July 27, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Police in Aurora, Colo. have shared this image of a person of interest in a shooting involving protesters on highway I-225, July 25, 2020. – (Aurora Police Department via Twitter)By BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC News

(AURORA, Colo.) — A “person of interest” is wanted for questioning by police in a shooting that erupted on a Colorado freeway that left two demonstrators injured when an SUV drove through a group protesting the police-involved killing of Elijah McClain.

Police released photos of a curly-haired white man wearing glasses that they are seeking to identify for questioning in the shooting that broke out Saturday evening on Interstate 225 in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Two protesters were struck by bullets and at least one person believed to have been among the protesters opened fire at the chaotic moment the SUV drove through the group, narrowly missing demonstrators.

“I not only find great concern with someone making the decision to drive their vehicle toward protesters on the interstate but that someone in the protester group opened fire, recklessly shooting two people,” Aurora Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said in a statement.

The shooting was one of several that occurred at protests across the country this weekend, including one in Austin, Texas, that left a Black Lives Matter protester dead. The shooting also unfolded three weeks after a driver barreled into a Black Lives Matter protest on a closed Seattle freeway, killing one demonstrator and leaving another seriously injured.

The Aurora episode happened as protesters marched onto Interstate 225 in support of McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after Aurora police put him in a chokehold in 2019. McClain was walking home in Aurora after buying iced tea at a corner store on Aug. 24, 2019, when he was stopped by police.

The officers involved in McClain’s death were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the district attorney for Colorado’s 17th Judicial District.

Earlier this month, Chief Wilson fired four Aurora police officers and a fifth resigned after photos surfaced of them mimicking the chokehold death near a memorial for McClain. One of the fire officers was involved in McClain’s death.

Police said protesters were walking northbound on Interstate 225 when a turquoise-colored Jeep drove toward the demonstration about 7 p.m.

“While the Jeep was being driven through the crowd, multiple shots were fired by a protester,” police said in a statement. “At this time it is unknown if multiple people fired their weapons, or if it was just one individual.”

An adult male was grazed in the head by a bullet and taken to a hospital in a private vehicle. A second adult male was shot in the leg and taken to a hospital by ambulance, police said.

Police said a protester in a car tried to prevent the driver from hitting demonstrators by ramming the side of the Jeep.

The Jeep continued to head north on Interstate 225 and the driver was stopped by police when he exited the freeway, officials said.

“During preliminary interviews with the Jeep driver, he advised officers that while on I-225, his vehicle began to be surrounded by protesters who were yelling and striking his vehicle,” police said in a statement. “He also claims that a white pickup truck struck the front of his vehicle. He claims that the reason that he drove towards the protesters is because he was scared and trying to get away.”

Investigators plan to present a case to the local district attorney, who will decide whether criminal charges will be filed against the driver, whose name was not released.

Police officials urged witnesses to come forward with video and photographs of the incident that could help them identify the person or persons responsible for the shooting. A $2,000 reward is also being offered by Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest.

Meanwhile, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said a preliminary investigation of the fatal shooting of protester Garrett Foster during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in downtown Austin on Saturday night indicates that Foster may have pointed an assault rifle at the driver of a vehicle before he was shot.

“Gunshots were fired from inside the vehicle at Foster,” Manley said in a statement issued Sunday night. “Someone else in the crowd opened fire on the car as it drove off.

Manley said both people who fired guns have been questioned and released pending further investigation. He said both people had concealed handgun licenses.

Foster’s mother disputed the police account of the shooting during an interview Sunday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Sheila Foster said her son was pushing his fiancee’s wheelchair when he was gunned down.

“And this gentleman got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times,” she said.

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July 27, 2020 • No Comments • National News

ABC NewsBy MAX GOLEMBO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — There is a rare Hurricane Warning for parts of Hawaii Monday morning as Hurricane Douglas passes dangerously close to the state, bringing gusty winds, flooding rain and life threatening surf.

Right now, Douglas is about 50 miles northeast of Lihue, Hawaii, and about 100 miles northwest of Honolulu.

Douglas has winds Monday morning of 90 mph making it a high end Category 1 Hurricane.

This is a pretty rare occasion to have a full blown hurricane pass so close to Hawaii.

Only two hurricanes in recorded history have made landfall in Hawaii, Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and Hurricane Dot in 1959.

There were other hurricanes that tried to make a run at the Hawaiian islands such as Hurricane Lane in 2018 and Hurricane Lester in 2016 but they never made it as close as Douglas is now with winds of 90 mph.

The forecast track takes the eye of Douglas just north of Kauai in the next six to 12 hours, bringing gusty winds, flooding rain and life threatening surf with some minor damage possible on the island.

Meanwhile, Hanna is dissipating over Mexico Monday morning but it also managed to make history on Saturday when it made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday with winds of 90 mph on Padre Island National Seashore, which is about 50 miles south of Corpus Christi.

Hanna brought wind gusts of up to 68 mph to Corpus Christi and 81 mph wind gusts to Baffin Bay Padre Island.

Up to five inches of rain fell in Corpus Christi and the storm surge was in excess of five feet.

Widespread flash flooding and coastal flooding was also reported in the city.

Additionally, Hanna was the earliest “H” storm ever recorded in U.S. history and only the second fourth-named storm to make landfall in the U.S. so early in the season.

The only other fourth-named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this early was a Category 4 hurricane in 1886.

Now, attention turns to the East where a new tropical system is developing in the Atlantic and, in the next 24 hours, it could become a tropical depression or a tropical storm. If it becomes a tropical storm it would be Isaias.

It is still too early to tell where exactly this system will go and how strong it will get, but people living in the northwest Caribbean islands including Puerto Rico should be paying attention to the forecast.

Elsewhere, another heat wave is expected in the Northeast and the East Coast this week.

A Heat Advisory has been issued from North Carolina to Maine where temperatures could get close to 100 degrees.

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July 27, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Ovidiu Dugulan/iStockBy MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) — Missouri health officials are urging residents to take “aggressive actions” following nearly a week in which daily COVID-19 cases have reached four figures.

On Sunday, the state had its sixth straight day of more than 1,000 new cases, with 1,218. A four-day streak of record-breaking numbers of new cases peaked at 1,652 on Friday.

There are 41,927 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Missouri and 1,197 deaths, according to the state health department. The seven-day rolling average of positive tests is 8.8%.

“We’re trending up,” Dr. Randall Williams, director of the state’s health department, said Wednesday at Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s coronavirus briefing. The 1,000-plus numbers likely represent community transmission, primarily among 20- and 30-year-olds, Williams said.

The average age of those contracting COVID-19 has been steadily declining, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. As of Sunday, the average age of a COVID-19 patient in the state is 43; the seven-day rolling average is 40.

Daily hospitalization data on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard has not been updated since July 12, though Williams said those numbers are also “trending up.” The lag in reporting is due to a change in how data is collected, after the White House switched data collection from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to a private firm earlier this month. As a result, the Missouri Hospital Association said it has been left “in the dark” and unable to access state data.

Williams said he expects to have updated hospitalization figures this week.

A call to ‘mask up’

Missouri started reopening its economy on May 4, with the governor allowing the state to fully reopen starting June 16. There is no statewide mask mandate, though several local jurisdictions, including St. Louis County and Kansas City, Missouri, have issued their own orders as COVID-19 cases have started to rise in recent weeks.

The Missouri Hospital Association is also among a coalition of eight state organizations urging residents to “mask up” amid the increase, pointing to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wear cloth face coverings in public to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

“Missouri’s stay-at-home order helped reduce transmission of the virus. However, with many regions of the state opening, Missouri’s transmission rates have been rising,” the association said in a statement. “Missourians can protect themselves, their families and members of the community by wearing a mask when in public and when in contact with at-risk individuals.”

In a grim letter to the public released Friday, several health officials in the Kansas City region, including two in Missouri, urged residents to take steps to limit the spread of the disease due to recent data that suggests they are “losing the battle with COVID-19,” the letter said.

“We are extremely concerned that hospitalizations will continue to escalate in the coming weeks and months, and that the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 will lead to increasing ventilator use and deaths,” said the letter, which stressed mask-wearing indoors and when social distancing is not possible. “This is our best option right now for protecting our friends, families, neighbors and the economy.”

One oft-cited example of the value of mask-wearing happened right in Missouri: After two symptomatic hairdressers potentially exposed 140 customers to COVID-19 in May, the county health department determined that no new cases were linked to the Springfield salon. Both hairstylists and all clients were wearing face coverings at the time, officials said.

Missouri’s COVID-19 epicenter

The hardest-hit county in Missouri is its most populous one: St. Louis. As of Sunday, the county had about a quarter of the state’s COVID-19 cases, with 10,995, based on state data. During the first two weeks of July, the average number of new COVID-19 cases more than doubled, according to a July 23 report from the St. Louis County Health Department. Hospitalizations increased by 73% during that period, it found. The overall testing positivity rate has been gradually climbing since mid-June, the report stated.

With a record numbers of new cases in recent days, county officials have warned they are considering reimposing restrictions. At a coronavirus briefing on Friday, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said that the county would start “talking about restrictions” when daily hospital admissions hit 40.

That number has been hovering around there in recent days. On Sunday, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported daily new hospitalizations at 36, down from 40 on Thursday. The seven-day moving average of new hospitalizations was 40 on Sunday, continuing an upward trend in the county.

“We’re in a difficult place right now, and we do need to be taking some aggressive actions as a community to turn the curve around,” task force head Dr. Alex Garza said Friday at a coronavirus briefing. “We have a lot of transmission in our community. It is still being driven by our younger population.”

Last week, the county announced that it would be pausing youth summer league competitions, such as games and scrimmages, due to rising cases among children ages 10-19.

“While the risk of transmission during competitive youth sports games is most likely low, all of the activities surrounding the games increase the likelihood of spreading the virus. This includes teams, coaches and parents gathering before, during and after games and practices, carpooling and other activities associated with participating in sports teams, especially if proper mitigation practices are not in place,” the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, the St. Louis Sports Medicine COVID-19 Task Force and the city of St. Louis said in a joint statement released Thursday.

The guidelines only apply to summer sports, officials said.

Garza stressed “decisive actions,” such as mask-wearing, social distancing and not congregating in large groups, to help reduce the curve and keep hospital admissions down in the region.

In a confluence of COVID-19 concerns, one recent outbreak in the state has been tied to a large gathering of young people. The Jackson County Health Department said on Friday it had traced five cases of the virus to a July 10 high school party attended by anywhere from 100 to 200 students.

The department is recommending that all those who attended get tested for the virus. Under the county’s current guidelines, gatherings are limited to 100 people.

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July 27, 2020 • No Comments • National News

filo/iStockBy BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Peaceful protests against police brutality and the presence of federal agents at demonstrations turned violent as police in several large cities across the country declared riots, and one protester in Austin was killed in a shooting that erupted during a weekend of civil unrest.

A Black Lives Matter protester was fatally shot just before 10 p.m. on Saturday during a march in downtown Austin, police said.

While police initially said the protester, identified as Garrett Foster, was armed when he approached a car occupied by a man who killed him, Foster’s mother disputed the account during an interview Sunday on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Sheila Foster said her son was pushing his fiancee’s wheelchair when he was gunned down.

“And this gentleman got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times,” the mother said.

The gunfire, which was captured on cellphone video, caused protesters to run and duck for cover.

Police said the suspected gunman was captured and was being interviewed by investigators. The alleged gunman’s name has not been released.

The deadly violence occurred as protests across the country turned from peaceful to chaotic.

Oregon

Police in Portland, Oregon, declared that a demonstration turned into a “riot” early Sunday when protesters breached a reinforced fence around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland. Federal agents guarding the building deployed tear gas on the demonstrators, who officials alleged hurled projectiles and fireworks at the agents.

It was the 59th straight day of protests in Portland and demonstrators have accused federal agents of inflaming violence by using questionable tactics for detaining protesters and dispersing crowds.

President Donald Trump has threatened to send federal agents to more cities to restore order.

More than 100 miles away in Eugene, Oregon, police also declared a “riot” when Black Lives Matter members, protesting in solidarity with their Portland counterparts, clashed with counterprotesters waving American flags and toting signs reading “All Lives Matter,” according to police.

Police said they moved in to quell the demonstrations when vandalism occurred to businesses, including a Whole Foods store, and officers witnessed and arrested a man allegedly firing a gun into the air. Rocks and other objects were also thrown at police, officials said.

At least eight other people, including a juvenile, were arrested on suspicion of rioting in Eugene, police said.

California

In Oakland, California, a peaceful march through the city’s streets intended to show support for the ongoing protests in Portland erupted in violence late Saturday.

The Oakland Police Department tweeted that some agitators among the roughly 700 peaceful demonstrators vandalized a police station by breaking windows, spray painting walls and shooting fireworks. Police officials said multiple small fires were set throughout the city, including one at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse.

Police said several arrests were made.

Washington

In Seattle, officials said that 59 police officers were hurt on Saturday in clashes with protesters and that 47 arrests were made.

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said at a late-night news conference Saturday that protests were mostly peaceful until nightfall when some agitators began throwing rocks and explosives at police. Best said one officer was hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive.

Earlier in the day, a dozen people set fire to portable trailers during a protest at the construction site of the new King County Juvenile Detention Facility, police said. Officials also said that windows of cars and some businesses were broken near downtown Seattle as groups of protesters marched through the area.

Police said they were also investigating an explosion that damaged the facade of the police department’s East Precinct.

“There, several people emerged from the group and began spray painting and attempting to disable security cameras and a fenced perimeter around the precinct. At least one person breached the precinct’s fence line. Moments later, a device exploded leaving an 8-inch hole in the side of the precinct,” police said in a statement.

By 10 p.m. Saturday, police had made 45 arrests, officials said.

Virginia

Meanwhile, the police department in Richmond, Virginia, declared an unlawful assembly on Saturday night after more violence erupted there.

A demonstration billed as “Richmond Stands with Portland” started out with a peaceful march but became unruly as marchers made their way to Richmond Police Headquarters, officials said.

Prior to reaching police headquarters, police said some in a group of mostly peaceful protesters set fires, broke windows and spray-painted graffiti on buildings. Some damage was done to buildings at Virginia Commonwealth University, police said.

Just after 11 p.m. Saturday, police tweeted “please disperse or face arrest” while addressing protesters outside police headquarters. Police posted on Twitter images of rocks, batteries and other projectiles they said were hurled at officers posted outside the headquarters that “prompted an Unlawful Assembly being declared.”

A city dump truck parked near police headquarters was also set on fire, according to police.

The Virginia State Police said its troopers were helping to protect the police department headquarters when several people who were among the protesters tore down police tape and moved forward pointing lasers and shooting firecrackers.

Police said tear gas was used to disperse the crowd outside the headquarters.

Four men were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, police said. A 29-year-old Richmond man was also arrested and charged with rioting with a firearm, while a 28-year-old man from Hopewell, Virginia, was arrested on suspicion of assault on a law enforcement officer and rioting, according to police.

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July 27, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Hillsborugh County Sheriff’s Office By JON HAWORTH, ABC News

(TAMPA BAY, Fla.) — A man has been arrested after reportedly walking into a hotel room and attempting to kidnap a child right from their mother.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:41 a.m. on July 26 when the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from the panicked mother informing them that a man had just entered the Tampa Bay, Florida hotel room where her and her offspring were before he allegedly tried to kidnap the child directly from her.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect walked in and picked up the child in front of the mother before she jumped up and was able to gain control of her child again causing him to walk out of the door.

The mother then escaped and called emergency responders to report the incident.

According to a statement released by police, the suspect, 24-year-old Gabriel Martin, then fled the scene of the attempted crime on foot and when the authorities arrived on scene to investigate, they were able to locate him hiding in some bushes at a nearby business park and was immediately placed under arrest.

“Thankfully, the mother and child were not hurt during the course of this incident,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “As a parent myself, I can’t imagine the fear this mother was in when the suspect tried to take her child away from her. He will be charged to the fullest extent for his crimes.”

Martin now faces charges of Kidnapping, Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling with Battery, and Violation of Probation.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Martin was already on probation for possession of MDMA as well as armed burglary charges out of Manatee County, Florida.

It is unclear what Martin’s motivations for the crime were.

A trial date for Martin has not yet been set.

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