Woman Pulls Gun During Fight in Michigan Walmart’s Back-to-School Aisle – Over a Notebook
NOVI, Mich. (WJBK) – Shoppers at a Walmart in Novi, Mich. were in for some frightening moments as they witnessed a woman pull out a loaded gun Monday afternoon. Police say the gun was pulled out during a fight over school supplies.
“It was in the back to school section over a notebook,” says Novi Police Det. Scott Baetens.
Novi officers say two Farmington Hills women, ages 32 and 46, were inside the Novi Towne Center Walmart, shopping for school supplies. Apparently, so was a 20-year-old South Lyon woman and her mother, 51.
“One girl was going to buy a notebook. There was one left, some pushing resulted,” Baetens says. “They began to argue who was the rightful purchaser of that notebook.”
Both duos of women were not backing down, as police and witnesses described the two women pulling the younger woman’s hair. That mother got shoved out of the way as the three continued to fight. That mother then pulled out a gun.
“She’s a valid CPL holder,” Baetens says. “She pulled out her firearm and tells them to stop attacking her daughter while pointing the gun at them.”
The fight quickly ended as customers were seen running away and police were called.
“It was a senseless act of violence all the way around,” Baetens says.
Novi police say they need more witnesses to come forward as they work to get surveillance video from the Walmart to get a closer look at what happened. Police spoke with prosecutors, who hope to determine who the aggressors were and if the woman, in fact, pulled the gun in self defense. Those four women are all facing possible charges.
“A simple assault could be just a local ordinance, a 90-day misdemeanor,” Baetens says. “All the way up to felonious assault with a firearm, which is a felony.”
Police say the gun was loaded but no round was in the chamber. No one was hurt.
In the end, Baetens says he’s unsure who got the notebook.
Ohio State student posts offensive video saying dating black women is ‘weird’
An Ohio State student is backpedaling on offensive comments she made about black women in a video many people are labeling as racist.
Miami University freshman Aleigha Mason shared a 10-second clip of Katelyn Rust ranting about how “weird” it was that her ex-boyfriend was hooking up with a black woman.
Rust, a white woman, was apparently angry that her ex was caught dancing with Mason, a black woman.
“First and foremost racism is wrong,” Rust said in a statement to The Lantern. “I, in no way, think that anyone is less of a person than anyone else because of their skin color, nationality, religion, sexual preference or otherwise and sincerely apologize for all the words in this Twitter video.” Rust went on to say that her “weird” comment had nothing to do with the color of Mason’s skin.
“I was quite simply very hurt, and angry with an ex-boyfriend and jealous of her. Nothing more,” she said. “Again, I say in the strongest possible terms that racism is despicable and I apologize for any hurt or pain this tweet caused this young woman or anyone else.”
In the video Rust is seen looking into the camera and saying, “F— yourself you’re hooking up with a black girl, that’s weird. That’s weird as f—. F— you.”
In the caption, Mason wrote that it was “crazy” racism still existed at Ohio State. “Can’t believe the color of my skin is ‘weird,'” she tweeted.
In a follow-up post, Mason said she was taking the video down.
“Not because I feel bad or because I’m afraid, because at the end of the day she is a human too even though she thinks I am less than that,” she posted. “Never let anyone judge you because of your race, Never.”
“We shouldn’t act as if my tweet never existed, this happens everywhere and there is NO excuse. Let this be a lesson to all,” Mason added.
The Pi Beta Phi women’s fraternity, which Rust is a member of, also released a statement saying the content in the video does not align with its values.
“Pi Phi is taking this very seriously, and we are currently working through our member accountability process,” a tweet read.
FL Woman arrested for leaving 2-year-old boy with HOMELESS baby-sitter while she traveled out of state
A Florida woman was arrested after she told police that she left a little boy in the care of a homeless baby-sitter because she needed to make a quick trip out of town.
Tampa Police were called to an apartment building near Busch Gardens following reports that a child was outside unattended.
When officers arrived they found a 2-year-old boy sitting outside an apartment door with a blanket, sippy cup and half-eaten Lunchable, a police report states.
When deputies went inside the apartment, they found a computer mouse with an attached cord tied to a bedroom door to keep it secure. Authorities said the door had enough space for a small child to get in and out. Inside the bedroom was a cheese snack, a jug of iced tea, a Gatorade and pull-up diapers.
Police believe the child had been outside by himself for a few hours.
According to the report, 22-year-old Cotisha Long-Green was supposed to be looking after the child but she was in another state. Long-Green, who is the guardian of the boy, said she had to catch a flight early in the morning on Aug. 21 because she had a court hearing in Illinois. She didn’t return until late on Aug. 22. Long-Green said that she asked a homeless woman known as “Fe Fe,” or Felicia, to look after the child while she was gone. Long-Green said she had met Felicia on the street and let her nap at her apartment a few times.
According to the report, Long-Green didn’t know Felicia’s last name or a phone number she could be reached at. Long-Green also told police that she suspected Felicia was an addict.
“She knows for certain that Felicia smokes marijuana,” the report stated.
Authorities said Long-Green’s cousin lives nearby but she never asked her cousin to watch the child. She also never told the boy’s mother or his family members that she had to leave town.
According to neighbors, they have never seen a woman fitting Felicia’s description going in and out of Long-Green’s apartment. Tampa police spokesman Steve Hegarty told the Daily News that police have not been able to track down Felicia and the boy is now with the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Father accused of slamming 1 month old son against a changing table and threw him into a ceiling fan for crying
A 1-month-old baby in Oklahoma is in critical condition after police say the newborn’s father brutally beat him for crying.
Robert Jackson Jones Jr. was arrested and charged with child abuse after he allegedly told Muskogee police that he choked, slammed and tried to smother his son.
According to the Tulsa World, the baby’s mother Emma Whitehead told authorities that she and Jones took their child to the emergency room on Sunday when the baby started having seizures.
At the hospital, Whitefield was told horrifying details of her son’s condition.
Medical personnel determined that the infant, named Calvin, had two skull fractures, a pool of blood around his brain and fingerprint bruises on both sides of his neck.
The newborn also had a bruised left eye and a bruise on his left ear.
Muskogee Police Department investigator James Poffel wrote in an affidavit that the injuries were “considered to be non-accidental,” the outlet reports. Jones allegedly confessed to causing the baby’s injuries, telling police that he picked Calvin up by his throat and shook him, before covering the baby with cushions and towels because he wouldn’t stop crying.
Investigators said Jones then slammed the infant against a changing table, threw the baby in the air and hit him on the ceiling fan.
Police said the abuse didn’t end there. Jones also allegedly told investigators he put his son on his shoulders and then dropped the baby to the floor, causing Calvin to hit his head against the toilet.
Authorities alleged the abuse went on from Aug. 16 to Aug. 19, the Tulsa World reports.
Whitehead told KTOV that she usually gets a babysitter to watch Calvin while she works, but couldn’t get her usual sitter. She said Jones agreed to watch the baby.
“I never thought anything like this would ever happen,” Whitehead said.
Jones is being held at the Muskogee County Jail with a $1 million bail. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 5.
Toddler Found Wandering, Covered in Feces, Bruises, Scratches Leads Officers to ‘Horrifying’ Apartment in Oklahoma
A 3-year-old found wandering an Oklahoma neighborhood alone, covered in bruises, scratches, and feces led officers to a disturbing scene. The child has been taken into protective custody and the mother is now charged with child neglect.
It started with a report of the child seen wandering across a Sonic Drive-In to a convenience store in Norman, Oklahoma.
“A woman was sitting in the Sonic parking lot, she saw him cross by himself through the Sonic Drive-In and ended up in here, and that’s when she flagged me down,” an OUPD officer told Norman dispatch.
The child’s mother picked him up.
But later that day, it happened again. According to court documents, he was wearing no pants, underwear, or shoes, and his legs and shirt were covered in feces.
The same officer was flagged and told Norman officers it was time to confront the mother in the apartment complex next to the Sonic.
When police went to the door, they had to knock for several minutes before the mother, Kimberly Dye, answered.
Officers asked her if she was missing a 3-year-old, and she said, “No. He was just in here.”
Inside the apartment, the conditions were described as horrid.
“One of the most horrifying houses that they’ve walked into,” Norman Police Department PIO Sarah Jensen told KFOR
She said the smell alone was difficult to handle.
Inside, animal and human feces were found on the floor throughout the apartment, rotting food in the kitchen, and cockroaches and other insects all over.
“It was a difficult scene for our officers to walk into, so it was very hard for them that a child and another individual were actually living there,” Jensen said.
Kimberly Dye is charged with neglect and a warrant is out of her arrest.
The child was taken into protective custody and DHS is investigating what’s best for his welfare.
Colorado Mother Shot 10-Year-Old Daughter Several Times, The Two Family dogs Before Killing Herself, Coroner Says
The shooting deaths of a woman and her daughter were the result of a murder-suicide, the Pueblo County Coroner announced Thursday.
The bodies of 42-year-old Jennifer Hamula and 10-year-old Stephie Hamula were found Monday after deputies conducted a welfare check at the Pueblo County home, KMGHreports.
Pueblo County investigators say Hamula shot her daughter multiple times before turning the gun on herself. Two dogs also were found dead inside. Both appeared to be shot.
“Overwhelming evidence indicates the mother and daughter were the only two individuals in the home at the time of the shooting,” said Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor.
Interviews with the estranged spouse as well as other family members have been conducted, and no evidence exists to believe there is any other involvement related to the scene, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said.
Hamula had worked as a state corrections officer for about 20 years.
Pueblo County Sheriff’s investigators continue to work with the Pueblo County coroner and CBI on the investigation.
White Man Dressed in Blackface Sought After Attempting to Rob Bank in Corona
Authorities are searching for man who attempted to rob a Wells Fargo bank in Corona while dressed in blackface on Friday.
The man entered a bank in the 11700 block of De Palma Road around 2 p.m. and passed a note to the teller, according to the FBI Los Angeles division. He then threatened the employee with a gun, FBI officials said.
The robber is described as a 5-foot, 8-inch man who weighs between 180 and 190 pounds.
He was last seen on security footage wearing brown makeup on his face and hands, a dark blue hat and a dark colored shirt.
There are no known links to other robberies in the area, authorities added.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/08/18/man-dressed-in-blackface-sought-after-attempting-to-rob-bank-in-corona/
Connecticut Mom Arrested After 5 Children Found Eating Dog Food Off Floor, Living in Feces Covered Apartment
Police arrested a woman Thursday after they found five children living in deplorable conditions in a third floor Connecticut apartment, according to WTIC.
Police and fire crews were called to the apartment in downtown Middletown around 2 p.m. after a report of an air conditioner fire caused by a cigarette thrown from the third floor window. The rear exit of the apartment was blocked by trash, fire officials learned.
The health department was also on scene because of complaints that there was a leak from the apartment into the second floor ceiling.
Chloe Edwards, 27, opened the door when officers arrived and they were “taken back by the smell coming from the apartment.” Police said the carpet was covered with food, urine, feces, and cockroach carcasses. There were “a multitude of flies were in the apartment as well.”
Officers found five juveniles in the apartment – four were her children and the fifth had been reported missing by her mother Aug. 4.
Officers found a tub with a continuously running faucet and a broken toilet, according to the police report. There were also broken beds and mattresses on the floor, some of which were stained with vomit and feces. Dishes in the kitchen overflowed from the sink. The refrigerator contained only two jars of sauce, a can of pasta and two small jars of baby food.
Officers found exposed electrical sockets and a 3- to 4-foot pile of debris blocking the exit.
Police said that while waiting for officials from the Department of Children and Families to arrive, “two of the juveniles found dry dog food on the floor and began eating it, saying they were hungry.”
Edwards was charged with five counts of risk of injury and her bond was set at $10,000. She was scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
The children were taken it protective custody by DCF and health officials placed an “unfit for occupancy” on the apartment.
Murrieta Couple Charged With Torture, Child Abuse; 5-Year-Old Boy Is Comatose, in Grave Condition: DA
A Murrieta couple have been charged with child abuse and torture after a 5-year-old boy was hospitalized with severe injuries and is now comatose, authorities announced Thursday.
Benjamin Matthew Whitten, the boy’s biological father and a U.S. Navy sailor, and his live-in girlfriend Jeryn Christine Johnson appeared for arraignment in Murrieta on Thursday afternoon, but the hearing was postponed, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
The couple were arrested Tuesday, about 10 hours after Johnson called 911 to report the child being in medical distress, police said Wednesday.
Police officers found the unidentified boy frail and extremely malnourished, a Murrieta Police Department lieutenant said. He had “severe injuries requiring immediate medical” care, the DA’s office said.
A neighbor said she saw paramedics doing chest compressions on the child.
The boy was taken by ambulance to an area hospital and then airlifted to another hospital in San Diego County. He remains in grave condition Thursday, according to the DA’s office.
Dozens came out for a vigil outside the family’s home early Wednesday’s evening. Neighbors said they didn’t see the family outside very often, though the father was sometimes heard yelling at the boy.
Whitten, 33, and Johnson, 25, were charged Thursday with one count of torture, and one count of child abuse with an allegation of causing the child to become comatose.
At Thursday afternoon’s appearance, their arraignment was posted until Aug. 24 and the judge kept their bail at $1 million each. A public defender was appointed for Whitten and a defense attorney will be appointed to represent Johnson because the public defender’s office said it cannot represent two defendants in the same case, a DA’s spokesman said.
After getting a warrant, investigators searched the couple’s home in the 24000 block of Verdun Lane, where police said they found “extremely unsanitary” conditions. Eleven dogs, four cats and two fish were taken from the home.
Administration code enforcement violations have occurred at the home, but no emergency calls were made after the family moved there in April 2016, police said.
Whitten serves as a machinist’s mate nuclear first class stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Detachment in San Diego, the U.S. Navy confirmed. Whitten enlisted in 2009, with his home state listed as Texas, and he was stationed on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier from 2011 to February 2016, naval records show.
Police Warn of Increase in Crimes Involving Paintball Guns; Public’s Help Sought ID’ing Perpetrators
Police are asking for the public’s help in providing information on individuals who may be behind a recent increase in crimes involving paintball guns in South Los Angeles.
Compressed-air guns normally reserved for use at a recreational paintball range are increasingly being used in robberies, aggravated assaults and vandalism, Los Angeles Police Capt. Lee Sands said in a Friday press conference.
So far this year in the area policed by LAPD’s South Bureau, 68 people have been assaulted in attacks involving paintball guns, Sand said. That number represents an increase of 183 percent over last year, when only 24 people had been involved in such attacks between January and August.
That compares with 33 people shot with pellet guns this year citywide, according to LAPD.
Sands believes the increased use of paintball guns is tied to an overall rise in the popularity of recreational paintball.
“When paintball guns are taken out of those venues, and brought to the streets of the city and used to commit crimes, this is when a problem occurs,” he said.
Officials cited an incident involving 9-year-old Aron Marrujo, who was playing football with about 15 other kids outside a home where a family party was being held when someone drove by and fired several rounds from a paintball gun.
Marrujo was struck in the face, just above his eyeball, police said. His 16-year-old cousin was also struck after he dove in front of Marrujo to block the paint-filled pellets, thinking at the time that they were real bullets, his family said.
“Many of you know that paintballs travel at 300 feet per second and Aron is very lucky that the paintball did not hit his eye,” Sands said. “He could have been very seriously injured as a result of that.”
Aron has slight autism and was already afraid of being outside, his mother said.
Four people were arrested following the incident, three of whom are juveniles, and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, according to LAPD Detective Arnold Castellanos.
Two other recent arrests involving paintball guns being fired from cars were made along Figueroa Street, said LAPD South Bureau Chief Phil Tingirides. In one of the cases, the gun resembled an assault rifle, he said.
“We’re highly concerned that we’re going to end up with an officer-involved shooting of somebody who does not have a firearm but yet a paintball gun,” Tingirides said. “When you see the weapons, they look very real. When you hear them…they sound very much like a bullet.”
Officials emphasized that charges will be pursued in such cases, despite compressed-air guns being considered less dangerous than actual firearms. Charges would be based on the amount of bodily harm inflict and could be felony charges, Tingirides said.