Car crashes into LA grocery store; 3 dead, several hurt: Officials
In this screen grab from a video, first responders are shown at the scene after a car crashed into a market in Los Angeles, on Feb. 5, 2026. (KABC)
(LOS ANGELES) — At least three people were killed and six others were hurt when a car crashed into a grocery store in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials.
It appears the driver — a woman who’s about 70 years old — lost control of her car, hitting a bicyclist and then crashing into the market, LA fire officials said.
The crash is being investigated as accidental, not intentional, officials said.
It appears some victims were trapped under the car, officials said.
Six people were injured: two suffered serious or critical injuries; two had minor or moderate injuries; and two declined to be taken to a hospital, officials said.
The driver is being evaluated and is speaking with officers, officials said.
Kersten Francilus is seen in a photo released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
(MARTIN COUNTY, Fla.) — The suspect in the deadly, apparently random stabbing of an elderly woman who was walking her dog in Florida allegedly told authorities that he “went around” the neighborhood and “found a lady and then I killed her,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The shocking, “extremely violent” attack occurred Thursday afternoon in Stuart, in the “quiet” community of Southwood, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said.
Several people had called 911 to report a “suspicious” man who was going door-to-door asking “where the new bank was,” Budensiek said at a press briefing Thursday, noting that there isn’t a bank in the area. The suspect — later identified as 25-year-old Kersten Francilus — reportedly appeared “out of it,” according to the affidavit.
At one house, the suspect asked for the bank and allegedly “attempted to step inside,” at which point the resident shut the door, according to the affidavit.
Shortly after those calls, people called 911 to report the stabbing, according to Budensiek. The victim was walking a small dog when she was “brutally attacked,” he said.
A good Samaritan tried to intervene but couldn’t get the assailant off the woman, the sheriff said.
A deputy who was already en route for the suspicious person arrived at the scene and saw the victim on the ground, according to Budensiek.
“Our suspect was on top of her, actually actively stabbing her,” Budensiek said.
The deputy got out of his vehicle and pulled out his gun, at which time the suspect threw the knife down, “giving up,” the sheriff said.
The deputy immediately took Francilus into custody, the sheriff said.
An off-duty deputy who had also responded rendered aid to the victim, Budensiek said. She was transported to an area hospital, where she died from “significant injuries,” the sheriff said. She had been stabbed multiple times in her upper torso, he said, calling it a “violent, violent homicide.”
The victim appeared to have 16 or 17 stab wounds, according to the affidavit, which identified her as Joyce Ellen Thompson Adams.
Francilus has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder. He refused a public defender and is being held on no bond, online court records show. ABC News’ attempts to reach members of his family for comment were unsuccessful.
After being read his Miranda Rights, Francilus allegedly admitted to the stabbing, according to the affidavit.
“He initially stated he left his residence and ‘did what I did,'” the affidavit stated. “He stated he ‘went around’ the neighborhood, and he said ‘I found a lady and then I killed her.'”
The suspect is believed to live in a nearby neighborhood with his mother, wife and child, Budensiek said. A steak knife used in the attack came from their home, according to the sheriff.
The suspect’s mother reportedly told detectives that Francilus “has not taken his medications since February,” according to the affidavit, which did not go into further detail. His mother also said she “usually stored the knives above the microwave, essentially hiding them from the suspect,” the affidavit stated.
A motive remains under investigation, according to the sheriff.
Francilus has no known criminal history or connection to the victim, Budensiek said. There was previously one call for service at his home, during which he was reported to have been “acting strange,” the sheriff said.
“We don’t know of any motive at this point. We don’t know of any nexus between the victim and the suspect,” Budensiek said. “We just simply know that we’ve had a horrendous crime that’s taken place in this neighborhood.”
Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William N. McCasland. (U.S. Air Force)
(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) — The FBI is assisting a local sheriff’s office in the search for a missing retired Air Force general who disappeared from his home in late February.
Retired Maj. Gen. William N. “Neil” McCasland held a number of “space research, acquisition and operations roles within the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office” while enlisted, according to the Air Force. The roles included director-level positions at the Pentagon, as well as commanding the Phillips Research Site of Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, according to the Air Force.
McCasland, 68, left his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home on February 27 and hasn’t been seen since, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
“Due to his background and established partnerships, BCSO is coordinating closely with multiple agencies, including the FBI Albuquerque Field Office,” the sheriff’s office said, adding in a subsequent update that they “have so far uncovered no evidence of foul play.”
McCasland is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 160 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes. He’s believed to have left his home on foot, the BCSO said.
“[D]espite the collective efforts of law enforcement and the community, we still do not know what happened to Neil after he left home on February 27,” the BCSO added.
“Our priority is finding Mr. McCasland safely,” Sheriff John Allen said. “We’re asking the public to help by checking and preserving any security camera footage from the area and reporting any information immediately.”
Donna Massey, the mother of shooting victim Sonya Massey, is comforted during a press conference at New Mount Pilgrim Church on July 30, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Images
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison after he was convicted in October 2025 of second-degree murder for the July 2024 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a possible intruder at her home in Springfield, Illinois.
Judge Ryan Cadagin said that Grayson will also have a two-year mandatory supervised release and will receive credit for time served, according to Springfield ABC affiliate WICS, which was in the courtroom. He had been facing to four to 20 years in prison or probation, according to prosecutors.
Summer Massey, Sonya Massey’s daughter who was 15 when her mother was fatally shot, told reporters that she was “grateful” that Grayson received the maximum sentence.
“I’m thankful for all the love and support that everybody has came out and shown and I’m grateful that we got the maximum sentence that we could,” she said. “Twenty years is not enough, but … they did what they could do.”
Grayson spoke ahead of his hearing and apologized to Massey’s family, WICS reported.
“I wish there was something I could do to bring her back. I wish this didn’t happen. I wish they [Massey’s family] didn’t have to go through this experience. I am very sorry,” he said, according to WICS.
Addressing the judge, Grayson acknowledged that he “made a lot of mistakes” on the night Massey died, WICS reported.
“There were points when I should’ve acted, and I didn’t — I froze. I made terrible decisions that night. I’m sorry,” he reportedly said.
Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, and children delivered victim impact statements ahead of the sentencing, WICS noted.
“Today, I’m afraid to call the police in fear that I might end up like Sonya,” Donna Massey said, according to WICS.
She addressed Grayson with the same words that Sonya Massey said to the former deputy before she was fatally shot, WICS reported: “Sean Grayson, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Massey’s son Malachi also spoke.
“I had to step up at 17. I had nowhere to go or nothing. I was just lost. I’m figuring it out a little bit now, but I still need my mom … it’s like a part of me is dead,” Malachi Massey said during Thursday’s hearing, WICS reported.
Sontae Massey, Massey’s cousin, told WICS in an interview that aired ahead of the sentencing that her death “shattered” her family.
Family representatives for the Massey family told ABC News on Wednesday that the family will hold a press conference after Grayson’s sentencing hearing.
Ahead of sentencing Grayson, the judge denied on Thursday morning Grayson’s request for a new trial.
Grayson’s attorneys filed a motion for a new trial on Dec. 2, 2025, arguing that “several erroneous rulings” “resulted in prejudice to the defendant.”
The motion, which was reviewed by ABC News, cited alleged “errors” that include “incorrectly” focusing on Grayson’s “obligations as a police officer” when determining not to release him pre-trial, as opposed to “the danger he posed as a private citizen.”
Grayson’s attorneys also argued in the motion that the judge should not have admitted into evidence the body camera video that showed Grayson’s “statements and actions” after he fatally shot Massey.
Grayson’s attorneys did not respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, who prosecuted Grayson, told ABC News on Thursday that his office filed a motion asking the judge to deny Grayson’s request for a new trial.
Body camera footage of the July 6, 2024 incident shows Grayson, who was inside Massey’s home, pointing to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “Walk away from your hot steaming water.”
Massey then appears to pour the water into the sink and repeats the deputy’s phrase before saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” according to the video.
Grayson threatens to shoot her and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt, the video shows. As she briefly rises, Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.
During Grayson’s testimony, he told the jury he believed Massey was going to throw the scalding water on him and was scared.
The assistant state attorney said that Massey’s final words before being shot with her hands up were, “I’m sorry,” according to WICS.
Grayson was initially charged with three counts in connection to Massey’s death — first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Following the seven-day trial in October 2025, the jury was given the option of considering second-degree murder instead of first-degree murder.
ABC News’ Mariama Jalloh and Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.
