Category: National

(NEW YORK) — The parents of Nolan Xavier Wells, the 18-year-old student-athlete whose body was recovered on July 6 after a Fourth of July boating trip, called for a transparent investigation as they seek answers about the mysterious death of their son.

Christine and Elmore Wonsley told “Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan in an interview on Friday that they have called for a “thorough” investigation as they seek answers about their son’s mysterious death.

“We just want honesty and transparency. We want a thorough investigation,” Christine Wonsley said. “We want that same respect that would be given to anybody else, and that’s it. We just want answers.”

Wells, who played football at Southwest Mississippi Community College, went missing during a Fourth of July celebration with high school friends on Horn Island, a popular undeveloped island just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, officials said. A body believed to be Wells was recovered on Monday. According to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, a friend of Wells contacted the Coast Guard around 11 p.m. on July 4. Separately, Wells’ mother contacted the sheriff’s office about her son around midnight leading into July 5.

The Wonsleys cast doubt on claims by friends that Wells decided to stay behind on the island, while his friends left.

“That we cannot answer,” Christine Wonsley said when asked why Wells would stay behind, “I just, I can’t — I can’t fathom why he would.”

“We always told him, if you go with a group, you stay with a group,” Elmore Wonsley said.

Ledbetter told ABC News in an interview that aired on “GMA” on Friday that nothing “yet” from the evidence they collected indicates that foul play was involved in Wells’ death, but the investigation will take time and is ongoing, he added.

“We’re working towards the same goal as the family. We want a thorough investigation. We’re trying to find out everything ,” he said. “We are providing a thorough, professional, and accurate investigation. That’s what we’re going to continue to do, until we arrive at the answers that the family deserves.”

“This is a very difficult time for our community. This is a very difficult time for Nolan’s family,” he added. “Our main objective and our priority is to produce an accurate and professional and very thorough investigation into the death of Nolan, for the sake of his family and for the sake of the community.”

The sheriff urged the public for “patience” as investigators look into a “substantial amount” of tips and review photo and video evidence.

“Jackson County is a community that supports its people,” he said. “Our community is there for the family.”

Christine Wonsley told “GMA” that his family tracked his phone on the Life360 application, but when she went to pick it up from friends, she found that some texts and messages had been deleted, particularly pointing to his Snapchat account.

“When we finally got his phone, me and my sister went through the phone. We went in his Snapchat. He had two accounts. Absolutely nothing,” Christine Wonsley said. “It wasn’t even 24 hours, which is how long videos and pictures stay in Snapchat … even my sister was like, yeah, that’s suspicious.”

“No young person leaves their cell phone,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, told “GMA.” “It’s not adding up, and that is the problem when you think about the history of Mississippi. Yeah, so there are so many questions that need to be answered.”

Crump told ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis in an interview on Wednesday that the family will “not allow” investigators to “sweep” their son’s death “under a rug.”

“You’re trying to tell us just accept this an accident and sweep it under the rug,” Crump said. “His mother, Christine, his father, Elmore, say, no, they will not allow that to happen.”

According to Crump, while authorities have told the family that they “don’t see any evidence of any foul play,” Wells’ parents have questions after learning more details about what allegedly took place before their son’s disappearance and are calling for a transparent investigation.

Crump said the family is aware of an “altercation” that was “recorded” by students who were on the boat, where “Nolan and somebody” were “yelling at one another.”

Crump also said that Wells’ friends took his phone with them when they left Horn Island and when his family got his phone back, some messages had been deleted.

“That’s something that’s really troubling to his family,” Crump said.

Asked if Wells could swim, Crump said his father described the 18-year-old college football player as “an elite athlete.”

“He said that his son could swim. And so, they’re just not accepting that Nolan drowned accidentally,” Crump said.

As the family searches for answers, they will conduct an independent autopsy in Washington, D.C., Crump said.

The sheriff’s department stressed Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone who was on or near the northwest tip of Horn Island to come forward with photos or videos, “particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells.”

The sheriff’s department said it’s also looking for anyone who may have seen Wells or “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity while on the island.”

“Even information that may seem insignificant could prove valuable to investigators. We encourage anyone with firsthand knowledge to come forward,” the department said.

“Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences remain with Nolan Wells’ family during this difficult time,” the department added.

ABC News’ Sasha Pezenick, Kirk Cohall and Mark Guarino contributed to this report.

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(HOUSTON) — The man fatally shot during a traffic stop by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston this week was seemingly not the original target of the immigration enforcement operation, a Department of Homeland Security official told ABC News.

The DHS official said Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, “resembled the target.”

“After receiving a credible tip from our law enforcement partners, our officers conducted surveillance on a target’s address. Weeks prior to the incident, they noted two white vans at the property,” the official said.  “On July 7, officers were almost at the target’s address when they observed a white van with an individual who resembled the target. Officers then initiated the vehicle stop.”

The Harris County Medical Examiner has listed Lorenzo Salgado’s death as a homicide. The primary cause of death was “penetrating gunshot wound of the torso,” according to the office.

The update from DHS comes as Salgado’s family and local officials are pushing for answers and demanding an independent and transparent investigation into the incident.

In a previous statement, ICE said officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Salgado Araujo around 6:50 a.m. on Tuesday as part of a targeted operation.

Salgado Araujo allegedly didn’t follow verbal commands, according to ICE, and the agency alleged that Salgado Araujo “weaponized his vehicle” and tried to run over an officer during the stop, prompting the officer to fire their weapon “in self-defense.”

DHS said the shooting remains under investigation by its Office of the Inspector General.

Earlier Thursday, DHS said the ICE officers involved in the incident had not been issued body-worn cameras.

Salgado Araujo’s sons have called for an independent investigation into their father’s death, as they say they have many questions for ICE, including why he was targeted and why deadly force was used.

“My dad had no criminal history,” Ronaldo Salgado, 29, one of Salgado Araujo’s three sons, told ABC News on Thursday. “My dad, you know, wasn’t doing anything illegal. He was picking up his workers to go to work.”

Ronaldo Salgado said no one from DHS or ICE has contacted the family, and that he and only learned of their father’s death on social media, watching a Facebook post of his father, lying on the street after being shot.

“We still don’t have any answers,” Ronaldo Salgado said. “All we have to go for is their statement that they released.”

Four Democratic Texas congress members — Reps. Sylvia Garcia, Al Green, Lizzie Fletcher and Christian Menefee — have also called for an “immediate, fully independent, and transparent investigation” into Salgado Araujo’s death.

In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director David Venturella on Wednesday, the four lawmakers demanded answers to multiple questions about the incident, including whether the officers had body-worn cameras, and asked for the “complete, unedited body camera footage from all officers present at the incident, as well as all dash camera footage from both vehicles.”

Salgado Araujo, who had been in the U.S. for nearly 35 years, was undocumented, according to ICE. Ronaldo Salgado said his father’s priority had been providing for his family and getting his three sons through school, and that last year he had started the process of getting a work permit.

“I just want all Americans to know that my dad was a hardworking man, a family man who wanted nothing more than to put food on the table and to watch his sons achieve the American dream,” he told ABC News.

Three men, including Salgado Araujo’s brother, who were in the van being driven by Salgado Araujo were detained in the incident, according to the Texas congress members, who asked for an update on their current status in their letter to the DHS and ICE leaders.

The deadly shooting has sparked protests in Houston, with hundreds of people marching Wednesday through the neighborhood where the incident occurred.

In the wake of the shooting, Mexican officials said they plan to file criminal complaints over the deaths of Mexicans in the U.S. in connection with immigration operations.

Mexico’s foreign affairs secretary, Roberto Velasco, referenced Salgado Araujo’s death during a press briefing announcing the legal measures on Thursday, calling it a “painful situation,” and said Mexico’s president has instructed them to begin legal action to “protect the human rights of Mexicans in the United States.”

Regarding body-worn cameras, a DHS spokesperson said the officers involved in the incident were “not issued” them, pointing to two partial government shutdowns — one in the fall of 2025 and the other one earlier this year — for the delay in issuing cameras to ICE law enforcement officers.

“The process of purchasing and issuing body-worn cameras to all of our ICE field offices was interrupted by the Democrats multiple government shutdowns,” the spokesperson said. “Body cameras have been deployed to more than half the field offices with the remaining half to receive them in the next 60 days.”

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(UTAH) — Over objections from defense attorneys, a video was played in a Utah courtroom on Thursday in which the roommate of Tyler Robinson, the suspect charged in the 2025 killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, claimed Robinson confessed to the shooting.

Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, claimed in the highly redacted videotaped interview with prosecutors and detectives that Robinson told him in person that he killed Kirk.

“He didn’t go into detail. I just asked him in person what he said was true the night before, and he said it was,” Twiggs said in the video filmed in April 2026 at the Utah County Attorney’s Office. “He started crying a little bit and he said he wishes he hadn’t done it, and kept going around just doing stuff, I think to keep himself busy or distracted, or something.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(SAVANNAH, GA.) — A now-former Georgia police officer has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after he accidentally discharged his weapon during an arrest, fatally shooting a teenager he was attempting to handcuff, according to court filings.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) filed criminal charges against Derrick Harris Jr., 37, who was an officer with the DeKalb County Police Department, on Wednesday, a day after the deadly shooting.

The teen — 19-year-old Seth Jayden Eccles, of Savannah — was shot Tuesday evening in the backyard of a home in Avondale Estates, according to GBI.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents had questioned him earlier that afternoon regarding the armed robbery of a mail carrier, according to GBI. Law enforcement later learned he had an active arrest warrant and began searching for Eccles, who allegedly hid in nearby woods after being allowed to walk away following questioning, according to GBI.

After multiple 911 callers reported a suspicious person moving through the backyards of homes in Avondale Estates, Harris located Eccles in a backyard of a home, according to GBI.

Harris gave the teen verbal commands at gunpoint and Eccles complied, according to GBI. The teen was lying on his stomach as Harris attempted to take him into custody, with the officer holding a firearm in one hand at the teen’s back and handcuffs in the other, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.  

“During the process of attempting to handcuff Eccles, Harris accidentally fired his firearm,” the affidavit stated. “This accidental discharge resulted in the injury and death of Eccles.”

Eccles was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, GBI said.

Harris has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony, and reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, according to court filings.

A second arrest warrant affidavit alleges that Harris was “consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk” and that his actions “constituted a gross deviation from the standard of care which a reasonable person would exercise in the situation.”

The investigation remains ongoing. Once complete, the case will be presented to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution and review, GBI said.

Harris was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on Thursday. His bond was set at $10,000 and he has since bonded out, jail records show. Online court records do not list any attorney information for him. ABC News’ attempts to reach him over the phone were unsuccessful.

Following the charges on Wednesday, the DeKalb County Police Department said that Harris has been terminated due to “violations of laws.”

“This incident has had a profound impact on everyone involved. My thoughts and prayers remain with the family of Seth Jayden Eccles as they continue to grieve this tragic loss,” DeKalb County Police Chief Greg Padrick said in a statement. “This has also been a difficult time for the members of our department. The men and women of the DeKalb County Police Department remain committed to serving our community with professionalism, integrity, and compassion, and they will continue to serve the people of DeKalb County with honor, service, and partnership each and every day.”

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson called Eccles’ death a “tragedy.”

“My heartfelt condolences are with his family and loved ones as they navigate an unimaginable loss,” she said in a statement on Wednesday. “Today’s criminal charges and the termination of our officer reflect our commitment to accountability. We understand no one is above the law and that accountability is essential to maintaining public trust.”

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(CHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J.) — More than one month after a New Jersey mom was killed in her suburban home, prosecutors say no arrests have been made.

Brooke Hanlon, 35, was found dead in her house in Chester Township after officers responded to a 911 call in the late afternoon of June 6, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Her death was ruled a homicide from “multiple sharp force injuries,” prosecutors said.

Hanlon is survived by her husband and baby daughter, according to Fox News Digital.

Hanlon’s sister, Paige Haggerty, told Fox News Digital that “Brooke was the sweetest, purest person that I have ever known in my entire life,” and she called Hanlon’s baby “the only saving grace.”

The 35-year-old worked as a therapist in Bernardsville, New Jersey, according to LifeStance.

“We are deeply saddened at the passing of our teammate Brooke Hanlon,” a LifeStance spokesperson told ABC News in a statement. “Brooke was a beloved member of our Bernardsville team and an exceptional therapist who was highly dedicated to her clients. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Brooke’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

Prosecutors said the case is active and ongoing.

Officials urge anyone with information to call the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-2900, Chester Police at 908-879-5100 or CrimeStoppers at 973-267-2255. A reward up to $1,000 is available, Morris County Sheriff’s CrimeStoppers said.

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(NEW YORK) — A man was arrested after he allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at two different houses of worship and another building in Queens Wednesday night, the New York City Police Department said.

Officers responded to a 911 call at Iglesia Bautista El Mesias Church in Ozone Park around 11:35 p.m. about a man allegedly throwing the incendiary device, according to the NYPD.

Surveillance footage showed the suspect lighting the Molotov cocktail and then throwing it at the church before walking away after it exploded on the ground, police said.

The New York City Fire Department put out the fire. No one was hurt and there was no significant damage to the building, according to the police.

Alex Garcia, the pastor of the church, told ABC News’ New York City affiliate WABC that the house of worship has been around for 20 years.

“We have no enemies, so I don’t know where this is coming from,” he told the station.

The suspect, who police only identified as a 36-year-old man, then allegedly traveled a mile north to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and allegedly lit and threw another Molotov cocktail at the house of worship, according to investigators.

There were no reported damage or injuries at that location, police said.

The suspect was arrested by police later in the night, according to the NYPD.

Investigators discovered that he allegedly threw another Molotov cocktail at a third location in the area, according to the NYPD. That building also sustained no damage, and there were no injuries, investigators said.

Police alleged that the suspect had a bag with two other Molotov cocktails inside at the time of his arrest.

The suspect’s charges and arraignment were pending as of Thursday morning, police said. The investigation is ongoing.

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(PIKESVILLE, Md.) — Over 30 people were injured after a public transit bus crashed into a building in Maryland on Wednesday in an incident that involved multiple vehicles, authorities said.

The incident occurred in Pikesville, located northwest of Baltimore, just outside the city limits.

A Maryland Transit Administration bus collided with a building, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department. Seven other vehicles were also involved, including one that rolled over, it said.

Overall, at least 33 people were injured, including one critically, authorities said. Two people were temporarily trapped, one in the bus and another in a vehicle, the fire department said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he is monitoring the situation.

“We are deeply grateful for our first responders who acted with speed and skill to ensure the safety of our neighbors,” he said in a post on social media. “We’ve been in close coordination with local officials to provide any support needed on the ground.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — Twenty-five years after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, left a gaping void in Lower Manhattan, American Express broke ground Thursday on its new headquarters, a tiered glass and steel tower at 2 World Trade Center.

The 55-story, 2 million square foot building with more than an acre of outdoor terraces and gardens is the last commercial development in the footprint of the fallen twin towers of the World Trade Center. 

The skyscraper is scheduled to be completed in 2031 and rise 1,226 feet.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the project will create 3,200 jobs and inject $6 billion into the city’s economy.

“We are standing today on hallowed ground,” Mamdani said. 

“This has been a long journey,” said Lisa Silverstein of Silverstein Properties, the developer of the site since 2001. “This is the capstone for the World Trade Center.”

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(OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.) — The family of Mississippi teen Nolan Xavier Wells will conduct an independent autopsy following the 18-year-old’s mysterious death, according to attorney Ben Crump, who revealed new details about what he says unfolded on the day Wells vanished.

“He was a good kid. He was beloved. He was a college athlete. He had everything going for him. And so to go on that island … and then not to come back is what is concerning,” Crump told ABC News’ Linsey Davis.

Wells went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with his high school friends to the popular, undeveloped Horn Island, just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, according to officials and Crump. The location is accessible only by private boat and doesn’t have facilities, drinking water or staff.

“[The friends] left [Horn Island] and went back without Nolan,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. “From what we understand, he chose to stay there.”

A body believed to be Wells was recovered Monday, officials said.

Authorities said they believe Wells drowned and don’t suspect foul play, but the sheriff’s office stressed Wednesday that investigators are “working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”

Crump said investigators “continue to tell the family that ‘We don’t see any evidence of any foul play,’ even though you have students who recorded an altercation while they were on the boats.” Crump described the altercation as “Nolan and somebody yelling at one another on the boat.”

According to Crump, Wells’ friends took the teen’s phone with them when they left Horn Island. Crump said when Wells’ family got his phone back, messages had been deleted.

Crump also said Wells’ father described the 18-year-old college football player as “an elite athlete.”

“He said that his son could swim. And so, they’re just not accepting that Nolan drowned accidentally,” Crump said.

Crump said the independent autopsy will be conducted in Washington, D.C.

The sheriff’s office stressed Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone who was on or near the northwest tip of Horn Island to come forward with photos or videos, “particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells.”

The sheriff’s office said it’s also looking for anyone who may have seen Wells or “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity while on the island.”

“Even information that may seem insignificant could prove valuable to investigators. We encourage anyone with firsthand knowledge to come forward,” the department said.

“Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences remain with Nolan Wells’ family during this difficult time,” the department added.

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(NEW YORK) — While President Donald Trump attended the NATO summit in Ankara, a federal judge in New York on Wednesday ordered him to pay what he owes E. Jean Carroll after a jury held him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.

Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered disbursement of the $5 million judgment plus almost $800,000 in interest.

“In the last analysis, defendant has been stalling this case for years. A jury unanimously concluded that he sexually abused and defamed plaintiff and awarded her damages accordingly. The judgment on that verdict has been upheld on appeal. En banc rehearing has been denied. The Supreme Court has denied certiorari without dissent,” Kaplan wrote in an order late Wednesday. “It is time for him to ‘do equity’ and pay the judgment.”

A New York jury in 2023 held Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s and defaming her in 2022 when he denied her claim, and decided she is entitled to $5 million in damages.

A jury in a separate but related case determined Trump owes Carroll an additional $83 million in damages, but that is still going through the appeals process. 

The decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court last month, with no dissents, declined to hear Trump’s appeal of the verdict and judgment.

Trump’s attorneys launched a long-shot bid to delay the payment and sought an administrative stay from United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, however, in a one-page order on Wednesday evening, the appeals court rejected his request for a delay, clearing the way for the money to go to Carroll.

The same court had already denied Trump’s initial attempts to appeal the case, in addition to the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Three years ago, Trump deposited $5.55 million in the federal government’s Court Registry Investment System — which effectively held the money in escrow during his appeal.

Judge Kaplan on Wednesday ordered the clerk to move the money into an account belonging to Carroll’s lawyers. The transfer of funds may have already taken place, though the court docket does not indicate either way.

After the Supreme Court decision, attorneys for Carroll asked a federal judge to order Trump to pay the money, saying Trump’s lawyers told them the president may ask the Supreme Court to reconsider.

“[A]fter four years of litigation across every level of the federal court system, it is time for this case to end,” Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan wrote in a court filing. “And under the Court’s Stipulation and Order, Carroll is now entitled to obtain payment of the money due under the judgment.”

In a post on his social media platform after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal, Trump vowed to continue to fight the case.

“I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength,” Trump said in the post.

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