Tag: SHOOTINGS
Texas teen shot dead by bully two days after defending a younger boy
A Texas teenager who defended a younger boy from getting attacked was allegedly shot dead by the infuriated bully just two days later, according to reports.
Brave Samuel Reynolds, 16, had stepped in to protect a 15-year-old from being assaulted by another boy in Arlington early last week, police told NBC News Dallas Fort-Worth.
“After he broke up the fight, he started having trouble with the suspect,” Arlington Police Lt. Christopher Cook told the station.
On Thursday — just two days after the confrontation — Reynolds was gunned down in a communal area of his apartment complex.
A boy aged between 13 and 15 who lives in the same complex was arrested, and police say he was the same boy Reynolds had earlier confronted, according to NBC.
He is not being identified because of his age, the reports say.
The suspect initially denied involvement in the shooting, but security camera footage showed the killing, cops told NBC.
“He pulls out a handgun from the rear part of his pants he was wearing, points it at the victim and fires one round,” Cook told NBC, saying they found a shell casing from a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
The teen faces a murder charge and has been transported to a juvenile detention center, but it remains unclear whether he will be tried as an adult or child, NBC said.
“This senseless act of gun violence has no place in society and our hometown community,” Arlington police chief Will Johnson said on Twitter.
Calling it “an emotionally tough case” for responding officers, he said: “We will direct our attention to how a young teen suspect accessed a firearm used in the offense.”
Students and teachers gathered at Arlington High School on Friday for a candlelight vigil to remember their former pupil. The suspect was in the same school district but not in the high school, officials said.
“We are heartbroken by this tragic loss of a young life,” principal Shahveer Dhalla said of Reynolds.
“He touched the lives of many of our Arlington students and teachers, and he will be missed. We are keeping our thoughts and prayers with Sam’s family and friends.”
Photo Credit: nypost.com
FL High school football star shot dead by friend over video game dispute
A Florida football player was shot dead by a longtime friend this week during a spat over a video game, according to a new report.
Joshua Ancrum, 17, was killed inside his pal’s Miami Gardens home Tuesday afternoon when the gaming dispute between the teens got heated, WPLG Local 10 reported. He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead.
“What mother wants to bury their son?” the boy’s distraught mom, Lisa Alvarez, told the station. “It’s supposed to be the other way around.”
Jatwan Phillips, 16, was arrested in connection with the slaying, according to the report. He appeared in court Wednesday and has been charged with aggravated manslaughter, though it’s unclear if he will be charged as an adult.
It was not immediately known which game sparked the fatal squabble.
A judge ordered Phillips to remain in jail on Wednesday, according to the report.
Ancrum’s teammates in the South Florida Express 7on7 Football Team considered him a brother.
“He might have grown up in a bad neighborhood and he had a lot of bad influences and stuff like that, but when he came with us, it was, kind of, you try to lead him in the right direction,” teammate Derek Wingo told the station.
The young athlete had received a football scholarship to Florida International University.
“We are saddened at the news of Joshua’s passing,” the school’s head coach, Butch Davis, said in a statement obtained by the station. “We at FIU will be praying for his family, friends and teammates in these trying times.”
Ancrum had always dreamed of going even further with his football career, but his dreams have been shattered, his mother told the outlet.
“Stop the violence,” she insisted.
The teen’s teammates launched a GoFundMe page to help raise money for his funeral expenses. It had reached $4,372 of its $10,000 goal by late Thursday morning.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/23/high-school-football-star-shot-dead-by-friend-over-video-game-dispute/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Man fatally shot wife in chest over fight about cigarettes
A Michigan man was charged with murder on Monday for fatally shooting his wife in the chest after the two had an argument over cigarette smoking.
Vashon Flowers, 46, allegedly shot Jamie Thomas-Flowers inside their Muskegon Heights home at about 6:30 a.m. on Sunday following an argument that took place when the husband came home with cigarettes, according to Muskegon Heights Police.
The couple had recently quit smoking, but Vashon arrived at the residence and said he wanted to smoke while drinking, cops said.
Vashon stormed out of the home and returned several hours later.
When the man came back, he kicked in the door and shot his wife four times in the chest before running away, according to police. He later surrendered to cops.
In addition to the murder charge, Flowers was also charged as a habitual offender due to prior felony convictions.
Muskegon County District Judge Raymond Kostrzewa denied bail during Flowers’ arraignment.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/20/man-fatally-shot-wife-in-chest-over-fight-about-cigarettes-cops/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Yonkers 8th-grader wanted for shooting death of innocent teen
An 8th-grade boy with gang ties and a violent criminal past fired the stray round that killed a Yonkers teen Thursday as she protected her little sister, cops said Monday, pleading with the shooter to surrender and face justice.
Jamir Thompson, 15, intended the fateful bullet for a rival from whom he’d stolen a gold chain earlier Thursday — but he instead struck 18-year-old Marilyn Cotto Montanez as she pushed her 9-year-old sister to safety, police said.
“This incident has deeply affected our community because an innocent life was lost,” said Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner in a press briefing. “We will not rest until Jamir Thompson answers for his reckless and despicable conduct.”
Hours after allegedly stealing the chain from another teen, Thompson had another run-in with that victim near Montanez’s Morningside Avenue home, Gardner said.
Amid the dispute, Thompson — a Yonkers resident who attends the Linden Hill School in Hawthorne, New York — opened fire with a 9 mm handgun, Gardner said.
Montanez, a high school senior, shoved her younger sister out of the the way at the cost of her own life — a round struck her in the head.
Cops identified Thompson as the alleged shooter through a painstaking review of surveillance footage and a series of witness interviews.
The top cop, his voice strained with emotion at points, appealed directly to the teen triggerman to make it easy on himself and come forward.
“If Jamir Thompson is watching, I have a message for you,” Gardner said. “We are considering you armed and dangerous. We are out looking for you as we speak. And for the safety of everyone, I urge you to turn yourself in.”
Thompson lives in Yonkers with his mom, who has refused to give cops any info on her son’s whereabouts, Gardner said.
His department has had “multiple” contacts with Thompson over his “violent” criminal history, but Gardner said he couldn’t divulge specifics due to Thompson’s age.
Cops released a wanted poster showing the fresh-faced shooter, and announcing a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Gardner also issued a stern directive to anyone thinking of giving Thompson quarter.
“I am also sending a warning to anyone who is harboring Mr. Thompson,” he said. “You will also be arrested and held accountable for your actions.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/04/29/yonkers-8th-grader-wanted-for-shooting-death-of-innocent-teen-cops/
Teen injured when gun goes off while taking selfie
A Texas teen trying to take a selfie while holding a gun ended up in the hospital after it went off, sending pieces of glass and metal into his face and penetrating his brain, according to a report.
The photo shoot went awry around 11 p.m. Thursday as the 16-year-old boy was posing with a loaded 9mm pistol at a San Antonio home, news station KABB reported.
The unidentified boy accidentally fired a bullet at his phone, sending glass and metal shrapnel into his face and eye, authorities said.
The shooting penetrated the teen’s brain, and he was rushed to University Hospital in stable condition, radio station WOAI reported.
Police are investigating to determine how the teen got hold of the gun.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/04/23/teen-injured-when-gun-goes-off-while-taking-selfie/
Florida mayor opens fire at cops as they raid his home
The mayor of a Florida town opened fire at a SWAT team who raided his waterfront home and arrested him, officials said.
Port Richey Mayor Dale Massad fired two shots at officers when he was arrested Thursday on allegations of practicing medicine without a license.
The deputies announced their presence at his home on the Gulf Coast around 4:40 a.m. as they attempted to serve a search warrant.
Shots were fired when officers entered, but they retreated and didn’t return the gunfire, officials said. No deputies were injured in the shooting.
“He’s lucky he’s not dead,” Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said at a press conference.
The 68-year-old mayor surrendered to authorities and was taken to Pasco County Jail.
Authorities said they received information that Massad — whose medical license was revoked in 1992 — was still treating patients at his home.
Massad faces charges for attempted murder and practicing medicine without a license.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/02/21/florida-mayor-arrested-at-home-opens-fire-at-cops-sheriff/
Basketball coach shot player’s dad for complaining
A Brooklyn high-school basketball coach was arrested Friday for shooting the father of one of his players — after the dad complained that his kid wasn’t getting enough playing time, police said.
The shooting occurred Dec. 22, but the coach lied to police and said a third man pulled the trigger — and his victim was too wounded to speak and finger the real culprit, authorities said.
It was only recently that the victim recovered enough to tell police what really happened, officials said.
Coach Todd Myles of the Pathways in Technology Early College HS on the Paul Robeson campus allegedly lied to cops about what went down that night with local dad Christopher Hooks, who had supposedly shown up at his house to argue over his son’s playing time.
Myles told police that a third person had also arrived — with a gun — and started blasting, authorities said.
Myles is accused of shooting Hooks and then concocting his story about the random street thug in an attempt to cover his tracks. Myles, 42, had actually gotten grazed by a bullet at some point, though it’s unclear now whether this was a ricochet wound or intentional act, police said.
Myles is facing charges of attempted murder, assault and criminal use of a firearm. He was taken into custody on Friday morning by detectives.
The city Department of Education called the allegations against him “incredibly shocking.”
“We immediately reassigned Mr. Myles away from students, and we’ll work to remove him from payroll as soon as legally possible,” said a DOE spokesman. “We are providing support to the school and are working with the NYPD throughout this investigation.”
Myles began his education career as a substitute in 2001 and later became a teacher in 2004, according to DOE.
He started working at Robeson in 2013 and has no prior disciplinary incidents.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/02/01/basketball-coach-shot-players-dad-for-complaining-cops/
Girl, 14, shot ‘point blank’ by mom after calling 911
A woman bound the ankles and wrists of her 14-year-old daughter with zip ties — then fatally shot the girl between her eyes at “near point-blank range’’ as the brave youngster was on the phone with 911 pleading for help, police said.
The horrific murder took place Tuesday in the Seattle, Wash., suburb of Renton.
Before the gun was fired, the dispatcher heard someone shout, “You called 911” and something that sounded like “blow your head off,” ABC News reported.
Authorities say the mom, 52-year-old Svetlana B. Laurel, who is separated from her husband, Michael Gulizia, went to his home on Tuesday, according to ABC.
He recently had been awarded custody of the girl, Natalie, and her 12-year-old brother. Laurel was told she could make only supervised visits.
Laurel arrived on her unsupervised visit while her daughter was upstairs and Gulizia and the boy were out, The Seattle Times reported.
Around that time, she called a friend in New York and spoke to him in Russian. The friend said the call was “strange,” noting Laurel told him she had amended her will to include him. The pal, fearing she’d commit suicide, called Renton cops and asked them to check on her. They didn’t get the chance.
When her husband and son arrived home, she allegedly tied up the boy, jammed a sock into his mouth and threatened to use a stun gun on him.
Laurel got the drop on her husband, used her zip ties to restrain him and zapped him with the stun gun, according to the Times.
When she heard the commotion downstairs, the daughter dialed 911 and was shot to death. Laurel then allegedly tried to kill Gulizia with her pistol — but it misfired, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
As Svetlana was struggling to clear the malfunction, Gulizia rammed her into the wall with his shoulder and was able to grab the weapon.
Officers arrived too late to save the daughter.
Laurel, who had no police record, was charged with numerous crimes and could be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Both Gulizia and his wife worked at Boeing.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/12/23/girl-14-shot-point-blank-by-mom-after-calling-911/
Woman fatally shot as husband was cleaning gun
CORINTH, N.Y. — Police say an upstate New York woman was killed in an apparent accident when a shot discharged as her husband was cleaning his gun.
New York state police say 34-year-old Ashley Rosenbrock was shot Thursday night in her home in Corinth. She was pronounced dead at Saratoga Hospital.
Police said Saturday that Rosenbrock’s 35-year-old husband, Eric Rosenbrock, was “performing maintenance” on his legally owned handgun when it went off.
The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed.
The Post-Star of Glens Falls reports that Eric Rosenbrock is a science teacher in the Lake George school district and the father of three young children with his wife. The couple had an 18-month-old daughter who died from an infection five years ago.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/11/17/woman-fatally-shot-as-husband-was-cleaning-gun-cops/
Boy, 15, and best friend found dead in apparent murder-suicide
A Houston mother found her teen son and his best friend fatally shot Thursday in an apparent murder-suicide, police said.
The boy and his friend, both 15, were found dead inside the upscale Park at River Oaks apartment complex by his mother when she came home around 5 p.m., police told the Houston Chronicle.
It’s unclear which of the boys shot the other before turning the gun on himself. But the mom who discovered the grisly scene told investigators that her son was “going through chronic mental issues,” according to Assistant Police Chief Henry Gaw.
The boy’s mother had spoken to him earlier Thursday and nothing seemed to be off. He lived in the apartment with his mother and older brother, and the firearm used in the shooting belonged to the family, Gaw said.
Investigators wouldn’t say whether there were signs of a struggle prior to the shooting or whether a note was left behind, KTRK reports.
“It’s a very sad scene,” Gaw told the station. “You have two 15-year-olds who are dead.”
The teens attended Lamar High School, where crisis counselors were expected to help students start the grieving process on Friday, according to the station.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to each student’s family and friends, as well as the school community,” Houston Independent School District officials said in a statement.
A medical examiner is expected to perform autopsies on Friday, KPRC reports.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/11/09/boy-15-and-best-friend-found-dead-in-apparent-murder-suicide/