Off-duty corrections officer killed in ‘targeted’ attack: Police
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(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — An off-duty corrections officer in Florida was shot and killed in a “targeted attack,” according to police.
The incident occurred at 7:32 p.m. when deputies from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office in Florida were dispatched to reports of gunfire in the 1400 block of NW Avenue D, in Belle Glade, according to a statement from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday
“The victim is an off-duty PBSO Corrections Deputy, who was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital, but unfortunately was pronounced dead shortly after arriving,” authorities said. “Further investigation determined that this incident was targeted.”
Officials have not yet named the deputy but did confirm that the officer killed was 39-years-old and had been with the agency for three years, police said.
Authorities also did not release any information on their investigation or why they were able to conclude that the attack was targeted at the officer involved.
A ceremonial escort took place on Tuesday evening in honor of the slain offifer from St. Mary’s Hospital to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
“We are distraught to say the least,” said the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said that additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
At least two people are dead and several others injured as the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and Woodley fires burned through thousands of acres and prompted sweeping evacuations around Los Angeles County.
The dry landscape in the region heavily contributed to fire’s ability to spread quickly. Only 0.16 inches of rain has fallen in the region since May 6, according to the National Weather Service.
But without the low humidity and extreme winds, the dry landscape wouldn’t present as big of a threat.
On Monday, the National Weather Service began warning of a “life-threatening” Santa Ana windstorm that could spark severe wildfires in Southern California — more than 24 hours in advance of the first wildfire.
What made the Santa Ana wind event so severe is the upper-level support lining up with the surface gradient, Curt Kaplan, a retired operational forecaster for the National Weather Service in Oxford, California, told ABC News. The upper low that moved over Baja California caused a strong colder air subsidence, or sinking, north-northeast over the region.
The sinking air associated with the colder dense air aloft was able to descend, bringing damaging mountain waves across the Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains that then crashed into the foothills and some coastal communities.
As the upper support relaxes later on Wednesday, with the upper low pushing east, the strong winds should taper off to moderate, typical Santa Ana winds late morning into the afternoon hours, Kaplan said.
Many of the cities — like Burbank, Pasadena and Beverly Hills — as well as the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, are not usually affected by typical Santa Ana northeast winds, Kaplan said.
Four wildfires were burning in Southern California on Wednesday afternoon: the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire and Woodley Fire.
The earlier-than-normal warning from the NWS allowed for ample time to prep for the fire threat.
On Monday evening, California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed state departments to position fire engines, handcrews, aircraft and additional support in areas that could be impacted.
The region remained under a state of emergency on Wednesday as the fires continued.
More than 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, and fires ripped through the Pacific Palisades, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Los Angeles County.
Celebrities such as Josh Gad, Steve Guttenberg, Chris Pratt, Mandy Moore and Eugene Levy have documented how the fire was impacting their homes.
Some of the regions under elevated fire risk this week, such as Malibu, were impacted by a raging wildfire last month that spread to more than 4,000 acres and forced 20,000 residents into evacuation.
(NEW YORK) — President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in his New York hush money case after a jury in May convicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Judge Juan Merchan has signaled his intention to sentence Trump to an “unconditional discharge” — allowing Trump to avoid prison, fines or probation — out of respect for the principle of presidential immunity, which takes effect on Jan. 20 once Trump becomes president.
Trump, who has maintained his innocence throughout the case, has blasted the prosecution as politically motivated.
Trump to be sentenced after SCOTUS fails to halt hearing
President-elect Donald Trump will appear virtually from his Mar-a-Lago estate when he is sentenced this morning in a New York courtroom, after the Supreme Court rejected his eleventh-hour bid to block his sentencing from taking place.
Trump had asked the nation’s highest court to halt his criminal sentencing on the grounds that he was entitled to immunity as president-elect.
In a Thursday night ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts and Trump-appointee Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices to deny Trump the relief he sought, while Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh indicated they would have granted Trump’s request to halt his sentencing.
Emergency units respond to airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided with a helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Figure skaters and coaches returning from the recent U.S. national championships were aboard the American Airlines flight that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, officials said.
The U.S. Figure Skating organization confirmed that “several members” of the skating community were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 which took off from Wichita, Kansas, and crashed approaching Reagan National Airport after colliding with a helicopter shortly before 9 p.m.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” the organization said.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the organization said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the jet and three personnel aboard the Army helicopter, which officials said was on a training flight at the time of the crash.
Officials have not publicly confirmed the number of fatalities in the crash.
At an early Thursday morning news conference, officials said they were continuing search-and-rescue operations in the icy Potomac River but did not say whether anyone had been pulled from the water alive, or confirm any deaths.
Meanwhile, Russian media reported that two Russian figure skaters were on board the American Airlines flight, and the presidential spokesman expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the plane crash.
“There were other of our fellow citizens there. Bad news from Washington today,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday morning.
Earlier, several Russian state media outlets reported that the 1994 world figure skating champions in pairs, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were on board the plane, though U.S. authorities have not confirmed these reports.
