Officer fatally shot at supermarket, suspect in custody: Police
WTVD
(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — A North Carolina police officer was fatally shot while responding to a report of a person with a gun inside a supermarket, authorities said.
The shooting occurred Monday morning at a Food Lion in Greensboro, police said.
Greensboro officer Michael Horan was fatally injured after responding to the call about a “man with a firearm” inside the store, police said.
“The circumstances of what led to the shooting are currently being investigated,” Greensboro Assistant Police Chief MJ Harris said during a press briefing on Monday.
The shooting suspect fled the scene and was taken into custody following a high-speed chase, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office said. There is no threat to the public, Harris said.
No further details on the suspect have been released.
Horan had been a sworn officer with the Greensboro Police Department since early 2018.
“He was an excellent officer,” Harris said. “He had an outstanding reputation inside the department and the community.”
Horan previously served for 18 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, during which he received an award for rescuing a father and son from rip currents, according to the police department.
“Simply put, we are heartbroken,” Greensboro City Manager Trey Davis said at the briefing.
The Greensboro Police Department requested the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to take the lead on the investigation into the shooting.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said that “significant state law enforcement personnel” were sent to help with the response.
A Food Lion spokesperson said they are cooperating with authorities and the store will remain closed amid the investigation.
“Food Lion is deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred at our store,” the spokesperson said. “We express our deepest condolences to the officer’s family and friends.”
“We are providing resources to support our associates during this difficult time,” the spokesperson added.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Attorneys for President-elect Donald Trump and his allies unleashed a legal blitz this week to prevent the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report on his classified documents and election interference investigations, successfully convincing the federal judge who dismissed Trump’s documents case to issue an emergency injunction temporarily blocking the report’s release.
While Smith has released many of his findings already — through four indictments and a lengthy filing outlining the evidence against Trump — recent disclosures made by attorneys for Trump and his co-defendants suggest that the special counsel’s final report could contain previously undisclosed details that are potentially damaging to the president elect.
Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who reviewed a draft version of the report over the weekend, argued in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland Monday that the report’s release would be a “partisan weapon” and “lawless political stunt, designed to politically harm” President-elect Trump and his allies.
According to Trump’s lawyers, a draft of the report included multiple “baseless attacks” on members of Trump’s incoming presidential administration that could “interfere with upcoming confirmation hearings.”
The letter did not provide any additional information about which, if any, of Trump’s nominees or appointees were mentioned in the report.
According to a court filing from Trump’s defense lawyers Monday, a draft version of the report asserts that Trump “engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort,” violated multiple federal laws, and served as the “head” of multiple criminal conspiracies.
Trump pleaded not guilty in 2023 to charges of unlawfully retaining classified materials after leaving the White House, and, in a separate case, pleaded not guilty to charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case this past July after deeming Smith’s appointment unconstitutional, leading Smith to appeal that decision.
Smith, who is now winding down both his cases against the president-elect due to a longstanding Department of Justice policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president, has not provided any details about the contents of his report. Smith’s team has accused Trump’s attorneys of violating a confidentiality agreement by making portions of their findings public in their filings.
Special counsels are mandated by internal Justice Department regulations to prepare confidential reports at the conclusion of their investigations to summarize their findings, and the attorney general can determine whether to release the report publicly. Smith’s report includes two volumes, covering his investigation into Trump’s alleged retention of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump’s lawyers argued that the report’s release would disrupt the ongoing presidential transition process and “exacerbate stigma and public opprobrium surrounding the Chief Executive,” suggesting that the report — which is being prepared by a prosecutor independent from the president — contradicts the Biden administration’s vow to “facilitate an orderly and collegial transition process.”
“It’ll be a fake report, just like it was a fake investigation,” Trump said at a news conference Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Trump’s lawyers also suggested that the report included a “pathetically transparent tirade” about social media platform X’s effort to “protect civil liberties.”
ABC News previously reported that X — then known as Twitter — was held in contempt and fined $350,000 for failing to comply with a search warrant for records and data from former President Trump’s social media account. X’s owner, Elon Musk, is now one of Trump’s most vocal supporters and advisers, and spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help elect Trump.
Blanche and Bove — both of whom Trump has picked for top Justice Department posts in the incoming administration — have argued that the report’s release would only offer a single-sided view of the case and give “rise to a media storm of false and unfair criticism” that Trump would need to address during the transition period.
While Trump is no longer being prosecuted by Smith, his two former co-defendants in the classified documents case have argued they would be unable to have a fair trial if the findings are released publicly. Lawyers for Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira have claimed that the report would reveal sensitive grand jury material — such as communications obtained via a subpoena — and support the finding that “everyone Smith charged is guilty of the crimes charged.”
Describing Smith as a “rogue actor with a personal and political vendetta,” lawyers for Trump’s co-defendants argued in a filing that the report would irreparably bias the public by amplifying the government’s “narrative” without providing Trump and his co-defendants the ability to respond.
“Smith’s planned Final Report — now that he is unshackled from due process requirements that restrained him as a government actor — would engender the very prejudice, passion, and excitement and be an exercise of the tyrannical power that our court system is designed to insulate against,” the filing said.
In a brief filing Tuesday, a lawyer on Smith’s staff confirmed that the special counsel’s office is “working to finalize” its report, and said that Garland will have the final say over what material will be made public.
(NEW ORLEANS) — A young mother teaching her son to read. A former college football player “on top of the world” living in New York City. An 18-year-old aspiring nurse. A father of two remembered as the “life of the party.”
Family members and friends have begun identifying the 15 people who died in the truck-ramming attack early Wednesday morning on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was allegedly “hell-bent” on killing as many people as possible when he steered a pickup truck around barricades and plowed into a crowd of people ringing in the New Year, according to New Orleans Superintendent of Police Anne Kirkpatrick.
Here’s what we know about the victims so far:
Kareem Badawi
Kareem Badawi was identified as one of the victims killed in Wednesday’s attack in a statement from the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, from which he graduated last year.
A fellow alumnus was critically injured and is hospitalized, the school said.
Badawi was attending the University of Alabama, according to a statement from the university president.
Tiger Bech, 27
Tiger Bech’s death was confirmed to ABC News by his mother, Michelle Bech.
Michelle Bech said her son, 27, played football at Princeton University and moved to New York City after graduating in 2021 to work for Seaport Global, a capital markets firm.
She told ABC News that her son lived life to the fullest and was “on top of the world.”
She said her son was in Louisiana for a long weekend of hunting and fishing, two of his favorite activities, with college friends from Princeton. He was scheduled to fly back to New York City Wednesday afternoon.
His younger brother, Jack Bech, is a wide receiver for Texas Christian University Football. Michelle Bech said Tiger Bech frequently flew down from New York City over the past two years to attend his brother’s games.
In a statement to ABC News, Princeton’s football coach Bob Surace described Tiger Bech as “a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend.”
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux’s death was confirmed to ABC News by her mother, Melissa Dedeaux.
Melissa Dedeaux remembered her 18-year-old daughter as a kind and outgoing young woman who was excited to attend nursing school this year.
“She was a sweet person. She was outgoing, she was very loved,” said Melissa Dedeaux, who said goodbye to her daughter for the final time Tuesday night.
Melissa Dedeaux said she begged her daughter not to go to Bourbon Street for New Years’ Eve like she had done the year prior.
Melissa Dedeaux said she was worried about the danger of the area, and she needed her daughter to pick her up from her overnight shift at work at 7:30 a.m.
When another family member picked her up from work, she said she sensed something was wrong. She said her brother-in-law broke the news to her once she got home.
Melissa Dedeaux said she hopes others remember her daughter as a kind person.
“She was a good person, and even though she was loved by many, it can happen to anybody,” she said.
Hubert Gauthreaux, 21
Huber Gauthreaux, 21, was identified as a victim in Wednesday’s attack in a statement from the Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Louisiana, from which he graduated in 2021.
“It is with great sorrow that we share that alum Hubert Gauthreaux, Class of 2021, was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early this morning in the French Quarter,” a statement from the school said. “He was 21 years old.”
Reggie Hunter, 37
Reggie Hunter’s death was confirmed by his first cousin, Shirell Jackson.
“He did not deserve this,” she told ABC News’ Diane Macedo. “It’s senseless; it’s cruel. …I wish none of this had ever happened.”
Jackson said Hunter, 37, leaves behind two sons, 11-year-old Landon Hunter and 18-month-old Christian Hunter. She described her cousin as the “life of the party” with a big heart who was funny, loving and caring.
“This is hurting all of us differently and on so many levels,” she said. “We were expecting so much life to live with our cousin … Just a beautiful person who did not deserve this and had so much more life to live.”
Nicole Perez, 27
Nicole Perez, 27 was confirmed as one of the victims by Kimberly Usher-Fall, her employer and family friend.
Usher-Fall said Perez had recently been promoted to a manager at one of her stores and she was really excited about the position.
She said Perez brought her 4-year-old son, Melo (Melvin), with her to work and she was helping him learn how to read.
“She was a great mother,” Usher-Fall told ABC News’ Diane Macedo. “She just was a really exciting little young lady and she was getting herself together.”
Usher-Fall said Perez was out with her friends for New Year’s Eve when she was struck by the truck. She was taken to University Hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
Usher-Fall has previously shared the news of Perez’s passing Wednesday morning on a GoFundMe page.
“She was so beautiful and full of life. Her son Melo is now without his momma, and we are without our friend and dedicated employee. I’m hoping to get some help for her burial expenses and to help her son with expenses he will need to transition into a new living situation.”
Matthew Tenedorio, 25
The death of Matthew Tenedorio, 25, was confirmed to ABC News by his parents, Louis and Cathy Tenedorio.
Tenedorio worked as a fiber optics and video professional at the Superdome and Smoothie King Center, according to his parents, who said they felt he had a boundless future.
Cathy Tenedorio described her son as the “life of the room” whose warmth and humor was treasured by his friends. Asked what she would miss about her son, she answered, “Everything. His beautiful face, laugh. ‘I love you mom.’ You know he was just a wonderful son.”
The Tenedorios last saw their son at dinner on New Year’s Eve before he departed for a night out with friends on Bourbon Street.
They both qualms about him staying out late on New Year’s Eve.
“But all I did was just hug him and tell him, ‘I love you. Happy New Year. Please text me when you get home.’ And that text never came,” Cathy Tenedorio said.
The Tenedorios began trying to contact their son Wednesday morning, attempting to piece together his last steps by asking his friends. They described a scene of chaos and carnage that caused the group to split up. By the time the shooting stopped, they couldn’t find Matthew, his parents said.
“By noon, I had a good idea that something terrible happened to my son,” Louis said.
Louis and Cathy recounted calling hospitals and reporting their son missing and then eventually going to a family reunification center at the University Medical Center hospital.
“I heard parents screaming and crying this afternoon. It just broke my heart,” Cathy Tenedorio said, describing the agony of waiting to learn their son’s fate.
(PHILADELPHIA) — The black box from the medical transport jet that crashed in Philadelphia Friday evening is on its way to Washington, D.C., where the National Transportation Safety Board will try to extricate any information, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said during a press conference Monday.
The jet, which was carrying a child and her mother along with four other people, was in the air for less than a minute after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport before coming down in a fiery “high-impact” crash.
The six people on board, as well as one person on the ground, were killed.
The Learjet 55, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, took off at 6:06 p.m. Friday, climbed to about 1,500 feet and then rapidly descended, according to NTSB investigator Bill Hicks.
“The entire flight lasted less than a minute,” Hicks said.
The child, who had just received care from Shriner’s Hospital in Philadelphia, was returning home to Mexico with her mother.
There were also four crew members on board. All were Mexican citizens, according to a statement from the Mexican government. NTSB investigators announced on Sunday that the aircraft’s engines and cockpit voice recorder had been recovered from the crash.
The CVR was located at the site of initial impact, at a depth of 8 feet, according to investigators.
The airplane’s enhanced ground proximity warning system, which could also contain flight data was recovered Sunday as well, officials said. Both components have been sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C., for evaluation.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance identified those aboard the crashed jet as 11-year-old pediatric patient Valentina Guzman Murillo and her 31-year-old mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna; Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, paramedic Lopez Padilla, flight Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales and co-pilot Josue De Jesus Juarez Juarez.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance said Montoya Perales, 46, had worked for the company since 2016, and that 43-year-old Juarez Juarez had been with the company since December 2023. Arredondo, 41, has been flying with the air ambulance company since 2020 and 41-year-old Padilla has been with the company since November 2023.
The mayor of Ensenada, Mexico, a city in the state of Baja California, confirmed two of the victims as Valentina Guzman Murillo and her mother.
Ensenada government officials said the plane was bound for Tijuana, Mexico. The plane was scheduled to make a stopover in Springfield, Missouri, before continuing to Tijuana, officials said.
In addition to those aboard the aircraft, at least one person in a vehicle died in the crash. The identity of the person has not been disclosed.
Parker said Monday that the number of people injured on the ground had risen from 22 to 24. She said four people remained hospitalized as of Monday, two are in stable condition and two are in critical condition.
There was no indication of a problem radioed from the flight deck of the jet back to air traffic control before the crash, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters. “In fact, in the recording that we have, there is an attempt by air traffic controllers to get a response from the flight crew that they didn’t receive,” she said.
The NTSB has classified the crash as an accident.
The “high-impact” crash left debris scattered across four to five city blocks, Homendy said.
At least five homes caught fire in the aftermath of the crash, Philadelphia officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is assisting in the investigation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday a preliminary report on what caused the crash will be available within 30 days.
The crash of the medical jet came just two days after an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a regional American Airlines jet near Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.
Homendy said her agency is able to carry out both investigations simultaneously.
“We are a highly skilled agency,” she said, adding that it’s not unusual for the board to investigate two incidents.
In a message posted on X, Duffy called the back-to-back disasters a “heart-wrenching week.”
Regarding the Philadelphia crash, Duffy said, “We’re not going to have answers right away. It’s going to take time. But as I get those answers, I’m going to share it with all of you.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday the incident shows “a thin line between tragedy and triumph, between danger and safety.”
“That line you can literally witness on Cottman Avenue,” Shapiro said during a press conference on Monday. “[A] millisecond difference could have claimed more lives in our community. Thank God, it didn’t.”
ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos contributed to this report.
