20-year-old mother, infant killed in drive-by shooting in Connecticut
Hartford Police Department
(HARTFORD, Conn.) — Police are searching for a man accused of fatally shooting a 20-year-old mother and her 4-month-old son while they were sitting in their car in Hartford, Connecticut, on Tuesday, in what appears to be a drive-by shooting, according to police.
A warrant has been issued for 23-year-old Lance “Macho” Morales, according to Hartford police.
While not in custody, Morales has been charged with two counts of murder, murder with special circumstances, criminal possession of a firearm, assault in the first degree and criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree. Morales’ bond is set at $3 million.
“There are ongoing attempts to apprehend Morales with the assistance of multiple law enforcement agencies,” Hartford police said in a statement Wednesday.
Police were dispatched to Hartford Hospital on Tuesday afternoon after it was reported that a vehicle arrived carrying multiple people who had been shot, police said.
Jessiah Mercado and her son Messiah Diaz were pronounced dead at the hospital. Another victim in his 20s suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, police said. The driver of the car was not injured.
Investigators determined the shooting had occurred moments before when the suspect vehicle pulled alongside the victims’ car and opened fire, according to police.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing and police are asking anyone with information regarding the case to contact Hartford police.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office released this photo of Steven Douglas Lloyd. Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) — A suspect who allegedly killed a man and made the death appear to have happened in a fall from a cliff — all in a bid to steal the victim’s identity — has been captured following a weekslong manhunt, authorities said.
Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, was taken into custody on Sunday in Columbia, South Carolina, authorities said.
Hamlett had been sought following the death of a man on a scenic highway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, last month.
Hamlett allegedly called 911 on Oct. 18 to report that he had fallen off a cliff while running from a bear and was injured, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. He identified himself by a different name on the call, according to the sheriff’s office.
The call was pinged to the area of Cherohala Skyway. During a search of the area, the body of a man with identification matching the name given by Hamlett on the 911 call was found on his person, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, however, determined that was not the deceased person’s identity, and that the victim had been murdered, the sheriff’s office said.
The identification found on the victim had been stolen and used on multiple occasions, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators determined that Hamlett, who is also wanted out of Alabama on a parole violation, had been using that stolen identity, the sheriff’s office said.
The deceased person did not have injuries consistent with a fall or bear attack, according to Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones II. The Knox County Regional Forensic Center determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma, Jones said.
Last week, authorities identified the victim of the murder on the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains as Steven Douglas Lloyd, 34, of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Hamlett allegedly had befriended the victim and “lured him into a wooded area to take Steven’s life and his identity,” the sheriff’s office said. Hamlett had known the victim for several months, according to Jones.
“Steven was known to leave home and live on the streets, but kept in contact with his family,” the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Steven loved the outdoors and was so helpful when it came to others. The family was shocked to learn that their beloved son’s life had been taken by someone that Steven trusted.”
Amid the search for Hamlett, authorities warned that the murder suspect should be considered armed and dangerous.
The manhunt was brought to an end on Sunday when an employee at a hospital in Columbia recognized Hamlett and alerted authorities, according to the Columbia Police Department.
His identification was verified by the FBI through fingerprints, according to Jones.
It is unclear why Hamlett was at a hospital.
No further details are being released at this time, Jones said.
Hamlett has charges pending for first-degree murder out of Monroe County and parole violation out of Alabama, the sheriff said.
Sheriff Bill Franklin of Elmore County, Alabama, told Knoxville ABC affiliate WATE that Hamlett had pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault in 2011 and was on parole for that charge.
Arrangements are being made with Tennessee authorities for Hamlett’s extradition to Monroe County, Columbia police said.
It is unclear if Hamlett has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Hamlett was known to have ties to multiple states, and his wanted poster had been shared nationwide.
“The sharing of Hamett’s wanted poster led the public, whom is our most valuable resource, to act as our eyes and ears,” Jones said in a statement on Sunday. “After observing Hamlett at a local hospital, a good citizen alerted the authorities and brought this manhunt to a peaceful end.”
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — Shots rang out at the Park Plaza Mall in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Black Friday, leaving three people injured, police said.
The shooting occurred at 1:44 p.m., according to the Little Rock Police Department. The three people who were hurt have injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, according to police.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. released a statement after the shooting, saying there are two suspects.
“Two individuals today jeopardized the lives and safety of residents and visitors,” Scott Jr. said Friday.
“We are praying for the victims of this incident, and are hopeful they make a full recovery,” he added.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — A New York-based Iranian journalist who was the target of an alleged failed assassination attempt that federal prosecutors say involved an Iranian general said she has “been given a second life.”
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday announced criminal charges against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Brig. Gen. Ruhollah Bazghandi in connection with the alleged murder plot against Masih Alinejad, a prolific journalist and human rights activist who has been critical of the Iranian government, in particular the status of women’s rights.
The charges name Bazghandi and six other Iranian operatives who federal prosecutors said plotted to kill Alinejad.
In response to the charges, Alinejad said it was a “beautiful day” in a statement on X on Tuesday while posting a video of herself riding a bicycle, smiling, and saying, “I love my life.”
Asked by ABC News’ Diane Macedo about the joyful video during an interview on ABC News Live on Wednesday, Alinejad said, “I’ve been given a second life. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stay forever, but it is a beautiful day for me and I have to celebrate it because, look, the Iranian regime actually showed that how far they can go.”
“When I read the details, I was like, ‘Wow, the high-ranking member of Revolutionary Guards actually were in charge to kill me?'”
Alinejad said she met with members of the FBI and the Department of Justice about the case.
“When they named Ruhollah Bazghandi, I was screaming out of joy because it is beautiful,” she said. “You have to be a woman from Iran, from the Middle East, to understand when a killer [gets stopped], how it feels.”
“I smiled. But at the same time, I am very sad because I know that this is happening to my women inside Iran,” she continued. “They are facing the same killers every day.”
Alinejad, 48, fled Iran in 2009 in the aftermath of the country’s disputed presidential elections. Her 2018 memoir, “The Wind in My Hair,” detailed how she helped spark an online movement against the compulsory hijab as the founder of the My Stealthy Freedom campaign.
Alinejad, who lives in exile in New York City, said she has moved 21 times between safe houses in the past three years, following an alleged Iranian plot to lure and kidnap her in 2021.
Since at least July 2022, the Bazghandi network sought to assassinate Alinejad, as directed by individuals in Iran, according to the federal indictment, which was released on Tuesday.
The indictment details how the network of operatives surveilled Alinejad and quotes them talking about her in July 2022.
“I’m close to the place now brother I’m getting even closer,” the indictment quotes one operative as saying.
In response, another said, according to the indictment, “OK my brother dear don’t let her out of your sight. Let’s not delay it my brother dear.”
The operative — Khalid Mehdiyev — was disrupted when he was arrested near the victim’s home on July 28, 2022, while in possession of an assault rifle, along with 66 rounds of ammunition, approximately $1,100 in cash, and a black ski mask, according to the indictment.
The operatives were members of an Eastern European crime group allegedly contracted by the Bazghandi network to kill Alinejad, according to the indictment.
“The Islamic Republic hired criminals to do their dirty job on U.S. soil to get away with it, to get away from accountability,” Alinejad said. “But now, the law enforcement actually found the high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Guards that were behind this assassination plot.”
“I’m not carrying weapons. I’m only 45 kilos. But they were trying to kill me,” she said.
Tehran has not responded to the recent charges.
The FBI released a wanted poster for Bazghandi, who is based in Iran and is being sought on charges including murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement Tuesday that the indictment “exposes the full extent of Iran’s plot to silence an American journalist for criticizing the Iranian regime” and that the FBI will “work with our partners here and abroad to hold accountable those who target Americans.”
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
