August 4, 2019 8:19 am
EL PASO, Texas (AP) – El Paso Mayor Dee Margo has confirmed police are investigating whether a racist screed posted online shortly before a shooting that killed 20 people in a busy shopping area was written by the suspect. In it, the writer expresses concern that an influx of Hispanics into the United States will replace aging white voters, potentially turning Texas blue in upcoming elections and swinging the White House to the Democrats. The writer is also critical of Republicans for what he described as close ties to corporations and degradation of the environment. Though a Twitter account that appears to belong to Patrick Crusius included pro-Donald Trump posts praising the border wall plan, the writer of the online document says his views on race predated Trump’s campaign. Though the writer denied he was a white supremacist, the document says “race mixing” is destroying the nation and recommends dividing the United States into territorial enclaves determined by race. The area where the shooting occurred is about 5 miles from the main border checkpoint with Ciudad Juárez, and the mayor said that tens of thousands of Mexicans legally cross the border each day to work and shop in El Paso.
August 4, 2019 8:16 am
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) – A police spokesman in Dayton, Ohio, says the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours took place in “a safe part of downtown.” Speaking at a press conference Sunday, Lt. Col. Matt Carper said the suspect in the deaths of nine people was shot to death by responding officers in the Oregon District. Police believe there was only one shooter. They haven’t yet identified the suspect or a motive. Carper said the suspect fired multiple rounds from a long gun. At least 16 other people have been hospitalized with injuries from the early morning shooting.
No details about the victims have been released. A family assistance center has been set up at the Dayton Convention Center. Sunday’s shooting came hours after 20 were killed in El Paso, Texas.
August 4, 2019 8:13 am
SOUTH PARK, Pa. (AP) – Police say an officer in western Pennsylvania shot and wounded a man after a struggle that followed an early morning police chase and foot pursuit. Allegheny County police say officers in Monongahela tried to stop a car shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday but it fled into Allegheny County, then went out of control and hit two parked cars and a residential structure in South Park Township. Police say a Monongahela officer struggled with a fleeing suspect, and after using a stun gun to little effect, shot the suspect once in the torso. The 29-year-old suspect was taken to a hospital in stable condition and faces charges of aggravated assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. The officer was treated for bruises, cuts and abrasions. County police are investigating.
August 3, 2019 7:09 pm
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — At least 19 people were killed in a shooting Saturday in a busy shopping area in the Texas border town of El Paso, and a 21-year-old man was taken into custody, law enforcement officials said. Two law enforcement officials identified the gunman as Patrick Crusius of the Dallas area. One of the officials told The Associated Press that at least 15 people were killed. The officials were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation publicly, and both spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. Hospital officials said another 23 people were injured and being treated. Most of the victims were shot at a Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall, El Paso police Sgt. Robert Gomez said at a news conference. He said the store was packed with as many as 3,000 people during the busy back-to-school shopping season. “This is unprecedented in El Paso,” said Gomez, who added that many of the injured had life-threatening injuries. Police responded in the midmorning to an active shooter scene at the mall, near Interstate 10 on the east side of the city, and were advising people to stay away from the area and to look for missing family members at a school being used as a reunification area. The mass shooting in El Paso came less than a week after a gunman opened fire on a California food festival. Santino William Legan, 19, killed three people and injured 13 others last Sunday at the popular Gilroy Garlic Festival, and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Ryan Mielke, a spokesman for University Medical Center of El Paso, said 12 people were brought to the hospital with injuries, including one that died. Two of the injured were children who were being transferred to El Paso Children’s Hospital, he said. He declined to provide additional details on the victims. Police said by midafternoon that a suspect was in custody and the public was no longer in danger. Gomez said the suspect, who used a rifle, was arrested without incident. Police believe he was the “sole shooter” but are continuing to investigate reports that others were involved.
August 3, 2019 8:26 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A lawyer for the officer accused of using a chokehold in the death of Eric Garner says his client is disappointed an administrative judge recommended his firing.
But the lawyer says he remains “cautiously optimistic” the officer ultimately won’t be dismissed. Attorney Stuart London said Friday that Officer Daniel Pantaleo did nothing wrong and plans to keep fighting for his job. Pantaleo was suspended Friday pending a final decision by Police Commissioner James O’Neill. London and police union leader Patrick Lynch urged O’Neill to stand up for Pantaleo, saying officers otherwise won’t feel they can do their jobs without losing them. London says he’ll appeal to a court if Pantaleo is fired. Garner’s dying pleas of “I can’t breathe” in 2014 became a rallying cry against police brutality.
August 3, 2019 8:22 am
ENCINITAS, Calif. (AP) – A popular Southern California surfing beach is closed after a sea cliff collapsed, sending tons of sandstone onto beachgoers and killing three people.
The cliff near Grandview Beach in the Encinitas area is still considered unstable, although clifftop homes are said to be in no immediate danger. Authorities say a 30-foot-long slab of the cliff collapsed Friday afternoon. Rescuers rushed to dig out victims, but a woman died at the scene and two more succumbed at hospitals. Two other people also were injured. All were adults. Dogs and heavy equipment were brought in to search for other victims, but none were found. Authorities say cliffs in the area are subject to natural erosion. Several people have been killed or injured over the years in bluff collapses.
August 3, 2019 7:56 am
(WPXI) A suspect was shot following a police pursuit that ended in South Park. Allegheny County Police said the pursuit ended on Edgewood Street, which is off Brownsville Road. Just before 3 a.m. is when the shooting occurred. 911 officials said the chase was started by a Monongahela police officer in Washington County. Police said the suspect was shot once and taken to an area hospital in stable condition. It’s not clear what led up to the start of that chase, and officials have not yet released the identity of the person shot.
August 3, 2019 6:57 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Rapper A$AP Rocky is back in the United States as the verdict in a Swedish assault case against him and two other Americans looms, Los Angeles television stations report. Local stations report the American artist was among a group of people shown emerging from a private airplane at Los Angeles International Airport in footage broadcast late Friday night.
August 3, 2019 6:53 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Nineteen Democrats hoping to be the next president have arrived in Nevada seeking support from labor unions in the early voting state. They’ll speak Saturday at a forum by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Top contenders such as former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders will speak. Nevada will be the third state, and the first in the West, where Democratic voters will cast ballots in next year’s primary.
August 3, 2019 6:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Freshman lawmakers may be the ones who decide when, if ever, House Democrats start formal efforts to impeach President Donald Trump. And their constituents are making their feelings known. In New Jersey, first-term Rep. Andy Kim fended off demands from voters to launch proceedings. In Virginia, Rep. Abigail Spanberger encountered voters with questions on impeachment. With half of House Democrats now in favor of beginning an inquiry, the pressure is mounting on holdouts.
