|
|
|
6/10/26 Family massacres continue to beset Los Angeles.
A 37-year-old man turned a gun on fellow celebrants at a birthday party for his children's grandma. He
shot and killed his twin ten-year-old boys, then shot at (but missed) his wife. He then committed suicide.
Two weeks earlier, a 30-year-old mother of three shot and killed her children, ages 2 and 6, and her
31-year-old husband. And yes, she also committed suicide.
Related post
But will it be safe? A string of shootings over the weekend has celebrants worried as
Kansas City prepares to host participants and visitors from around the globe at the World Cup. Early
Saturday morning, June 6, nine persons were wounded when gunfire erupted at an "after-hours" club.
That evening, two men were shot and killed inside a local business. And one day later, yet another
shooting left a person wounded. So far, no arrests. And the games begin next week!
Related post
Concerns that "excited delirium",
the once-ready explanation for the condition afflicting combative subjects, justified forceful prone
restraint by police led the medical community to disavow the term three years ago. Its place was taken,
at first, by "hyperactive delirium." And now it's "irrational delirium." According to a new paper,
vigorous resistance can be a sign of acute "physiological distress." That distress can, in turn, quickly
create a "severe metabolic acidosis". And if force is used that restricts breathing, a cardiac arrest
becomes likely.
Related post
6/9/26 His long string of prior arrests includes a 2022 attempted aggravated assault
with a deadly weapon. That earned him two years...of probation. Then in 2025 he was charged with assault
and criminal mischief. This case was apparently pending when 51-year-old Hector Deleon went on a rampage
with a knife on Sunday, June 7, in New York City's Penn Station. By the time transit police grabbed him
he had wounded five fellow-travelers, one seriously. Deleon, who is homeless and, reportedly, seriously
mentally ill, was also "high on drugs." Related posts
1
2
Both candidates for D.C. Mayor used to be prosecutors. Both are also
committed "Blues" who have always favored prevention programs over the cops. But youth "takeovers" and a
recent string of shootings have apparently led them to change their tune. Indeed, Kenyan R. McDuffie, a
former Council member, is accusing his competitor, Councilperson Janeese Lewis George, of being "soft on
crime." But she's walked back her support for "divesting" from police. Indeed, Ms. George now insists that
hiring more cops would be a good thing. So there!
Related post
6/8/26 On Feb. 27 Hartford, CT police officer Joseph Magnano had been on
the job slightly over a year. That's the day when he and other officers confronted a large man waving a
knife. And when Steven Jones stepped towards him, then-cop Magnano discharged a volley of shots, fatally
wounding the 55-year-old, mentally ill man. Hartford's mayor quickly fired Magnano, and the state's AG
promptly filed manslaughter charges. Magnano, who has drawn the support of Hartford's police union, has
been released on bail.
Related post
On May 5, 2015, ex-LAPD cop Clifford Proctor shot and killed
a man who supposedly reached for his partner's gun. That, though, doesn't appear on surveillance footage.
But although then-Chief Charlie Beck called the shooting "out of policy," then-D.A. Jackie Lacey refused to
file charges. In 2024 (nine years later) new, liberally-inclined D.A. George Gascon got Proctor
indicted. For murder. But Judge Ronald Coen just dismissed the case. In his view, the D.A. (he's since
been replaced) didn't present potentially exculpatory evidence to the jurors. What's more, he's also
viewed the video, and thinks that Proctor could have "reasonably" thought that the man was going for the gun.
Related post
Unlike other homicides, domestic killings are not on a downtrend. That's what the Washington
Post concludes as it sets out three family massacres that took place on the first two days of this month.
On Monday, Iowa police came across the bodies of six persons. A father had shot five family members, including
his wife and daughter, then turned the gun on himself. That same day, an upstate New York father gunned down
his wife and their two young sons. And a day later, a Florida man fatally stabbed his wife and two young
daughters, then committed suicide.
Related post
Toledo's yearly "Old West End" street festival devolved into chaos on Saturday
afternoon as a mass of gunfire broke out. Twelve attendees, ages 14 to 61, were wounded. Injuries to
two were initially critical, but all have since been upgraded to stable. Police surmise that "at least" two
persons had engaged in a shootout; no one has as yet been publicly identified or apprehended.
Related post
According to DOJ, three twenty-somethings with Middle-Eastern surnames had spent the past year online,
chatting up a plot to murder overseas U.S. servicemembers, and particularly members of the U.S. Special
Forces. Their online conversations, which reflect a deep loyalty to ISIS, clearly drew official attention.
One can surmise the true identity of the individual whom they offered $2,000 to, among other things, buy
drones to help carry out their plans. And yes, the three have been arrested.
Related post
6/5/26 Aaron Spencer can keep "running" for Lonoke County (AR) Sheriff. A
police dash cam memory card that supposedly held the answer to the puzzle of whether Spencer maliciously
killed his child's rapist went missing. (He admitted the shooting, but insisted it was in self-defense.)
Accordingly, a judge just threw out the murder case against Spencer. And yes, he is expected to win the
November contest.
Related post
"A gun hunting competition." That's how officers in LAPD's Valley gang enforcement detail
characterized their work. Making improper traffic stops and turning off their body cameras was part of the
routine. A just-released Internal Affairs report described the unit as a "law enforcement gang" (that term
is also used in California law.) That, though, was three years ago. But another LAPD anti-gang unit, this
time in the crime-beset South Bureau, is currently under scrutiny, and for virtually the same conduct. And
that "officer gang" moniker seems likely to fit. Related posts
1
2
According to an in-depth inquiry by Lawfare, "at least" ninety-seven of the 1,500-plus
pardoned Capitol rioters have been charged with new crimes. Many of these offenses are serious, with "at least
14" being sex crimes, including sex crimes against children. One of those led to a life term. In all, forty-one
were charged with or convicted of a crime of violence, and twenty-eight have been prosecuted for gun crimes.
Lawfare points out that it only looked into the post-riot records of rioters who got nabbed. But many
more took part in the affair. As for them, nothing is known.
Related post
Seven years ago two Colorado paramedics helped Aurora police restrain a mentally distraught,
combative man by injecting ketamine. But the dose proved fatal, and Elijah McClain's "I can't breathe" became
lodged in our nation's memory. Paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec were found guilty of negligent
homicide by a jury, and Cichuniec was also convicted of 2nd. degree assault. But a judge just ruled that the
jury instructions for the negligent homicide charge was faulty, and those convictions were dismissed. A retrial
is likely.
Related post
6/4/26 So far this year Kimani Osayande Jones, 49, has called
the FBI thirteeen times to complain about "being followed, sabotaged while he slept, coerced and having had
his life threatened by people who could access his texts." And on May 30 he tried to board an evening flight
from Sacramento to North Carolina. That's when TSA found "bladed weapons, zip ties, a butane torch lighter
and a homemade explosive device" in his backpack. Jones also had five cellphones. One had a 15-minute timer that
was ready to go; the other displayed the message: "we will be awaiting your call." Whether the FBI followed up
on his calls is unknown.
Related post
A Northern California man burst into a Bakersfield office building packing alleged explosive devices
and took ten school employees hostage, tying several up with zip cords. A decade ago, after being dishonorably
discharged from the Army, Anthony Scott Searles-Harris, 41, was convicted of a felony sex offense against a
youth and became a registered sex offender. When contacted by police and FBI negotiators, Searles-Harris, who
has been protesting his conviction, demanded that authorities furnish him documents in the case. He also warned
about his "bombs." That night an FBI SWAT team shot him dead. Several "devices" were found, but it hasn't been
said if they were functional.
Related post
A proposed Illinois
state bill would have outlawed using "numbers" - traffic stops, warnings, arrests - to evaluate cops. But
the measure, which passed the House, died in the Senate. It had been inspired by a lawsuit in which a Chicago
police sergeant was awarded a cool $1 million for being involuntarily reassigned because he had refused to
pressure his underlings to meet numerical quotas.
Related post
6/3/26 Breonna Taylor's notorious March 2020 shooting death at the hands of a Louisville cop launched a DOJ
probe of the troubled agency. Three years later, its findings - that cops used excessive force when dealing with
troubled persons, and discriminated against minority citizens - led to a consent decree. But before long a "new"
Administration took the helm. Louisville and several other agencies were promptly declared "reformed" and were
released from Federal monitoring. However, an in-depth assessment by ProPublica disputes that Louisville
PD really changed. Among other things, it cites the recent example of a 28-year old Louisville woman "who was
experiencing a mental health crisis when police gunned her down in her own apartment."
Related post
Domestic massacres pervade
the headlines. In Muscatine, Iowa, officers responding to a residence found four family members who had
been shot dead. Their suspected assailant, a 52-year old man, was quickly tracked down. He committed suicide as
police closed in. The bodies of two more family members were found elsewhere. And in Sandy, Oregon, officers responding to a
domestic disturbance came under fire. One was wounded, and a barricaded situation ensued. In time, the 38-year
old suspect was arrested, and the bodies of three family members were recovered from the home. Both domestic
killers had criminal records.
Related post
A mere week after its announcement, the Administration's "anti-weaponization" fund is dead. "We are not
moving forward with the fund, period." Acting A.G. Todd Blanche's remarks follow strong objections voiced by
even the "Reddest" members of Congress, who were incensed that the fund's generous provisions would let rioters
who stormed legislators' sacrosanct workplace cash in, no questions asked.
Related post
6/2/26 An in-depth probe by USA Today revealed that while ticket and arrest quotas are
outlawed in dozens of States, the practice continues, often in an informal basis. Such as offering candy to
troopers for making more stops. That happened in Maryland, a no-quota State, last year. There's also the concern
that absent the ability to demand "numbers," officers might shirk their duties. Ohio's police chiefs group
opposes a proposed State law that bans quotas. "Say an officer hasn't made a single arrest all year...Under this
bill, if a supervisor takes note of that and addresses it, it could be seen as imposing a quota."
Related post
Two Virginia sheriff's deputies were shot, one, fatally, while responding to a family's request for a
welfare check. Michael Puckett, 55, fled into North Carolina, where he was spotted two days later by a wildlife
camera. A police drone was then used to track his movements. His arrest came as he rang the doorbell of a
private residence. And yes, he was armed.
Related post
6/1/26
Boston's 2014 "Trust Act" limits police collaboration with ICE to matters of "significant public safety." So
the Administration sued. A Federal judge just ruled that Boston's law is indeed proper, as in Massachusetts, "there is
simply no source of authority empowering Boston police officers to do what the United States would like them to
do." Meaning, to detain persons simply based on their immigration status.
Related post
In 2023, after years of service as an East-Coast school principal, Ian Roberts, 55, was chosen as
schools Superintendent in Des Moines. Problem is, the Guyana native only pretended to be a citizen. In fact,
Roberts had been illegally in the U.S. since his student visa expired in 2004. In 2024 an immigration court
ordered his removal. But until arrest by ICE last September, he kept it all a secret. Roberts just pled guilty
to false statements and having guns while illegally in the U.S. He could draw a substantial prison term.
Related post
Bail can only be denied in California in
certain violent felony cases where there is "clear and convincing evidence" of a substantial likelihood of
specified harms." According to the California Supreme Court's recent decision In re Gerald John
Kowalczyk, if a judge finds that cash bail is appropriate, the amount must take into account "the totality
of the circumstances," including the nature of the offense and the accused's record. What's more, the amount of
bail "must be...reasonably attainable for the defendant." Bottom line: one's economic circumstances cannot be the
determinant of pre-trial confinement. That decision just led to the freeing of a man who allegedly assaulted and choked an
L.A.-area rabbi, then shouted "free Palestine!".
Related post
President Trump has
assigned $1.776 billion of his proposed settlement of a lawsuit against the IRS to an "anti-weaponization"
fund that would recompense persons "who were horribly treated" for participating in the Capitol riots (over 1,200
were arrested). Others, including a Michigan woman once accused of being a fake Trump elector, are also clamoring
for their cut. And lawyers are stepping in to help. For now, a Federal judge has placed everything on hold.
Related post
Can "neural network" modeling predict
who will violently reoffend during pre-trial release? Four models that used factors including age, gender,
current violent offense, prior convictions, and prior failures to appear were applied to a sample of 33,904
persons who were arrested during 2017-18, of whom 13,695 were detained pre-trial. The best model predicted about
ten percent of the detainees would have committed a violent crime if released. But the "cost" was detaining all
the others. Given the complexity of factors that come into play on the streets, and the "quiet risks" whose
propensities can't be estimated, accurately predicting who can be safely let go still seems a long way off.
Related post
5/29/26
Mississippi man Terry Pitchford has been on death row for two decades. He doesn't deny being present at a
killing, nor shooting a gun, but denies he fired at the victim. And the Supreme Court just ruled, 5-4, that the
prosecutor in this case purposely deprived Mr. Pitchford, who is Black, of Black jurors. That's the second case
in which the Justices have "condemned" the same prosecutor for doing so (the first time, involving a different
Black defendant, was in 2019). Mr. Pitchford now gets a new trial.
Related post
Funds from non-profit organizations and "wealthy boosters" regularly pay for a host of LAPD expenditures, from
throwing parties to buying drones, equipping officers with body cameras, and even maintaining helicopters.
Similar handouts reportedly help fund police agencies across the U.S. As an in-depth L.A. Times
investigation reveals, concerns are mounting about the "benefits" that accrue to donors. In L.A. that includes
"realistic" badges, having CCW permits quickly approved, and even getting an office at LAPD headquarters.
Related post
Nashville
police have been criticized over long response times. So they're rolling out drones for a 45-day "Drones as
First Responders" trial period. They'll be sent on emergencies, missing person cases, major traffic crashes
and to help detectives. Nashville is trying to reassure privacy advocates that drones won't be used to monitor
folks. That concern just led to a lawsuit against the City of Boulder. According to the
plaintiffs, its network of Flock license-plate readers, which "capture 20 billion vehicles each month", have
created "a surveillance state that rivals any dystopian science fiction novel."
Related post
5/28/26 Brought in to fix things after the George Floyd imbroglio,
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara was recently nominated by Mayor Jacob Frey to serve another term. But it
turns out that Frey made that decision despite knowing that the Chief was being investigated for improperly
deleting information from his official cell phone about an allegedly improper sexual relationship with a city
employee. That, though, became publicly known, and Mayor Frey withdrew his job offer. Chief O'Hara has resigned.
Related post
Fed up with gunfire and "long-running and
increasingly deadly crime problems", residents of a crime-impacted Seattle neighborhood set up large metal
planters to block gangsters from speeding through side streets. Officials worry that the barriers could block
responders. But citizens insist that there's enough access. And for now, the barriers remain.
Related post
Fed up with
"fearmongering" and a surfeit of supposedly false alerts, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson ended ShotSpotter's
contract in 2022. But Aldermen insist that the tool is useful for the many instances in which police aren't
promptly alerted about gunfire. Nine companies have submitted proposals for replacement systems, and the city
council is pressuring the Mayor to select one this month.
Related post
5/27/26 Yet another
"teen trend" took place in Chicago's beleaguered Hyde Park area. Fueled by social media, the unruly, large
gathering of (mostly) youths was capped by 53 arrests. Most were for misdemeanors, including 22 for disorderly
conduct. Thirteen persons were booked on felonies, including seven youths who were charged with gun crimes. Two
adults were also arrested on gun charges, and two for assaulting cops. Meanwhile a nearby shooting led to the
wounding of three persons, ages 18, 18 and 19.
Related post
Chicago man Johnny Hughes, a
31-year-old "repeat felon", was living in an apartment with his girlfriend, a four-month old, and two children,
ages 2 and 9. Three days ago he led police to a bedroom closet where they found a loaded 9mm. pistol with a laser
sight. It was the gun that the two-year old had just used to fatally wound himself. Asked about the weapon's
origin, Hughes reportedly told police "we purchased it." In 2021 Hughes was convicted in State court of being a felon
with a gun and was sentenced to four years. He's again in custody.
Related post
5/26/26 San Diego youth Caleb Vazquez, 18 was deeply troubled. In 2025 his online behavior "idolizing
nazis and mass shooters" led police to get a court order to seize his guns. But Vazquez's father said he had already
locked them away. So the guns that three teens used to stage last week's assault on the San Diego Islamic Center came
from Cain Clark, 17, whom Vazquez had met online. Clark's mother noticed that weapons were missing from her house and
frantically called police. Her son, she said, was "suicidal" and dressed in camouflage. Cops soon arrived to speak
with her. But Clark was gone, and the assault would soon begin.
Related post
On April 25
Chicago police officer John Bartholomew was killed, and his partner was critically wounded, by a suspect who opened
fire after they brought him into a hospital E.R. And on May 22, a like episode took place in nearby La Porte County,
when Deputy Jon Samuelson helpfully took a stranded 22-year-old Chicago man to an E.R. On arrival, the man suddenly
drew a gun and opened fire, critically wounding the deputy. He fled, but was captured nearby. His motive is as yet
unknown.
Related post
|
|
|
