One dead in shooting at Michigan State Fair, police say
(NOVI, Mich.) — One person was killed and another hospitalized after a shooting at the Michigan State Fair on Saturday, police said.
The fair is being held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in the city of Novi. The Novi Police Department wrote on X there is no threat to the community following what it called the “isolated incident.”
A city spokesperson confirmed to ABC News’ Detroit affiliate WXYZ that there had been a shooting, describing the situation as very fluid.
Witnesses told WXYZ that fairgoers fled after hearing the shots. “We’re all trying to run, duck off somewhere,” one person said.
There was a large police presence surrounding the area following the shooting. The Novi Police Department said the incident remains under investigation.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A new Instagram filter will allow Jackson Hole visitors to interact with nature while keeping a safe distance from wildlife.
Every summer season, when school is out and the weather is warm enough to explore preserved land around the country, images circulate of people attempting to get too close to wildlife, often to snap a picture with the unsuspecting animal.
The occurrence is so prevalent that in 2023, Yellowstone National Park issued a message to tourists who spot wild animals: “Leave it alone and give it space.”
Tourism experts are now getting creative in finding ways to encourage visitors to keep their distance from wildlife, even docile-seeming giants like bison.
Visit Jackson Hole has launched the “Selfie Control” filter, an Instagram filter that will warn guests when they are getting too close to comfort.
Users can search for the filter on Instagram and then navigate through the animal options to the type of wildlife they are looking at, according to the tourism board.
If the live animal appears bigger than the icon featured on the filter, it means the user is too close. Once visitors move back to the appropriate distance, they can take a photo and tag @visitjacksonhole before sharing as a Story or in-feed post.
The tourism board decided to create the filter after noticing a “really big increase” in human-wildlife encounters, Crista Valentino, executive director of the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board, told ABC News.
The increase in interactions is likely stemming from a rise in the number of visitors, but Valentino believes that the emergence of smartphones and social media may have contributed to the growing trend of too-close calls between visitors and wildlife as well.
“Many of them are coming without the information of knowing and understanding that these are wild animals, that this is not a zoo, and that these animals need space,” Valentino said.
In May 2023, a video of a woman filmed standing precariously close to a fully grown bison went viral. Although the bison seemed unperturbed, nature experts warn against misjudging their slow, calm nature to mean that they can interact with them, Valentino said.
The tourism board has witnessed people take their children and place them on top of the 3,000-pound animals or get dangerously close to them for the perfect shot, she added.
“And if you get between a mom and a baby moose, that mom will very quickly close that gap and defend its young,” Valentino said.
In addition to the potential for the humans themselves to get hurt, after interactions with humans, wildlife can sometimes be put down because they are rejected from their herd, Valentino said.
National Parks visitors are required to stay at least 25 yards away from all wildlife, including bison, elk and deer, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. Each violation can result in fines up to $5,000 and six months in jail, according to the National Park Service.
“For professional photographers and amateurs alike, it’s hard to tell if a moose or bison is 25 or 100 yards away just by ‘eyeballing’ it, especially when you’re in a place like Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park with sprawling, wide-open spaces,” said Erik Dombroski, chair of the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board.
Similar incidents occur in Australia, another country known for its natural wonders.
Last year, professional photographers in Australia urged national parks visitors to stop messing with the numbats, a marsupial that lives in the western part of the country. The number of numbats is dwindling, with less than 1,000 estimated to still be living in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Visit Jackson Hole reminded guests that staying the appropriate distance is more than a suggestion — it’s a requirement. The filter will help visitors to avoid creating dangerous situations for themselves or others, Valentino said.
“We’re hoping to really see those those negative interactions decline,” Valentino said.
(WINDER, Ga.) — Colt Gray, the 14-year-old accused of opening fire at his Georgia high school, made his first court appearance on Friday, where the judge informed him of the charges against him and ordered him held without bond.
Gray is charged with four counts of felony murder for allegedly shooting and killing two teachers and two students at Apalachee High School on Wednesday.
Another seven students and two teachers were injured. All of the injured victims are expected to make full recoveries, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said.
More charges against Gray are expected, the GBI said.
The 14-year-old will be tried as an adult, authorities said.
A motive has not yet been determined and it is unknown if the victims were targeted, investigators said.
Gray’s aunt, Annie Brown, said her nephew was “begging for help from everybody around him.”
Investigators believe that Gray received the AR-style gun used in the shooting as a Christmas present from his father, according to sources.
The teen’s father, Colin Gray, 54, was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the GBI said.
Colin Gray is accused of “knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said Thursday.
Colin Gray is also expected to appear in court on Friday.
(GRAND CANYON VILLAGE, Ariz.) — Breaks in a 12-and-a-half-mile long water main at Grand Canyon National Park that emerged on the heels of catastrophic flash flooding have prompted officials to halt overnight lodging on the canyon’s South Rim ahead of what was expected to be a busy Labor Day weekend at one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Four significant breaks have been discovered in the Transcanyon Waterline that supplies water from the canyon for use throughout the park, officials said.
The busted waterline has forced park officials to temporarily halt park concessions and overnight accommodations, including the El Tovar Hotel, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, Phantom Ranch, Delaware North’s Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village, officials said.
“These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources. The goal is to restore full operational status for overnight guests on the South Rim as quickly as possible,” National Park officials said in a statement.
It was unclear when water will be fully restored, but officials warned visitors the restrictions will run throughout the Labor Day holiday.
As of Thursday, no water was being pumped to either the South or North Rims of the canyon, officials said.
Only dry camping will be allowed on the canyon’s South Rim, where most campground spigots have been turned off, officials said. Faucets in bathrooms on the South Rim are still working, as well as spigots at the Mather Campground check-in kiosk on the South Rim, but officials are asking visitors to conserve water.
“We are asking residents and visitors to help conserve water by limiting showers to five minutes or less, turning off faucets while shaving or brushing teeth, flushing toilets selectively, washing laundry with full loads, and reporting leaks to the appropriate offices,” park officials said.
The Grand Canyon will remain open for day use, but campfires and charcoal barbecues will be prohibited, officials said.
The announcement follows flash flooding this month that prompted more than 100 rescues, caused major damage to the small village of Supai at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and led to the death of a hiker who was washed away in the flood waters.
But park officials said challenges from the waterline issues were occurring before the Aug. 22 flash flooding.
The Transcanyon Waterline was built in the 1960s and officials believe it has exceeded its expected lifespan. Since 2010, there have been more than 85 major breaks in the waterline that have disrupted water delivery, park officials said.
The National Park Service recently started construction on a $208 million rehabilitation of the Transcanyon Waterline.
“This crucial investment in infrastructure will ensure the park can meet water supply needs for six million annual visitors and approximately 2,500 year-round residents,” park officials said in a statement.