(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called Brittney Griner’s wife to discuss efforts to release the WNBA star, who has been detained in Russia since February, according to the White House.
“The president called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” the White House said in a statement, adding that Biden will respond to a letter from Griner on Wednesday. “He also read her a draft of the letter the president is sending to Brittney Griner today.”
Biden received a handwritten letter from Brittney Griner on Monday, expressing her fear that she may be in Russian custody “forever.”
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Brittney Griner wrote.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday that Brittney Griner’s letter was “very personal” to the president.
Russian officials took Brittney Griner into custody at Sheremetyevo International Airport on Feb. 17 after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which are illegal in the country. Her trial, which began on July 1, is expected to run through Dec. 20.
While National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been in communication with Cherelle Griner, she has been vocal about her push for the president to get involved.
“There is one person that can go get her, and that’s our president,” she said in an interview with ESPN.
In May, Cherelle Griner sat down with Robin Roberts to discuss her fight to bring her wife home.
“You say she’s top priority, but I want to see it. And I feel like to see it would be me seeing BG on U.S. soil,” Cherelle Griner said in an interview.
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford, Ben Gittleson, and Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report.
(MOSS POINT, Miss.) — A 16-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after he helped rescue four people when a car drove off a boat launch and into a Mississippi river.
The incident happened Sunday at around 2:30 a.m., when the car, which had three teenage girls inside, drove into the Pascagoula River in Moss Point, floated about 20 feet away from shore and started sinking, the Moss Point Police Department said in a statement.
“The driver of that vehicle stated she was following her GPS and did not realize she was going into the water,” police said.
Corion Evans, 16, said he immediately ran over, took off his shoes and shirt and went into the water when he saw the car sinking and heard the three occupants shouting for help.
“I was just like, ‘I can’t let none of these folks die. They need to get out the water,'” Evans, a Pascagoula High School student, told Biloxi, Mississippi, ABC affiliate WLOX. “So, I just started getting them. I wasn’t even thinking about nothing else.”
One of Evans’ friends also jumped in and helped get the girls to the top of their vehicle, according to WLOX.
“I was behind them trying to keep them above water and swim with them at the same time,” Evans told the station.
Along with Moss Point Police Officer Gary Mercer, who responded to the scene, Evans helped bring the three teens to shore.
At one point Mercer was bringing one person to shore “who began panicking and caused him to go under swallowing some water,” police said.
When Mercer started struggling in the water, Evans helped rescue him, too.
“I turned around. I see the police officer. He’s drowning. He’s going underwater, drowning, saying, ‘Help!'” Evans told WLOX. “So, I went over there. I went and I grabbed the police officer and I’m like swimming him back until I feel myself I can walk.”
The officer and three teens were taken to the hospital following the incident and were recovering, WLOX reported.
“The police department and I commend Mr. Evans’s bravery and selflessness he displayed by risking his own safety to help people in danger,” Moss Point Chief Brandon Ashley said in a statement. “If Mr. Evans had not assisted, it could have possibly turned out tragically instead of all occupants rescued safely.”
On Tuesday, Moss Point city officials presented Evans with a certificate of commendation for his heroism in rescuing the four people. They also recognized Mercer for his “bravery in the rescue.”
Evans’ mother expressed relief and spoke proudly of her son in the wake of the rescue.
“I’m glad nothing happened to him while he was trying to save other people’s lives,” Marquita Evans told WLOX. “I was really proud of Corion because he wasn’t just thinking about himself. He was trying to really get all those people out the water.”
Evans told WLOX he has been swimming since he was 3 years old and didn’t hesitate to jump in the river.
“Twenty-five yards out, so it was a lot of swimming. My legs were so tired after,” he told the station. “Anything could’ve been in that water, though. But I wasn’t thinking about it.”
Emerson, Lake & Palmer‘s third studio album, Trilogy, was released 50 years ago today.
The album is the famed British prog-rock trio’s highest-charting studio effort in the U.S., peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200. Trilogy includes the band’s most successful single, the Greg Lake-penned “From the Beginning,” which reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Trilogy was produced by Lake and also features three instrumentals, the Keith Emerson compositions “Fugue” and “Abaddon’s Bolero” and an arrangement of Aaron Copland‘s “Hoe-Down” from the 1942 ballet Rodeo. Copland gave ELP permission to adapt the piece, which was slightly retitled “Hoedown.”
“Hoedown” became a popular song for ELP to perform live.
Trilogy has been certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 in the U.S.
Here’s the full Trilogy track list:
“The Endless Enigma (Part 1)”
“Fugue” (Instrumental)
“The Endless Enigma (Part 2)”
“From the Beginning”
“The Sheriff”
“Hoedown” (Instrumental)
“Trilogy”
“Living Sin”
“Abaddon’s Bolero” (Instrumental)
(SAN FRANCISCO) — For decades, Judy and Ed Craine parked their car in the driveway in front of their San Francisco home. Parking in the Golden City can be tricky with its steep hills and busy streets, and the Craines say they were lucky to have a spot that’s all their own for the past 36 years.
That is, until they received a $1,542 fine for parking on their own property — with the threat of a $250-per-day fee if they didn’t get the car off their carpad.
The Craines told ABC-affiliate KGO-TV that the San Francisco Planning Department is enforcing a decades-old section of code that bans motor vehicles of all kinds from being parked on a carpad or setback in front of a house unless it’s accompanied by a garage or cover.
“I wrote them back saying I thought this was a mistake,” Judy Craine said.
Added Ed Craine: “To all of a sudden to be told you can’t use something that we could use for years, it’s startling. Inexplicable.”
The Craines believe the space has been used for parking since the house was built in 1910. So the planning department told the couple that the city would waive the fine if they could prove that the lot has historically been used for parking.
The Craines dug up a photo of their daughter from 34 years ago, where their car is just visible in the driveway — but officials said the photo wasn’t old enough.
Then, after a lot of Googling, they found a blurry aerial photo from 1938 that shows a car — or a possibly a horse-and-buggy — pulling into the driveway of the home. But the planning department says they never were shown this photo and will reconsider Craines’ parking plight.
“The 1938 aerial photo shown in ABC 7’s segment was never shared with the Department,” Daniel A. Sider, the chief of staff at the San Francisco Planning Department, told ABC News. “The first we learned of it was during Friday’s broadcast. To that end, we’re reopening the matter and hope to have more clarity in the coming days.”
The planning department was alerted to the Craines’ use of their driveway by an anonymous complaint that was lodged against the Craines and two of their neighbors, who were also tagged with the same violation.
Sider told ABC News that the anonymous request about their property was made last year, but was not enforced until the Craines sought to renew their permit to use the property for short-term rentals. The Municipal Code bans new permits until outstanding code enforcement issues on the property are resolved.
Sider previously told KGO that the code was enacted decades ago for aesthetic reasons.
“I recognize that the property owner is frustrated. I think I would feel the same way in their situation,” Sider said in an email. “But the Planning Code doesn’t allow for the City to grandfather illegal uses on account of their having flown below the radar for a length of time.”
The city has since closed the case against the Craines and threw out the fines after the couple agreed to no longer use the carpad. However, that may be under reconsideration if the 1938 aerial photo passes the test.
City officials told the Craines that the couple can build a cover for the carpad, or a garage, if they want to continue to park there.
Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images, FILE
(NEW YORK) — The professional football fate of an NFL star quarterback is set to be determined this week amid sexual misconduct allegations.
A three-day internal disciplinary hearing was held for Cleveland Brown quarterback Deshaun Watson, who could face up to a season-long suspension from the league, after he was accused of sexual assault by nearly two dozen women.
Last month, Watson reached a settlement in 20 of the 24 lawsuits filed by women who accused Watson of sexual assault and harassment while he played for the Houston Texans. It was made clear during the hearing that the league is seeking an indefinite suspension of at least a year for the quarterback.
Watson has never been arrested or criminally charged for the allegations and two grand juries declined to indict Watson after reviewing the evidence.
Disciplinary officer Judge Sue L. Robinson is expected to release her decision next week after a review of post-hearing briefs from both sides.
For years, the NFL has faced criticism for the way the league has handled allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault against women. More recently, the league has tried to make amends by enforcing a personal conduct policy for all NFL employees, current and former players specifically aimed at addressing these issues.
Mary Kate Cabot covers the Browns for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and spoke to ABC News’ “Start Here” about what’s expected for the NFL’s next play regarding the situation.
“Well, these were from 24 massage therapists, mostly in the Houston area, who during from about the fall of 2020, they accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during massage appointments,” said Cabot. “[Although] 20 of the 24 have now been settled… this could mean sort of the beginning of the end of this whole saga.”
Watson has maintained his innocence throughout the allegations and the Cleveland Browns have stood behind the player.
“If we didn’t get comfortable with Deshaun the person, it wouldn’t have mattered how talented he was, we wouldn’t have pursued the trade,” said Browns general manager Andrew Berry during a press conference last month. “We believe in Deshaun, the person.”
Despite not admitting to wrongdoing, Cabot said that Watson had recently told her that he is “seeking some counseling.”
“He’s taking advantage of the resources the Browns have made available. I think that will be a mitigating factor in the eyes of the NFL,” said Cabot. “But the NFL now must decide on the discipline for Deshaun Watson.”
Although the settlements do not officially assign blame one way or another, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear last month that Watson is still under investigation by the NFL.
“The personal conduct policy does not need a criminal violation to be a violation of the personal conduct policy,” said Goodell during a press conference.
In March, the Cleveland Browns reportedly guaranteed Watson $230 million over five years in a trade deal, the most guaranteed money at signing of any NFL player in history, according to ESPN.
Cabot said that the NFL Players Association is bracing for “a very long suspension” of Watson from the league.
“They plan to vigorously fight it,” said Cabot. “The next big step that everyone has to cross is to find out what the NFL has in mind and then how Deshaun’s side will fight it.”
During a press conference hosted by the Cleveland Browns last week, Watson addressed the allegations. He said he regrets the impact the situation has made on the community.
“That includes my family. That includes this organization. That includes my teammates in this locker room that have to answer to these questions,” said Watson. “That includes the fan base of the Cleveland Browns… It’s tough to have to deal with.”
Cabot said the league is now grappling with what is the right amount of disciplinary action.
“It’s going to be difficult out there in the court of public opinion and they’re going to have to walk this fine line between making it seem like they really do value, respect and believe women who bring these things up,” she said. “And also being fair to the fact that there is no evidence that anything happened.”
(AKRON, Ohio) — Jayland Walker’s sister wants the world to know him as she did: a funny, kind brother who looked out for his family and had big goals for his future of investing and buying a home.
“It’s hard to just talk about somebody who you expect to live your life out with,” Jada Walker told “Good Morning America.”
Jada opened up about her relationship with Jayland in her first interview since the body camera footage of his death was released. She said her brother always made time to reach out and connect with her and their mother. On Sundays — “family day,” as Jada calls it — they would get together.
“If it ain’t a movie, we just listening to new music,” she said. “We both have our own lives, but we always made sure to check in with each other.”
Watch the full exclusive interview with Jada Walker, the sister of Jayland Walker, on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, July 6, beginning at 7 a.m. ET.
Jayland Walker was unarmed when eight Ohio officers opened fire on him on June 27, fatally shooting him after a traffic stop turned into a pursuit.
Jada has yet to make sense of the events that unfolded, ending in her brother’s death. She has yet to look at the body camera footage of his death.
She says hearing sirens or seeing vehicles that look like Jayland’s silver Buick is triggering for her.
“I just want to know, what was the reason? Why you had to resort to him being gunned down in such a manner?” she said.
The release of body camera footage of his June 27 death has reopened wounds for Jada, who says she still doesn’t understand what went wrong.
“None of this is making sense to me,” Jada said.
Officers said they attempted to pull Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, over for a traffic and equipment violation when he refused. It turned into a car chase, as police continued to pursue Jayland Walker.
Officials said the muzzle flash of a gun came from the driver’s side of Jayland Walker’s car, while officers in another video said they heard at least one shot being fired from his car. The lawyer representing the Walkers, Bobby DiCello, said his team is looking into these claims.
“There’s no video of him pointing the weapon out the window or out the door, and there’s no bullet holes in the car,” DiCello told “GMA.” “The conversation about whether there was a shot needs to happen. We’re not sure that there was a shot.”
According to body camera footage, Jayland Walker slowed down and exited the vehicle from the passenger side door, running away from officers. He was killed by a barrage of dozens of bullets as he was running, DiCello said. In total, eight officers fired at him several dozen times, according to the attorney.
He was unarmed when he was fatally shot. Police say they recovered a handgun with a separate loaded magazine and what appears to be a gold ring left on the driver’s seat of Jayland Walker’s car.
DiCello also said a preliminary autopsy report that his team reviewed found that the gun was initially recovered in the backseat.
“I need to know how the gun got in the front seat,” he said. “All nicely presented with the ring in the car. The cartridge pulled out and the bullets there. This looks like a staged picture.”
In a later statement on Wednesday, the legal team of Walker’s family clarified, saying it has no reason to believe that the initial report from the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office “conflicts with the ongoing BCI [Bureau of Criminal Investigation] investigation or prior statements of the chief of police or the city of Akron.”
The State Attorney General’s Office and the Akron Police Department did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on this allegation or the incident.
DiCello said a lack of dashcam footage from police vehicles has left many of the early parts of the exchange unclear, including the initial attempt at a traffic stop. DiCello said that Akron police do not use dashcams on their vehicles.
“They’re trying to turn this wonderful young man into a monster,” he said. “They’re trying to turn him into someone that he wasn’t. They’re trying to give him motives, and an intent to harm officers that he didn’t have.”
Jada said she grieves not just for Jayland, but for other Black men who are victims of police violence.
“Many black men who have been killed and many families who experience this … it’s really hard,” she told “GMA.” “I’ve been saying to myself: in time, it’ll get better. Just looking forward to the future and hoping that we get the right answers and out of answers, just getting justice for him as my main priority.”
Photographer/Getty Images for Bravado International Group
Tupac Shakur’s estate brought his Powamekka Café to fruition in the wake of his death via pop-ups in Fresno, California, New York City and, most recently, Los Angeles. Thanks to a new partnership with LA’s Fixins Soul Kitchen, the restaurant will be extending its stay in the City of Angels for a few more days.
The pop-up started on June 16 and was initially scheduled to end June 30, but with the recent extension, the closing date has been pushed back to July 7.
Prior to his untimely death, Tupac, known to the world as a rapper and actor, had also envisioned himself as a restaurant owner. In a handwritten note found by his family, he expressed his hope that the cafe would be a destination for “divaz” and “playaz,” “a passionate paradise 4 people with power 2 play and parlay” and “the perfect hideout 4 those who wish 2 escape the world’z cold reality.”
(NEW YORK) — Amber Smith, the wife of country music star Granger Smith, is opening up about grief, living with loss and water safety three years after her son River died following a drowning accident.
In 2019, the Smith family were outside their home when River, who was 3 at the time, slipped through their home pool gate and went into the water. Even though he was pulled out of the pool shortly afterward, River had been deprived of oxygen for too long and later died.
Smith said in the years since, grief has been a “messy” yet “hopeful” journey for both her and her family.
“It’s looked like anger and severe sadness and frustration and confusion but it’s also looked like growing through it and seeing joy in my other children and seeing them thrive in school and bringing awareness to drowning prevention,” the mom of four told co-hosts Hayley Hubbard and Jessica Diamond on the Meaning Full Living podcast.
Even though their shared and individual grieving processes have been complicated and difficult experiences, Smith said she hasn’t shied away from speaking up about it and wants others who’ve lost children to know that they’re not alone and that grief doesn’t have to look any specific way.
“So many times, it was not pretty … sobbing tears, screaming in my car, punching my steering wheel, sitting by his bed, holding his blanket, crying until nothing else came out. That’s where I was and that’s what’s real and I think people don’t talk about that,” said Smith, who has continued to share snippets of her family life on social media since River’s death.
“I was just trying to show the realness of pain and grief and it’s not easy and it’s OK to feel those emotions … but you just can’t stay there, you can’t stay stuck in that place,” she added.
It’s a message Smith has been conscious about teaching her older children as well. Lincoln, now 8, and London, 10, both witnessed their younger brother’s accident.
“We had to be very honest from the very beginning,” Smith said. “The nurses said you have to be very honest. Kids are resilient and they’re going to know if you’re sugarcoating things so we just went home with that intention of being very honest … We said, ‘River was without oxygen for too long. They did everything that they could but Bubbie died.'”
Smith said she and her husband decided to put their children in play therapy to help them cope with their grief but they also made an effort to keep River’s memory alive, talking about him together as a family, keeping pictures of him displayed at home and not hiding their own grieving from their children.
“We just let them process their emotions and we have continually told them that whatever they’re feeling … it’s OK,” she said.
After River’s death, the Smith family welcomed another child, a son named Maverick. Smith said she knew early on that she wanted to make sure Maverick got formal water safety lessons.
One way Smith has been able to turn her family’s tragedy into meaningful purpose is to advocate for water safety, and she’s been spreading the word through her social media platforms.
Water safety tips
Smith shared multiple safe swimming tips on Instagram, many of which echo the advice of water safety organizations like the ZAC Foundation, which was founded in 2008 by Karen and Brian Cohn, whose son Zachary also died in a drowning accident in 2007.
Below are some water safety tips parents should know, from the ZAC Foundation:
Keep your eyes on your kids. If your child doesn’t know how to swim, be sure they’re at arm’s length any time they are in or around water.
Enroll children in swimming lessons.
Ensure there is four-sided fencing around backyard pools with self-closing, self-latching gates.
Be sure there are alarms on doors and windows leading out to the pool area.
Become your kids’ first line of defense and learn how to perform CPR.
Remove pool toys when not in use as children can be attracted to them.
Empty the water from inflatable pools and buckets when not in use.
Wear and have your children wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets in the water.
If kids are wearing life jackets and or “puddle jumpers” in the water, talk to them first about what it feels like to be in the water without a life jacket on.
Talk to children to make sure they don’t play in water areas without adult supervision. Make sure kids never go into the water without permission. Only swim where there are lifeguards supervising.
Check flag warnings for water conditions and avoid getting into the water if conditions are unsafe.
Create a water safety plan for you and your family, just like you would for a fire safety plan.
Keep a phone nearby in case someone needs to call 911.
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Democrats have reached agreement on a key portion of a revised domestic policy bill, once known as Build Back Better, which would allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Democrats have worked for years to give Medicare this power, always falling short in the face of GOP opposition, but this time they hope to move it forward as part of a broader, as-yet-unfinished economic package, anxious to provide relief to voters buffeted to tackle sky-high inflation and a possible recession.
Since centrist Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia abruptly scuttled President Joe Biden’s signature domestic agenda proposal last December over fears of rising inflation — surprising the White House and his party by announcing his decision on Fox News — he has been working intensely behind the scenes with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on a smaller bill that would still advance under special rules that require a mere simple majority — or in this case just Democratic votes — for final passage, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking an expected tie.
“Senator Manchin has long advocated for proposals that would lower prescription drug costs for seniors and his support for this proposal has never been in question. He’s glad that all 50 democrats agree,” Manchin spokeswoman Samantha Runyon told ABC News of the deal, first reported by the Washington Post.
Republicans have kept up a united front against the legislation, branding it Democratic socialism and claiming the broader legislation — originally carrying a $2.2 trillion price tag but is expected to be dramatically reduced in the revised version — would only exacerbate inflation.
The broader economic bill still has a long way to go and is not expected to be finalized for weeks, according to two Democratic aides, but this deal announced Wednesday was submitted to the Senate’s rules-keeper, the parliamentarian, for her to begin the lengthy and detailed process of ensuring the measure fits within the strictures of the expedited process Democrats intend to employ, called “reconciliation,” according to a source familiar with the matter.
The move by Sen. Schumer “demonstrates major progress and shows leadership’s commitment to trying to move forward with a bill on the floor as early as next month,” the source told ABC News.
The current deal, according to a summary of the provisions obtained by ABC News, would allow Medicare to begin negotiating the cost of certain prescription drugs next year; for the first time cap Medicare recipients’ out of pocket costs at $2,000 annually while offering premium assistance to more low income seniors; and penalize drug manufacturers that raise the cost of drugs higher than inflation by requiring companies pay a rebate back to seniors for those higher prices.
All vaccines would be available for free to seniors under the plan.
Also for the first time, Democrats — wary of a GOP administration not implementing this policy — plan to close what they call the “rogue HHS secretary loophole.” The aim of the provision, according to the summary, would be to require the secretary “to negotiate the maximum number of drugs each year, to the extent that number of drugs qualify for negotiation.”
Democrats also intend to pressure drug companies to bring more generics to market. “The new negotiation framework aggressively negotiates lower and lower prices if a drug company continues to block generic competition,” the summary states.
The Medicare drug negotiation deal was lambasted Wednesday by the drug industry’s powerful lobbying arm that holds tremendous sway in Washington.
“The prescription drug bill released today went from bad to worse for patients. Democrats weakened protections for patient costs included in previous versions, while doubling down on sweeping government price-setting policies that will threaten patient access and future innovations. In fact, they are proposing to repeal a policy that would have directly lowered costs at the pharmacy for millions of seniors in favor of a new price-setting scheme. The bill also ignores the role of middlemen and insurers in determining patient out-of-pocket costs,” said Debra DeShong, PhRMA’s Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, in a statement, adding, “Patients deserve better.”
The two major remaining items expected to be in the broader economic package — energy and climate provisions, along with tax reforms — are still being negotiated by Schumer and Manchin.
The original $1.75 trillion legislation passed the House in November, but Manchin – expressing fears of rising inflation, abruptly bowed out of negotiations with President Biden and administration officials, shocking all concerned.
The centrist Democrat took to “Fox News Sunday” in December to announce his opposition.
Just days later, Biden, in an exclusive interview with ABC “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir, said he still thought he could salvage his agenda.
“Well, look, I want to get as much as I can possibly get done, as much as we can possibly get done, and I still think we’ll be able to get a significant amount of what we need to get done, done,” Biden told Muir. “Particularly as the American people figure out what is in this legislation. It’s extremely consequential.”
Seven months later, Democrats have dramatically scaled back the original package which contained universal pre-kindergarten and significant funding for child care, paid family leave, education, health care and combating climate change.
The Medicare prescription drug negotiation component in that bill would have included up to 20 name-brand drugs by 2028. It is unclear if that would still be the case in the current deal.
Democrats involved in the matter dodged questions about timetables for passage of any final deal, cognizant of the fact that an intense focus on missed deadlines plagued the first iteration of the legislation.
But there is little doubt that the month-long August recess looms large with the focus afterward on funding the government by Oct. 1 and the crucial midterms that may very well alter the power structure in Congress. Democrats are also very wary of scaring off the mercurial Manchin with any pressure, despite knowing that a major economic package could potentially boost their political chances significantly.
(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — The parents of a young child were two of the victims in the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37, were among the seven people killed during Monday’s massacre, Highland Park city manager Ghida Neukrich told ABC News. The couple leaves behind their 2-year-old son, Aiden McCarthy, who was separated from his parents during the shooting. The toddler was later reunited with his grandparents, according to Neukrich.
Dana and Gregory Ring, who survived the shooting, told ABC News how another parade-goer handed the little boy to them in the chaos after the rampage, with his parents nowhere in sight.
“Every time I tried to ask him what his name was, the response he gave to me was, ‘Mama, Dada come get me soon. Mommy’s car come to get me soon,'” Dana Ring recalled in an interview that aired Wednesday on “Good Morning America.”
Unsure of what to do, the Rings took Aiden to a nearby fire station.
“When we pulled in, the cops looked like they were getting ready for war,” Gregory Ring recounted during the interview. “I’ll never forget. I pulled up and I said, ‘This is not our kid. It’s not his blood, he’s OK. What should we do?'” And the cop said, ‘We can’t be babysitters now. Can you take care of him?’ We said, ‘Of course.'”
About two to three hours later, a detective who had the Rings’ telephone number contacted them about Aiden.
“He took the little boy to where families were being reunited and then he told me he was eventually reunited with his grandparents,” Gregory Ring said.
The suspected gunman — identified by authorities as 21-year-old Robert “Bobby” Crimo III — was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday.
Crimo allegedly fired more than 70 rounds from a high-powered rifle, similar to an AR-15, into the crowd at Monday’s parade, authorities said. At least 38 people were injured in the shooting.
Five victims died at the scene of the massacre on Monday, while one died at the hospital. A seventh victim died on Tuesday, authorities said.
If convicted, Crimo faces up to life in prison without parole.
