Indiana father battling cancer kills wife, kids in triple murder-suicide
An Indiana father battling cancer killed his wife and two kids in an apparent murder-suicide, according to police.
Jeffrey Mumper, 61, fatally shot his wife, Annamarie, 54, daughter Emma, 26, and son Jakob, 18, before turning the gun on himself early Sunday in Bloomington, news station WXIN reported.
Police said a woman went to the home Sunday to pick up a friend but no one answered the door.
She entered with a key and she found her friend, who appeared to be dead, then called 911, authorities said.
Police said evidence at the scene indicated that Jeffrey shot his family before taking his own life.
No motive was released in the slaying.
Friends said that Jeffrey had survived a bout of prostate cancer, but was now fighting pancreatic cancer, news station WTHR reported.
Emma was a graduate student at Stony Brook University in New York, while her younger brother was a star swimmer at Bloomington North High School, the outlet reported.
Shocked pals stopped by the home in the aftermath of the shooting to pay their respects, the outlet reported.
“I felt they were like my second parents, to be honest,” said one friend, who identified himself as Joe T. “I loved his dad. I loved his mom.”
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Utah police repeatedly shoot autistic teen after his mom called 911 for help
A 13-year-old Utah boy with autism is recovering in the hospital after police responding to his mom’s 911 call for help repeatedly shot the teen.
Linden Cameron, who has Asperger syndrome, was left in serious condition with injuries to his intestines, bladder, shoulder and ankles from the shooting Friday in Glendale, news station KUTV reported.
“He’s a small child. Why didn’t you just tackle him?” Golda Barton told the outlet. “He’s a baby. He has mental issues.”
Barton said she called 911 on Friday for help with her son, who was experiencing a mental breakdown at their home.
When officers responded, she told them that Linden was unarmed and that he needed to be hospitalized.
“I said, ‘He’s unarmed, he doesn’t have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming,’” she said.
Police told her to stay outside while they went into the house, but minutes later, she heard the officers order Linden to “get down on the ground” and a round of gunfire.
Salt Lake City police Sgt. Keith Horrocks said Friday the officers feared that the teen might have a weapon.
Cameron had attempted to flee the house on foot, then one of the officers shot him, Horrocks said.
“Our investigators obviously will be looking at body-camera footage,” he told reporters.
His mother said her son was handcuffed and officers were unable to tell her whether he was alive.
“Why didn’t they tase him? Why didn’t they shoot him with a rubber bullet?” Barton told KUTV. “You are big police officers with massive amounts of resources. Come on. Give me a break.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/police-shoot-autistic-teen-after-his-mom-called-911-for-help/
Photo Credit: GoFundMe
Feds say Oklahoma man sexually assaulted baby, posted video online
Authorities in Oklahoma are searching for a man they claim filmed himself sexually assaulting a baby and distributed the clip online.
Brice Gage Watkins allegedly committed the horrific crime against a six-month-old before sending the clip around on social media, according to the Oklahoma City Police Department.
The department on Tuesday asked for the public’s help tracking Watkins down.
U.S. Marshals and the Enid Police Department are involved in the search. They believe Watkins to be in the Oklahoma City area. He also has ties to the towns of Norman and Enid, police said.
Watkins, 22, is facing a charge for distribution of child pornography, according to KFOR-TV.
Enid police announced Watkins’ capture back in August, only to clarify later that they had the wrong man, the station reported.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/oklahoma-man-sexually-assaulted-baby-posted-video-online-feds/
Photo Credit: Oklahoma City Police Department
Taco Bell ‘Karen’ goes ballistic on employees over burrito order – yelling “I’m gonna f–k you up n—-r to a non black worker
A “Karen’’ went ballistic over her burrito order at a Taco Bell in Missouri, calling workers the n-word — and threatening them while claiming to be “Charles Manson’s daughter,’’ according to reports.
The woman was caught on cellphone video claiming she’d been overcharged for her “three burritos and two tacos’’ — and launching into a violent, profanity-filled, now-viral tirade as the fast-food joint’s employees tried to calmly explain her bill was correct, shows video posted to Reddit.
“I’m gonna f- -k you up, n—-r,’’ she told one worker, who is apparently not black.
“Not good enough for a real job?” the white woman sneered, while a young boy, who was not with her, is seen at one point nervously sitting at a table in the foreground.
The out-of-control customer then grabs things off the counter and chucks them on the floor and at the workers before stalking off, threatening, “You’re going down, son of a bitch, personally. You f–ked with the wrong motherf—-r.
“I’m Charlie f–king Manson’s daughter,’’ she said — referring to the late infamous hippie psychopath behind the slaughter of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others in the Hollywood Hills in August 1969.
A worker quipped on the side, “That explains a lot.’’
Manson is not known to have had a daughter.
It wasn’t clear when the footage, which was picked up by several online outlets, was taken. It was posted to Reddit on Monday, and the website Scallywag and Vagabond said the incident occurred in Bolivar, north of Springfield.
“Karen” is an online term for a typically middle-aged white woman who acts privileged and overreacts to something she deems offensive.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/taco-bell-karen-goes-ballistic-on-employees-over-burrito-order/
Photo Credit: Jam Press
Hollywood reportedly casting light-skinned actors to appeal to China
Hollywood is casting more light-skinned actors for major roles in movies to appeal to Chinese audiences following the Communist Party allowing more foreign films in the country, according to a report on Tuesday.
Since 2012, US filmmakers apparently became aware of the aesthetic preferences of Chinese movie-goers — who place a higher premium on light skin — a practice known as colorism, Axios reported, citing a 2017 study.
The researchers concluded that Hollywood is not only influenced by Chinese censors but by cultural preferences, as well.
The study, “Impacts of Chinese Colorism on Hollywood Castings” published by Johns Hopkins University, looked at 3,000 films between 2009 and 2015 and discovered that the flicks made after 2012 showed an 8 percent increase in the number of light-skinned actors in starring roles.
That means that “for 1 of every 3 films in this category, the film went from having 2 out of 3 as very light-skinned actors, to having 3 out of 3 very light-skinned actors,” which the study’s authors termed “light-skin shift.”
The shift happened in summer blockbusters and action movies that the Chinese government allows Chinese film-goers to see and that are created by Hollywood with the Chinese market in mind.
Other films, like horror and comedy movies — that aren’t produced with the Chinese market’s preferences taken into account –didn’t show the same shift.
The study’s author said a promotional poster for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015 that minimized a black actor in the lead role, leading to racism allegations, prompted the examination.
“Colorism does not equate to racism. There may be significant variation in skin tones within races, and colorism may manifest within individuals of the same race,” Manuel Hermosilla and the other co-authors wrote.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/hollywood-casting-light-skinned-actors-to-appeal-to-china/
Photo Credit: Johns Hopkins University
Facebook will pay users to log off before 2020 election
Facebook is offering users money to refrain from using the site and Instagram in the weeks leading up to the bitterly contested November elections.
To assess the impact of social media on voting, the company will pay selected members up to $120 to deactivate their accounts beginning at the end of September.
“Anyone who chooses to opt-in – whether it’s completing surveys or deactivating FB or IG for a period of time – will be compensated,” Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois tweeted last week. “This is fairly standard for this type of academic research.”
The Silicon Valley giant said it expects 200,000 to 400,000 people to take part.
“Representative, scientific samples of people in the US will be selected and invited to participate in the study. Some potential participants will see a notice in Facebook or Instagram inviting them to take part in the study,” Facebook said. “Study samples will be designed to ensure that participants mirror the diversity of the US adult population, as well as users of Facebook and Instagram.”
The results of the study are expected to be released sometime next year.
“To continue to amplify all that is good for democracy on social media, and mitigate against that which is not, we need more objective, dispassionate, empirically grounded research,” Facebook said in describing the plan.
The research will be carried out by independent data scientists, company officials said.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last Thursday that he was banning new political ads in the week before the election to curb misinformation.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/07/facebook-will-pay-users-to-log-off-before-elections/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Colorado school calls sheriff on boy, 12, who showed toy gun in virtual class
A Colorado school suspended a pre-teen and sent authorities to his family’s home — for waving a toy gun on screen during a virtual class, according to reports.
Isaiah Elliott, 12, was taking an online art class through his Colorado Springs grade school on August 27 when he flashed the green-and-black mock gun, which bore the words “Zombie Hunter” and an orange tip to differentiate it from the real deal, according to local Fox affiliate KDVR.
The concerned teacher notified the school’s principal, who suspended Elliott for five days and called the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office without first talking to Elliott’s parents, the report said.
“If her main concern was his safety, a two-minute phone call to me or my husband could easily have alleviated this whole situation to where I told them it was fake,” Dani Elliott, Isaiah’s mom, told KDVR.
Instead, deputies came to the home to verify that the gun was fake and warn that if Elliott showed it during class again, according to his parents and the traumatized boy himself.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know if they were going to bust down the door,” Elliott told the outlet. “My heart was beating super fast.”
Elliott, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, said that he was just trying to move the toy when he inadvertently flashed it across the screen.
“I didn’t mean to put it across the camera or anything,” he said. “I just wanted to move it across the couch.”
His father, Curtis Elliott, agreed that school officials have to understand that the virtual classes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic have brought teachers into students’ homes, where expectations must be different from classrooms.
“The virtual setting is not the same as the school setting,” he said. “He did not take the toy gun to school. He’s in the comfort of his own home. It’s a toy.”
The dad added that he was particularly afraid for his son as a young black boy growing up in America.
“It was really frightening and upsetting for me as a parent, especially as the parent of an African-American young man, especially given what’s going on in our country right now,” he told KDVR. “I literally was scared for his life.”
Dani Elliott voiced similar fears.
“This could potentially impact his future. … Look at everything that’s going on in the world today,” she told BuzzFeed News. “God forbid something happens to my son down the road, people could look at this and decide he doesn’t deserve justice. I know that sounds extreme. … It’s a very real reality for us.”
In a statement posted to Facebook, school officials declined to go into specifics for privacy reasons, but defended their handling of the situation.
“We never have or ever will condone any form of racism or discrimination. Safety will always be number one for our students and staff. We follow board policies and safety protocols consistently, whether we are in-person or distance learning,” the statement read in part. “We will continue to support all families in our school to make sure they feel safe, respected, and educated.”
Elliott’s parents told the outlets that they intend to find a new school for their son.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Protesters gather outside Nancy Pelosi’s home, hang blow dryers in trees over salon visit
More than a dozen women showed up outside Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home with curlers in their hair and hung blow dryers in the trees outside to show their outrage over the House speaker’s visit to a salon as shops across the city and state were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“What she has done is a slap [in] the face of not just a salon owner but every woman, every man, every person who’s unemployed in the state of California who has lost their jobs and lost their livelihoods, many of whom are my friends,” one of the protesters told KRON-TV Thursday.
Pelosi, who was not wearing a mask, was caught on video getting her hair done last Monday — even as salons across California are only allowed to do business outdoors.
The speaker claimed she was “set up” by the salon’s owner, who allegedly told her she was allowed to have one customer at a time in the shop.
The owner of eSalon, Erica Kious, denied she tricked Pelosi.
“In fact, not only did I not set her up, her assertion that she is a victim and set up is totally false and outrageous,” Kious said.
President Trump pounced on Pelosi’s allegation that she was set up.
“Crazy Nancy Pelosi said she was ‘set up’ by the beauty parlor owner when she improperly had the salon opened (and didn’t wear a MASK!),” Trump tweeted Thursday. “Does anyone want a Speaker of the House who can be so easily SET UP?”
At the White House press briefing last week, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany played the Pelosi security tape on a loop.
“Apparently the rules do not apply to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She wants small businesses to stay shut down but only reopen for her convenience. ‘Do as I say, not as I do,’ says Nancy Pelosi,” McEnany said.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/07/women-protest-outside-pelosis-san-francisco-home-against-salon-visit/
Photo Credit: foxnews.com
Army veteran Ronnie McNutt commits suicide in Facebook livestream
A 33-year-old Army veteran from Mississippi who served in Iraq shot himself in the head live on Facebook — and social media sites are still scrambling to remove the harrowing footage, which went viral more than a week ago, according to reports.
Ronnie McNutt, who worked at a Toyota plant in Blue Springs, New Albany, killed himself in front of his computer on Aug. 31 during a livestream on Facebook, the Daily Star reported.
There were unconfirmed reports that McNutt had lost his job and broken up with his girlfriend.
In the days since, the horrifying footage has been shared on multiple social media platforms, including TikTok, where it reportedly ended up on the video-sharing app’s “For You” trending homepage.
A flood of social media users have expressed their alarm at stumbling on the clip and warned others to avoid watching the bearded vet commit suicide.
“If you see this guy on your FYP [For You page] please scroll up immediately, it’s very gruesome and I highly suggest you stay away from TikTok for a while,” one user said on Twitter, according to the Daily Star.
“I was scrolling TikTok and suddenly there’s a video of a guy that killed themselves with a shotgun and I am seriously warning you DO NOT watch it DO NOT SEARCH FOR IT because it’s very terrifying and gory so pls BE CAREFUL god damn I’m shaking,” another user said.
The man’s friends also posted messages conveying their futile attempts to stop him from taking his life.
“Please say a prayer right now for the family of Ronnie McNutt,” one wrote, according to the Sun.
“I tried but apparently it wasn’t quick enough to reach him,” another said.
McNutt was a member of Celebration Church Tupelo, which confirmed his death on its Facebook page, the Daily Star reported.
“In the midst of a sudden tragedy that occurred last night, we grieve with the McNutt Family during this time because passing of our brother in Christ, Ronnie McNutt,” it said.
“Ronnie will be missed by all who loved and knew him. He was very caring, committed, loyal, dependable, and eccentric. He served his church faithfully and was loved by many,” the church continued.
“Although events surrounding his death were tragic, we take comfort in our Creator, believing that because of Ronnie’s confession and conversion as a believer in Christ Jesus, he is currently before our loving Father.”
Facebook said the gruesome video was removed the day it was streamed, the Mirror reported.
A TikTok rep told the Daily Star: “Our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide.
“We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who’ve reported content and warned others against watching, engaging, or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family,” the spokesperson said.
“If anyone in our community is struggling with thoughts of suicide or concerned about someone who is, we encourage them to seek support, and we provide access to hotlines directly from our app and in our Safety Center,” the rep added.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/09/08/army-veteran-kills-himself-in-facebook-livestream/
Photo Credit: Facebook
Kanye West performs ‘walk on water’ stunt while performing at Sunday Service in Atlanta
Kanye West appeared to walk on water during his Sunday Service event in Atlanta this weekend.
The rapper, who is currently running for president in the US, took his weekly church service to the Georgia city on Sunday (6 September).
In videos shared to social media by his wife, Kim Kardashian, West was seen leading the choir along with his children North, seven, and Saint, four, to the centre of the lake.
Once in the middle, the musical group performed a number of gospel songs, with Kardashian filming from the bank as the sun set.
TV pastor Joel Osteen addressed the audience from another point in the lake, praising West and comparing the choir to a biblical story.
“I’m watching these fine men and women singing, it looks like they’re walking on the water and my mind goes back to that time where Jesus invited Peter to walk on the water,” Osteen said.
“I think we all have times in life where God’s telling us to do something, I feel it down on the inside, [but] we don’t feel qualified. ‘I can’t sing like them’, ‘I can’t invent like Kanye’… but God doesn’t put a dream in your heart and not give you the ability to do it.”
Since it was formed in January 2019, West’s Sunday Service Choir has performed at events across the world, including at Coachella and Paris Fashion Week.
West is currently running for the US presidency as an independent candidate, but was last week barred from appearing on the ballot in Arizona and Virginia.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/kanye-west-performs-walk-water-182301044.html
Photo Credit: Kim Kardashian/Instagram