Several people shot outside Ohio high school reunion, investigators say
(CLEVELAND) — Multiple people were shot outside the Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio, early on Monday, investigators said.
The number of people who were injured and their conditions were not yet known, East Cleveland Police told ABC News’ Cleveland affiliate WEWS. The injured were transported to University Hospital, police said.
The shooting occurred at around 2 a.m. on Monday during a reunion event at the high school, investigators said.
The shooting prompted a response from multiple jurisdictions, including local police and emergency services.
East Cleveland City Council President Twon Billings told WEWS that the Shaw High School reunion is a weekend-long event that brings together graduations and community members of all ages.
Billings told WEWS he was devastated by the shooting, and suggested that a local police shortage affected the events that transpired Monday morning.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(KETCHIKAN, Alaska.) — A 42-year-old husband and father has been identified as the man killed in a landslide in Ketchikan, Alaska, on Sunday, officials said.
Sean Griffin, a Ketchikan native and member of the city’s public works team for 17 years, was killed when he responded to help during his scheduled time off, according to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough.
“Sean and another team member were clearing stormwater drains when they were caught in the landslide,” Ketchikan officials said in a statement.
“Sean was a beloved husband, father, son, neighbor, and coworker,” Ketchikan officials said. “He spent his life serving his family and his community. … He started as a solid waste collector, moved up to solid waste facility operator, then to streets maintenance technician, and finally promoted to senior maintenance technician. “
“Sean is remembered for his dedication, positive spirit, and unwavering devotion to his family, his friends, and to the community,” the statement said.
Mandatory evacuations were put in place after the landslide swept through streets on Sunday afternoon, according to Kacie Paxton, a public information officer for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough.
Three people were injured and hospitalized following the landslide, according to Paxton. One of those people was later released, she said.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an Alaska Disaster Emergency Declaration. A separate Joint Disaster Emergency Declaration was issued by borough Mayor Rodney Dial and city of Ketchikan Mayor Dave Kiffer.
“In my 65 years in Ketchikan, I have never seen a slide of this magnitude,” Kiffer said in a statement. “With the slides we have seen across the region, there is clearly a region-wide issue that we need to try to understand with the support of our state geologist.”
“The loss of life that we have encountered is heartbreaking, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes,” he added.
Photos released by the borough appeared to show a pile of trees and loose soil up against several hillside homes, at least one of which appeared to have been pushed into another home. Other photos appeared to show roads covered with debris, including trees.
“Our prayers are with the families, the injured, those recovering, and the community,” Sen. Dan Sullivan said on social media, later adding, “My team and I stand ready to help facilitate any federal assistance that may be necessary.”
This landslide comes as Ketchikan saw about 3 inches of rain this month — about half its average rainfall for August.
Ketchikan received over 2.5 inches of rainfall over this weekend, and higher elevations in the Ketchikan Range reported 5 to 9 inches of rain. Too much rain at once after a drier period can cause a landslide.
The rain continued on Monday but is forecast to dry off through Tuesday. More rain is expected Wednesday and Thursday as a new frontal system moves in.
Landslides are common in southeast Alaska. Six people were killed, including an 11-year-old girl, in a major landslide in Wrangell, about 100 miles north of Ketchikan, last November.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
(LOS ANGELES) — Firefighters are nearing victory in the battles against three major wildfires near Los Angeles that have burned more than 117,000 acres, destroyed nearly 200 structures and injured 23 people, officials said.
More than 8,000 firefighters combating the Bridge, Line and Airport fires, all burning within 70 miles of each other, have significantly increased containment lines around the blazes while taking advantage of cooler weather in Southern California over the past week, officials said.
The biggest fire, the Bridge Fire, had charred 54,795 acres as of Wednesday after igniting Sept. 8 in the Angeles National Forest, 31 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The blaze was 37% contained on Wednesday, Cal Fire said.
“Conditions were calm last night as firefighters continued their diligent work in strengthening containment lines and validating their progress,” Cal Fire said in an updated statement on the Bridge Fire Wednesday, adding that firefighting helicopters were not needed overnight.
The Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties has destroyed 75 structures, including at least 33 homes in Wrightwood and Mt. Baldy, and injured four people, officials said.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
The Line Fire
Firefighters upped containment on the Line Fire in San Bernardino County to 50% on Wednesday, keeping it to “minimal fire growth overnight,” according to Cal Fire. Like the other active blazes in the Los Angeles area, the Line Fire has been fueled by extremely dry vegetation, officials said.
Since it was ignited by a suspected arsonist on Sept. 5, the Line Fire has burned 39,181 acres, according to Cal Fiire. The blaze has damaged four structures, destroyed one and injured four people, including three firefighters, authorities said.
“Firefighters are strengthening control lines and mopping up hot spots,” Cal Fire said.
The fire prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy the state National Guard to support the ongoing response.
Newsom declared a state of emergency on Sept. 11 to free up resources in an effort to bring the three fires under control.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a 34-year-old man from Norco, California, was identified as the suspect who started the Line Fire, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. During a video arraignment on Tuesday, Halstenberg pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of arson, including aggravated arson and causing great bodily injury.
The Airport Fire
The Airport Fire — which broke out on Sept. 9 in an unincorporated area of Orange County and spread to Riverside County — had burned 23,519 acres as of Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. The blaze is 35% contained.
“Firefighters are prioritizing continued fire line construction and reinforcement by adding more layers of protection in problem areas,” Cal Fire said in a fire update.
The fire has been the most destructive of the three blazes, destroying 160 structures, including homes and businesses, and damaging 34 others, according to Cal Fire. At least 15 people, including two firefighters, were injured, Cal Fire said.
The Airport Fire was sparked by county public works crews working on a fire prevention project by trying to move boulders to prevent public access — mostly by motorcyclists — to an area of the canyon with a lot of dry vegetation that could ignite easily, officials told ABC Los Angeles station KABC.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more than 24,000 firefighters were battling 55 large active wildfires across the nation on Wednesday.
So far in 2024, 37,269 wildfires have erupted across the country, burning more than 7.3 million acres, up from 2.1 million acres at this time last year, according to the fire center.
(NEW YORK) — Police body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was shot in her own home by a deputy after calling 911 to report a possible intruder, was released by the Illinois State Police Monday afternoon.
The video, reviewed by ABC News, shows Massey, 36, being shot in the face by former Illinois Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson. Grayson, 30, who is white, has since been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, to which he pleaded not guilty. He has been fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
According to charging documents filed in Sangamon County Court, Grayson allegedly shot Massey in the face after the deputy “aggressively yelled” at her to put down a pot of boiling water and she threw it on a couch.
The video shows Massey pouring a pot of boiling water into the sink after Grayson points out the pot on her stove. Massey asked where he was going, and Grayson replied “away from your hot steaming water.”
“Aw, away from my hot steaming water? Aw, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said.
Grayson replied “You better [expletive] not, I swear to [expletive] God I’ll shoot you right in your [expletive] face,” and immediately proceeded to draw his gun.
Massey covered her face with the pot as she ducked down and apologized. Grayson told her to “drop the [expletive] pot” three times before he shot her.
Grayson and a second deputy who has not yet been named were dispatched to Massey’s Springfield, Illinois, residence at about 12:50 a.m. on July 6 to investigate a possible prowler, according to the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
Grayson only activated his body-worn camera after the shooting. The other deputy had activated his camera when he arrived at the scene, according to charging documents filed against Grayson in Sangamon County Court.
Court documents describe Massey as “calm, perhaps unwell, not aggressive” at the time that the deputies responded to her call for help. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, told ABC News that Massey struggled with her mental health.
Crump described the body-worn camera footage of Massey’s death as “extremely graphic.” He will join the family to address the media Monday afternoon in a news conference, where mental health professionals will be present to counsel attendees due to the graphic nature of the video.
Grayson allegedly discouraged his partner from retrieving a medical kit to render aid to Massey after the shooting because he allegedly thought the injuries were too severe to revive her, according to prosecutors.
In the video, Grayson tells the second deputy that “she’s done” when he says he’s going to get his med kit immediately after Massey is shot.
“No, head shot, dude. She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a headshot,” Grayson said. “What else do we do? I’m not taking pot boiling water to the [expletive] face and it already reached us.”
The second responding deputy still proceeded to render aid to Massey. According to a statement from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, “Deputies immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived. The woman was transported to St. John’s Hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. No deputies were injured during the incident.”
Massey was pronounced dead at 1:47 a.m. on July 6. An autopsy found that she died of a gunshot wound, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon.
Illinois State Police investigated the shooting for use of deadly force at the request of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. According to Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, a review of the investigation and the body-worn camera footage found that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force.
Massey was honored at a funeral on Friday, July 19. During the funeral, her younger sister, Breeanna Toles, asked the public to keep her family’s feelings in mind when watching the body-worn camera footage of her sister’s shooting.
“I know people wanna see the video, I know people wanna talk about the video; I just ask if you do it, just do it out of respect for us,” Toles said.
President Joe Biden released a statement on Massey’s death.
“Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not,” Biden’s statement says. “Sonya’s family deserves justice. I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss. Jill and I mourn with the rest of the country and our prayers are with Sonya’s family, loved ones, and community during this devastating time.
Grayson’s attorney, Dan Fultz, declined to comment.