Tag Archives: Crime news

Parkland shooter faces new charges

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By NOA ISRAEL

Nine months after accused Parkland shooter, Nikolas Cruz opened fire at his high school, he faces new charges after an altercation with a prison guard Wednesday morning.

Cruz is being held at the Fort Lauderdale jail, awaiting trial for the Feb. 14 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that left 17 students and staff members dead and 17 others injured. He faces 34 counts of murder and attempted murder.

On Wednesday CNN reported that Cruz “now faces additional charges of assault, battery and use of an electric weapon on the guard,” after he allegedly attacked a Broward County officer. The report states, Sgt. Raymond Beltran, requested that Cruz not drag his feet while he walked to the dayroom. In response to this, Cruz attacked Beltran.

According to video surveillance of the incident, “Cruz flipped his middle finger, then rushed Beltran and struck him in the face, the report states. Cruz took the officer to the ground and struck the top of his head with fists […] and then took his stun gun,” CNN reported.

Cruz was escorted to the hearing by multiple officers on Wednesday morning. He remained silent with his head down for the duration, as the judge set another hearing for Friday and set a preliminary bond of $200,000 for battery on an officer.

In April, Cruz waived his right to a speedy trial and was entered into a not-guilty plea by the judge. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the massacre in his trial set to begin in September 2019.

12 killed in California shooting

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By NICOLE LEMBO

A gunman walked into Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif. on Wednesday. He set off smoke bombs in order to create confusion before shooting a security guard at the entrance and opening fire into the crowd.

Authorities identified the gunman as Ian Long, 28, of Newbury Park, Calif. Long was found dead at the scene after killing 12 and wounding about 15 people.

Long was a Marine Corps veteran who had served in Afghanistan, and while investigators say there was no clear motive, he had apparently been struggling with mental health issues.

The shooting was the nation’s deadliest attack since Parkland, Fla. in February.

Among those who died was Sgt. Ron Helus, who was only one year from retirement. Another was Cody Coffman, 22, who planned to join the Army. Aliana Housley, 18, was a student at Pepperdine University.

In response to the shooting, President Trump tweeted, “I have been fully briefed on the terrible shooting in California. Law Enforcement and First Responders, together with the FBI, are on scene. 13 people, at this time, have been reported dead. Likewise, the shooter is dead, along with the first police officer to enter the bar. Great bravery shown by police. California Highway Patrol was on scene within 3 minutes, with first officer to enter shot numerous times. That Sheriff’s Sergeant died in the hospital. God bless all of the victims and families of the victims. Thank you to Law Enforcement.”

Major news outlets such as Fox, CBS, and CNN have been extremely objective when reporting on the shooting. They have all done a superb job at reporting the facts and honoring the victims and their families.

12 killed at Southern California bar

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By NOA ISRAEL

Twelve people were killed Wednesday night at a popular college bar when a gunman entered the venue and began firing in Thousand Oaks, Calif., just north of Los Angeles.

Borderline Bar and Grill is a popular spot for residents of Thousand Oaks and neighboring cities. Due to its close proximity to multiple colleges and universities, it is largely attended by college students. The bar is known to most as a safe and comfortable getaway from the stress of school and other responsibilities.

However, despite being located in one of the safest cities in the country, the bar and its occupants came under fire late Wednesday night when gunman Ian David Long entered and began shooting at the large crowd. Wednesday nights are known as “College Nights” at Borderline and the bar was therefore packed with excited teens and young adults.

The shooter, Long, was a resident of Newbury Park, only a few minutes drive from Thousand Oaks. CNN reported that he “was a Marine veteran who often visited the site of the shooting.” Long died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds at the scene.

Names of the victims are slowly being released and friends and families learn the fates of their loved ones. The confirmed dead include a law enforcement officer from Ventura County, a freshman at Pepperdine University and a recent graduate of Cal Lutheran University.

The investigation is still underway to determine a possible motive.

State executes man with electric chair

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By NOA ISRAEL

The utilization of capitol punishment in the United States has been a long standing topic of controversy, with many states opting for life sentences as an alternative. Some states, such as Tennessee still support and practice the death penalty — on Thursday, the electric chair was used for the first time in five years on an inmate at a Tennessee prison.

Edmund Zagorski smiled right up until the “sponge and helmet were put over his head,” reporter Adam Tamburin stated. In 1984, 24-year-old Zagorksi was arrested just days after he lured two young men to a wooded hunting area and murdered them. He was charged with two counts of first degree murder.

At the time of the murders in Tennessee, the death sentence was the mandatory punishment for a capitol murder conviction. Zagorski eventually confessed to the murders on the presence that he would get to dictate certain aspects of his execution. He was sentenced to the death by electrocution in March of 1984 — 11 months after the murders.

Currently 31 states still uphold using capitol punishment, with six states — Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky — that still have the electric chair as an option. There have been oppositions towards the death penalty, with many stating it is unethical and inhumane, causing 19 states to abolish the use of capitol punishment.

Zagorki sat on death row for 34 years. In the months leading up to his death, his execution date was altered several times as was the method that would be used.  He was ultimately granted his wish of death by the electric chair. His last words were “let’s rock,” reported CNN.

Media blanket-cover Pittsburgh shooting

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By ADAM SPECTOR

Last week, a shooter opened fire inside a synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27. Eleven persons were killed and six others were injured.

This has been described as the deadliest against the Jewish community in United States history.

Authorities say Robert Bowers, 46, was the man responsible for the shooting. No alternative suspects have been mentioned.

Just about every news source has covered this story. Most have been thorough and are making sure this matter is known across the country.

Although sources such as CBS, CNN, and ABC have done a good job of making this story a priority, they have given hate crimes in general somewhat of an overlook.

As mentioned last week according to WBAL-TV 11, “from vandalism to murder, a new report from Maryland State Police shows that Maryland is seeing more hate crimes.” In 2017, Maryland saw a 35 percent increase in hate crimes since 2016, despite this serious issue, very few sources seemed to cover it

In this day and age, a lot of things are unnecessarily made political, however, this situation has a fair reason to be made political.

Some people have connected this story and the increased level of hate crimes to Donald Trump’s anti-Mexican, anti-immigrant, and anti-Islam policies as well as his popularity among white supremacists.

Despite this somewhat logical connection, Vice President Mike Pence rejected the idea that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric contributed shooting in Pittsburgh.

“Look, everyone has their own style. And frankly, people on both side of the aisle use strong language about our political differences,” Pence said in an interview with NBC News “But I just don’t think you can connect it to threats or acts of violence… And I don’t think the American people connect it.”

Although sources such as CBS, CNN and ABC have not covered the rise of hate crimes in the USA as much as they should have, they did make this story a priority.

Synagogue suspect pleads not guilty

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By DAVE DOWNEY

Robert Bowers, the man accused of murdering 11 people in a hate-fueled massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh last Saturday entered a plea of not guilty in a federal courtroom Thursday.

“The possible penalties,” he was informed by Troy Rivetti, one of the prosecutors, “are first a sentence of death.” Bowers did not flinch. Other than death, possible outcomes are a variety of prison sentences from 10 years to life, connected to the 44 counts with which he is charged.

Those charges vary from hate crimes to using a firearm to commit murder in a crime of violence.

It is somewhat surprising how many other stories within the news are taking precedence over this, the deadliest anti-Semitic event in the U.S. since World War II.

Although the general election is under a week away, this is the major news story of the week, and most outlets are analyzing ads and Trump’s tweets over the impacts within and outside of the Steel City.

Bowers’ lawyer, Michael Novara, a federal public defender, requested a jury trial, which prosecutors estimated could take three to four weeks, or even longer if U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions certified it to indeed be a capital case.

Florida man arrested in mail bombs case

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By DAVE DOWNEY

The arrest came after authorities responded to two more devices on Friday — one in Florida, the other in New York — pushing the total number of packages found by law enforcement officials to 12. None have detonated, but all have put leaders on high alert as they worried about additional devices being delivered and potentially going off.

The coverage on this story has been top notch by all outlets, from the breaking story of the first package sent earlier this week all the way to finding the individual responsible late Friday morning.

Authorities haven’t yet released his name or any sort of motive as officials are continuing to work around the clock to iron out details and piece all of the story together.

All of the bomber’s targets have opposed piercingly with Trump at different times, and this news of dangerous packages popping up around the country aggravated the already full-throated political fights under two weeks before congressional elections.

Trump condemned the bombs on Wednesday before going on to blame the news media for the anger seen in American society.

He has also ruffled at commentators who have highlighted his rhetoric when discussing the explosive devices, tweeting shortly after 3 a.m. on Friday that CNN was “blaming me for the current spate of bombs.”

From stardom, to prison, to freedom

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By TYRIQ MCCORD

Life can really hit you fast when you are hauling in touchdowns on Sunday afternoons one day and serving up to a 20 year prison sentence the next.

But former Carolina Panther Rae Carruth is now a free man after being behind bars for 19 years. Carruth hired a hitman back in November 1999 to murder his then 24-year-old girlfriend Cherica Adams. Adams was eight months pregnant at the time when Carruth conspired the plan.

Adams and Carruth went to see a movie and when the movie concluded both parties were leaving in separate vehicles. When Adams was trying to leave, Carruth pulled up blocking Adams car in so she could not move. The hitman made his move, firing four shots that all struck to Adams. She had enough strength to call the authorities as well as a hospital where they performed a C section and save her child. Unfortunately Adams did not survive, passing away four days later. Carruth was convicted in 2001 for conspiracy to commit murder.

The NFL has already banned Carruth jerseys that some people are trying create through custom jerseys on NFLShop.com. Attempts to enter the jersey as a custom order are now met with an immediate warning that reads “We are unable to customize this item with the text you have entered. Please try a different entry.” It’s the same safeguard the site has put in place to block Aaron Hernandez and O.J. Simpson jerseys as well as those created with swear words, or hate terms.

Carruth is now currently in Pennsylvania under Pennsylvania Parole Board supervision, adjusting to life as a free man.

Wigs are worse than hate crimes?

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By ADAM SPECTOR

The rate of hate crimes has gone up over the past several years, yet it has received little media attention.

Eric Blankenstein, a senior Trump appointee responsible for enforcing laws against financial discrimination, used to write blogs and once questioned in if using the n-word was inherently racist and said that the majority of hate crimes were big hoaxes.

In a statement, Blankenstein admitted that he wrote the posts but claims they have no bearing on his work now.

According to WBAL-TV 11, “from vandalism to murder, a new report from Maryland State Police shows that Maryland is seeing more hate crimes.”

In 2017, Maryland saw a 35 percent increase in hate crimes since 2016. This has also been a nationwide increase. Despite this severe issue, sources such as CNN, Variety and the Huffington Post seem to spend more time talking about irrelevant issues.

The problem right now is that there are so many irrelevant topics of debate that the issue of hate crimes, racism, and anti-Semitism seem to have been put on the back burner.

In other words, people right now are more focused on minor issues of perceived political correctness, such as banning Speedy Gonzalez reruns and removing Apu from “The Simpsons” than the actual issue of ending hate crimes.

The way many people enjoy pretending to be offended by very minor things puts others under a false impression that racism is over even though it’s clearly not.

Even though Speedy Gonzalez offended Americans over potential Hispanic stereotypes, the Looney Tunes cartoon character remained popular in Latin America. This means the people that Americans thought would be offended by the character were not offended, yet Americans were.

Another example of people wasting their time was with Vogue’s recently released photo with of Kendall Jenner, with an Afro. This was somehow considered racist because she didn’t really have an Afro?

These people should instead spend their time raising awareness of hate crimes and should try to take action in their communities to prevent violence, vandalism, and any other crimes against people on the basis of race, religion, sexuality and or nationality. News editorials should promote this idea.

Man arrested in UM student death

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By MIRIAM RUIZ

Yasser Abualfaraj, who was a third-year student at the University of Miami, was murdered on Oct. 7 in his off-campus apartment. Police investigations have continuously been going on. Earlier today, it was reported that an arrest was made in the case.

A homeless man by the name of Robert Gore was arrested for the murder. Gore reportedly stabbed Abulfaraj more than 60 times while he was sleeping in his apartment. The police were able to trace the criminal due to DNA found on a can of beer and clothing.

The incident was a robbery and after Gore committed the homicide, he searched for valuables throughout the apartment. The student was later found by his roommate.

Robert Gore was arrested at a gas station on South Dixie Highway on Wednesday. An employee from Shell station near the location of the arrest reported that Gore had been caught stealing food at the shop before and was not pleasant. According to a report published on CBS Miami, “He said he had been coming to the store for years and was a real pest.”

The University of Miami mourns the loss of Abualfaraj. The police investigation has provided closure for the family as it grieves Yasser Abualfaraj’s death during this difficult time.

The news media in Miami have reported this story in an informative and delicate manner while keeping the community updated on the tragedy.

Volunteers search for missing girl

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By NOA ISRAEL

The sheriff of the Barron County, Wis., has requested help from 2,000 volunteers to search for teenager Jayme Closs, who disappeared from her home last week.

Closs, who was seen earlier last week at a relative’s birthday party, went missing on Oct. 15. A 911 call was placed from within the Closs’s Wisconsin home on the day of her disappearance and police arrived within four minutes. Upon arrival, the responding officers discovered Closs’s parents — James and Denise Closs — had been shot to death inside the home and found no trace of 13-year-old Jayme.

“On the 911 call, no one on the line talked to the dispatcher, but a disturbance was heard, authorities said. The dispatcher “could hear a lot of yelling” […] [and] a responding officer arrived to find “the door has been kicked in,” CNN reported. These circumstances lead police to believe Jayme had been kidnapped and an Amber Alert was issued.

One week later, Closs is still missing while searches for her continue across the state. On Monday, the Barron County sheriff requested volunteers to help in the search. More than 2,000 civilians showed up Tuesday morning to participate.

“By morning, the line of cars stretched over the horizon…. Across an area of five square miles, through soybeans, corn fields and thick woods, the volunteers scanned the ground for any bit of evidence,” said one CBS correspondent on the scene reported.

While efforts to find Closs are in full effect, searches-including yesterdays- have turned up little or no evidence. Close is considered to be in danger at this time and continued efforts to find her will be conducted by the Barron County police.

Man who killed officer remains on the loose

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By NOA ISRAEL

A man who shot and killed a police officer in Georgia Saturday is still on the loose after evading police capture.

Gwinnett County officer Antwan Tony was responding to a suspicious vehicle call along with another officer when 18-year-old Tafahree Maynard fired a weapon from within his approaching vehicle. Tony was struck by the bullet and, after the second officer returned fire, Maynard sped away.

After returning fire, the second officer pulled Tony to safety and attempted to keep him alive until medical personnel arrived. Unfortunately, Tony died from his wounds at a hospital soon after.

The vehicle driven by Maynard and his acquaintances was found crashed about a mile away from the scene of the shooting, all of the members inside the vehicle had fled. One of the suspects, Isaiah Prestlow, was apprehended in connection with the shooting and charged with aggravated assault but Maynard still remains on the run.

Police continue the search for Maynard and have charged him with aggravated assault and felony murder.

Limousine crash kills 20 people

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By NOA ISRAEL

A limousine carrying 18 people crashed last Saturday night near Albany, N.Y., killing all 18 people in the vehicle, including the driver, and two pedestrians.

The 2001 Ford Excursion limousine is said to have run through a stop sign while on the way to one of the passengers birthday celebration in Cooperstown going at least 60 m.p.h. and colliding with a parked car, killing two more people nearby. Four sisters and a newlywed couple were among those who died in the limousine. Initially, the cause of the crash was unclear, investigations went underway to determine if it was a technical malfunction or driver error.

Investigators discovered the driver of the vehicle, Scott Lisincchia, did not have proper licensing and was only permitted to carry 15 passengers. It was also later determined that the Ford Excursion limousine had failed to pass previous inspections and that the company was made aware — on multiple occasions — of the issues regarding the vehicle.

“The operator of the limo company, Nauman Hussain, was arrested on Wednesday in a “controlled traffic stop” because state police feared he was trying to flee,” ABC News reported yesterday. In his car, police discovered suitcases which Hussain excused as for hiding from death threats. He was arrested Wednesday and charged with criminally negligent homicide for putting a vehicle that did not pass inspection and driver with improper license on the road.

The crash  is the deadliest transportation crash since 2009 and has brought together hundreds of mourners. The first funeral, of the youngest woman aboard — Savannah Burese — took place Thursday afternoon. The next funeral for the victims involved is set to take place Friday for four sisters and three of their husbands.

Roy Williams’ needs to be questioned

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By NICOLAS IPARRAGUIRRE

During the University of North Carolina’s news media day for its basketball team, Coach Roy Williams was asked about the ongoing FBI investigation concerning players receiving improper benefits. When discussing the investigation, Williams said, “It’s a massive thing that’s still going on, and I’m just dumbfounded.”

Williams was adamant that he had no knowledge of players receiving money from shoe executives in order to play for certain universities. Williams’ claim that he had no idea what has been going on in college basketball recruiting is, at its best, ignorance and, at its worst, an outright lie.

For reference, here’s Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey when asked a similar question, “We’ve had this underworld as part of the fabric [of college basketball] for a long, long time,” Brey told the Indianapolis Star. “A long, long time.”

Another issue with Williams’ claim is that he was indirectly involved in a similar incident back in 2000. Back then, AAU Coach Myron Piggie had been indicted on charges that he had funneled money to recruits to play for Nike schools. One of these recruits was JaRon Rush, who was at the time committed to Kansas when Williams was coach there. While Kansas was not involved in the payments to Rush, for Williams to claim he had no idea what was going on in college basketball recruiting is a bit of stretch.

While not a reliable source of information, in response to Williams’ press conference, Piggie told Yahoo Sports, “Well, that [expletive], I mean, come on. Come on. You know Roy knew. He was in the mix. He knew what was going on. Roy’s got amnesia.”

When a massive figure in college basketball makes such a definitive statement, one that on the surface seems untrue, college basketball sportswriters have a duty to question Williams’ statement.

Unfortunately, outside of Yahoo Sports, most major news media figures have not even mentioned Williams’ statement. Currently, ESPN has not written a single story on the comments and the sports two biggest media figures, Jay Bilas and Jeff Goodman, have made no mention of them.

While most in the news media have no issue broadly claiming corruption in college basketball exists, they were hesitant to criticize the coach at one of college basketball’s most popular teams. Until members of the news media are willing to question those at the top, don’t expect the corruption to end any time soon.

UCLA prof exonerated from lab accident

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By IBRAHIM GRAY

A Los Angeles judge dismissed criminal charges against a UCLA professor whose failure to enforce proper safety precautions resulted in a 2008 lab fire and the death of a lab assistant.

Patrick Harran, a professor of chemistry, is thought to be the first American professor criminally charged for an academic lab accident.

Sheharbano “Sheri” Sangji was working as a lab assistant in Harran’s lab to save money for law school when a bottle of tert-Butyllithium, a chemical that ignites when exposed to air, spilled and started a fire. She was not wearing a lab coat at the time and did not go under the emergency shower until emergency responders arrived.

Sangji suffered second- and third-degree burns on more than 40 percent of her body, which ultimately caused her death in January 2009.

Harran agreed to a deferred prosecution deal in 2014 that would dismiss charges if he fulfilled a number of requirements for five years. These requirements included performing 800 hours of community service in the UCLA Hospitals, teaching organic chemistry classes to inner-city students in the summer and paying $10,000 to the Grossman Burn Center.

Although the original agreement was supposed to end June 2019, a Superior Court judge shortened the length of the agreement at the request of Harran’s attorney. Had he been convicted on all charges, Harran could have faced up to 4 1/2 years in prison.

Nations unite against Venezula’s crisis

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By ANABELLA ZAMBRANO

Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Canada leaders signed on Wednesday reached out to the president of the International Criminal Court and signed a statement asking for a probe into possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela.

According to CNN, the crimes, dating to 2014, range from extra-judicical murder, torture and the random arrests and detention of political opponents and anti-government protesters.

The protests throughout the last five years has caused unforgivable types of punishments towards Venezuelan citizens and it does not matter the age. Kids as young as 14 years of age have been arrested, or as some say kidnapped, and taken to unknown prison locations. Protesting because citizens want a better, safe, respectful and fair type of government its considered a crime in Venezuela.

Once known as the richest and most potential country for opportunity, Venezuela it is now at the bottom of the list with the highest dead rates, food shortages, starvation, inflammation, the list goes on. The hospitals are overcrowded with not enough doctors or medicine and supermarket shelf stands still remain empty.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, where the request was made, will meet in New York this week with the UN General Assembly General Assembly. According to Human Rights Watch, this is the first time International Criminal Court member governments have decided to follow an investigation of crimes on the territory of another country.

Due to the financial and economic crisis, people have migrated to other countries by the millions. But there are still also millions of civilians living in Venezuela and those who are not as lucky or have the necessary assets to leave and start over in another country.

It is not only about moving to another country for a better life. Venezuela wants its country back. Citizens wants its once almost perfect country. People are dying of hunger and in need of medicine. President Maduro and his allies can no longer hide this throughout their media communications in the country or the world.

If it wasn’t for social media or other communication outlets like Skype, Face-Time and Whatsapp, I don’t believe President Nicholas Maduro would get away with lying to the world about how good and peaceful Venezuela currently is.

Human rights have been violated for years now in Venezuela, and jails are filled with protesters and there are rumors they are not allowed to communicate with one another or they are not allowed to see daylight.

This investigation will hopefully turn down Maduro and the government.

Man charged in jogger’s death

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By NOA ISRAEL

On Tuesday night, 35-year-old Wendy Martinez was out for her evening jog when she was attacked by 23-year-old Anthony Crawford. Crawford stabbed Martinez and then fled the scene. She was able to make it to a nearby restaurant before collapsing due to her injuries.

While those inside the restaurant attempted to save her life, she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Martinez’s tragic death comes just one month after the discovery of 19-year-old jogger Mollie Tibett’s body. Tibett’s was abducted and stabbed by her captor, who avoided police for weeks. In both of these cases, apprehension of the suspect was mainly credited to surveillance cams that caught both suspects on tape.

Crawford was arrested on Wednesday evening at a park in Washington, D.C. He has been charged with Martinez’s murder.

Friends spoke out at a vigil for Martinez, one of these friends-Kristina Moore- had heartfelt words to share with the crowd. “Wendy should have been shopping for her wedding dress on Friday,” Moore said, trying to hold back tears. “There is a hole in our hearts that will never be replaced,” Moore stated.

Crawford is set to appear in court for his first appearance on Thursday afternoon. Her death, and Tibbet’s, have started conversation over more precarious measures females joggers can take, especially at night.

Rite Aid shooting news raises questions

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By ISABELLA VACCARO

Three people were shot and killed at a Rite Aid distribution center in Maryland yesterday. Unfortunately, as the years tick on and the number of mass shootings multiplies, each tragedy holds less and less weight in the eyes of the American public. 

Perhaps one of the more unique facts in this story is that the shooter was a woman — usually it is more common to see male gunmen. CNN.com, in its coverage of the act, used a headline that mentioned that a woman had shot the victims, and they wrote a lede that began with “A woman killed three people and wounded three others…” to be as specific as possible. 

It seems fair that a news source, if they have knowledge of who the gunman was, to state it immediately in the story. NPR clearly didn’t think so. Their headline read, “Multiple People Killed And Wounded in Maryland Shooting,” and their lede began with “Three people were killed…” 

They do not even identify the shooter until paragraph two, completely disregarding the need here for a classic summary news lede — with all the most important facts right at the top. 

It seems any news source would want to capture readers, no matter how morbid the topic, by providing an angle that might differentiate this shooting from every other story we read. 

Nevertheless, CNN and NPR both provide sound facts from law enforcement, which give the reader a clear vision of what exactly happened. However, CNN, in the second paragraph, explicitly asserts that the shooter was a “disgruntled employee,” which is an important fact to know when pondering the reason for the murder. 

NPR, on the other hand, does not come out and say that the woman was an employee, simply stating in the fourth paragraph that the “shooting may have been tied to a work-related grievance.” Unclear over whether this woman had actually worked for the Rite Aid or not, I had to seek other sources after reading NPR. 

CNN’s coverage was overall crafted more strategically and organizationally than NPR’s which made for an informative and easy read, with no loose-ends to tie up in your mind. 

Smart braces for release of captor

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By NOA ISRAEL

On the evening of June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart went to bed as she did every night, alongside her younger sister in their shared bedroom. However, in the middle of night Smart was awoken by a man who told her to come with him and be silent. Smart, fearing for her life, complied, and was led out of the house.

After months of searching for the missing teen, hope to find her alive began to dwindle in the community. Unbeknownst to the world, Smart was alive and being held captive by the man who took her from her home, Brian David Mitchell, and his accomplice Wanda Barzee. Smart was taken out in public on several occasions wearing a disguise, but the strange costumes eventually caught public eye.

On March 12, 2003, nine months after her abduction, Smart. Mitchell and Barzee were confronted and questioned by police while out in the park. Police recognized smart and she was taken to the police station and reunited with her family.

Smart endured months of starvation, rape and cruelty while with her captors. Mitchell was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and Barzee was sentenced to 15 years. Recently CNN reported, Barzee wasn’t expected to be released from state prison for at least another five years. But after receiving credit for time served in federal prison, Barzee is scheduled for release on Sept. 19.

Now, Smart fears for her the safety of herself, her children and others in the community. In a news conference Smart pleaded for the decision to be reconsidered. While it does not look like Smart will win her plea, she is still continuing to fight against her captors and receive justice for her torture.

Miller died hours before body was found

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By MIRIAM RUIZ

More information on musician Mac Miller’s death has been released. Emergency personnel discovered the rapper had passed away hours before authorities found the body.

Many fans all over the world have been grieving Mac Miller’s sudden death at such a young age and it has left many in shock. It has been reported that Miller, 26, suffered an apparent drug overdose. Miller had a history of drug addiction and fans were aware of it because he shared his experience and struggle through his lyrics.

The news media have handled Miller’s death respectfully; however, official knowledge of the incident has yet to be confirmed. Outraged fans began to attack Miller’s ex-girlfriend: Ariana Grande on social media, blaming her for the tragedy because she broke up with the rapper due to his drug addiction.

On an article published on Fox News, written by Ryan Gaydos, it is reported that when authorities arrived at the scene they assumed the house was “swept clean” therefore, officials cannot confirm exactly what happened the night before the rapper overdosed.

Being such a sensitive topic, the news media have handled it delicately to protect the privacy of the family and report the information in a respectable manner. So far, news on Miller’s death has been just that, quick, constantly updated, and to the point.

More information about the incident is yet to be discovered but as officials investigate, more details will be revealed.