Police shoot, kill man on Facebook Live, family responds. “He Was Asking For Help”
Rodney Hess, 36, went live on Facebook twice Thursday. The first stream is of him mostly quietly driving his white SUV for several minutes. He is unintelligible at some points talking to himself, and he periodically stops the car on a two-lane highway in Crockett County, blocking traffic before he finally parks his car perpendicular to traffic in the middle of an exit ramp. That video stops shortly after police arrive and park near Hess’ vehicle.
The situation turns deadly in the second broadcast, which only lasts for about a minute, as police approach Hess’ vehicle. He twice asks for “higher commands to come out.” The situation escalates quickly as Hess’ vehicle, still perpendicular to the road, is put into reverse and then drives forward off the road. A gunshot is heard and Hess screams in pain. The car continues rolling until it crashes, and Hess’ phone falls to the floor of the car where broken shards of window glass lay scattered. On Thursday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) released a statement, confirming Hess was shot by at least one Crockett County deputy, who “fired his service weapon through the front windshield of the vehicle driven by Hess, striking him.”
The report states that Hess was airlifted to a hospital in Memphis, where he was later pronounced dead. No law enforcement officers were harmed during the incident.
In a press conference, Josh DeVine, Public Information Officer for TBI, said the deputy who responded to the scene requested backup when “drivers were obviously not able to get where they wanted to go.”
The statement from the TBI also says that Hess was “refusing officer commands and making erratic statements,” and the situation escalated after Hess “attempted to use his vehicle to strike the officers at least twice.”
TBI has not released the name of the deputy who shot Hess. Mark Donahoe, the deputy’s attorney, told WBBJ, “The video that I have seen, the part that I have seen appears consistent with all of the statements that I have taken in the case so far.”
“I’m confident at this point that there wasn’t anything done that was not following proper procedure,” he said.
A man who identified himself as Hess’ grandfather said that he was “praying that justice will be served.”
“If there’s anything that’s covered up, that it be brought to light. That it wouldn’t be just another black man shot by police officers,” Lee said. “All we are asking for is justice.”
Hess’ fiancee, Johnisha Provost, told WWL that he suffered from bipolar disorder and “couldn’t get his mind together.”
“He was not on a suicide mission,” Johnisha Provost said Friday from her Texas home, where she lived with Hess. “He was not trying to harm anybody. He was asking them for help and they shot him down.”
“That’s why he asked for a higher command,” she said. “I always told him, ‘Babe, if you are ever in a situation where you need help, ask the person in charge for the higher command to help you,’ and that’s what he kept saying.”
The Crockett County Sheriff’s Department released their own statement, asking for prayers for “the family of the deceased as well as all officers/dispatchers/first responders/EMS involved in the shooting today.”
“As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for all involved,” the statement said.
via: https://www.rt.com/usa/381208-hess-facebook-live-killed/
Apartment Manager Indicted For Stealing Rent Payments From Tenants
ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – An area property manager was charged for allegedly stealing rent money from hundreds of tenants, keeping it for herself, and then sending those tenants eviction notices for not paying up.
A federal grand jury has indicted 32-year-old Jasmine Outlaw for fraud.
She’s the former assistant property manager at Lucas Hunt Village Apartments in north St. Louis.
Federal court documents show she started her scheme in 2014. Outlaw “requested tenants of Lucas Hunt to submit all rent payments to her and to make all money orders payable to her.” She’d then deposit the money orders into her personal bank and use the money for her own personal benefit “and proceed to evict tenants from Lucas Hunt while knowing she had actually stolen these tenants rent payments and that these tenants had indeed paid their rent in full and in a timely manner.”
At the schemes peak in 2016, the apartments filed 355 cases against tenants for not paying rent. That’s compared to 89 cases in 2013, the year before the scheme began.
Outlaw has not been yet been arraigned.
Fox 2 News discovered Outlaw was sued in the City of St. Louis last year for not paying her own rent. Rent-A-Center also sued her in 2015 for not paying for her leased furniture.
via: http://fox2now.com/2017/03/17/apartment-manager-indicted-for-stealing-rent-payments-from-tenants/
Blac Chyna ‘in it for the long haul’ with Rob Kardashian
According to Blac Chyna, her and Rob Kardashian are just going through a rough patch.
“I feel like every person who’s in a long-term relationship, or who is committed to their person, goes through ups and downs,” she told Cosmopolitan South Africa. “Everything isn’t always going to be peaches and cream.”
Chyna, the cover star of the magazine’s April issue, says the two are “fighting for each other – even though they’re living apart.
“I’m in it for the long haul,” the 28-year-old insisted. “I feel like everything isn’t going to be perfect, but I know we love each other, and the people we surround ourselves with are rooting for us.”
And despite the pair’s on and off again status, their daughter Dream remains a priority.
The sole son of the Kardashian family – who turned 30 on Friday – is “a wonderful dad.”
“I think it’s because he had such a great father,” Chyna said.
St. Louis boy, 12, shot to death while playing with gun; parents charged with involuntary manslaughter
ST. LOUIS • The parents of a 12-year-old boy who was shot to death while home alone with his younger brother were charged Wednesday with involuntary manslaughter.
Damian Holmes, 12, and his brother, 9, were left home alone Tuesday night in the 3300 block of Michigan Avenue when they found a gun and started playing with it, police said.
A round struck Damian in the head about 10:35 p.m; police are not saying who fired the shot.
The boys’ father came home and took the 12-year-old to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Donnie L. Holmes, 41, was charged with second-degree involuntary manslaughter, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and four counts of marijuana possession.
The probable cause statement said Holmes and his wife, Yolanda Jackson, had left the boys home alone. A handgun and shotgun both were in the house, along with ammunition for both. The handgun was not secured, and the boys got to it.
Lab tests of substances that officers found in the house showed the presence of drugs, including amphetamine, cocaine and marijuana.
Donnie Holmes has previous convictions for drug possession in 1993, drug dealing in 1996 and failure to pay child support in 2009.
Jackson, 40, was charged with second-degree involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child endangerment.
A neighbor, Brenda Harger, 62, said the boys were often left alone.
“Most of the time they are there by themselves,” she said. “The mother would leave for work, and the dad would leave after she left.”
Damian was a sixth-grade student at Monroe Elementary School in St. Louis. A spokesperson for the district said a crisis response team was at the school Wednesday for students and staff.
“A couple of weeks ago they helped me clean up the alley,” Harger said of the boys. “I gave them a pack of cookies. They were sweet little boys.”
This is the second fatal shooting of a child who was playing with a gun in just more than a month in St. Louis.
On Feb. 13, Mi’Kenzie Bostic, 6, was shot and killed by one of her three siblings in their apartment in Walnut Park West while her parents slept in the next room. Mi’Kenzie’s parents were later charged with involuntary manslaughter.
4-Month-Old Baby Stabbed In Chest by Mother With Scissors at South L.A. Home
A 4-month-old baby was stabbed with a pair of scissors by her mother at a home in South Los Angeles on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
Officers were called to a home in the 2100 block of Park Grove Avenue around 3:30 p.m. where they found the baby suffering from one stab wound to the chest. LAPD Sgt. Eduardo Mercado told KTLA the baby’s father was at the home at the time of the stabbing and called police.
He was not injured, Mercado said.
The baby was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, according to Mercado.
The mother was taken into custody at the home and was being interviewed by detectives.
The motive for the stabbing was not immediately released.
Custodian accused of unlawful videotaping at Crest Hill school
A school custodian at Chaney Monge School in southwest suburban Crest Hill is charged with unlawful videotaping and being held on $25,000 bond, police said Tuesday.
Some parents expressed shock and anger after learning of the arrest from school administrators, who called parents and posted a message on the school’s website.
Ryan Thompson, 27, has been charged with one count of unauthorized videotaping, which is a felony.
Chaney-Monge is a combined elementary and middle school. In court, prosecutors said Thompson used his phone to videotape eight grade girls in a locker room from under the door of a supply closet. Police said they have discovered video of only one incident but they are investigating Thompson’s other electronic devices.
“It’s currently under investigation. We’re going to keep looking and searching electronic media to find any more images, if there is any more images, or any further criminal activity,” said Interim Chief Ed Clark, Crest Hill Police Department.
Investigators have declined to say in detail what the images show and how the images came to light. But they say they were taken between February 1 and March 11.
“We’ve been in contact with the administration from Chaney Monge, and they’re working hand and hand with families to make sure that the children are still safe. We’ll continue to work with them. This case will continue to be under investigation. There is a lot of work to be done,” Clark said.
“The school district has to do a better job in sifting through who should be working at the public schools with these kids,” said parent Erick Rice.
The district superintendent in a statement said: “…we are cooperating with the police in every way possible. Please be assured that the safety and security of our students is and always has been our top priority.”
School officials say Thompson has been removed from the district.
via: http://abc7chicago.com/news/custodian-accused-of-unlawful-videotaping-at-crest-hill-school/1800691/
Kordell Stewart Wins Millions In Lawsuit Over Gay Relationship Lie
Kordell Stewart ain’t about the Down Low and a judge agrees! Last year a popular YouTube celebrity named Andrew Caldwell claimed he and the former Real Housewives Of Atlanta househusband had a secret gay relationship, Kordell denied the allegations, sued for slander, and has won millions in damages.
Andrew was unable to prove any such relationship with Kordell, but his allegations gained traction because Kordell has been shadowed by gay rumors since his days in the NFL. The matter wasn’t helped when his ex-wife Porsha Williams echoed such insinuations. However, we know how Porsha likes to flub the truth about what happens in people’s bedrooms – including her own. Anyway!
Andrew Caldwell, who made the accusations through his social media channels and the media, recanted his story once Kordell took his claim to the courts demanding proof. Then Caldwell admitted to lying for attention and publicly apologized. He attempted to have the suit dismissed, then claimed he would fight it, but apparently not – he failed to show up in court and the judge issued a default judgement to Kordell.
According to RollingOut, Mr. Caldwell now owes Kordell $4.5 million in punitive damages, plus an additional $2 million for emotionally distress and professional harm generated by the untrue statements. Gee – think of all the nightclubs and bars he could invest in with Peter Thomas!
Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Kordell will see the full chunk of change. Sources reveal the judge agreed to alter the amount so Caldwell is only expected to pay $3 million total – $1.5M for emotional and professional damages, and an additional $1.5M for punitive damages.
Errrr… why do I have a feeling the viral video star is never going to turn over that money? However, hopefully this will be a lesson to Kordell’s stanky-mouthed ex-wife that what you say can cost you! Especially when you say it on camera…
Read more at http://www.realitytea.com/2017/03/13/kordell-stewart-wins-millions-lawsuit-gay-relationship-lie/#4Govj6kxlMyBXW4b.99
Mother abandons 2 year old child after paying for groceries at a Riverside Food 4 Less
Riverside police are searching for a woman who they say intentionally abandoned her child at a Food 4 Less.
Authorities said around 5:55 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to the grocery store in the 4200 block of Van Buren Boulevard over reports of a child found. Investigators determined the mother had abandoned her 2-year-old daughter in the store.
In surveillance footage, the woman is shown entering the store with the child by her side. While inside, the toddler wanders off and the mother never looks for her.
The woman continues shopping and at one point, a Good Samaritan brings her the little girl. Authorities said the Good Samaritan was told to “just leave her.” The mother eventually abandons the little girl after paying for groceries, police said.
Police believe the mother intentionally left her child in the store. The young girl was able to identify her mother in surveillance footage, police said.
As of Monday evening, police said the little girl has not been reported missing and has been placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.
The mother is described as being between 20 and 30 years old, with dark hair. She may have tattoos covering portions of her right arm. She was last seen wearing a black or dark tank top and denim shorts.
Anyone with more information on the mother’s identity is urged to call Detective Paul Miranda at (951) 353-7945.
via: http://abc7.com/news/mom-abandons-toddler-at-riverside-food-4-less-police-say/1799416/
O.C. Restaurant Manager Beaten Unconscious After He Refused to Give 2 Men Free Pizza, Friend Says
The Huntington Beach Police Department confirmed two men were booked into jail in connection with the assault, which left the man unconscious and with a serious head injury.
Officers located the victim in the 300 block of Pacific Coast Highway just before 1 a.m. Sunday after being contacted about a fight in the area, according to a police news release.
The victim, a 33-year-old man who managed Thunder Burgrz Pizza at 126 Main St., suffered a serious head injury and was rushed to a local hospital, the release stated.
His condition was not immediately known, but a friend told KTLA he had been placed in a medically induced coma. The friend, who wanted to remain anonymous, identified the restaurant manager only as Garret.
Two men who were detained at the scene were booked into city jail after police interviewed them and other witnesses in the case, according to the release.
Bryce Anthony Mezich, 21, of Anaheim, was booked into on suspicion of assault with serious bodily injury — a felony — and fighting in public; Austin Wright Callan, 22, of Anaheim, was booked on suspicion of fighting in public, the release stated.
Police would not confirm how the fight started, but the friend — who witnessed the incident — said it began when two men demanded free pizza, which Garret refused to give them. The friend said when the victim left the restaurant later, the pair jumped Garret and beat him unconscious.
A GoFundMe has been set up to pay for the victim’s medical bill and rehab.
“Garret’s just kind of that downtown Huntington Beach staple. He’s always down here, he’s always cheery, running around, saying ‘hi’ to everybody. High energy, super nice guy,” the friend said. “The fact that these guys did this, utter disrespect. I’m just glad we got them.”
The incident remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Huntington Beach police at 714-536-5951.
Mother Beats Man When He Allegedly Pulls Toddler’s Diaper Down, Tries to Sodomize Her at Missouri Playground
A Missouri man is in custody and faces multiple charges after he allegedly assaulted a 2-year-old girl at a playground in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday.
William L. Bates Jr., 24, of Kansas City, is charged with first-degree attempted sodomy, and attempted statutory sodomy with a person less than 12 years old, according to KTLA sister station WDAF.
A 2-year-old girl was playing on a swing at Kemp Playground near Ninth and Harrison streets when Bates began “eyeballing” her children, the girl’s mother told police. The mother said Bates then walked up behind the girl and snatched her off the swing before grabbing the toddler by the hips and pulling her diaper down.
The mother said she saw Bates lift his shirt, take his pants down and begin thrusting against her daughter. Police said the girl’s mother ran at Bates and knocked him to the ground, pummeling him with her fists while he was down.
Bates eventually managed to get away and run from the park, but the child’s mother ran to reStart, a nearby homeless shelter, and called police.
Officers arrested Bates near the playground, and found he was carrying marijuana and an unidentified white vile of fluid with a chemical odor, according to the arrest report.
The mother later identified Bates from a police photo as the attacker.
At the Jackson County Detention Center, Bates told police he had gotten a cigarette from someone near the park and doesn’t remember anything of the incident until he awoke inside a fenced in area and was taken into custody by police.
Bates’s bond is set at $150,000 cash only. He was scheduled to appear in court on Monday.