Philadelphia gunman in custody after hourslong standoff. (Don't forget.... it's the gun that did this not the person pulling the trigger)

Philadelphia gunman in custody after hourslong standoff

CHRISTINA PACIOLLA and CLAUDIA LAUER,Associated Press 1 hour 55 minutes ago

Police officers stand near the scene of a shooting Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A gunman who opened fire on police Wednesday as they were serving a drug warrant in Philadelphia, wounding six officers and triggering a standoff that extended into the night, is in police custody, authorities said.

Philadelphia police Sgt. Eric Gripp said early Thursday morning that the man was taken into custody after an hourslong standoff with police.

The shooting began around 4:30 p.m. as officers went to a home in a north Philadelphia neighborhood of brick and stone rowhomes to serve a narcotics warrant in an operation "that went awry almost immediately," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said.

Many officers "had to escape through windows and doors to get (away) from a barrage of bullets," Ross said.

The six officers who were struck by gunfire have been released from hospitals, Gripp said.

Two other officers were trapped inside the house for about five hours after the shooting broke out but were freed by a SWAT team well after darkness fell on the residential neighborhood. Three people who officers had taken into custody in the house before the shooting started were also safely evacuated, police said.

"It's nothing short of a miracle that we don't have multiple officers killed today," Ross said.

Police implored the gunman to surrender, at one point patching in his lawyer on the phone with him to try to persuade him to give up, Ross said.

"We're doing everything within our power to get him to come out," Ross said during the standoff. "He has the highest assurance he's not going to be harmed when he comes out."

Temple University locked down part of its campus, and several children and staff were trapped for some time in a nearby day care.

Police tried to push crowds of onlookers and residents back from the scene. In police radio broadcasts, officers could be heard calling for backup as reports of officers getting shot poured in.

"I was just coming off the train and I was walking upstairs and there were people running back downstairs who said that there was someone up there shooting cops," said Abdul Rahman Muhammad, 21, an off-duty medic. "There was just a lot of screaming and chaos."

Dozens of officers on foot lined the streets. Others were in cars and some on horses.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said its agents responded to the scene to assist Philadelphia police.

President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr were briefed on the shooting, officials said.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said he was thankful that officers' injuries weren't life-threatening.

"I'm a little angry about someone having all that weaponry and all that firepower, but we'll get to that another day," Kenney said.
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Associated Press writers Ron Todt in Philadelphia, Michael Balsamo in Washington, Caleb Jones in Honolulu and Michael Rubinkam in Allentown, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.







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(Stop slapping them on the hand and start making them pay for their crimes. Maybe then it will stop or make them think twice)

U.S.

Homeowner shot a 14-year-old during burglary attempt. The 5 other teens with him were charged with murder

N'dea Yancey-Bragg,USA TODAY 9 hours ago

Five Chicago teens are being charged with murder after a 14-year-old who was with them during an attempted burglary was shot by the homeowner, authorities said Tuesday.

The group traveled in a stolen Lexus to an Illinois home where they were confronted by the 75-year-old homeowner, according to the Lake County Illinois Sheriff's Office. The man went out to investigate and told authorities he believed someone was trying to steal his car, a 2011 Audi.

"At least one of the male subjects advanced toward him with an unknown object in his hand," officials said in a release. "The homeowner feared for his life and discharged a firearm."

At least one of the rounds from the small caliber revolver struck the 14-year-old, and a knife was later found at the scene of the shooting. The homeowner called 911 to report the attempted burglary and shots fired, but by the time police arrived all of the suspects had fled.



Meanwhile, about 3 miles down the road local police were investigating a traffic crash when the stolen Lexus pulled up to the scene, Detective Sgt. Chris Covelli told reporters at a news conference.

Two of the occupants exited the vehicle and one flagged down the officers to assist the other who had a gunshot wound to the head.

Covelli said officers began first aid on the gunshot victim and called an ambulance while the other individual was taken into custody.

The remaining four teens fled in the Lexus "at a high rate of speed," according to Covelli. The ensuing car chase reached speeds of 120 mile per hour and only ended when the Lexus ran out of gas.

The four teens fled the vehicle on foot, three of whom Covelli said were taken into custody "pretty quickly." The fourth suspect was located by an officer and a K-9 about a block away inside a dumpster.

All five of the teens, ages 16 to 18, were charged with first degree murder "due to them being in commission of a forcible felony, when the 14-year-old victim was shot and subsequently died as a result of being shot during the commission of a burglary," authorities said in the release. Only one of the suspects, 18-year-old Diamond Davis, has been identified.

Stand your ground: Uber driver in Florida fatally shoots man in 'classic stand your ground case,' says sheriff

The teens appeared in court Tuesday afternoon and a Lake County judge set bail at $1 million each. They are set to appear in court again on Sept. 5.

Sheriff John Idleburg thanked the law enforcement agencies that assisted on the case at a press conference Tuesday.

"Anytime there is a loss of life, it is a tragedy for the family and friends of the deceased," Idleburg added. "Our condolences go out to the family of the young man who lost his life today, despite the circumstances.”

Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 teens charged with murder of 14-year-old shot by homeowner during burglary attempt







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McDonald’s fires employee accused of insulting police officer: 'I don't like y'all'

Erin Donnelly,Yahoo Lifestyle 25 minutes ago

A McDonald's employee was fired after insulting a local police officer. (Photo: Getty Images stock)

A McDonald’s employee in Andalusia, Ala. has been fired after allegedly insulting a local police officer, who was entitled to a discount on his meal.

Officer Kody Taylor of the Andalusia Police Department threatened to boycott the fast food restaurant following his negative experience there last weekend.

“So I swing through the drive-thru for lunch while on-duty, pull up to pay, and the nice lady at the window says ‘give me just a second,’” Taylor posted, according to screenshots shared on social media. “She walks off and returns with the manager and says, ‘Doesn’t law enforcement receive a discount?’

“Her manager, which was a slender male, don’t know his name and don’t care, stated, ‘Yeah, unfortunately we do.’ This kind of caught me off-guard but I waited while he punched in his code and when he finished he glanced at me and said, ‘I don’t like y’all.’ Needless to say I got my debit card and left and as of today I won’t eat [at] Andalusia McDonald’s on- or off-duty.”

Taylor’s treatment sparked outrage — and a termination for the employee involved. On Monday, the City of Andalusia announced that the manager was fired. McDonald’s also issued an apology to the officer and had members of its management team meet with the local police chief.

“As a department, we don’t hold McDonald’s responsible for one employee’s action,” Chief Paul Hudson said. “We want all of those who were upset when they learned about the incident to know McDonald’s immediately took action to correct the problem.”

“What occurred does not reflect the values of our brand, our franchise or the love and admiration we have demonstrated consistently for our friends in law enforcement and first responders,” Eddie Byrd, director of marketing and community outreach for Murphy Family Restaurants, which operates the Andalusia location, added, noting the 50-percent discount on offer to those on-duty. “We express our sincerest apology.”

Residents are applauding the restaurant’s work to remedy the situation.

“Way to show honor and integrity, McDonald’s,” read one comment.

“Thank goodness. We were going to boycott McD’s. Thank you McDonald’s for handling this appalling situation,” added another commenter on Facebook.

“If this person has trouble who will they call?” someone added. “Yes, the police. Sad. Thanks to all our first responders.”

The Andalusia branch isn’t the first to be criticized for its treatment of those in uniform. A worker at a Florida McDonald’s was recently fired for refusing to serve “anyone with a badge,” while a Clovis, N.M. Burger King parted ways with five employees last week after police officers were served food with a pig drawn on the wrapper.

Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to Officer Taylor for comment.

The moment you disrespect MY FLAG by kneeling..... I STOP listening to you or what you have to say.

By all means.... MAKE A CHANGE but Don't use MY FLAG.

Fight and make a change with tools that people will listen and fight WITH YOU and they won't fight AGAINST you.

Be smart not stupid.

The moment you kneel..... most turn their back on you and put their hands over their ears.

How can we listen to you when you do something so unthinkable like disrespecting a flag that allows you those freedoms to "speak your mind"?

.

I just heard the dumbest thing ever

A black lady told us that they want Mexicans out of the country because the blacks don't get along with them, and they would compete for the drug business.


Come on....

U.S.

N.Y. Nurse's Toddlers Died in 2017, and She Was Just Charged With Manslaughter

Chris Harris,People 4 hours ago

A 33-year-old nurse whose toddler children died a little more than two years ago is now facing two counts of manslaughter in New York.
An NYPD source confirms to PEOPLE that Jade Spencer, who now lives in New Jersey, was living in the Bronx on July 10, 2017 — the day her two children, Olivia Gee, 2, and Micha Gee, 3, died under suspicious circumstances.
Spencer was at home with her children and her boyfriend when the two toddlers started having trouble breathing.
The source confirms that Olivia and Micha were transported to Montefiore Medical Center, where they eventually died — three minutes apart.
At first, doctors believed the children died from fatal asthma attacks. Spencer allegedly told hospital staffers the children were asthmatic.
A week after they died, the medical examiner’s office determined the two had actually died from blunt impact injuries to the torso, and that homicide ws the cause.
It was unclear Friday if Spencer had appeared before a judge to enter pleas to the two counts of manslaughter she faces.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
It was also unclear if Spencer remains in custody, and attempts to contact her for comment were unsuccessful Friday.
PEOPLE was unable to determine if she has a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.
The source could not elaborate on what new developments in the investigation led to this week’s charges






Damn it why????

(Why can't more of this happen?)...... Man hailed as 'flight angel' for comforting woman, 96, who hadn't flown in nearly 2 decades

Please read the WHOLE Story... please

U.S.

Man hailed as 'flight angel' for comforting woman, 96, who hadn't flown in nearly 2 decades

Mahira Dayal,Yahoo Lifestyle 54 minutes ago

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A man on a Southwest Airlines flight is being applauded for comforting a 96-year-old woman who was scared of flying (Credit: Facebook)

A man is being called a “flight angel” for comforting and helping out a 96-year-old woman who was traveling alone for the first time in 15 years.

Megan Ashley, a passenger on the Southwest Airlines flight from San Diego to Nashville on 29 July, shared the kind act on Facebook. In her post, she explained that the elderly woman was flying to Kansas City to see her family for her birthday, but was afraid of flying. Luckily, the man seated beside her was happy to assist.

“She asked for this man’s hand during takeoff and then hugged him again when experiencing turbulence,” Ashley’s post reads. “This gentleman I should say, gladly took her hand, let her hold onto him, calmed her by talking to her and explaining everything that was happening, and simply was that stranger there for her.”

Ashely’s post explains that the man — whose name is unknown — didn’t just stop there. Instead, he looked out for the 96-year-old the entire duration of the flight, and even after.

“He helped her stand up to go to the restroom and watched her carefully walk down the aisle,” she wrote. “This man was her flight angel. He held her bag, helped her get off the plane and into the wheelchair, and when she got confused wondering where her daughter went, he stayed with her until she caught up with her daughter who got separated from her.”

While Ashley did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment, she wrote in her post that she “walked away sobbing happy tears” because she was so thankful for the man’s “heart and compassion.”

She wasn’t the only one touched by the stranger’s selfless act, and many people took to the comments section to thank the man.

“Oh my heart. This is as precious as it gets. Thank you for taking these pictures and sharing this story,” one person wrote. “This moved me to be a better person each day. I may share this with others so they can pay it forward. The gentleman was probably just being a GENTLE-man, where others may not have been so sweet.”

Another commented “Such a heartwarming story. Thank God you witnessed this to share and warm the hearts of sooo many, especially mine! May all that goodness return to that fine man doubly and more and the people responsible for making this fine guy a true gentleman.”

Others shared their own encounters with “kind neighbors” on flights.

“We’ve had the most amazing luck with passengers being willing to help with our girls. Whether we need to use the restroom or just need help entertaining we’ve always had a kind neighbor nearby,” a person said. “We even had a passenger say she was going to file a complaint about the way the flight attendant treated us and our girls. Can’t ask for better than someone willing to speak up for us!”

“I remember flying and a 14-year-old girl reached across the aisle, took my hand and held it during takeoff,” someone else wrote. “She said everything was going to be okay. I was 28 at the time.”

Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.
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