(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Louisville police caught a convicted felon who they say escaped police custody on Thursday and then briefly kidnapped two people, forcing them to drive him away.
“He was in the area of Brownsboro and Lindsey. Close to the Thorntons where we get our doughnuts. #BigMistake,” Louisville police said in a Facebook post Saturday announcing his capture.
A Kentucky deputy jailer was transporting Norman Wolfe, 31, when he kicked out the back window of an unmarked police vehicle and jumped onto Interstate 265 on Thursday, according to police.
Once he escaped the vehicle, Wolfe began running across several lanes of traffic on I-265, wearing orange clothing, according to police.
Upon further investigation, police said that the inmate allegedly kidnapped two victims and forced them to drive him to River Road and Edith Avenue shortly after his escape.
Both victims were found unharmed, according to police.
Area businesses and schools had been advised to take precautions on Friday as the search continued.
“LMPD’s Investigation into this incident is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous Crime Tip Hotline at 502-574-LMPD (5673) or utilize the online Crime Tip portal at LMPD Crime Tip Portal,” Louisville police said in a statement.
Prior to his escape, Wolfe was facing new charges of first- and third-degree burglary; fleeing and evading police; and a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Krieg Butler, a 36-year-old white man who shot and killed 13-year-old Sinzae Reed, in Columbus, Ohio, in October was indicted by a grand jury Friday on charges of tampering with evidence and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.
No charges were brought against Butler directly related to the fatal shooting of the Black teenager.
The indictment comes after the office of Franklin County Prosecutor G. Gary Tyack presented evidence surrounding the death of the teen to a Franklin County grand jury on May 17 and 18. Multiple witnesses testified under oath.
Reed’s family says it is planning a protest on Saturday with local activists at the Ohio Statehouse. His mother, Megan Reed, shared a statement with ABC News on Friday through Columbus community activist Dejuan Sharp after the indictment was announced.
“The family, although disappointed with the grand jury decision, we will not be deterred from getting justice on a federal level,” Megan Reed said in the statement. “We believe our local government is grasping at the lowest hanging fruit. Partly because of [Ohio governor] Mike DeWine’s rush to implement stand your ground legislation without giving our courts and police, proper legal guidance.”
DeWine signed a “Stand Your Ground” bill in January of 2021, which removed the requirement for someone to retreat before self-defense.
Attempts by ABC News to reach Butler for comment were unsuccessful and it is unclear if he has retained an attorney.
According to a police affidavit, a witness to the shooting saw Butler shoot and kill Reed during an encounter outside of an apartment complex on Oct. 12, 2022. The witness said Butler exited his truck, fired shots at Reed and drove off, according to the complaint.
Butler was arrested days after the shooting and charged with murder, but those charges were dropped at the time pending completion of the investigation after prosecutors said Butler claimed self-defense in the shooting during his arraignment in October, according to a statement from the Columbus Police Department. Police told ABC News they have completed their investigation.
Court documents obtained by ABC News show no record that Reed had a weapon during the encounter with Butler.
According to a Franklin County autopsy report released on Jan. 17, the teen was shot twice, once in the hand and once in the chest, concluding the manner of death was a homicide.
The Franklin County prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Friday that they would not comment further as Butler’s case will be actively prosecuted.
Megan Reed told ABC News’ Linsey Davis in an interview on ABC News Live in January that she is seeking justice for her son.
“I need justice for my son. My son’s no longer here,” she said. “I’m going to continue this war, and I will be his voice until he gets justice.”
She added, “I’m very frustrated because I know if it was the other way around…if it was a Black man and my child was white, the Black man would be in jail and my son would have justice.”
(LAFAYETTE, Ind.) — A shooting in Indiana that injured two people after a three-year-old accessed a gun led to the arrest of a man wanted for murder in Illinois, authorities said.
Trayshaun Smith, 23, was arrested on Thursday after he visited a hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to Lt. Justin Hartman of the Lafayette Police Department.
Investigators eventually determined that the shooting that sent Smith and another victim to the hospital occurred when a three-year-old was able to access a gun and fire a single round.
“It was determined that a three year old child at that location accessed a gun and fired one round striking two people,” according to Hartman.
The police department said officers initially found both shooting victims at the Franciscan Health Lafayette East Hospital, where they were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. They later determined that the shooting occurred at an apartment complex in Lafayette, Indiana.
Smith was arrested on an active murder warrant from neighboring Cook County, Illinois. The Lafayette Police Department said it is coordinating with police in Markham, Illinois, regarding the arrest.
Smith resides in Lafayette, according to authorities.
A representative for the Markham Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest.
(HIROSHIMA, Japan) — Nearly eight decades after surviving the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, 85-year-old Keiko Ogura had this message for Russian President Vladimir Putin: “You don’t know what is a nuclear weapon, the reality of a nuclear weapon. So come here and see.”
Ogura spoke to ABC News’ Britt Clennett ahead of the arrivals of President Joe Biden and other leaders in Hiroshima for the annual summit of G7 leaders, held this year in the Japanese city amid new nuclear threats from countries like Russia, North Korea and Iran.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy planned to join the world leaders this weekend for the summit. His presence in Hiroshima is particularly significant amid Putin’s recent decision to move tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which neighbors Ukraine.
Putin last year suggested he could use the weapons in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but subsequently denied he would.
“Threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible,” Biden and the other G7 leaders said Friday in a joint statement, calling for “a world without nuclear weapons.”
Ogura was 8 years old when the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city on Aug. 6, 1945, but she says she can still vividly remember the events of that day.
“First there was a bright flash, and then soon after that, I couldn’t stand. Because soon after that, there was a strong blast — I mean wind, like a typhoon or tornado. And then I was beaten to the street and became unconscious, because of the blast,” Ogura said. When she opened her eyes, everything was dark; gradually she could see that her neighborhood was engulfed in flames, she said.
Ogura met with G7 leaders on Friday during their visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, according to Japan’s foreign ministry. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave the G7 leaders a private tour of the museum.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News, Kishida later told reporters: “We felt the reality of the atomic bombing and shared a sobering moment that will be etched in our hearts. It was historic from the viewpoint of showing our resolve for a world free of nuclear weapons.”
The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki prompted Japan’s surrender to the Allies, precipitating the end of World War II. In Japanese, survivors of the bombings are known as “hibakusha.”
During her interview with ABC News, Ogura said this would be her message to Biden: “I say, you have the power and we need a leader…Underneath this land you’re standing there were so many dead souls and so and so, please feel, and please imagine.”
The Hiroshima bombing killed an estimated 140,000 people.
“Black rain, rain contaminated with radiation, dark color, charcoal colored rain fell onto my blouse,” Ogura said.
“Their [the people coming towards her] skin was hanging down from the tip of their finger, and they’re coming like a ghost or a zombie or something…coming to my area, and they started to die,” Ogura said.
“When I recall those days, I can’t help but want to cry,” Ogura continued.
After the G7 leaders toured the museum, they walked to the continuously lit “flame of peace” at the surrounding memorial park, laid wreaths and participated in a tree-planting ceremony. In the background was the Genbaku Dome, the only structure that remained standing in the area where the bomb was dropped.
Biden was the second sitting American president to visit the memorial site. No U.S. president has apologized for the bombing. The White House said that Biden didn’t plan to do so, either. Biden didn’t make any public remarks during his visit to the memorial and museum.
Ogura added, “I know the fear, the reality when the nuclear weapon was used, and I can’t stand this evil existing, the nuclear weapon, even a single weapon existing in this world, on this planet…We need to think about the future generation.”
ABC News’ Karson Yiu, Anthony Trotter, Gamay Palacios and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
(LINCOLN, Neb.) — Nebraska lawmakers voted on Friday to restrict abortion access after 12 weeks and to ban gender affirming care for trans youth.
The bill, passed by the Nebraska legislature in a 33-15 vote, will head over to Republican Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law.
The bill will prohibit gender-affirming procedures for anyone under the age of 19 and give the state’s chief medical officer responsibility for establishing limitations on hormone therapy and puberty blockers for the same age range.
Abortions will also be prohibited after 12 weeks of pregnancy. There will only be exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the pregnant person.
In April, a bill to ban abortion once cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks, failed.
Legislative Bill 574 comes after a wave of legislation that have taken place in other states like Texas and Florida which have passed similar legislation restricting or prohibiting the provision of gender-affirming healthcare to minors. The abortion amendment was added on Tuesday.
Supporters of the bill claimed it would prevent teenagers from having irreversible medical operations they might later regret as well as abortions on unborn children.
“This bill is about protecting children. That’s it. It’s titled ‘Let them Grow,'” said Republican Sen. Kathleen Kauth, one of the bill’s authors. “Let them grow to be adults, and they can make whatever decisions it is that they want. And we will support and encourage and love them.”
“We know it in our head. And we know that this bill is the right bill. It’s a compromise,” Republican State Sen. John Lowe said.
Lawmakers who opposed the bill sought to block the anti-trans legislation by filibustering nearly every bill that came up during the legislative session.
“You have to live with your vote. You have to live with the role that you play in history in the making today. You have to live with the fact that you voted to take away people’s rights,” Democrat State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh said.
The new version of the Renaissance track features an opening verse from the rapper in which he calls himself an honorary member of the Beyhive.
“My momma told me that the money outgrew you / My horoscope said I’m really out my noodle / I’m troublin’, I’m puzzlin’, it’s sudoku / Say B, yes, America got a problem / Geeked up, choosing love, well, they chose violence,” he raps.
Beyoncé and Kendrick have collaborated before, on the Lemonade track “Freedom” and on the song “Nile” from The Lion King: The Gift.
Bey and husband Jay-Z were also making headlines Friday for reportedly buying the most expensive house ever sold in California. According to TMZ, the power couple purchased a $200 million, 30,000-square-foot home in the Paradise Cove area of Malibu.
The lead single from the upcoming album But Here We Are gives Dave Grohl and company their 11th leader on the Alternative Airplay ranking, which is the fourth-most number of chart-toppers for one band in the chart’s 35-year history. Red Hot Chili Peppers have the most, with 15, followed by Green Day and Linkin Park, who are tied with 12.
“Rescued” previously reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, making it the 12th Foos song to achieve that feat.
But Here We Are, which also features the song “Under You,” drops June 2. Both “Rescued” and “Under You” seem to make reference to late drummer Taylor Hawkins, who passed away in March 2022.
This Sunday, Foo Fighters are hosting a streaming concert via the platform Veeps, during which they’ll be playing songs from But Here We Are. Presumably, the event will reveal the identity of the new Foo Fighters drummer. The Foos will then launch a U.S. tour May 24 in Gilford, New Hampshire.
Fire from the Gods has released a new EP titled Soul Revolution: Acoustic Vibes.
The set includes unplugged renditions of four songs off the “Right Now” outfit’s 2022 album, Soul Revolution. It’s accompanied by a video for the Acoustic Vibes rendition of the song “Be Free,” featuring footage of fans singing along to the lyrics.
“People often ask ‘Who are your fans? What type of artist do you want to be?’ and I can never answer that question because honestly I don’t know,” says frontman AJ Channer. “I’ve been to so many places and interacted with so many different people. That has had a profound effect on me. I am 100% sure that I only want to spread a message of inner strength and unity, and this song is that message.”
You can listen to Soul Revolution: Acoustic Vibes now via digital outlets and watch the “Be Free” video streaming now on YouTube.
Jeremy Renner isn’t just reaching milestones during his recovery from his near-fatal snowplow accident: He’s jogging past them.
The Avengers star posted his latest at-home recovery feat on Thursday evening, in an Instagram Story that showed him jogging on his specialized treadmill. The so-called anti-gravity treadmill secures a user’s pelvis allowing them to put less body weight on their legs as they recover.
Remarkably, at the end of March, Renner had just started walking on the device.
“First attempt at a very light jog with weight assisted lift for the broken tibia,” he captioned the video.
His tibia was just one of more than 30 broken bones the Hawkeye star suffered when he was dragged under his 14,000-pound snowcat plow, in an attempt to save his nephew from the vehicle sliding in the snow.
He also suffered blunt force injuries and a collapsed lung in the January 1 accident near his home outside Reno, Nevada.
After years of estrangement, Graham Nash has said he and his former Crosby, Stills and Nash bandmate David Crosby were approaching reconciliation when Crosby died in January. Now, he’s planning two releases that will celebrate their work together.
According to Billboard, Nash plans to release a compilation of other artists’ songs on which he and Crosby made guest appearances. He also wants to put out a recording from a concert they did in Padua, Italy, in 2011 that he says “knocks me on my a**.”
Nash, whose new album, Now, is out Friday, tells Billboard, “It’s all sad, but I choose to only try to remember the good stuff, the good times we had, the good music that we made, ’cause the rest is just s*****, silly teenage stuff.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is touring a show he calls Sixty Years of Songs and Stories, with West Coast dates set for next month and more North American dates in the fall.
“I just want people to know you can still rock at 81,” Nash says. “I’ve made some fine music in my life, with my fantastic musical partners. And I feel there’s still more of it coming.”
