Florida man claims guns found in car belonged to his cousin ‘John Wick’
A Florida man allegedly tried to blame a weapons bust on John Wick, the legendary assassin played by Keanu Reeves in the eponymous movie franchise, according to a new report.
Cops confronted Getro Gelin, 27, at his Port St. Lucie home Sunday after a woman told police he shoved her to the ground and threatened her with a firearm, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun.
The woman told authorities Gelin may have stashed the weapon in his Porsche SUV, according to the report. Cops searched the vehicle and found a Glock 21 pistol, a semi-automatic rifle, and a bulletproof vest, according to the report.
When cops asked Gelin to explain, he explained that the SUV wasn’t even his anymore — he’d sold it “to his cousin John Wick,” according to the affidavit.
He later admitted the John Wick reference was a lie, but “would not reveal his cousin’s name,” authorities said.
Gelin was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery, according to the report.
He is being held in the county jail in lieu of $3,500 bond.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/28/florida-man-claims-guns-found-in-car-belonged-to-his-cousin-john-wick/
Photo Credit: Port St. Lucie Sheriff
German doctors pose naked to protest protective equipment shortages
A website apparently featuring photos of German medical workers is calling attention to the working conditions and protective equipment needed by frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The website, “Blanke Bedenken,” shows photos of apparently nude people, some of whom are partially obscured by medical equipment, paperwork and other props, including stethoscopes, anatomical skeletons and even toilet rolls.
“We are your GPs. To be able to treat you safely, we need protective gear. When we run out of the little we have, we look like this,” the organizers say in a statement on their website.
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, healthcare workers on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19 in countries around the world have warned of shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“We are all vulnerable. Medical practices need more support from politics,” the Blanke Bedenken group added.
CNN was not independently able to confirm the authenticity of the site, or the specific affiliations of any of the people pictured on the site. Representatives of the site have not responded to CNN’s request for an interview, and it is not clear which institution or government agency they view as the party responsible for the equipment they say they are lacking. An inquiry to their website resulted in an automated response about the volume of inquiries.
“Due to worldwide rapid rise of Covid-19 infection numbers the demand for medical supplies, such as gloves, breathing masks, protective clothing and ventilators, increased. This led to worldwide supply shortages,” a spokesman for Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health told CNN in a statement.
“In cooperation with a German logistics provider the Federal Ministry of Health organizes the distribution of the medical supplies to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and the federal states. By the end of last week the Federal Ministry of Health had distributed round about 133 million protective masks,” the spokesman added.
On Monday, Germany received a shipment of 10 million face masks from China, and two further flights chartered by the German military are expected to deliver another 15 million protective masks as the wearing of masks has become mandatory in many public spaces across the country.
From last week, many of the restrictions on public life that were designed to halt the spread of coronavirus were loosened in the country. Shops no larger than 800 square meters (8,600 sq. ft.) were allowed to reopen, as were car dealers and bicycle stores, regardless of size.
According to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 159,000 reported cases of coronavirus in Germany. There have been more than 6,000 deaths.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has cautioned against complacency, telling Germany’s parliament that the country is “still at the beginning” of the coronavirus crisis and will have to live with the virus for a long time. “Nobody likes to hear this but it is the truth. We are not living through the final phase of this crisis,” she said last week.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/german-doctors-pose-naked-protest-200816610.html
Photo Credit: Blanke Bedenken / Blanke Bedenken
Facebook will stream a virtual graduation ceremony featuring Oprah and Miley Cyrus
As dates for reopening the country are continually pushed back, virtually every aspect of life has been disrupted. Holidays, birthdays, weddings and funerals have begun to be virtualized in order for attendees to maintain social distances. It’s an inevitability the class of 2020 has no doubt been dreading for months.
Here’s some consolation from Facebook: a virtual graduation ceremony. The social media giant is bringing out some heavy hitters for the event, too. Oprah Winfrey will be giving the commencement address, while Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X and Simone Biles will all be giving speech. Miley Cyrus is set to perform.
The event kicks off at 11AM PT/2PM ET on May 15 via the Facebook Watch App. Four days prior, Instagram will start showing daily videos “that spotlights iconic senior experiences — from ‘most likely’ votes to portrait showcases to senior skip day.” The company will also be offering features to host a “virtual graduation ceremony and party” on the site.
Other sites are holding similar events. Also on May 15, Her Campus will host I’m Still Graduating, featuring appearances by Eva Longoria, Radhika Jones, Margaret Cho, Brooke Baldwin, Liam Payne, Jesse McCartney, Andrew Yang and Tamron Hall. Many schools are also planning their own, less star-studded events to celebrate graduations remotely.
It has to be a bit heartbreaking to do all of this stuff through social medium, Zoom and the like. But for the time being, that’s just going to have to be the virtual world we live in.
Article via TechCrunch
Troy Sneed, Grammy-nominated gospel singer, dies from coronavirus complications
Troy Sneed, a Grammy nominated gospel singer and record label founder, has died of complications from Covid-19, his publicist Bill Carpenter confirmed to CNN.Sneed was 52.
Known for gospel radio hits, including “My Heart Says Yes” and “Worked It Out,” Sneed died Monday at a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.
“Troy was like a brother to me,” Mike Chandler, chief executive officer of Rejoice! Musical Soul Food radio network, said in a statement. “He was a businessman. He was a husband; he was a father. He was an industry leader so it’s not just my loss it’s a loss to the whole industry.”
“He was one of the most talented men in our industry but more importantly Troy was a good person and he did a lot of good work,” Chandler said. “The world is going to miss him.”Born in Perry, Florida, Sneed played football throughout high school and dreamed of playing in the National Football League.But three separate injuries in his junior and senior years cut his dream short and doctors advised him to give up the game.
After graduating from high school, Sneed enrolled at Florida A&M University as an education major with a minor in music. He joined the university choir and became active in gospel music. The school’s gospel choir advisor, Prince J.D. Olds, recognized Sneed’s leadership and musical qualities and appointed him the Minister of Music for the choir. During that period, Sneed traveled with the choir as they performed with gospel luminaries such as James Moore, LaShun Pace, Dorothy Norwood, and the Rev. James Cleveland.After graduating from FAMU, Sneed taught at Jacksonville’s Beach Elementary School until Savoy Records executive Rev. Milton Biggham offered him a position as the Georgia Mass Choir’s Assistant Minister of Music. During his decade-long tenure, Sneed performed and arranged music on their albums and appeared with them in the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife,” starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.Youth for Christ’s 1999 album “Higher” earned Sneed a Grammy Award nomination. That same year Sneed released his debut solo gospel album “Call Jesus” on Savoy Records and a follow-up project.
He later decided to go into the business for himself. In 2003, Sneed and his wife, Emily (whom he met at FAMU), formed their own recording label, Emtro (a blend of their first names) and secured national distribution with GoDigi Path. Over the years, Sneed wrote songs and produced projects for a variety of other artists that were released through Emtro, including “Call Jesus” for Bruce Parham and the Arkansas Mass Choir’s hit, “You Alone.” By 2007, Sneed focused on his own music and earned his first Billboard solo Top Ten hit with the upbeat song, “Hallelujah.” He would go on to have a dozen songs place on various Billboard gospel charts. His biggest hits include “My Heart Says Yes” (2011) and “Work It Out” (2008), which both peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart. His latest album “All My Best” was released last fall and featured twelve of his gospel radio songs.
Sneed is survived by his wife of 27 years and their four children, Troy Jr., Evany, Trey and Tyler.
Article via CNN
‘Little Women: Atlanta’ Star Ashley ‘Ms. Minnie’ Ross Dies At 34
“Little Women: Atlanta” star Ashley Ross aka Ms. Minnie has passed away at the age of 34. The news was confirmed on her Instagram account, where her management team posted a statement writing, “It is with profound sadness that we confirm on behalf of the family of Ashley Ross AKA ‘Ms Minnie’ if Little Women Atlanta has succumbed to injuries from a tragic hit and run car accident today at the age of 34.” She’s being remembered other ladies who have appeared on the “Little Women” reality series.
Texas mayor broke her own stay-at-home order to go to nail salon
A Texas mayor has been forced to apologize after getting caught breaking her own stay-at-home order by getting a nail salon to open just for her.
Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames was photographed last Tuesday wearing a face mask as she visited The Nail Bar, which should have been shuttered due to the mayor’s own lockdown order, according to 12NewsNow.
It sparked a flood of complaints, leading to investigations by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and even Jefferson County District Attorney’s office.
Ames offered a “heartfelt apology” for what she dismissed as a “lapse in judgment.”
“I promise there was no malice intended,” she wrote in a statement.
“I should never have entered the salon last Tuesday. I did not intend to take personal privilege while asking others to sacrifice and for that I am truly remorseful.”
She admitted that “as an elected official I am held to a higher standard.”
“I regret my action that day. I am honestly sorry and I pray that you will forgive me,” she said.
The mayor says she was in and out in 10 minutes, and the owner was the only person in the salon. She insisted that she just needed acetone to remove an old manicure and did not get her nails re-done, according to 12NewsNow.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/26/texas-mayor-broke-her-own-stay-at-home-order-to-go-to-nail-salon/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Man busted in Spain for taking goldfish for a walk during lockdown
A man was busted for breaking Spain’s strict coronavirus lockdown by taking his goldfish out for a walk, police said Friday.
The unidentified pet owner was spotted sitting on a bench, with his finned friend inside a bowl, in Logroño, northern Spain.
He appeared to be trying to take advantage of a rule allowing people to take their pets out to relieve themselves.
He’s not the first person to pull a stunt amid Spain’s strict coronavirus state of emergency.
Last month, police in Murcia caught a man in a T-rex costume roaming the streets.
Spain was the country with the most COVID-19 cases after the US, with 226,629 reported as of Sunday. At least 23,000 people there have died from the virus.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/26/man-busted-in-spain-for-taking-goldfish-for-a-walk-during-lockdown/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
UK ‘miracle baby’ who survived heart surgery defeats coronavirus
A “miracle baby” who contracted the coronavirus in a UK hospital after surviving open-heart surgery has now also survived the deadly bug, according to a report.
Erin Bates, who weighed only 5 pounds, 4 ounces after her birth in October, underwent surgery in December for a heart defect before being infected with COVID-19.
Harrowing photos showed her tiny body hooked up to a machine supplying oxygen to her at the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool as she spent two weeks in isolation.
“Today, Erin beat Covid-19 and received a guard of honour by the treating team on our HDU as she was moved out of isolation,” a hospital spokesman said, the Sun reported.
The plucky toddler’s mom, Emma, and dad, Wayne, said: “Thank you so much to each and every one of them, we couldn’t have got through it without them.
“They are all truly amazing and we will be forever grateful,” they added.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/27/miracle-baby-who-survived-heart-surgery-defeats-coronavirus/
Photo Credit: Facebook
Caretaker steals $13,000 engagement ring from elderly woman dying of coronavirus
A heartless eldercare worker swiped an 86-year-old Denver woman’s engagement ring and credit cards in the days before she died of the coronavirus, local prosecutors said.
Elizabeth Daniels, 29, allegedly pocketed Barbara Gust’s $13,000 diamond ring and brought it to a pawn shop as the octogenarian suffered from the illness at The Carillon at Belleview Station retirement community, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office and KMGH-TV.
Daniels is also accused of making purchases with Gust’s card on April 15, the day the elderly woman died, prosecutors said.
“We were unable to have any access to her for four weeks, and then we found out she had the virus, which is just heartbreaking,” Gust’s daughter-in-law told KDVR. “[Daniels] should not have had access to vulnerable people at a time of crisis like this, where her own family couldn’t reach her, but a thief could.”
It wasn’t until the family started making arrangements with the funeral home that they realized what had happened — and reported it to the Denver Police Department, according to prosecutors.
Detectives secured an arrest affidavit for Daniels that same day.
Police recovered Gust’s engagement ring from a pawn shop, according to the report.
Daniels, of Aurora, was charged April 22 with theft from an at-risk person, identity theft, providing a false statement to a pawnbroker and criminal possession of a financial transaction device, prosecutors said.
Daniels was hired as a temporary worker at The Carillon through a temp agency because of the growing number of coronavirus cases at the facility, according to KMGH.
She will reappear in court on June 22, the station reported.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/27/caretaker-steals-ring-from-elderly-woman-dying-of-coronavirus/
Photo Credit: Denver District Attorney’s Office
Shocking video shows massive Chicago house party during coronavirus lockdown
In a shocking display of contempt for social-distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic, dozens of young adults packed a house party in Chicago — where one person was heard saying, “You can’t even move in this b—-!”
The throng captured in a Facebook video posted by Windy City resident Tink Purcell is seen openly flouting guidelines that call for people to remain at least 6 feet apart to keep the virus from spreading, WTTW reported.
The more than 23-minute clip captured some of the rogue revelers wearing Chicago sports paraphernalia.
Some are also seen wearing masks in the tight quarters as the person recording the footage boasts that 800 people are watching it on Facebook Live.
At one point, a woman is seen shaking her butt for the camera.
On Sunday, Purcell posted on Facebook: “I had my mask and sanitizer I was good.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot slammed the Saturday night bash in a tweet as “reckless and utterly unacceptable.”
“I have seen the video which shows what appears to be a house party taking place inside a Chicago residence,” she wrote.
“While most Chicagoans are doing their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reckless actions like these threaten our public health and risk erasing the progress we have made. We will hold those responsible accountable,” Lightfoot continued.
“The fewer people who comply with the ‘Stay At Home’ Order, the sicker our residents will get and the harder it will be for us to recover,” she added.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Sunday that all of the party-goers had violated not only the trust of his executive order to remain at home, but also “the trust of their friends and family,” according to WTTW.
Police said they were aware of the footage circulating on social media.
“While we cannot authenticate the nature or location of the gathering, we want to remind everyone of the social distancing requirements in place,” police spokesman Luis Agostini wrote on Twitter.
“CPD will disperse crowds in violation of social distancing requirements, and if necessary, issue citations or as a last resort, enforce via arrest,” he added.
On Sunday afternoon, Pritzker said he had not seen the lengthy clip, but that he was aware of it.
“You’re literally putting everyone around you in danger. You are. They are putting you in danger. And, very importantly, all of those people are putting their families and their friends who are not there with them in danger,” he said.
Police have the authority to enforce Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, but he said he hopes to rely mostly on self-enforcement.
“If they refuse and if they repeatedly refuse, there is the ability by the police officers to charge them with reckless conduct and take them into custody,” he said.
“Though again we have discouraged police from doing that because we believe that people will in general follow the rules.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/04/27/video-shows-massive-chicago-house-party-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/
Photo Credit: sun.co.uk