5-year-old Minneapolis boy Liam Conejo Ramos, father ordered released from federal jail
People protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement as they march toward the South Texas Family Residential Center on January 28, 2026 in Dilley, Texas. (Joel Angel Juarez/Getty Images)
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, asylum seekers who were arrested last week in Minnesota, were ordered to be released by a federal judge in Texas on Saturday.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered Conejo Ramos and his father released from the immigration detention center at Dilley “as soon as practicable” but no later than Feb. 3.
“Any possible or anticipated removal or transfer of Petitioners under this present detention is prohibited,” the judge wrote in his order.
Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(VIRGINIA) — A Virginia jury found that an assistant principal acted with gross negligence when a then-6-year-old student shot his first grade teacher in a lawsuit filed over the 2023 shooting.
The jury awarded the teacher, Abby Zwerner, $10 million in damages, with award interest beginning on June 1, 2024.
The verdict comes after the jury began deliberations Wednesday afternoon in the high-profile civil case.
Zwerner was shot in January 2023 in her classroom at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. Her complaint alleged the school’s assistant principal at the time, Ebony Parker, failed to act after being informed multiple times that her student had a firearm on the day of the incident and did not let staff search him prior to the shooting.
Parker did not react as the verdict was read in court on Thursday.
Zwerner’s attorneys said they are “very happy with the outcome.”
“I remember just three years ago, almost to this day, hearing for the first time Abby’s story and thinking that this could have been prevented,” one of the attorneys, Diane Toscano, told reporters outside the courthouse in Newport News. “So now to hear from a jury of her peers that they agree that this tragedy could have been prevented.”
When asked about the payment of the damages, one of Zwerner’s attorneys noted Parker is insured under an insurance policy for the Newport News School Board, but noted there are pending post-trial motions.
The civil complaint, which was seeking $40 million in damages, alleged Parker acted with gross negligence and in “reckless disregard” for Zwerner’s safety and claimed Zwerner continues to suffer pain and emotional distress over the shooting.
The bullet went through Zwerner’s left hand, which she had lifted, and then into her chest, where it remains. She was initially hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said.
“Those choices that she made to treat Jan. 6, 2023, like any other day, even though a gun should change everything, is why we’re here,” Zwerner’s attorney, Kevin Biniazan, said during closing arguments on Wednesday.
Biniazan argued there were multiple opportunities for Parker to investigate and take immediate action after several school workers “sounded the alarm” about a possible gun in the school. He said the defense will attempt to play the “blame game” and point the finger at others on staff, but each of them had a “piece of the puzzle” while Parker “had the entire puzzle.”
“A gun changes everything. You stop and you investigate,” he said. “You get to the bottom of it to know whether that gun is real and on campus so you can deal with it. But that’s not what happened.”
On the millions in damages sought, Biniazan asked the jurors, “What number do you arrive at for somebody who didn’t want this and it’s been inserted into her life like a bullet fragment against her spine?”
During the defense’s closing arguments, an attorney for Parker said the case is about “real-time judgments, not hindsight judgments,” and the low likelihood that a 6-year-old boy would have a firearm that day and shoot his teacher.
“It was a tragedy that, until that day, was unprecedented, it was unthinkable and it was unforeseeable, and I ask that you please not compound that tragedy by blaming Dr. Parker for it,” the defense attorney, Sandra Douglas, said.
Zwerner testified during the trial, which began in late October, recounting the moment she was shot.
“I thought I had died,” she recalled on the stand. “I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven. But then it all got black and so I then thought I wasn’t going there.”
“My next memory is, I see two co-workers around me, and I process that I’m hurt, and they’re putting pressure on where I’m hurt,” she continued.
Parker did not testify during the trial.
Three other defendants initially listed in Zwerner’s complaint — two school administrators and the Newport News School Board — were dismissed from the lawsuit ahead of the civil trial.
Zwerner and Parker both resigned following the shooting. Zwerner said she has since completed a cosmetology program but has not yet started working as her hand heals following her most recent surgery.
Parker has also been charged with eight counts of felony child abuse with disregard for life in connection with the shooting — one count for each bullet that was in the gun, according to the Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. A trial on the criminal charges is scheduled to start this month.
The student brought the gun from home, police said. His mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to two years in state prison for child neglect in connection with the shooting, which she is currently serving. Taylor was also sentenced to 21 months in prison on federal firearm and drug charges, which she has since served.
Flowers and candles are seen at a makeshift memorial for murdered American conservative activist Charlie Kirk outside the U.S. embassy as its flag hangs at half-staff on September 14, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
(UTAH) — The man accused of murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk will be allowed to wear civilian clothing during pretrial hearings, a Utah judge ruled on Monday.
At the same time, the judge denied a request from the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, to appear during the proceedings without any restraints.
Robinson’s attorneys sought to extend the right for him to appear in civilian clothing that is afforded during trial to all of his pretrial proceedings, arguing that, given the extensive media coverage of the case, there is a risk of prejudice if potential jurors see him in jail attire. Prosecutors had opposed the request, arguing jail clothing aids with identification and safety.
In granting the request during a virtual hearing on Monday, Judge Tony Graf said, “Robinson’s right to the presumption of innocence outweighs the minimal inconvenience of permitting civilian attire, and Mr. Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent.”
Robinson similarly sought to appear without restraints due to concerns they could prejudice potential jurors.
In denying the request, the judge said that while Robinson previously had no criminal history or any issues while in custody, the charges he faces are “extraordinarily serious, carrying potential penalties of life imprisonment or death.”
“The safety of Mr. Robinson, the attorneys, court staff and the public must remain the court’s highest priority,” Graf said. “The emotional nature of these proceedings also raise the risk of disruption.”
Graf directed the sheriff’s department to “use the least restrictive restraints necessary to maintain safety.”
“If those restraint strains impede the defendant’s ability to communicate with counsel or take notes, counsel may renew the motion,” Graf said.
The judge further said the media will be prohibited from recording or photographing Robinson’s restraints as well as while he enters, exits or stands in court.
Graf issued his rulings after hearing arguments from prosecutors and the defense during a closed-door hearing last week.
Robinson appeared remotely from jail, with his camera turned off, during Monday’s hearing. He is next scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 16, 2026.
The shooting suspect turned himself in to authorities a day after Kirk was gunned down while holding an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 10.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. He has not yet entered a plea.
Prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty.
(NEW YORK) — New York Jets player Kris Boyd was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot on Sunday morning on a New York City street.
A 29-year-old male was shot in the abdomen just after 2 a.m. in front of a restaurant at 156 W. 38th Street in Midtown Manhattan, the NYPD confirmed to ABC News. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in New York, the NYPD said, where he was listed in critical but stable condition.
Though the NYPD would not confirm that it was Boyd who was shot, the New York Jets said in a statement to ABC News that they are aware of the situation involving Kris Boyd and have no further comment at this time.
No arrests have yet been made in the shooting, which is under investigation, according to the NYPD. Police are searching for a man who was seen leaving the scene in a blue BMW, the NYPD said.
Police early on Monday released two images of a person of interest in the case. The NYPD described the person as a “male, medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a black cap, black sweatshirt, black pants, multi-colored sneakers, and carrying a black bookbag.”
The Jets did not play on Sunday. The team played Thursday night, losing to the New England Patriots.
In March, Boyd, a defensive cornerback and specialty teams player, signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract to play for the Jets, according to the team. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during team scrimmage in August and hasn’t played since.
A native of Gilmore, Texas, Boyd played college football for the University of Texas, and joined the NFL in 2019 as a seventh round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals and the Houston Texans before coming to the Jets.
