Woman dies on 1st day of Burning Man Festival, cause of death not known
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(LOVELOCK, Nev.) — Authorities are investigating the death of a 39-year-old woman on the first day of the Burning Man Festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
Burning Man’s emergency services personnel found the festival attendee, Kendra Frazer, unresponsive around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the Burning Man Project and Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen. Deputies responded and confirmed her death, Allen said.
“Her cause and manner of death are still pending results of an autopsy and toxicology screening,” the sheriff said in a statement on Monday.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” festival organizers said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our staff and community are paramount. We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate.”
This year’s Burning Man festival runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 2. About 80,000 people attend Burning Man each year, according to the festival’s website.
Last year’s festival was marred by torrential rains, with thousands mired in mud and told to stay in place and conserve food until they could safely exit the festival grounds.
(HOUSTON) — A murder charge has been filed against a 35-year-old driver police allege struck and killed an innocent bystander on a sidewalk in Houston over the weekend while attempting to mow down his domestic partner.
Sanden James George was identified Monday evening by the Houston Police Department as the suspect arrested in a deadly crash near downtown Houston early Sunday morning.
George was charged with murder in the killing of a 41-year-old nightclub manager whom he allegedly struck with a car while attempting to run over his domestic partner, police said.
“An initial investigation, evidence from the scene, and witness statements determined a male suspect got into a physical altercation with a woman, 24, before attempting to intentionally strike her with his vehicle. She was not seriously injured. The suspect’s vehicle struck another woman and he fled on foot,” Houston police said in a statement.
The woman who was killed, whose name is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, was pronounced dead at the scene by Houston Fire Department paramedics.
In addition to murder, George was charged with assault of his partner, police said.
The incident unfolded around 3 a.m. after patrol officers in the city’s Midtown area responded to a report of a pedestrian being hit by a car, according to Houston homicide detectives.
“It’s my understanding that the victim, the decedent, was actually the manager of one of the nightclubs and was preparing to go home,” Robert Klementich, a spokesperson for the Houston Police Department, said during a news conference Sunday.
Witnesses, including the alleged intended target, told police the suspect and his domestic partner were involved in an altercation at a nightclub and left the establishment, Klementich said.
Upon leaving the nightclub, George allegedly got into his car and started driving around crashing into multiple vehicles, Klementich said.
George’s domestic partner alleged to investigators that the suspect intended to strike her with the vehicle when he hit the innocent bystander, Klementich said.
“She was able to get out of the way,” Klementich said of the suspect’s companion. “Unfortunately, an innocent bystander who was walking on the sidewalk was struck by the suspect’s vehicle.”
George allegedly fled the scene on foot, but police found him in the area with the help of witnesses and took him into custody, according to homicide investigators. George was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries before being booked at the Harris County Jail, authorities said.
(BUTLER, Pa.) — Former President Donald Trump says he was shot in the ear after a gunman perched on the roof of a nearby building opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday — a harrowing incident that the FBI called an assassination attempt.
The shooting, which set the country on edge on the eve of the Republican National Convention, left one spectator dead, two others critically injured, and sparked chaos at the event. As the former president spoke, shots crackled and Trump, hand to his ear, dropped to the ground where he was surrounded by agents before behind hustled off the stage into a waiting car amid the screams and confusion of the crowd.
The shooting, which is being investigated by the FBI overseen by the Justice Department’s National Security Division, as well as the U.S. attorney’s office in Pittsburgh, comes amid a heightened threat environment.
The Secret Service, in a statement, said that a shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue” after which agents “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.”
The shooter fired as many as eight rounds from an AR-style rifle while perched on a rooftop adjacent to the venue and was 200-300 yards away at the time of the shooting, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
It was “surprising” that the suspected gunman was able to get off as many shots as he allegedly did, law enforcement said, adding that the gunman was a “very determined attacker.”
One spectator was killed and two others critically injured, the Secret Service said in a statement. All were adult men, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a press conference. The shots fired were “scattered” and the injured and dead had been spread through the crowd, he said.
The FBI early on Sunday identified the suspected gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The FBI had earlier said they believed they had identified the shooter, but were not releasing his name during the sensitive first steps in the investigation, according to a law enforcement source. The early indication was that the shooter was a lone wolf, but the situation was fluid, the source said.
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek earlier had said the agency was trying to assess the motive for the shooting and to confirm the gunman’s identity. “It’s a matter of doing biometric confirmations, so there was no identification on the individual for example so we’re looking at photographs right now and we’re trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation.”
There appeared to be blood on Trump’s right ear as he was being taken off stage, and he could be seen mouthing “fight” and pumping his fist.
Bivens described a “chaotic scene” where law enforcement acted “heroically.” Bivens said officials were following up on reports about suspicious occurrences that they received prior to the shooting.
‘Something was wrong,’ Trump says
A spokesperson for Trump said in a statement, “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.” Later in the evening, he was released and left the Butler area under Secret Service protection, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote on X.
In a statement on Truth Social posted hours after the shooting, Trump said he “was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening,” he wrote in the post, which expressed condolences to the family of the rallygoer who was killed.
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country,” he added. Trump’s campaign says he still plans to attend the RNC.
Outpouring of support
The incident sent shockwaves throughout the political world and sparked condemnation from both sides of the aisle as well as an outpouring of support.
President Joe Biden called the incident “sick” and said “there’s no place in America for this kind of violence.”
“We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.” Biden spoke to Trump in the wake of the shooting.
And Vice President Kamala Harris said she was “relieved he is not seriously injured.”
“Violence such as this has no place in our nation,” he added. “We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”
Donald Trump Jr., told ABC News he has spoken to his father, who remains at the hospital. He said his father is “in good spirits” as he remains under observation, adding that his father is “never gonna stop.”
“This is the fighter America needs!” Trump’s son Eric wrote in a post on X with a photo of his father’s fist raised in the air attached.
And Trump’s daughter Ivanka, called the shooting “senseless” and wrote “I love you Dad” on X.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said on X that he was “praying for President Trump and urge every American to join us.”
In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro said “We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today.”
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who is on the short list for Trump’s potential running mate, placed blame for the incident, without elaborating or citing evidence, on President Biden.
“Today is not just some isolated incident,” Vance wrote on X. “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed a “FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS TODAY” in a statement on X.
‘People started to panic’
Trump was talking to the crowd about immigration when pops could be heard and chaos broke out. The former president could be seen grasping his ear before going down to the ground and being swarmed and shielded by Secret Service agents.
Dave McCormick, who’s running for U.S. Senate, told ABC News he was in the front row of the rally. He said he heard “seven or eight” shots fired.
“People started to panic,” he said. “Everyone dropped to the ground.”
Witness Leonard Verdetto said everyone at the rally had been “joyful” but then he heard “popping sounds,” describing 6-8 shots fired.
“None of us really registered at the time that all these people were saying ‘get down!’ ‘get down!'”
“We were all praying…We were praying to him to keep us safe, keep us protected.”
Another witness, a speaker at the event, Rico Elmore, said he was about 20 feet away from Trump at the time. He said at first he thought the shots were “fireworks.”
“I turned around, and someone yelled ‘medic.” Then he took his tie off and sprang into action, realizing there was not time for a medic to get there, but by the time he got there, he said, it was too late. “The person…was bleeding out through their head.”
He said “I tried to block the wound” by holding a towel against it until the medical team arrived.
“I just saw the bullets hitting the stands, bouncing up,” witness John Dohanich added. He said there was an initial volley of shots, followed by a pause, and then the rest of the shots.
“I’m hearing everyone screaming ‘get down!’ ‘get down’,” and he said he tried to help people get down. “I told them just to keep praying, keep calm.”
In the wake of the incident, Trump, with blood on his ear and the side of his face, was then led off the stage quickly, pumping his fist on stage and also as he was helped into a vehicle to be taken away.
Heavily armed security personnel got on stage as he was led off.
“An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”
The White House said in a statement, “The President has received an initial briefing on the incident at Former President Trump’s rally.”
Violence ‘absolutely unacceptable’
“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a possible vice president pick, wrote on social media, “Everyone join me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally. I hope everyone is ok.”
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a possible vice presidential pick, posted to X, calling for prayers for the former president.
“Please join Kathryn and me in praying for President Trump, his family and everyone attending the rally today.”
Another vice presidential hopeful, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, also posted on X asking for prayers for Trump and those at the rally.
“Praying for President Trump and all those attending the rally in Pennsylvania today.”
“ATF is responding to assist the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement partners. This is a top priority. We have no further comment at this time,” ATF said in a statement.
ABC News’ Isabella Murray, Jack Date and Luke Barr contributed to this story.
(NEW YORK) — The hottest weather of the season is spreading across the eastern half of the U.S. — with cities in the Northeast in the bull’s-eye on Wednesday — after baking the Midwest with extreme temperatures early in the week.
Chicago’s actual temperature hit 99 degrees on Tuesday, breaking the city’s daily record of 97 degrees. The heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — soared to a scorching 115 degrees in Chicago on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, heat advisories are in effect from St. Louis, Missouri, to New York City. An excessive heat warning was issued in Philadelphia, where the heat index could hit 105 degrees.
The heat index is forecast to rise Wednesday to 106 degrees in Baltimore, Maryland; 103 in Washington, D.C.; and 97 in New York City.
The final tennis major of the year, the U.S. Open, which is underway in New York City, is operating under an “extreme weather policy,” with stadium roofs partially closed and extended breaks for players.
More than a dozen cities could shatter their record high temperatures, including Washington, D.C., if it reaches 100 degrees.
The extreme temperatures will end in the Northeast on Thursday, but will linger in the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley through Friday.
On Thursday, the heat index is forecast to climb to 104 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee, and Columbia, South Carolina; 102 degrees in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Louisville, Kentucky; and 105 degrees in Greenville, Mississippi.
Record highs are possible Thursday in cities including Nashville and Louisville.
There are hundreds of deaths each year in the U.S. due to excessive heat, according to CDC WONDER, an online database, and scientists caution that the actual number of heat-related deaths is likely higher.
Last year marked the most heat-related deaths in the U.S. on record, according to JAMA, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
