(MIAMI) — Two people are dead after Florida authorities alleged a Miami-Dade Transit bus driver pulled out a weapon and opened fire on a bus during a disturbance.
The shooting erupted just before 3 a.m., when a Miami-Dade Transit bus driver was involved in a disturbance with two male passengers aboard the bus, Officer Diana Delgado of the Miami Gardens Police Department said at a news conference Sunday.
During the disturbance, the bus driver pulled out a weapon and opened fire, shooting the men, according to Delgado.
The two passengers were taken to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital in critical condition and later died from their injuries, according to police.
ABC affiliate TV station WPLG reports both of the shooting victims were male.
It was unclear, according to authorities, whether the bus was moving at the time of the shooting or how many passengers were aboard the bus.
The driver is being detained by police, Delgado said Sunday.
(Mike Hutmacher/Wichita Eagle/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(KANSAS) — One traffic violation on a Kansas highway led to the miraculous rescue of a 6-year-old girl who had been kidnapped.
Kansas Highway Patrol said the rescue happened after a highway trooper stopped an SUV for a traffic violation last month.
During the traffic stop, the trooper discovered that the front-seat passenger had a warrant for his arrest from another state for kidnapping a 6-year-old girl just over a month earlier, officials said in a post on Facebook.
Kansas Highway Patrol said the trooper had observed a girl in the vehicle about that age riding with the two adult male occupants, both of whom were in their 60s.
Officials said the driver of the vehicle had a criminal history that included homicide and numerous weapons violations.
“After the trooper and a deputy from a local sheriff’s office quickly secured both the driver and passenger, the trooper safely removed the little girl from the vehicle,” Kansas Highway Patrol wrote in the post.
Officials said initially the 6-year-old girl gave the trooper a false name and date of birth “after having been coached to do so, in an attempt to keep the adult out of jail.”
The young girl eventually told the trooper her real name when it was confirmed she was the kidnapping victim who had been with the suspect for over a month, officials said.
“Thankfully the girl was unharmed, and the men were taken into custody,” officials added.
The identities of those involved have not yet been released.
ABC News has reached out to the Kansas Highway Patrol for comment.
(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Housing Finance Agency has referred information about New York Attorney General Letitia James to the Justice Department regarding a loan on James’ Virginia property, according to a letter obtained by ABC News.
William Pulte, the director of the FHFA, alleges in his letter to the Justice Department, dated April 14, that James listed her Norfolk, Virginia property as her “principal residence” in August of 2023, “despite being a statewide public office holder in the state of New York at that same time and primarily residing in the state of New York.”
The FHFA alleges in the letter that a July 2024 building permit “lists her New York property as the ‘JAMES RESIDENCE’ and states ‘Remain Occupied’.”
“At the time of the 2023 Norfolk, VA property purchase and mortgage, Ms. James was the siting [sic] Attorney General of New York and is required by law to have her primary residence in the state of New York – even though her mortgage applications list her intent to have the Norfolk, VA property as her primary home,” according to the letter. “It appears Ms. James’ property and mortgage-related misrepresentations may have continued to her recent 2023 Norfolk, VA property purchase in order to secure a lower interest rate and more favorable loan terms.”
Pulte, whom Trump appointed in March to lead the FHFA, further alleges in the letter that James “appears to have falsified records in order to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms,” which he says “could be violations of the criminal code,” including wire, mail and bank fraud “and/or other relevant state and federal laws.”
The letter concludes by stating that the FHFA “look[s] forward to cooperating with the Department of Justice to support any actions that the Department of Justice finds appropriate.”
“Attorney General James is focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers, especially as this Administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution,” a spokesperson for James’ office said in a statement provided in response to an ABC News request for comment. “She will not be intimidated by bullies – no matter who they are.”
James’ office filed a business fraud suit against Trump and his organization in 2022, which resulted in a February 2024 ruling against Trump and fines in excess of $350 million. Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty to lying under oath in the civil trial and served five months in prison.
(THE CAROLINAS) — Firefighters were battling 175 wildfires that erupted across South and North Carolina overnight amid windy and dry conditions, threatening homes and prompting evacuations, authorities said.
There are ongoing response operations to the sprawling wildfires that had burned a combined 4,200 acres across the state as of Sunday — including blazes burning in Horry, Spartanburg, Oconee, Union and Pickens counties, the South Carolina State Fire Marshal said Sunday.
One of the biggest wildfires raging Sunday morning was threatening residents in the Carolina Forest near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in Horry County, officials said. The quick-spreading fire had burned more than 1,600 acres by the end of the day and was threatening the communities of Walkers Woods and Avalon, according to the South Carolina Forest Commission.
The fire was 30% contained as of Sunday afternoon, according to fire officials, and the evacuation order was lifted later that evening.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission posted an update on X just after 7 p.m. local time saying, “UPDATE: All areas previously evacuated due to Carolina Forest fire are now able to return, per Horry County Fire Rescue.”
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster had issued an executive order on Sunday declaring a state of emergency to support ongoing response to wildfires ravaging his state. The order enhances ongoing emergency response efforts as firefighters work to contain the wildfires affecting various regions.
“This State of Emergency ensures that our first responders, who are working tirelessly and risking their lives to protect our communities from these wildfires, have the resources they need,” McMaster said in a statement.
McMaster announced that a statewide burning ban was in effect as of Saturday.
“That means you can and will go to jail for starting a fire outdoors in South Carolina, period,” McMaster said in a social media post on Saturday night.
On Sunday, McMaster added, “Dangerous wildfire conditions require that a statewide burning ban remain in effect until further notice.”
The cause of the Carolina Forest Fire is under investigation. The blaze erupted amid wind gusts of up to 40 mph and extremely dry conditions, fire officials said.
A fire in Horry County north of the Carolina Forest had scorched more than 300 acres by Sunday morning and was burning out of control, officials said.
Red flag fire danger warnings were issued across South Carolina.
“Our first responders are risking their lives to contain many fires across South Carolina tonight,” McMaster said on Saturday.
Video footage captured plumes of smoke and flames wafting above a tree line and houses in the Carolina Forest.
Another large wildfire about 35 miles south of Myrtle Beach broke out Saturday and threatened homes in Georgetown County, South Carolina, and prompted evacuations in the town of Prince George, officials said.
The fire, according to the Prince George Fire Department, had grown to more than 800 acres by Sunday morning, but firefighters were gaining the upper hand on the blaze and nearly all evacuations have been lifted, officials said.
The fire is under investigation.
The Prince George fire flared up in an area where firefighters were conducting a prescribed or controlled burn earlier this week near the Arcadia Plantation, according to Jackie Broach, a spokesperson for Georgetown County.
In Pickens County, South Carolina, yet another fire was burning Sunday morning in the Six Mile Mountain area, prompting evacuations, according to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.
Firefighters quickly responded to the Six Mile Mountain Fire, stopping it from spreading to homes, according to the sheriff’s office. The fire was 85% contained after burning nearly 300 acres, officials said.
In Polk County, North Carolina, near the border with South Carolina, a fast-moving brush fire ignited just after 2 p.m. local time on Saturday and grew overnight, threatening the towns of Melrose, Tryon and Saluda, where mandatory evacuation orders were issued, according to the Saluda Fire and Rescue Department.
The Polk County Fire started at about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, caused by a downed power line near Highway 176, officials said. By 9 p.m. Saturday, the blaze had spread to 400 acres with no containment reported, according to fire officials.
Dry and breezy conditions were prompting red flag warnings across much of the Southeast on Saturday and into Sunday. Most of the red flag warnings expired by Sunday morning as winds calmed down.
But other areas in the Southwest were bracing for critical fire weather on Sunday and into Monday, including parts of New Mexico and Texas.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio, Jessica Gorman and Daniel Amarante contributed to this report.
