3 teens try to stab mom for turning off Wi-Fi: Sheriff
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(HOUSTON) — Three teenagers allegedly attacked their mom and tried to stab her with kitchen knives because she turned off the Wi-Fi, according to authorities in Texas.
The three siblings — ages 14, 15 and 16 — “allegedly coordinated a plan to try and kill” their mother, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Because the mom turned off the Wi-Fi, the teens allegedly grabbed kitchen knives Sunday night and chased their mother through their Houston home and into the street, according to the sheriff.
The mom was also hit with a brick, Gonzalez said, and their grandmother was knocked over while attempting to protect the mom.
The mother and grandmother were not seriously hurt, the sheriff’s office said.
The three siblings were arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and were booked in the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, according to the sheriff’s office.
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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban transgender people from military service continues an unfortunate history of the armed services excluding marginalized people from the “privilege of serving,” a federal judge wrote Tuesday night.
In a 79-page decision, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes blocked the Trump administration from enacting the policy and offered a scathing rebuke of the Pentagon’s development of the policy.
“The Court’s opinion is long, but its premise is simple. In the self-evident truth that all people are created equal, all means all. Nothing more. And certainly nothing less,” Judge Reyes wrote.
The ruling came as part of Talbott vs. Trump, a lawsuit filed on Jan. 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups Glad Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights on behalf of six active duty transgender service members.
2nd Lt. Nicholas Talbott and Maj. Erica Vandal, both plaintiffs in the lawsuit, expressed relief during a press conference on Wednesday morning and said they look forward to continuing to serve their country.
“[This preliminary injunction] has provided immense relief for myself and my family, personally, along with the numerous others impacted,” Vandal said. “It’s a massive burden lifted knowing that I can continue to provide for my wife and two children, while continuing my career and lifelong passion as a field artillery officer.”
Lt. Talbott, a platoon leader in the U.S. Army Reserve, said that the ruling is a “tremendous step forward” and a “breath of fresh air.”
“Transgender service members are just as qualified, competent and dedicated as any other military member, and we are thrilled to be able to continue to put on our uniforms and perform the jobs we have worked so hard for in service of our country,” Talbott said.
A Defense Department memo last month said the Pentagon will be required to form a procedure to identify transgender troops by March 26 and separate them from the military by June 25, unless they receive an exemption. This includes service members receiving some form of treatment or hormones for that diagnosis of gender dysphoria, as well as those who have gone through a gender-affirming surgery.
According to Reyes, the Trump administration failed to justify the policy by articulating its impact on military readiness, harmed thousands of transgender service members, and likely violated the United States Constitution.
“The President has the power—indeed the obligation—to ensure military readiness. At times, however, leaders have used concern for military readiness to deny marginalized persons the privilege of serving,” Reyes wrote.
“[Fill in the blank] is not fully capable and will hinder combat effectiveness; [fill in the blank] will disrupt unit cohesion and so diminish military effectiveness; allowing [fill in the blank] to serve will undermine training, make it impossible to recruit successfully, and disrupt military order,” she added. “First minorities, then women in combat, then gays filled in that blank. Today, however, our military is stronger and our Nation is safer for the millions of such blanks (and all other persons) who serve.”
While the judge acknowledged that the judiciary should generally defer to military leadership, she said that permitting the policy to be enforced would be her following the Pentagon “blindly” after it justified the policy with “pure conjecture” during multiple court hearings.
Anticipating the Trump administration’s appeal, Reyes delayed her decision from taking effect until Friday so the Department of Justice could ask a higher court to stay her order.
“The Court knows that this opinion will lead to heated public debate and appeals. In a healthy democracy, both are positive outcomes. We should all agree, however, that every person who has answered the call to serve deserves our gratitude and respect. For, as Elmer Davis observed, ‘[t]his nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.’ The Court extends its appreciation to every current servicemember and veteran. Thank you,” the judge concluded her opinion.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said on X in response to the judge’s order, “District court judges have now decided they are in command of the Armed Forces…is there no end to this madness?”
Jennifer Levi and Shannon Minter, attorneys representing the plaintiffs in Talbott. vs Trump, welcomed the preliminary injunction during the press conference on Wednesday.
Minter said he is hopeful that as the case moves forward, it will result in a “permanent injunction,” because the “legal basis of the decision is so strong.”
Levi said that while the Trump administration could seek an emergency stay, she is “hopeful” that the judge would deny it.
“We anticipate that [the Trump administration] may appeal this, they may seek an emergency stay to try to get emergency relief. I think I’m hopeful that that won’t happen,” Levi said. “But I think the easier course, really, for the military at this point, is to continue to preserve these people in active service and let them continue to do their jobs.”
Meanwhile, Talbott and Vandal acknowledged that the fight is not over.
“Ultimately, the relief I feel at this time is tempered by the knowledge that this fight is far from over,” Vandal said.
“We are ready, and we are going to continue to show up every single day, put on our uniforms and do the absolute best that we can,” Talbott added.
There are currently 4,240 active-duty, National Guard and Reserve service members who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a defense official previously told ABC News.
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(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) —
The son of a local sheriff’s deputy allegedly opened fire near the Student Union at Florida State University in Tallahassee on Thursday, killing two people and injuring six others, authorities said.
The suspect — 20-year-old Pheonix Ikner, a current FSU student — was shot by responders and has been hospitalized, police said. He was taken into custody with non-life-threatening injuries, multiple law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Ikner is the son of a current Leon County sheriff’s deputy, according to Sheriff Walter McNeil. He had access to one of his mother’s personal weapons, which was one of the weapons found at the scene, the sheriff said. It appeared Ikner had a handgun and a shotgun with him, police said.
The suspect’s mother has been a deputy with the department for more than 18 years and “her service to this community has been exceptional,” McNeil said.
The suspect was also a “long-standing member” of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office’s Youth Advisory Council, McNeil said.
He was “engaged in a number of training programs that we have,” the sheriff said, adding, “Not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.”
The campus has been secured, police said.
Police have not identified the two people killed but said they were not students.
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said it’s received six patients, all in fair condition.
Sophomore Paula Maldonado told ABC News she was in class near the Student Union when she heard what sounded like yelling outside.
“Right after, the active threat alarm went off,” she said. “Everyone in my class quickly turned off the lights, put desks to block off the door and hid by the front of the classroom.”
“We were quiet and some were whispering,” Maldonado said. “Some were also crying and helping each other. Like a student next to me told me to put my backpack in front of me to protect myself.”
“A cop came inside and I thought it was the shooter, so it was very scary. But after a couple of minutes another cop came back in and told us to go outside with our hands up, Maldonado said.
Student Daniella Streety told ABC News she was in the building across the street from the Student Union when alert sirens started blaring, and people who were standing outside ran into her building.
Students then fled from the Student Union as law enforcement flooded the scene, she said.
Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the Parkland high school shooting in South Florida in 2018, said some of Jaime’s classmates now attend FSU.
“Incredibly, some of them were just a part of their 2nd school shooting and some were in the student union today,” Guttenberg, who has become a gun reform supporter, wrote on social media. “As a father, all I ever wanted after the Parkland shooting was to help our children be safe. Sadly, because of the many people who refuse to do the right things about reducing gun violence, I am not surprised by what happened today.”
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “My heart breaks for the students, their families, and faculty at Florida State University. There is no place in American society for violence. Our entire nation is praying for the victims and their families.”
FSU said classes are canceled through Friday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Olivia Osteen, Sony Salzman and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Mahmoud Khalil — the pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the campus of Columbia University, despite possessing a green card — is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
Khalil is currently being held in Louisiana after being arrested in New York earlier this week. His legal team is asking for Khalil to order the government to return him to New York while his legal fight plays out.
The court will hear the habeas corpus petition filed by Khalil’s legal team on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s administration has alleged that Khalil — who was a leader of the pro-Palestinian encampment protests on Columbia’s campus — was a supporter of Hamas. Authorities have not charged Khalil with a crime and the administration has not provided any evidence showing Khalil’s alleged support for the militant group.
Baher Azmy, one of the lawyers representing Khalil, called his client’s alleged alignment with Hamas “false and preposterous.”
Attorney Amy E. Greer said Khalil’s detention in Louisiana is a “blatantly improper but familiar tactic designed to frustrate the New York federal court’s jurisdiction.”
Khalil’s arrest has prompted protests calling for his release. Fourteen members of Congress have also signed a letter demanding his release.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
ABC News’ Armando Garcia, James Hill, Laura Romero and Ely Brown contributed to this report.
