Man in critical condition after being shot by 2-year-old
Getty Images – STOCK/Sheila Paras
(CHESTERFIELD, Va.) — A Virginia man is in critical condition after being shot by a 2-year-old, police said.
According to the Chesterfield County Police Department, the unidentified man was about to leave the house Monday morning and had “placed his handgun on a nearby chair.”
The toddler retrieved it and “accidentally discharged the firearm, shooting the victim,” police said.
Police said the man was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.
Neither the child nor anyone else in the house was injured, police said.
According to Virginia ABC affiliate WRIC, the victim is the boyfriend of the child’s mother.
Former prisoners released by Russia, US journalist Evan Gershkovich (C), former US marine Paul Whelan (C), and US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva (L) smile after landing at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field, Texas, on August 2, 2024. SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images
(SAN ANTONIO) — The former Marine who spent more than 2,000 days in Russian custody spoke out after a historic, multi-country prisoner swap allowed him and three others to return to the U.S.
Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva deplaned shortly before 4:30 a.m. eastern at Joint Base San Antonio, officially marking the beginning of their next chapter, free and back home in the United States.
The three embraced one another for a photo surrounded by their loved ones and held up the Hostages and Wrongful Detainees flag.
“This is us down here,” Whelan said pointing to three slash marks on the bottom of the flag, “Those last three, that’s us.”
Upon their arrival, they were greeted by officials who gave them instructions on immediate next steps. Col. Davis explained that they would first send them for a medical assessment while their families stayed overnight in hotels off base.
Whelan wore the American flag pin given to him by President Biden at Joint Base Andrews — “It’s a keepsake.”
Whelan criticized the “nonsense narrative [the Russian government] came up with” for his imprisonment.
“So, you know, this is how Putin runs his government. This is how Putin runs his country. Yeah, I’m glad I’m home. Yeah. I’m never going back there again,” he said, with a smile.
He also said he had received thousands of letters of support, so many that the Russian Federal Security Service “stopped giving them to him.”
“I just say thank you to everybody. You know, thank you for all your prayers, your your, you know, good wishes. Thanks for doing everything you did,” he said.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the three Americans freed from Russian custody as they arrived back on American soil and reunited with their families.
Biden hugged Paul Whelan and the vice president greeted the former Marine as he arrived on the tarmac. Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, also on the tarmac awaiting his arrival when he landed.
When Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrived on the tarmac, a cheer erupted. He and Biden shook hands and spoke for some time before a long and emotional hug took place between the journalist and his mother, Ella Milman, who was picked up during their embrace at one point.
Alsu Kurmasheva was also welcomed by Biden and Harris. In an emotional moment, she was reunited with her daughters before Biden came over and talked to them as they hugged.
Biden interacted very freely with the press, taking the chance to speak to reporters multiple times on the tarmac.
When asked by a reporter whether he ever thought this moment would come, Biden’s simple reply was “yes.” And when asked what made him so confident, he said it was his relationships with the “other heads of state.”
Biden was also subsequently asked what was his message to Vladmir Putin after the former prisoners were back on American soil.
“Stop,” Biden said.
Biden also said that the scene playing out behind him was the “essence” of America.
“To me, this is about the essence of who we are as a country. It really is about personal relationships,” Biden said. “It’s about family. It’s about being able to have access to the people you love.”
One reporter asked him what the hardest part of securing the deal was.
“The toughest call was for one of the other countries because I asked them to do some things that were against their immediate self-interest,” said Biden. “It was really very difficult for them do, particularly Germany. Slovenia really came at the last minute and I tell you what, [the] chancellor was incredible.”
Biden was also asked about whether he was making calls to secure this deal within the hour that he announced his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
“I would get this done even if I was seeking a second term. You’re stuck with me as president for a while, kid, there’s no way out, okay,” Biden said. “You got me for at least another 100 — 90 days or so. So it had to do with that. It had to do with the opportunity trying to convince one last country to say okay, they’ll step up.”
When asked about whether this deal would be part of his legacy, Biden sidestepped, saying it’s something to talk about “another time.”
“This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances this criticism, incredible day saving families, in their eyes and in their cries,” Harris said as the Kurmasheva family could be heard crying behind her when they were reunited.
(NEW YORK) — The FBI conducted searches at the homes of two of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ closest aides on Thursday, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
The Hamilton Heights home of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who is engaged to Schools Chancellor David Banks, and the Hollis, Queens, home of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, were searched as part of an ongoing investigation, the sources said.
“Investigators have not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation,” the mayor’s chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, said in a statement. “As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has repeatedly made clear that all members of the team need to follow the law.”
The FBI declined to comment. A spokesman for the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York also declined to comment.
The FBI seized evidence, including electronics, as part of the searches, according to sources. No charges have been filed.
In addition to the searches at the homes of Wright and Banks, which sources said began Wednesday morning, federal investigators have subpoenaed cell phones belonging to New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban and Tim Pearson, a close adviser to Adams, the sources said.
“The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service. The Department is fully cooperating in the investigation,” an NYPD spokesman said, referring additional questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which declined to comment.
Four high-ranking NYPD officials, including Caban, received subpoenas for their cell phones. Three others in the NYPD received similar subpoenas. All complied and turned over their phones, according to sources.
The subpoenas are part of the same investigation that sent the FBI to search homes belonging to Wright and Banks, the sources said.
Wright and Banks are the highest-ranking Adams administration officials who have had their homes searched by federal investigators.
In 2014, Banks was investigated by federal authorities as part of a separate investigation into NYPD corruption. He was named an unindicted coconspirator in that probe but was never charged. He resigned as chief of department, the highest ranking uniformed position.
Federal officials have previously searched the homes of Brianna Suggs, the mayor’s top campaign fundraiser; Rana Abbasova, his international affairs aide; and Winnie Greco, a special adviser to the mayor and director of Asian affairs.
A source familiar with the matter said Thursday’s searches do not appear to be related to the investigation into whether Adams accepted donations from Turkey in exchange for official favors.
(BOSTON) — A Delta Air Lines flight headed to Rome, Italy, from Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday, was struck by lightning while in the air, according to the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The flight was diverted back to Boston Logan International Airport “out of an abundance of caution” after the crew reported a lighting strike after departure, according to a statements from Delta and the FAA.
The plane landed back in Boston at 7:20 p.m. ET “safely and without further incident,” the airline said.
The commercial passenger aircraft was an Airbus A330, according to the FAA.
Delta apologized to travelers for the delay and said they are “working to get our customers to their final destination as quickly as possible.”
The FAA said it would investigate and noted that regulations require that commercial aircraft be designed to withstand lightning strikes.
