Mississippi bridge collapses in deadly accident at demolition site: Officials
Royalty-free/Getty Images
(SIMPSON COUNTY, Miss.) — A Mississippi bridge set to be demolished collapsed in a deadly accident on Wednesday, officials said.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation confirmed there were fatalities, though it did not specify how many people died.
“[We] extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones,” the Mississippi Department of Transportation said in a statement.
An inspector with the Mississippi Department of Transportation who was at the worksite when the bridge collapsed was unharmed, the department said.
The bridge, which spanned the Strong River in Simpson County on State Route 149, collapsed Wednesday afternoon, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
The bridge had been closed to traffic since Sept. 18 and was in the process of being demolished as part of a bridge replacement project, the department said.
The replacement project had been given an estimate of 12 to 18 months to complete, according to previous statements from the department.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump has not played golf since the apparent assassination attempt near one of his courses last month, and is not expected to hit the golf course again until a new security plan is in place — which sources tell ABC News is not expected to be in effect until after the election.
The Secret Service had previously expressed its concern to Trump over his golfing and told him during a briefing last month that additional planning and security procedures are needed for him to be able to continue his golf outings.
Trump, who owns several golf courses, typically plays on a regular basis.
Asked about the development, a Secret Service spokesperson referred questions to the Trump campaign.
“Since the attempted assassination of former President Trump on July 13, the U.S. Secret Service has made comprehensive changes and enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing, and protective operations,” said Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi. “Today, the former President is receiving heightened protection and we take the responsibility to ensure his safety and security very seriously.”
Ryan Routh, 58, pleaded not guilty on Sept. 30 to federal charges in connection with an alleged attempt to assassinate Trump at the former president’s golf club in Florida. On the day of the alleged attempted assassination, Trump was playing golf on the course when a Secret Service agent spotted a gun barrel poking out from the tree line near the sixth green, according to investigators.
Routh fled after the agent fired in his direction, and was subsequently apprehended. Trump was not harmed in the incident.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Prosecutors and defense attorneys delivered closing arguments on Wednesday in the case of the three former Memphis police officers who were charged in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols.
The jury is set to receive instructions from the judge on Thursday morning ahead of deliberations after the prosecution and the attorneys for the three former officers concluded their closing arguments on Wednesday evening.
The jury pool in the federal trial is made up of seven men and seven women, including white, Black and Asian jurors.
Federal prosecutor Kathryn Gilbert said during her closing arguments that the officers laughed and bragged about beating Nichols and did not call medics to the scene because they wanted to get away with what they did and protect themselves.
Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean were charged on Sept. 12, 2023, with violating Nichols’ civil rights through excessive use of force, unlawful assault, failing to intervene in the assault and failing to render medical aid. These charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The officers have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“They wanted it to be a beatdown,” Gilbert told the jury of the three former officers.
“You are what stands between them and getting away with it,” she added.
Haley, Smith and Bean were among five former officers who were charged in this case.
John Perry, Bean’s attorney, argued during his closing remarks that the force his client used during the interaction with Nichols was “not excessive.”
Both Perry and Haley’s attorney, Stephen Leffler, argued during closing arguments that their clients did not violate the policies of the Memphis Police Department.
Leffler admitted that Haley said “beat that man” and delivered a kick to Nichols, but he said “beat that man” was just a verbal command and not a physical encounter.
Smith’s lawyer, Martin Zummach, said during his closing remarks that Smith did not see Martin and Haley kick Nichols because he was blinded by pepper spray and was scared. Zummach argued that Smith did not cover up “excessive force” and said that Smith reported the kicks to his supervisor.
“He is not perfect but imperfection is not a crime,” Zummach said.
All of the five officers charged in this case were fired from MPD for violating policies.
Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., the two other officers who were also charged, pleaded guilty to some of the federal charges.
Mills pleaded guilty to two of the four counts in the indictment — excessive force and failing to intervene, as well as conspiring to cover up his use of unlawful force, according to the DOJ. The government said it will recommend a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, based on the terms of Mills’ plea agreement.
Martin pleaded guilty to excessive force and failure to intervene, as well as conspiracy to witness tamper, according to court records. The other two charges will be dropped at sentencing, which has been scheduled for Dec. 5, according to the court records.
Mills testified during the federal trial of the three officers and got emotional when he took the stand.
“I wish I would’ve stopped the punches. It hurts to watch. It hurts inside so much,” said Mills, who cried during his testimony, according to ABC affiliate in Memphis, WATN-TV. “It felt bad every time the picture is on the screen to know I’m a part of that. I made his child fatherless. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know ‘sorry’ won’t bring him back, but I pray his child has everything he needs growing up.”
Martin also testified in the officer’s federal trial and took the stand on Sept. 17.
“They were assaulting [Tyre Nichols],” Martin said of his former partners, according to WATN. “I was already angry that he ran. I kicked him … They [his former partners] were holding him up. He was helpless.”
Body-camera footage shows that Nichols fled after police pulled him over on Jan. 7, 2023, for allegedly driving recklessly, then shocked him with a Taser and pepper-sprayed him.
Officers allegedly then beat Nichols minutes later after tracking him down. After the police encounter, Nichols was transferred to the hospital in critical condition.
Nichols, 29, died in the hospital on Jan. 10, 2023. Footage shows the officers walking around, talking to each other as Nichols was injured and sitting on the ground.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said she has been unable to substantiate that Nichols was driving recklessly. The incident triggered protests and calls for police reform.
After the police encounter, Nichols was transferred to the hospital in critical condition. The medical examiner’s official autopsy report for Nichols showed he “died of brain injuries from blunt force trauma,” the district attorney’s office told Nichols’ family in May 2023.
The prosecution told ABC News earlier this month that they will not have any statements until after the trial. The defense attorneys did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The five former officers charged in this case were all members of the Memphis Police Department SCORPION unit — a crime suppression unit that was disbanded after Nichols’ death.
Luigi Mangione is seen inside the police station in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Dec. 9, 2024/Obtained by ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel last week, considered the slaying to be a “symbolic takedown” of UnitedHealthcare over perceived corruption, according to a confidential assessment of the crime by the NYPD intelligence bureau described to ABC News.
Mangione “appeared to view the targeted killing … as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge to its alleged corruption and ‘power games,'” the assessment said, according to a source. Mangione allegedly described himself as the “first to face” United Healthcare “with such brutal honesty.”
The assessment is based in part on the suspect’s writings.
When Mangione was arrested on Monday he had “written admissions about the crime” with him, according to the New York arrest warrant.
Mangione had several handwritten pages on him that expressed a “disdain for corporate America” and indicated “he’s frustrated with the health care system in the United States,” NYPD Chief of Detective Joe Kenny told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
“Specifically, he states how we are the No. 1 most expensive health care system in the world, yet the life expectancy of an American is ranked 42 in the world,” Kenny said.
Whether Mangione has a personal connection to UnitedHealthcare is unknown, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, but the writings mention UnitedHealthcare by name, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The sources described the handwriting as sloppy and included these quotes: “These parasites had it coming” and “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”
Mangione — who was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday in connection with Thompson’s Dec. 4 slaying — is in custody in Pennsylvania and is set to appear at an extradition hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The NYPD was “thrilled” to get the call from Altoona police that they had a person of interest in custody, Tisch told “GMA.”
Kenny said “the key to this case” was releasing the photo of the suspect’s face to the media and the public.
“That picture reached Pennsylvania,” where Mangione was recognized at a McDonald’s on Monday morning, Kenny said.
“We are grateful as a city to that person,” Tisch said.
“We had collected early in the investigation some forensic evidence, some DNA evidence, some fingerprints, so we were very confident that we were ultimately going to get to the right person,” Tisch added.
“We do have a lot of evidence in this case,” Tisch told “GMA.”
Mangione was apprehended “in possession of the same New Jersey fake identification that was used” to check into a hostel on New York’s Upper West Side before Thompson was gunned down, she said.
The gun Mangione was allegedly found with on Monday “looks very similar” to the gun used in the murder, “with a similar suppressor,” Tisch said. “So there’s a lot of reasons that we feel very strongly that he is the person of interest.”
Officers allegedly found a 3D printed pistol and a 3D printed silencer, according to the criminal complaint filed in Pennsylvania.
“The pistol had one loaded Glock magazine with six nine-millimeter full metal jack rounds. There was also one loose nine-millimeter hollow point round,” the complaint said.
Kenny described the weapon as a “ghost gun,” meaning it had no serial number and was untraceable.
Mangione, a Maryland native and Ivy League graduate, has been charged in New York with second-degree murder, possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was charged with five crimes in Pennsylvania, including carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to authorities and possessing “instruments of crime,” according to the criminal complaint.
Mangione’s family said in a statement that they’re “shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”
The Pennsylvania State Police is asking for the public’s help piecing together Mangione’s travel in Pennsylvania. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-4PA-TIPS.
Police are also looking at Mangione’s travel at various points across the United States and out of the county within the past year, sources said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
