Medina County Sheriff investigators searching for suspects accused of shooting at random vehicles
Eleven people have reported being victims of random shootings while driving on state roads in Medina County near Lacoste, Castroville and Natalia. Medina County investigators warn the public to be vigilant.
Police: 2 dead in Virginia Beach oceanfront shootings
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. โ A pair of overnight shootings along the beachfront in Virginia Beach left two people dead and eight wounded in a scene described by authorities on Saturday as โvery chaotic.โIn a statement, the Virginia Beach Police Department said the first shooting occurred shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, when police who were patrolling the area heard gunfire. Police arriving at the scene found a woman who died of her injuries and eight people whose injuries were described as serious or life-threatening. In addition, an officer sustained minor injuries after being struck by a vehicle, Chief Paul Neudigate said at a news conference. AdโWe have a very chaotic incident, a very chaotic night,โ Neudigate said. Neudigate said several people were in police custody, but their possible involvement in the shooting was still under investigation.
Georgia massage parlor shootings leave 8 dead; man captured
Authorities say shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors have left several people dead, many of them women of Asian descent. A 21-year-old man suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt, police said. FBI spokesman Kevin Rowson said the agency was assisting Atlanta and Cherokee County authorities in the investigation. Long was then taken into custody โwithout incidentโ and was being held in the Crisp County jail for Cherokee County authorities who were expected to arrive soon to continue their investigation. Due to the shootings, Atlanta police said they dispatched officers to check nearby similar businesses and increased patrols in the area.
Woman who lost loved one in police shooting pushing for answers amid formation of DAโs new civil rights division
SAN ANTONIO โ A San Antonio woman who lost a loved one after he was shot and killed by San Antonio police says Bexar County needs to invest more in community resources like education, housing and health. Police said Zemault had his finger on the trigger, and another detective fired one round into Zemaultโs back, killing him. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales announced the formation of a civil rights division that will handle shootings by officers. The district attorneyโs new civil rights division will include two prosecutors, an investigator and a victim advocate. The new division will be investigating shootings, in-custody deaths --including those that may occur at the Bexar County Jail -- and excessive force cases.
Cops: 14 injured after shooting outside Chicago funeral home
First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said mourners outside a funeral home in the Gresham neighborhood were fired upon from a passing vehicle. The victims were taken by the Chicago Fire Department to nearby hospitals in serious condition, said spokesman Larry Langford. It wasnt immediately known if anyone other than attendees of the funeral were victims, nor if anyone in the SUV had been wounded. The shooting comes as the Department of Homeland Security is planning to deploy dozens of federal agents to Chicago to deal with an uptick in violent crime in the city. Oregons governor and Portlands mayor have expressed anger with the presence of the federal agents, saying that the citys protests had started to ease just as the federal agents started taking action.
Police contracts can stand in the way of accountability
A police officer engages with a protester Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Seattle, where streets had been blocked off in an area demonstrators had occupied for weeks. Seattle police showed up in force earlier in the day at the "occupied" protest zone, tore down demonstrators' tents and used bicycles to herd the protesters after the mayor ordered the area cleared following two fatal shootings in less than two weeks. The "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" zone was set up near downtown following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Police contracts can stand in the way of accountability
Collective bargaining agreements for officers provide protections that stand in the way of accountability, even when the federal government is overseeing an agency through a consent decree, experts said. Contracts designed to ensure officers receive fair wages and benefits have spilled over into public policy. These examples bolster the hypothesis that some union contract provisions may impede effective investigations of police misconduct and shield problematic officers from discipline, Rushin said. The city entered into a settlement agreement, or consent decree, the following year and passed an accountability measure for additional oversight. One Seattle officer who benefited from the union contract in recent years was Cynthia Whitlach.
The Latest: Warren won't prosecute peaceful protesters
Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, right, speaks during a news conference Monday, June 15, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. Warren announced his decision not to prosecute dozens of protesters arrested on charges of unlawful assembly during a Black Lives Matter march on June 2. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)TOP OF THE HOUR: Florida state attorney won't prosecute peaceful protesters. State Attorney Andrew Warren in Tampa said that his office wont be filing charges against 67 protesters who were arrested two weeks ago in downtown Tampa. The prosecutors office will also work to expunge the arrest records of the protesters who were taken into custody, he said. In these unlawful assembly cases, there is no value in filing charges, Warren said at a news conference.