact overturned — as was indicated in a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion — the impact will be “devastating.”

“Making decisions about when and how to start a family is essential to women’s lives,” Nadler said. “The right to decide whether to carry or terminate a pregnancy is central to life, liberty and equality. It is the very essence of what it means to have bodily autonomy, which is a prerequisite for freedom.”

Expert witnesses speaking at Wednesday’s hearing include Dr. Yashica Robinson, a board-certified OBGYN and board member with Physicians for Reproductive Health; Michele Bratcher Goodwin, a chancellor’s law professor at the University of California, Irvine; Catherine Glenn Foster, the president and CEO of the anti-abortion law firm Americans United for Life; and Aimee Arrambide, the executive director of the abortion rights nonprofit Avow Texas.

Goodwin told committee members that if the draft opinion holds, it would be an “incredibly unusual” moment in American democracy.

“The Supreme Court has never gone back to in fact revoke what has been freedoms that have been well-articulated and established in the Constitution and also by the Supreme Court,” she said.

The draft opinion, which is not the final ruling, was published by Politico on May 2 — and later confirmed by the court to be authentic. Politico later reported that the Feb. 10 draft was still the only one circulated among the group and that none of the conservative justices have changed their vote in the wake of the bombshell leak.

Protests have been a near-daily occurrence since the document became public, with demonstrations extending to the homes of Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. A nationwide day of protest was held on May 14 featuring hundreds of “Bans Off Our Bodies” events organized by abortion rights groups.

Security measures at the Supreme Court and for all nine justices have been increased since the demonstrations began.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, ABC News reported, domestic violent extremists have invaded the national abortion debate “to incite violence amongst their supporters.” Targets of threats include the justices, members of Congress, public officials, clergy, health care providers and more.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, ranking chairman on the House Judiciary Committee, focused his opening statement Wednesday on accusing Democrats and activists of a trying to strong-arm the Supreme Court.

“You know why they’re trying to bully and intimidate the court?” Jordan asked. “You know why, because the evidence for overturning Roe is overwhelming.”

One dead, 1 rescued after sand collapses at Jersey Shore beach: Police

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TOMS RIVER, N.J.) — One person is dead and another has been rescued after two siblings became trapped under sand while digging at a Jersey Shore beach Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Police and emergency medical services responded to a barrier island beach in Toms River, New Jersey, shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday “for reports of juveniles trapped in the sand as it collapsed around them while digging,” the Toms River Police Department said on Facebook.

First responders were able to rescue a 17-year-old girl, who was treated at the scene, but her brother, 18, died, police said.

The victim was identified by police as Levi Caverly of Maine.

The teen was visiting the region from out of town with his family, police said.

His father described Caverly as a “tech nut” who loved to program, played the drums in a young adult worship band and was involved in his church’s worship team.

“Levi was himself. He was odd. He was quirky. He was not real concerned with what others thought,” his father, Todd Caverly, said in a statement.

Police urged people not to respond to the area while the rescue was in progress.

Live footage from the scene Tuesday evening showed more than a dozen first responders near the shoreline. Emergency crews from several neighboring towns aided in the rescue effort.

Rescue workers were working to recover the body from the collapse, police said following the incident.

Former police officer Thomas Lane pleads guilty to manslaughter in killing of George Floyd

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MINNEAPOLIS) — Thomas Lane, one of the former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s killing, has pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, according to the Minnesota attorney general.

State Attorney General Keith Ellison said the plea agreement reached with Lane represents an “important step toward healing the wounds of the Floyd family, our community, and the nation.”

Lane, 38, had been scheduled to go to trial next month in state court along with his former Minneapolis police colleagues J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao.

All three defendants were convicted in February by a federal jury on charges of violating George Floyd’s civil rights by failing to intervene or provide medical aid as their senior officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on the back of the handcuffed 46-year-old Black man’s neck for more than nine minutes in the May 25, 2020, incident.

Chauvin was convicted in state court last year of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.

Chauvin also pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights and is awaiting sentencing after a judge accepted his plea earlier this month.

“Today, my thoughts are once again with the victims, George Floyd and his family,” Ellison said in a statement Wednesday announcing Lane’s plea. “Nothing will bring Floyd back. He should still be with us today.”

Ellison said he was “pleased” that Lane has accepted responsibility for his role in Floyd’s death.

“While accountability is not justice, this is a significant moment in this case and a necessary resolution on our continued journey to justice,” Ellison said.

There was no word on whether similar plea agreements are under consideration by Kueng and Thao, who are still scheduled to go on trial in state court on June 13.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

New York governor to unveil new gun law proposals in wake of Buffalo shooting

May 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to unveil proposals Wednesday afternoon to strengthen the state’s gun laws and close “loopholes” in the wake of the deadly Buffalo shooting over the weekend.

The announcement was planned before the weekend shooting, and was delayed by President Joe Biden’s Tuesday visit to Buffalo, Hochul’s hometown.

New requirements could also be put in place for gun dealers, beefing up training for staff and record keeping.

The administration is also looking into the use, or lack thereof, of the state’s red flag laws, which could have identified the Buffalo suspect and kept him from purchasing the gun used to shoot 13 people, killing 10. The prohibition can remove guns from the home of a person identified to be at high risk and keep the person from buying guns for a year.

The suspect was not red-flagged following threats to carry out a shooting at his graduation last June, and he later admitted in a cache of documents that he intentionally avoided the prohibition by downplaying last year’s incident. Following a police investigation, no charges were filed against Gendron, who received a mental health evaluation and counseling after the incident.

Gendron is expected to make his next court appearance on Thursday.

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