Hiker dies on Grand Canyon trail amid extremely high summer temperatures
Nurphoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A 67-year-old man from Alvarado, Texas, died on the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon National Park while attempting to reach the Colorado River, according to the National Park Service.
The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of an unresponsive hiker on the trail, below Cedar Ridge, on July 8, just before noon, according to NPS. Bystanders began CPR while National Park Service medical personnel and volunteers responded on foot, according to the NPS.
The man was attempting to reach the river for an overnight stay at Phantom Ranch, NPS said. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
The hiker had turned around at Skeleton Point and was making his way back up the trail when the incident occurred, according to the NPS.
Summer temperatures on exposed parts of the trail can exceed 120 degrees, creating extremely hazardous conditions for hikers, according to the NPS.
“In addition to the heat, pre-existing medical conditions can compound physical stress, making summer hiking particularly risky, especially during the peak heat hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Park rangers strongly advise against hiking in the inner canyon during those hours and urge all visitors to take extreme caution when planning hikes during the summer months,” NPS said in a statement.
An investigation into the incident is being conducted.
(ELIZABETH CITY, NC) — One person is dead and at least five others are injured after a shooting at Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the shooting took place at 12:30 a.m. Sunday on the ECSU campus.
The incident occurred during Viking Fest — a week of events on the ESCU campus geared toward students, alumni and prospective students.
A press release from ECSU said four individuals sustained gunshot wounds and two students were injured during the chaos.
“Six individuals were injured during the incident. Four sustained gunshot wounds, including three ECSU students. Additionally, two other ECSU students were injured during the subsequent commotion,” the statement said. “Fortunately, none of the injuries are considered life-threatening, and all the injured were transported to a local hospital for treatment.”
A 24-year-old man not affiliated with the university was killed.
The SBI and ESCU Police continue to investigate. There is no confirmed suspect at this time.
ABC affiliate WVEC spoke with ESCU junior Paola Gonzalez, who was at the scene of the shooting.
Gonzalez said she turned around while running from the scene to see her volleyball teammate go down after being shot in the leg.
“One moment, we were having a really good time,” Gonzalez said. Shortly after, she was watching police surround her friend and tape being brought out to cordon off the scene.
As a precaution, ECSU has increased patrols across campus, and access to the center of campus will remain restricted throughout Sunday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(ATLANTA) — A 10-year-old girl was struck and killed by a tree that fell on her Atlanta home when severe storms blew through the city this weekend, officials said.
Six people lived in the house where the tree crashed down around 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue.
The 10-year-old, identified by family as A’erica Shukai, was killed and her mother and grandmother were injured and hospitalized in stable condition, fire rescue officials said.
A’erica was lying in bed sleeping next to her grandmother when the tree fell, according to A’erica’s cousin, Tomeka Dixon.
A’erica’s mom has been released but her grandmother remains in the hospital, Dixon told ABC News on Monday.
A’erica, who loved cheerleading and making TikTok videos, just turned 10 on April 15, Dixon said.
She’s survived by her mother, grandmother, two sisters and brother. A’erica’s father died two years ago “and the family is still grieving from his loss,” according to a GoFundMe set up by Dixon.
“I’m just trying to be there for my family,” she said.
“We ask that all Georgians join us in praying for her loved ones during this difficult time,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on social media.
The family plans to hold a candlelight vigil on Friday night, Dixon said.
ABC News’ Mariama Jalloh contributed to this report.
(SYRACUSE, N.Y.) — A group of students from a high school in Syracuse, New York, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday for an alleged hazing incident described by the local district attorney as “incomprehensible.”
All 11 implicated students surrendered themselves to police over the incident after being given a 48-hour deadline, the district attorney’s office confirmed to Syracuse ABC affiliate WSYR.
“I cannot really adequately express to this community the level of stupidity and lack of judgement involved in this case,” Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Fitzpatrick said he decided to prosecute charges against 11 students at Westhill High School who allegedly hazed a younger student on April 24.
In the evening hours of April 24, the students — most are members of the boys varsity lacrosse team — allegedly decided they would “haze or play some sort of prank on some of the younger members of the lacrosse team,” Fitzpatrick said.
One victim told officials he thought he was going to have an “enjoyable evening with the upperclassman, go to a lacrosse game and finish the evening with something to eat at McDonald’s,” Fitzpatrick said.
But, on their way home from eating food, the driver of the car claimed he was lost, stopped in a remote part of the county, which is when “accomplices jumped out of the woods pretending to be kidnappers,” Fitzpatrick said.
These accomplices, who were other students, were dressed in black and armed with “at least one handgun and at least one knife,” Fitzpatrick said.
The victim had a pillowcase placed over his head, was tied up and placed in the trunk of the car, according to the DA.
“I’ve seen the video tape of what happened to this young man, it is not a rite of passage, it is not a trivial matter,” Fitzpatrick said. “I find it incomprehensible that in this day and age that somebody thought they could have gotten away with something like this.”
Investigators say there were four other potential victims, but they were able to flee the area.
Fitzpatrick, who described the incident as “hazing on steroids,” had given the 11 suspects 48 hours to turn themselves into the sheriff’s department.
The DA said Tuesday that if the suspects decided to surrender to police before Friday, their cases would either be handled through the family court system or would not fall under their criminal records.
He added that if the students refused to cooperate, they would be arrested, prosecuted as adults and charged with kidnapping in the second degree.
Fitzpatrick said the incident “goes way beyond hazing,” likening it more to “criminal activity.”
“If you want to welcome someone onto your team and toughen them up, maybe an extra hour of practice might be appropriate as opposed to taking someone at gunpoint, stuffing them in the back of a car and traumatizing them for the rest of their life,” Fitzpatrick said.
Westhill Schools Superintendent Steven Dunham sent an email to families regarding the incident, saying the school made the “difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the Westhill High School varsity boys lacrosse season,” even though the majority of those on the team were not involved in the alleged hazing.
“Some may argue that all student-athletes shouldn’t be punished for the actions of a few. While I understand the perspective, we must address the culture of the program, and the most appropriate way to do that is with a reset,” Dunham said.
Dunham said the school will address the behavior that “negatively impacts members of our school community promptly and appropriately according to our Code of Conduct.”
