(WASHINGTON) — A California man who assaulted former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone with a stun gun during the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple felony charges.
In a taped interview with the FBI following his arrest, Daniel Rodriguez admitted he drove a stun gun into the base of Fanone’s neck as the officer was trying to fight off rioters who had pulled him down steps on the Capitol’s West Front steps.
“What do you want me to tell you? That I tased him? Yes,” Rodriguez told investigators. “Am I a f——- piece of s—? Yes.”
Rodriguez and another co-defendant charged in the attack on Fanone were set to go to trial later this month. Last September, another rioter who had pleaded guilty to assaulting Fanone was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
Among the offenses Rodriguez pleaded guilty to Tuesday were conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, assaulting a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, obstruction and evidence tampering. The offenses collectively carry a potential sentence ranging up to decades in prison.
An attorney for the Justice Department also said during the plea hearing that the government is reserving its right to potentially seek a sentencing enhancement for Rodriguez based on an argument that his conduct could have amounted to terrorism.
His sentencing is set for May 16.
Fanone suffered a heart attack from the assault and later became one of the most outspoken former members of law enforcement calling for accountability for those who incited the mob on Jan. 6. He resigned from D.C. police in late 2021.
In his interview with the FBI, Rodriguez further admitted he broke a window to get into the Capitol and believed that he was following instructions from former President Donald Trump.
“I thought that there was going to be fighting, for some reason, in different cities and I thought that the main fight, the main battle, was going to be in D.C. because Trump called everyone there,” Rodriguez said. “I thought we were going to occupy the building. I thought we were going to take a couple days or something.”
(NEW YORK) — More than 41,000 people are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Feb. 6, according to Turkish and Syrian officials.
The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey’s southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll continued to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble.
Here’s how the news developed. All times Eastern:
Feb 14, 1:16 PM EST
Death toll reaches 41,000
The total number of deaths in Turkey and Syria rose to at least 41,219 on Tuesday.
There were 35,418 people killed in Turkey, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In Syria, the death toll currently stands at 5,801 in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
The death toll in Turkey is now more than the 1939 Erzincan earthquake, the previous record for most deaths due to an earthquake in modern Turkish history.
Feb 13, 6:28 PM EST
UNICEF warns of dire situation for children in Turkey, Syria
One week after a devastating earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, millions of children remain in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, according to a report from UNICEF.
Roughly 4.6 million children are living in quake affected areas in Turkey and another 2.5 million children are living in the affected areas of Syria, the agency said.
UNICEF officials said the number of children killed and injured during the quakes hasn’t been confirmed but is “likely to be in the many thousands.”
The agency said there hundreds of thousands of families who lost their homes, and many are left in the cold with little infrastructure support.
“We must do everything in our power to ensure that everyone who survived this catastrophe receives life-saving support, including safe water, sanitation, critical nutrition and health supplies, and support for children’s mental health. Not only now, but over the long term,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Feb 13, 4:13 PM EST
Syria opens 2 more border crossings
Syria has opened two more border crossings from Turkey for the next three months to help with the influx of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.
“Delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. “Opening these crossing points — along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs — will allow more aid to go in, faster.”
Feb 13, 12:59 PM EST
Death toll climbs over 37,000 in Turkey, Syria
The earthquake death toll has now climbed to at least 37,357 in Turkey and Syria.
At least 31,643 people have been killed in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Meanwhile, at least 5,714 people were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
Feb 13, 6:38 AM EST
More than 100 arrest warrants issued in Turkey over collapsed buildings
Turkish authorities have issued at least 113 arrest warrants as of Monday in connection with the construction of buildings that collapsed in southeastern Turkey last week during the massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks.
The warrants are targeting contractors who are allegedly linked to the collapsed buildings.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Feb 13, 6:30 AM EST
Death toll reaches 36,000 in Turkey, Syria
Last week’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 31,643 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Meanwhile, at least 4,581 people were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Feb 12, 2:09 PM EST
Death toll surpasses 33,000 in Turkey, Syria
More than 33,000 people are dead in Turkey and Syria as a result of last week’s earthquake and aftershocks, officials said.
At least 29,605 people had died in Turkey, officials announced Sunday. More than 3,500 have died in Syria, local officials said late Sunday.
Another 80,000 people have been injured, officials said.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
Feb 11, 9:36 AM EST
Death toll rises to over 25,000 in Turkey, Syria
Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed more than 25,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
“In addition to the already collapsed buildings, the other ones whose number can be expressed in hundreds of thousands have also become uninhabitable due to their damages. So far, the total loss of life in the earthquake area has reached 21,043 and the number of injured rose to 80,097,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.
121 citizens were pulled alive from the rubble over the past 24 hours, according to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.
In Syria, the death toll has risen to over 3,500.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
Feb 10, 12:45 PM EST
Death toll rises to over 22,000 in Turkey, Syria
Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have claimed at least 22,895 lives.
In Turkey, at least 19,388 people were killed and more than 77,000 others were injured, according to officials.
Meanwhile, at least 3,507 people were killed and 7,115 others were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
Feb 09, 5:57 PM EST
121 Turkish citizens rescued in past 24 hours, official says
As the desperate search for survivors continues, 121 Turkish citizens have been pulled from the rubble alive in the past 24 hours, Vice President Fuat Oktay said Thursday.
The search and rescue operations in Kilis and Şanlıurfa provinces have been completed, and they are almost complete in Adana, Osmaniye and Diyarbakır provinces, Oktay said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 09, 4:54 PM EST
More than 21,000 killed
More than 21,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria since a massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks rocked the region on Monday, according to officials. At least 17,674 were killed in Turkey while another 3,377 lives were lost in Syria.
The Associated Press reported that the rising death toll is now higher than the number of people who died as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region, which caused the nuclear accident in Fukushima.
Feb 09, 3:55 PM EST
USAID announces $85 million for earthquake relief
The United States Agency for International Development is providing $85 million in “urgent humanitarian assistance” that will go toward shelter, “food, medicine and other desperately needed aid to those in need” in Turkey and Syria, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced Thursday on Twitter.
This comes as American responders are “leading the search for survivors” in Adiyaman, Turkey, said USAID spokesperson Jessica Jennings.
“Using sensitive cameras, listening devices, and search-and-rescue dogs, the team is able to target their search for survivors more accurately,” she said.
In Syria, Jennings said access to some of the hardest-hit areas remains “extremely challenging” due to damage to infrastructure, the security situation and weather concerns. However, she said that as of Thursday, one USAID partner was able to move six truckloads of supplies into the country.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 09, 1:46 PM EST
Syria in need of more help: ‘It’s like a drop in the ocean’
Members of the International Medical Corps dispatched to impacted areas of Syria have “started crying on the phone when I asked them what it was like,” Wafaa Sadek, country director for International Medical Corps in Syria, told ABC News.
“People everywhere on the streets. The weather is absolutely freezing. They don’t have anywhere to go. The children are screaming. Adults screaming,” Sadek said. “The situation is very, very bad.”
Sadek said her team told her of a little girl in Aleppo who was shouting, “Please, somebody get me out! I will serve you for the rest of my life, just get me out of here, please.”
Sadek said she wants to see more international help for Syria. She’s calling for sanctions to be lifted so more aid can get through.
“This is a humanitarian crisis,” Sadek said. “We should put our differences aside.”
Sadek stressed, “Syria is very much in need. The help which has come from all the over the world is much appreciated, but we really need a lot more. It’s like a drop in the ocean.”
-ABC News’ Zoe Magee
Feb 09, 12:21 PM EST
More than 20,000 killed
More than 20,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria since a massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks rocked the region on Monday, according to officials. At least 16,710 were killed in Turkey while another 3,317 lives were lost in Syria.
Feb 09, 5:49 AM EST
Death toll exceeds 17,000 in Turkey, Syria
Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 14,014 people and injured more than 63,000 others in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Meanwhile, at least 3,162 were killed and over 5,600 were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
Feb 08, 10:32 PM EST
CAIR-NY says former board member and his family were killed in earthquake
The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ New York chapter tweeted Wednesday that a former board member, Burak Firik, along with his wife and two children were killed in Turkey during the earthquake.
A CAIR-NY representative told ABC News that the family, from Queens, was in Turkey to take care of Firik’s father, who was having health issues.
Feb 08, 8:20 PM EST
Death toll surpasses 15,000
Turkey Emergency Management (AFAD) is reporting 12,391 deaths from the earthquake in Turkey, while the Syrian Health Ministry and White Helmets say 2,962 people are dead in Syria.
According to Turkey Emergency Management, there have been 62,914 people injured in Turkey.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Feb 08, 5:21 PM EST
3 Americans killed in Turkey by earthquake: State Department
Three U.S. citizens have been identified as among the more than 12,000 victims of the devastating earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria this week, the State Department confirmed Wednesday.
“We can confirm reports of at least three U.S. citizens killed in southeastern Türkiye,” a State Department spokesperson said. “Our staff in Türkiye and here in the United States are working tirelessly to provide consular assistance to these victims and their family members.”
The State Department is working closely with local authorities and other partner organizations to assist U.S. citizens in affected areas, the spokesperson added.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 08, 2:57 PM EST
Death toll tops 12,000 in Turkey, Syria
The death toll in Monday’s earthquake is now up to 12,019, according to authorities in Turkey and Syria.
The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 9,057 people and injured 40,910 others in southeastern Turkey, according to the Turkey Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Meanwhile, at least 2,962 were killed and 4,654 were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky
Feb 08, 2:41 PM EST
Biden offers ‘deepest condolences’ to Turkey, Syria
President Joe Biden offered his thoughts and prayers on behalf of Americans following the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria during an event in Wisconsin Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s one of the worst earthquakes in that region in over 100 years and we mourn the loss of so many lives and we offer our deepest condolences,” he said.
Biden also commented on the “amazing” rescue efforts underway.
“You see dads or moms pulling little babies out from underneath this rubble,” he said. “So many people dying. And our thoughts are also with the survivors who’ve been torn apart by this tragedy.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Feb 08, 12:50 PM EST
Turkey stock exchange suspended
Istanbul’s stock exchange operator suspended trading for five days in an unprecedented step and announced that all trades that took place on Wednesday would be canceled in the wake of the earthquake.
“Due to the increase in volatility and extraordinary price movements after the earthquake disaster; in order to ensure the reliable, transparent, efficient, stable, fair and competitive functioning of the markets, Equity Market and Equity & Index Derivatives in the Derivatives Market have been closed,” Borsa Istanbul, the stock exchange operator, said in a statement on Wednesday.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 08, 10:46 AM EST
Death toll tops 11,500 in Turkey, Syria
The death toll in Monday’s earthquake is now up to 11,577, according to authorities in Turkey and Syria.
The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 9,057 people and injured 40,910 others in southeastern Turkey, according to the Turkey Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Meanwhile, at least 2,520 were killed and 4,654 were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Feb 08, 9:16 AM EST
Over 600 aftershocks since Monday’s quake
Since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey before dawn on Monday, there have been a total of at least 648 aftershocks in the region.
Feb 08, 6:17 AM EST
Death toll tops 11,000 in Turkey, Syria
Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 8,574 people and injured 40,910 others in southeastern Turkey, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Meanwhile, at least 2,520 were killed and 4,654 were injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
Feb 07, 10:42 PM EST
CENTCOM prepares to support quake relief efforts
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that it is prepared to support the earthquake relief efforts.
CENTCOM said it’s working with U.S. European Command to work through options to send support to the hard-hit country.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Feb 07, 10:31 PM EST
70 countries, 14 international organizations offer aid to Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that approximately 70 countries and 14 international organizations have offered aid to Turkey.
The United Nations announced a $25 million grant from the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund to help “provide urgent life-saving assistance in the region,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general of the United Nations, said Tuesday.
The U.S. is sending two American urban search and rescue teams with 170,000 pounds of specialized tools and equipment to impacted regions in Turkey.
According to the E.U., 19 member countries, including Croatia, Estonia, France, Spain and Greece, have offered support to Turkey.
Greece sent a team of 21 rescuers, two rescue dogs and a special rescue vehicle, along with a structural engineer, five doctors and seismic planning experts in a military transport plane to Turkey, according to The Associated Press.
Israel sent the IDF Medical and a delegation from the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health to southern Turkey on Wednesday to create a “field hospital” and provide additional support.
According to the Russian news service Interfax, Russia sent rescue teams from the Emergency Ministry to help with cleanup efforts in Syria on Tuesday.
China will provide $6 million in aid to Turkey, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. The country will also deploy “heavy urban rescue teams and medical teams” to provide “relief materials urgently needed” by the Turkish.
Mexico sent rescue teams to Turkey to assist with humanitarian recovery efforts from the earthquake, including 16 of their search and rescue dogs.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman, Jordana Miller, Shannon Crawford, Christine Theodorou, Natalia Shumskaia, Anastasia Bagaeva and Emma Ogao
Feb 07, 4:17 PM EST
Death toll rises to over 7,700 in Turkey, Syria
The death toll from Monday’s earthquake is now 7,766 according to officials.
The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 5,894 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Meanwhile, at least 1,872 were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 07, 3:45 PM EST
Baby born in earthquake rubble in Syria
A baby girl has been rescued after she was born amid the earthquake rubble in Jindires, Syria, according to The Associated Press.
None of her family survived, according to the AP.
Feb 07, 3:43 PM EST
4-year-old girl pulled from rubble
A 4 year-old girl has been pulled from the rubble of a destroyed building, 42 hours after the devastating earthquake struck.
The little girl, named Beyza, is in good health, the Antalya Municipality Search and Rescue Team told ABC News.
Her parents remain trapped in the building.
-ABC News’ Marcus Moore
Feb 07, 3:09 PM EST
American search and rescue teams to start work Wednesday
Stephen Allen, USAID’s Disaster Assistance Response Team leader for the agency’s earthquake response, said his top priority is getting two American urban search and rescue teams to the region.
“Every hour does count in the first few days,” he said.
The responders are en route to Turkey, where they are expected to land at Incirlik Air Base in Adana Wednesday morning local time, Allen said. They’ll immediately start the long journey to Adıyaman, a city in southeastern Turkey that’s been heavily impacted by the quake, but has not had access to many search and rescue teams, Allen said.
The Americans are bringing about 170,000 pounds of specialized tools and equipment, including hydraulic concrete breaking gear, saws, torches, drills and advanced medical supplies to treat and triage the wounded, he said. They will also have about a dozen dogs who Allen said will play a “very key” role in looking for survivors strapped in the rubble.
Sending search and rescue teams to a disaster site so far away is “not something that we would normally do, frankly,” he said, however Turkey officials asked for assistance because its own considerable national search and rescue capabilities are outmatched by the “size and scale” of the devastation.
“I do need to emphasize the level of devastation, the level of damage, and the expected result in loss of life is massive. It’s massive,” he said.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 07, 2:37 PM EST
Death toll rises to over 7,000 in Turkey, Syria
The death toll from Monday’s earthquake is now 7,266, according to officials.
The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 5,434 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Meanwhile, at least 1,832 were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 07, 1:24 PM EST
Mexico sends rescue dogs to Turkey
Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard tweeted photos and videos of rescue dogs headed from Mexico to Turkey to help with the rescue operations.
Feb 07, 1:08 PM EST
Major port suffers damage in earthquake
The Port of Iskenderun in southern Turkey sustained heavy damage on Monday.
The port, located on the Mediterranean coast in the southern province of Hatay, was damaged due to the earthquake that struck Turkey and neighboring Syria.
“The Port of Iskenderun remains closed until further notice, as teams look to repair the significant damage caused by the disaster and subsequent fire,” shipping group AP Moller Maersk said in a statement Tuesday. “We are currently unable to say exactly how long operations will be stopped at the port, but we will keep customers informed of the latest developments as soon as possible.”
Maersk said it was not accepting any new bookings to or from the port and were developing contingency plans with nearby hubs.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 07, 12:41 PM EST
Death toll rises to over 6,200 in Turkey, Syria
The death toll from Monday’s earthquake is now 6,256, according to officials.
The massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 4,544 people in southeastern Turkey, according to the latest figures from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Meanwhile, at least 1,712 were killed in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 07, 11:02 AM EST
Professional soccer player among the injured
Christian Atsu, a professional soccer player for the Turkish team Hatayspor, was among the more than 8,000 people rescued from the rubble in Turkey, according to his team.
Atsu was injured in the quake. The sporting director for Atsu’s team remains under the rubble, according to a team vice president.
Atsu was on Ghana’s 2014 World Cup team and also played for Newcastle United in the English Premier League.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 07, 9:16 AM EST
150,000 people left homeless in Turkey
At least 150,000 people in Turkey have been left homeless due to Monday’s deadly earthquake and aftershocks, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Feb 07, 9:13 AM EST
Twenty-three million people affected in Turkey, Syria
Some 23 million people in Turkey and Syria have been affected by Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks, according to Turkish and Syrian authorities.
About 13.5 million of them are in Turkey, according to Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum.
Rescue efforts have been hampered by snow and freezing temperatures in the 10 affected Turkish provinces, Kurum said during a press conference Tuesday in the city of Gaziantep, near the quake’s epicenter.
Feb 07, 9:00 AM EST
Turkey declares three-month state of emergency
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday declared a disaster zone in the 10 southeastern provinces affected by the devastating earthquakes, imposing a state of emergency in the region for at least three months.
Erdogan said 70 countries have offered to help with the search and rescue operations in Turkey and that his government plans to open up hotels in the southwestern resort city of Antalya to temporarily house people impacted by the disaster.
Feb 07, 7:32 AM EST
Over 8,000 people rescued in Turkey
More than 8,000 people have been rescued in southeastern Turkey since a powerful earthquake and aftershocks struck the region, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Some 24,000 first responders are on the ground, including more than 3,200 first responders from 14 other countries who traveled to Turkey to assist with the massive search and rescue effort following Monday’s quake. They are carefully combing through the wreckage and looking for survivors amid the 6,000 buildings that have been either damaged or destroyed, according to Oktay.
Feb 07, 7:04 AM EST
Death toll tops 5,000
Monday’s massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks have killed at least 3,419 people and injured another 20,534 in southeastern Turkey, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced during a press conference on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, at least 1,603 were killed and 3,649 injured in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health, the Syrian civil defense and a medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
Feb 07, 6:41 AM EST
ABC News witnesses rescue operation in Diyarbakir, Turkey
More than 24 hours after devastating earthquakes, ABC News reporters on the ground are witnessing the fevered effort to rescue survivors at a collapsed apartment building in southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.
ABC News learned that crews had recently rescued a woman from what used to be an eight-story apartment building, where the top half now rests on three flattened floors below. The front wall had fallen away, exposing what used to be homes with furniture, pillows and air conditioning units.
In and around the collapsed building, there was a flurry of activity — but then a moment when it all came to a grinding halt. Generators were turned off, everyone stopped talking and the block went silent. Search and rescue teams thought they may have found another survivor. It was quiet for several minutes, but then the urgent effort returns.
Rescuers continued working in the cold, wet weather while also facing the threat of aftershocks. None of that has deterred them. They know this is a race against time.
Feb 06, 9:39 PM EST
More than 4,000 people dead in Turkey, Syria following earthquake: AFAD
The death toll continues to climb in Turkey and Syria 24 hours after the earthquake struck.
More than 4,300 people have died in the two countries following the devastating earthquake, officials said.
According to the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Management Organization (AFAD), 2,921 people have died in the country from the earthquake, with 15,834 people sustaining injuries.
Approximately 6,217 buildings have collapsed and about 7,840 people have been rescued from the debris and rubble, according to AFAD officials.
In Syria, 1,411 people have died since the earthquake struck the region, officials said.
Feb 06, 6:12 PM EST
Biden calls Erdogan, offers support following quake
President Biden called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this afternoon, following the earthquake that caused devastation in Turkey and Syria, the White House said.
Biden extended condolences and “reaffirmed the readiness of the United States to provide any and all needed assistance to our NATO Ally [Turkey] in response to this tragedy,” according to the White House.
“[Biden] noted that U.S. teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and coordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items,” the White House said.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 06, 5:16 PM EST
No US citizens among Turkey casualties so far: State Dept.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday that while the department has not confirmed that any Americans were killed in the recent earthquakes abroad, officials were “realistic” about the high chances of that changing.
“We’re all very sober about the implications of this and the fact that many countries, many nationalities are likely to be implicated just given the massive toll and destruction that this earthquake has cost,” Price said.
In the meantime, he confirmed that all State Department staff in Turkey are accounted for.
The American consulate in Adana, Turkey, would be able to host first responders coming in from foreign countries, Price added.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 06, 4:54 PM EST
13,000 injured in Turkey
As the death toll climbs to 2,316 in Turkey, another 13,000 people in the country are reported to be injured, according to Turkish Emergency Management.
At least 5,606 buildings in Turkey have been completely destroyed, according to Turkish Emergency Management.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 06, 4:25 PM EST
Death toll climbs to 3,700
At least 3,727 lives have been lost in the devastating quake.
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 2,379 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to Turkish Emergency Management.
In Syria, at least 1,411 people died in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Feb 06, 2:04 PM EST
Death toll climbs over 2,700
At least 2,701 lives have been lost in the devastating quake.
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,651 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to Turkish Emergency Management.
In Syria, at least 1,050 people died in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.
Feb 06, 1:28 PM EST
Turkey declares seven days of mourning
Turkey has declared a seven-day mourning period in the wake of the devastating quake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
“Our flag will be hoisted at half-mast until sunset on Sunday, February 12, 2023, in all our country and foreign representations,” Erdogan said.
More than 3,400 buildings in Turkey have been destroyed and over 11,000 people are hurt, according to Turkish officials.
Feb 06, 1:19 PM EST
US deploying two search and rescue teams
The U.S. is deploying two 79-person urban search and rescue teams to Turkey, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
“The president has authorized an immediate U.S. response. So right now, in addition to personnel currently on the ground, we are in the process of deploying additional teams, including two 79-person urban search and rescue teams, to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and to help address the needs of all those who have been hurt or displaced by the earthquake,” Kirby said.
Feb 06, 12:40 PM EST
Death toll nears 2,500
At least 2,494 people have died in Turkey and Syria.
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,651 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to the Turkish Emergency Management Agency.
In Syria, at least 843 people have been killed in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.
Feb 06, 11:34 AM EST
No casualties on US base
There are no known casualties among U.S. personnel assigned to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, and no major damage to facilities, a base spokesperson told ABC News.
The base is roughly 125 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.
The 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik “is still mission operational,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Air Force is prepared to assist Turkey if called upon, according to the spokesperson.
Feb 06, 11:03 AM EST
More than 4,200 buildings destroyed
More than 2,800 buildings across Turkey have been completely destroyed, according to Turkey’s Emergency Management Agency, while over 1,400 buildings were demolished in Syria, according the Syrian Civil Defense Agency.
At least 45 nations have pledged to send volunteers and other aid to Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Feb 06, 10:45 AM EST
Death toll climbs to 2,300
At least 2,343 people have died in Turkey and Syria.
The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 1,500 across 10 Turkish provinces, according to the Turkish Emergency Management Agency.
In Syria, at least 843 people have been killed in three cities, according to the Syrian Health Ministry.
Feb 06, 9:54 AM EST
Biden ‘deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation’
President Joe Biden tweeted that he’s “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation” from the earthquake.
“I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkey and provide any and all needed assistance,” he tweeted.
Feb 06, 9:14 AM EST
UK deploys emergency response teams to Turkey
The United Kingdom announced Monday it is “immediately” deploying emergency response teams to Turkey to assist rescue efforts following a deadly earthquake and powerful aftershocks.
According to a press release from the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, 76 U.K. search and rescue specialists, four search dogs as well as rescue equipment will arrive in Turkey on Monday evening. A U.K. emergency medical team is also being sent to assess the situation on the ground.
“We stand ready to provide further support as needed,” U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.
In northwestern Syria, where the quake was also felt, the U.K.-aid funded volunteer organization White Helmets has activated a significant search and rescue response and mobilized all its resources to respond to emerging needs. The U.K. government is in contact with the United Nations on emergency humanitarian support to those affected in Syria, according to the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“The British Embassy in Ankara is in close contact with the Turkish authorities to understand how we can best support those on the ground,” Jill Morris, British Ambassador-Designate to Türkiye said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by the earthquakes today We pay tribute to the brave Turkish first responders working to save lives.”
The U.K. government’s announcement came on the heels of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) declaring a “level 4 alarm” in the wake of the pre-dawn earthquake, calling for international assistance.
Feb 06, 7:25 AM EST
Monday’s quake was as powerful as the strongest ever recorded in Turkey
Monday’s deadly earthquake in Turkey, which was felt in Syria and other surrounding countries, was as strong as the most powerful one on record in Turkish history.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Turkey in 1939, killing approximately 30,000 people. Monday’s quake in southeastern Turkey had the same magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Earthquakes frequently occur in Turkey, which is situated on top of major fault lines.
Some 18,000 people were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwestern Turkey in 1999.
Feb 06, 7:02 AM EST
7.5 magnitude aftershock hits Turkey
Several hours after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey early Monday, a powerful aftershock measuring 7.5 hit the country’s Kahramanmaras province around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Feb 06, 5:42 AM EST
Death toll jumps to over 1,200 in Turkey, Syria
Monday’s earthquake has killed at least 912 people in several Turkish provinces and injured 5,382 others, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced during a press conference.
Thousands of buildings were destroyed, Erdogan said.
Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency, AFAD, is deploying 1,898 search and rescue workers along with 150 vehicles in response to the deadly earthquake. Turkey’s national police force has deployed 130 tactical unit members with mobile command centers and kitchens to the city of Kahramanmaras, near the quake’s epicenter. A total of 300,000 blankets were also sent to the region, which is deep in winter weather.
Meanwhile, at least 239 people were killed and some 600 were injured in government-held areas of Syria, according to Syrian state media. In rebel-controlled areas, at least 147 people were killed, according to the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a United Kingdom-based monitoring group, put the overall death toll at 320.
Feb 06, 12:12 AM EST
US ‘profoundly concerned’ by ‘destructive earthquake’ in Turkey, Syria
The United States “is profoundly concerned” by the reports of the “destructive earthquake” in Turkey and Syria, and “will continue to closely monitor the situation,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement late Sunday night.
“We stand ready to provide any and all needed assistance,” Sullivan added, noting that U.S. President Joe Biden “has directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess U.S. response options to help those most affected.”
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake in Turkey at magnitude of 7.8.
(NEW YORK) — Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin’s forces pulled out of key positions in November, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the southern port city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 14, 11:43 AM EST
If Bakhmut falls, won’t have ‘strategic impact’ on Ukraine war: White House
White House spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. could not “predict one way or the other” whether Bakhmut will fall to the Russians and if it does fall, “on what timeline.”
“We’re watching this every day, and it is certainly true that the Russians are continuing to make incremental progress there,” Kirby said. “Again, I can’t predict one way or the other whether it falls or it doesn’t fall or on what timeline. They have made incremental progress again in just the last 24, 48 hours.”
He added that the U.S. did not think Russia obtaining control of Bakhmut would have any “strategic impact” on either the overall war or even fighting in that part of the country.
The U.S. thinks Russia — and specifically the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is doing much of the fighting for Bakhmut — wants to take over and benefit financially from gypsum and salt mines located in the area, Kirby said.
“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” Kirby said. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have, necessarily, a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country. We think one of the reasons why Prigozhin is so interested in Bakhmut is because there’s a gypsum mine there, and up in Soledar, there’s a salt mine. And it’s entirely possible that Mr. Prigozhin sees some economic benefit to him and his company to take Bakhmut and to take and hold Soledar.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 11, 9:43 AM EST
US surveillance data ‘crucial’: Ukrainian commander
Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Serhiy Nayev told ABC News in an interview that the U.S. provides “surveillance data,” allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to more accurately pinpoint Russian targets within Ukraine’s borders.
“This help is crucial for us,” he said.
Nayev said he was in “constant contact” with American generals stationed in other parts of Europe. An exchange of data between the Ukrainians and Americans helped the Ukrainian military to pinpoint targets using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems.
“This work goes perfectly in real time,” he said.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dragana Jovanovic and Ale Pavone
Feb 10, 3:09 PM EST
Biden to visit Poland on eve of first anniversary of invasion of Ukraine
President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Feb. 20, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of our eastern flank NATO allies, and he’ll deliver remarks to mark the one-year anniversary, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
“President Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world, to support the people of Ukraine, as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Jean-Pierre said.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 10, 12:25 PM EST
Russian missile comes within 22 miles of Romanian border with Ukraine
Romania, a member of NATO, said Friday a Russian missile had come within 22 miles of its border but that it did not cross into the country’s territory, countering a claim made by the Ukrainian military.
“The Romanian Air Forces’ air surveillance system detected on Friday, February 10th, an aerial target launched by a Russian Federation’s ship, navigating in the Black Sea, nearby the Crimean Peninsula. The target is most likely a cruise missile, which flew over the air space of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and reentered the Ukrainian air space without ever infringing Romania’s air space,” Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said in a statement Friday.
Ukrainian officials had said earlier Friday that two Russian missiles crossed into the airspace of Moldova and Romania before entering Ukraine and being directed at targets in the country.
“Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. These missiles are a challenge to NATO and collective security. This is terror that can and must be stopped,” Zelenskyy said Friday.
(WASHINGTON) — Former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to fight special counsel Jack Smith’s grand jury subpoena, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The subpoena requested documents and testimony related to the failed attempt by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election and followed months of negotiations between federal prosecutors and Pence’s legal team. ABC News was first to report the subpoena to Pence last week.
But Pence’s lawyers aren’t expected to challenge the subpoena on executive privilege grounds and will instead make a separation of powers argument, sources familiar with the legal strategy said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — From “mom brain” to “mommy brain,” “momnesia,” “baby brain” and “pregnancy brain,” the terms used to describe the brain fog many moms say they experience during pregnancy and after are plentiful.
One of the terms, “baby brain,” even made it into Prince Harry’s memoir Spare as he described how the use of the term once caused a confrontation between his wife, Duchess Meghan, and his sister-in-law, Princess Kate.
Despite how common it has become for moms-to-be and moms to be subjectively thought of as scattered or forgetful, a group of scientists says the idea of “mommy brain” needs to be reexamined and rebranded.
The term, they say, has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, one that undermines the positive changes that happen to women’s brains and cognitive abilities with motherhood.
“It’s complicated because you internalize or potentially expect to experience something like ‘mommy brain’ in a negative way,” Clare McCormack, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, told ABC News. “You might expect to experience fogginess and forgetfulness, so when an everyday moment of forgetfulness happens, there’s a label for it, it’s confirming what you thought you would see, and it can really become ingrained.”
McCormack and two colleagues, Bridget Callaghan, Ph.D., of the University of California Los Angeles, and Jodi Pawluski, Ph.D., of the University of Rennes in France, are the authors of a headline-making article published this week in JAMA Neurology titled, “It’s Time to Rebrand ‘Mommy Brain.'”
“The idea that motherhood is wrought with memory deficits and is characterized by a brain that no longer functions well is scientifically just not so,” the authors write.
In addition to current research not conclusively pointing to the idea of “mommy brain,” the authors say there also has not yet been enough research done on what exactly happens to the brain with pregnancy and motherhood.
“We just don’t have enough information, unfortunately,” Pawluski, a behavioral neuroscientist and psychotherapist, told ABC News. “And this is because I think people don’t support research that’s specific to parenting or women’s health, their maternal health, and that’s a bigger issue.”
Citing studies showing that 80% of pregnant women say they experience some form of memory loss or brain fog, Pawluski added, “There are so, so many questions that need [to be] answered.”
When research does happen, according to Callaghan, it often looks only at negative performance, or cognitive impairments.
“There hasn’t really been a fair test of maternal cognitive abilities because we haven’t actually been looking for the cognitive advantages that pregnancy might pose,” said Callaghan, an assistant professor of psychology at UCLA.
Callaghan, Pawluski and McCormack led their own study that looked at the impact of pregnancy on long-term memory, and found pregnant women performed better cognitively than nonpregnant women.
“This is just one example of the ways that we can kind of think critically about how we’re assessing this phenomenon of mommy brain,” Callaghan said of the study, which was published in 2021. “And when we do, we find evidence of cognitive advantages to pregnancy, which is more consistent with what we see in the animal literature.”
Callaghan said she was inspired by her own pregnancy to start researching some of the benefits of becoming a mom.
“When I looked up any symptom I had during pregnancy, it was like, ‘Your body falls apart. Your mind falls apart when you’re pregnant,'” she said. “I knew that wasn’t the case based on my own experience of pregnancy and seeing other people.”
Callaghan continued, “It’s really important as scientists, and as female scientists, that we try and set the record straight about what the experience of pregnancy and motherhood is actually like, and if female scientists aren’t going to do it, I don’t really know who is.”
All three experts spoke of a desire to “change the narrative” around the changes that come with pregnancy and motherhood, while also acknowledging the fact that the changes are big and do exist.
More recent research has shown that some of the long-lasting brain changes that happen during pregnancy appear to be as significant as the brain changes seen in adolescence, according to McCormack.
“I think of the transition to motherhood as a really important time that is actually all about adaptation,” she said. “So when we’re saying it’s time to ‘rebrand mommy brain,’ we’re really just saying it’s time to reduce focus on what is lost with motherhood, which has been the main focus for a long time, and to start paying attention more to what is gained and how it is gained.”
For example, Pawluski said moms and moms-to-be can think of how their changing brain helps them parent.
Pawluski’s research has shown that in mice, new connections in the brain develop in the postpartum period. She and other researchers have suggested that the brain’s new connections during and after pregnancy don’t necessarily come at the loss of anything else, but are simply the brain adapting to new needs, i.e. parenthood.
“We don’t want motherhood and the brain to immediately be thought of as a deficit,” she said, adding, “I mean, a pregnant person’s brain changes so that they can very quickly learn how to care for a baby because they’ve invested nine months into making it, their whole body and life has been invested into it.”
The experts also described an even more urgent reason more research is needed on brain changes during pregnancy, citing high rates of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
In the United States, around one in eight women who have given birth experience postpartum depression, a depression that occurs after having a baby, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“If we take for granted that there’s this just kind of magical switch that happens when someone goes from not being a parent to being a parent, and when we don’t understand what goes on in this process, in the best of cases when it goes well, then we can’t help people effectively when they struggle,” McCormack said. “That’s one reason why it’s really important that we seriously try to understand how this process happens.”
(EAST LANSING, Mich.) — Three students were killed and five other students were injured by a gunman who opened fire at an academic building and the student union on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing on Monday night, police said.
After an hours-long manhunt, police found the 43-year-old suspect, Anthony McRae, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound off campus.
All five injured students remain in critical condition Tuesday morning, officials said.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 14, 8:47 AM EST
No motive known
No motive is known, police said. The 43-year-old suspect, Anthony McRae, had no known connection to the university, according to authorities.
After police released the suspect’s photo, a tip from a caller led authorities to finding him, officials said.
A search warrant has been executed at a home, police said.
Feb 14, 8:14 AM EST
Michigan leaders call out US gun violence
At a news conference Tuesday, Michigan leaders called out the prevalence of U.S. gun violence.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said, “I cannot believe I am here again doing this 15 months later,” speaking at the scene of another Michigan school shooting, referring to the November 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School where four students were killed and several others were injured.
“I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference about our children being killed in schools,” she said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer added, “We’re all broken by an all-too-familiar feeling.”
“We cannot keep living like this,” she said. “Our children are scared to go to school. People feel unsafe in their houses of worship or local stores.”
Feb 14, 6:00 AM EST
City manager thanks ‘brave’ first responders after ‘horrific act of violence’
Interim East Lansing City Manager Randy Talifarro described Monday night’s mass shooting at Michigan State University as a “horrific act of violence.”
“The City of East Lansing is mourning the devastating shooting that occurred on the campus of Michigan State University tonight,” Talifarro said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all of the victims of this horrific act of violence as well as their family and friends. East Lansing and MSU have always shared in each other’s victories and each other’s losses. Tonight, we hold space while we grapple with this devastating loss of life together.”
Talifarro also thanked the “brave first responders who quickly responded to MSU’s campus.”
“Against every natural instinct they ran towards the sound of danger, seeking not their own wellbeing, but instead to protect and serve those in need,” he said. “And we stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone impacted by tonight’s events. Please know that you’re not alone in your grief. We stand with you and will be here as we seek to heal as a community.”
City buildings and offices, including city hall, the public library and the district court, will be closed to the general public on Tuesday. Essential city employees will be reporting to work.
Drop-in counseling services will be available for members of the community at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center beginning at 9 a.m. ET.
(NEW YORK) — Consumer prices rose 6.4% last month compared to a year ago, continuing a months-long slowdown of price increases despite blockbuster job growth that revealed an economy running hotter than expected, government data on Tuesday showed.
The data marked the seventh consecutive month of smaller price hikes. In December, year-over-year inflation was 6.5%.
Inflation has fallen significantly from a summer peak but is more than triple the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
The Fed earlier this month imposed the latest in an aggressive string of borrowing cost increases as it tries to slash price hikes by slowing the economy and choking off demand. The approach, however, risks tipping the U.S. economy into a recession.
So far, the economy has largely defied an anticipated slowdown.
The economy added a staggering 517,000 jobs in January, more than double the employment growth a month prior and well above the breakneck pace of some 400,000 monthly jobs added on average last year, according to government data released earlier this month.
In turn, the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, the lowest figure since 1969.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said last week that the central bank’s fight against inflation has “a long way to go,” citing the jobs data.
Speaking at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Powell said the “extraordinarily strong” job figures took the Fed by surprise.
“It kind of shows you why we think this will be a process that takes a significant period of time,” he added.
Still, the Fed has transitioned to a slower pace of rate hikes in recent months, suggesting confidence that the central bank has begun to tame inflation.
Over the next three years, consumers expect inflation to fall to 2.7%, hovering just above the central bank’s target, the New York Federal Reserve found in a survey released on Monday.
The combination of strong hiring and easing inflation has buoyed hopes among some economists that the U.S. could avert a recession.
A report released by the International Monetary Fund last month predicted that U.S. economic growth would cool to 1.4% this year from 2% last year, but it found the U.S. could avoid a downturn.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen rejected recession fears in an interview last Monday with ABC News’ Good Morning America, saying the economy remains “strong and resilient.”
Many consumers, however, remain pessimistic.
Four in 10 Americans say they’re worse off financially since Biden became president, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released earlier this month. The figure marks the highest share of discontented respondents since the outlets began conducting the poll 37 years ago.
Home sales fell for the 11th consecutive month in December, reaching their lowest rate since November 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Meanwhile, U.S. retail sales fell in December, ending the typically busy holiday shopping season with a whimper.
(EAST LANSING, Mich.) — Michigan State University student Dominik Molotky was in class on Monday evening when he heard a gunshot in the hallway, just outside the door.
“I was sitting next to the nearest door and thank god that my fight-or-flight response kicked in because, right when that first gunshot went off, I booked it to the far corner of the class,” Molotky, a senior, told ABC News in an interview Tuesday on Good Morning America.
A couple seconds later, the gunman entered the classroom and fired “three to four more rounds,” Molotky said.
“I was ducking and covering,” he recalled. “I think one of the students in my class got hit.”
When the gunfire stopped for “30 seconds to a minute,” Molotky said, he and his classmates started breaking open a window so they could escape.
“There was glass everywhere,” he added. “We broke open the window and climbed out of there, and I booked it back to my apartment.”
Molotky and other students recounted their horrifying experiences as the mass shooting unfolded at multiple locations on MSU’s main campus in East Lansing, Michigan. At least three people were killed and five others were wounded, police said. The suspect — identified as a 43-year-old man with no known ties to the university — was later found dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.
MSU graduate student Graham Diedrich said he was working at the writing center in the university’s library on campus when he heard police sirens outside. He noticed other students looking at their cellphones with concern, so he checked his email and found a message from the university offering advice on what to do during a mass shooting: “Run, hide, fight.”
“That’s when we kind of knew what was going on,” Diedrich told ABC News in an interview late Monday.
Diedrich said he never heard any gunshots, but he and other students decided to barricade themselves in a study room in the back of the library for safety. They stacked chairs, tables and a shelving unit to block the glass door and windows.
“We wanted to protect ourselves and make sure that there was no glass, no way that you could see into the room,” he added. “We dimmed the lights.”
Diedrich said they were told by the university and police to shelter in place. They were still barricaded in the library when Diedrich spoke to ABC News.
“I didn’t think that it would happen to me. But living in America, you know, you always have to live under the assumption that this will happen to you. It happens to people every day in this country, and we have to consider why,” he said. “It’s not unique, but it’s a lot different when it happens to you.”
MSU students Luke Restrepo and Riley Dorfman said they were in their apartment when they noticed a scene of “absolute chaos” outside their window — police cars speeding by and people running for their lives.
“I called my mom and she was in shock, she was terrified,” Restrepo told ABC News in an interview late Monay. “You never want your kid to call you and say: ‘Oh hey, by the way, the school is under attack, it’s getting shot up a block away from me and I cant guarantee my safety.'”
Dorfman added: “The fact that this has been going on for three hours now and I have to constantly call my mom every 20 minutes to hear her crying, hoping I’m OK, it’s not OK. It shouldn’t happen.”
(WASHINGTON) — Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has announced her presidential bid in a new video released on Tuesday, a day ahead of her formal campaign kick-off in Charleston, South Carolina.
“I was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants — not Black, not white. I was different,” she says as the video she tweeted, titled “Strong & Proud” opens featuring photos of her family.
She becomes the first Republican to challenge former President Donald Trump. He launched his campaign for the GOP nomination in November.
The video skews optimistic, as she embraces her heritage as a South Asian woman while casting aside the notion that divisive racism is fracturing the country.
“My mom would always say your job is not to focus on the differences but the similarities. My parents reminded me and my siblings every day how blessed we were to live in America,” Haley, 51, says.
Over a montage of photos, including one of the 1619 project and a sign “RACISM IS A PANDEMIC,” Haley urges Americans to set aside their critical appraisals: “Some look at our past as evidence that America’s founding principles are bad. They say the promise of freedom is just made up. Some think our ideas are not just wrong, but racist and evil. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
She underscores her credentials as a former governor of the Palmetto state, stressing the state’s resilience, but most of all, saying the need for change in the Republican party is paramount: “Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections, that has to change … It’s time for a new generation of leadership.”
And she’s posturing herself as a new voice unafraid to fight back: “You should know this about me — I don’t put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you are wearing heels.”
(NEW YORK) — A U-Haul driver is in custody after allegedly striking eight people in a “violent rampage” in multiple locations in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday, according to NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell.
Four people have been hospitalized, two in critical condition and two in serious condition, the commissioner said at a news conference.
One victim, a 44-year-old, has died, police sources later told ABC News.
The victims range in age from 30 to 66 years old, the NYPD said.
Four others suffered minor injuries, Sewell said.
One of the eight injured was a police officer who tried to stop the driver, she said.
“We have seven different locations to process,” the commissioner said.
The driver was identified by police sources as 62-year-old Weng Sor. He allegedly screamed that he wanted to die as he sped off and led police on a brief chase, according to a law enforcement official and a local councilman.
He allegedly fled from Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood through Sunset Park before being apprehended a few miles away in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, ending the 40-minute ordeal.
Police searched the truck and found nothing suspicious, sources said.
U-Haul said in a statement that the truck was rented for 30 days with a return date of March 3, and that the daily cost of the rental was paid in advance and on a valid contract.
“It was an in-town rental, meaning the equipment was supposed to be returned to the location from which it was dispatched,” U-Haul said. “Our customers provide valid identification/driver’s license, valid form of payment, and any additional forms of meaningful assurance our rental agents deem necessary to try to make certain our equipment will be returned in proper condition, and at the stipulated time and place. These criteria must be met before a transaction occurs.”
The company said it has no record of the suspect previously renting with U-Haul prior to this rental.
“U-Haul is working closely with law enforcement officials to meet their needs in this case. Any further details should come from law enforcement,” the company added.
There are no additional credible threats, according to the New York City mayor’s office.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she’s been briefed on the incident and that New York State Police are on the scene.
“I am praying for everyone who was injured today in Brooklyn,” Hochul tweeted. “Grateful for the swift response of @NYPDnews to apprehend the suspect and of our first responders to tend to those injured.”
