Terrifying video: 9-year-old boy relaxes in his home before dinner when drive-by bullets pierce wall, fly inside



Video shows the moments when drive-by bullets pierced through a Fort Worth apartment wall earlier this month, terrifying a 9-year-old boy who just moments before was relaxing before dinner.

Home security video provided to KXAS-TV dated May 1 shows Errol Hill simply doing what lots of kids do in the evening — sitting on his couch with his dog nearby.

'I thought it was just fireworks, but when I heard the screams, I looked outside.'

Suddenly the video shows bullets spraying into the living room from the street, the station said, and Errol ducked for cover before running to find his mom.

“It came through the wall,” Errol recounted to KXAS. “I thought it was just fireworks, but when I heard the screams, I looked outside.”

Image source: YouTube screenshot

KXAS said six people were wounded in the drive-by shooting outside the Miramar apartments near 3000 Las Vegas Trail — and four of the victims were children.

Errol's mother, MaryJane Gonzales, shared with the station that she first made sure her son was OK and then "came out here ... to see where exactly they shot, and as I was out here, I heard all the families downstairs yelling."

Gonzales — a medical assistant — ran outside and tried to stop the bleeding of multiple victims; one of them was just three years old, KXAS said.

“That one was really hard for me, seeing her going in and out of consciousness," Gonzales recounted to the station, adding that she's "never seen anyone get shot, let alone a child.”

Image source: YouTube screenshot

KXAS said first responders arrived and took the victims to safety — but as police continue to investigate the shooting, Gonzales told the station she and her family "are traumatized."

“It forever changed our life," the mother of three shared with KXAS.

Worse still, Gonzales noted that Errol now lives in constant fear of being caught in the middle of another shooting, the station said.

KXAS reported that weeks before the shooting Gonzales signed a new lease in the Miramar apartments, but now she's trying to move, as she no longer believes the Las Vegas Trail area is safe for her kids. She set up a GoFundMe page in hopes that extra money can help her family move, the station said.

“Just somewhere safer, somewhere that my kids can go outside and play,” Gonzales told KXAS. “Because they can’t go outside and play without having to worry if they’re going to get shot. Are we the next victim on Las Vegas Trail?”

The station added that those with information about the shooting can anonymously contact the Fort Worth Police Department at 817-392-4222.

Bullets fly past child in Fort Worth drive-by shooting | NBC DFW youtu.be

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Sitting Oklahoma judge indicted in connection with 2 drive-by shootings, 1 of which occurred at in-law's ranch

Sitting Oklahoma judge indicted in connection with 2 drive-by shootings, 1 of which occurred at in-law's ranch



A sitting judge in Oklahoma has now been indicted in connection with two separate drive-by shootings in 2023, one of which occurred at a ranch owned by his brother-in-law.

Just before 3:30 p.m. on February 12, 2023, a car pulled up to a ranch in Bison, Oklahoma, about 75 miles north of Oklahoma City, and opened fire. The ranch's owner, Kenneth Markes, claimed bullets penetrated his home, causing damage to a window, a wall, and an oven. A bullet and five empty .40-caliber shell casings were later recovered from the scene. Though Markes' son was apparently home at the time, thankfully, no one was injured.

"Seeing a person in a window, and missing by a matter of inches, is not just a random shooting."

Two days after the shooting, Markes' brother-in-law, Brian Lovell — a 59-year-old associate judge in Garfield County, Oklahoma — reported that a firearm had been stolen out of his vehicle.

Seven months later, on the afternoon of September 11, a man was driving around in a white SUV near the intersection of Matamoros and Santa Maria in Austin, Texas, when he suddenly began pointing a weapon and firing at other vehicles. One witness described the suspect as "a white male, wearing a baseball-style hat and grey shirt."

The man allegedly fired at least five shots, and police found "several vehicles with projectile defect in them," according to the affidavit. Three .40-caliber shell casings were later recovered from the scene.

About an hour later, Judge Brian Lovell was arrested less than two miles from the intersection where the shooting occurred after his white SUV with Oklahoma plates allegedly rear-ended another vehicle twice.

"This SUV was driven by a white male, wearing a baseball-style hat and a grey shirt who was identified as Brian Noel Lovell ... by his Oklahoma Driver’s License," the affidavit said. Police also spotted "a black firearm in the front passenger floor board of Lovell’s SUV."

Lovell reportedly admitted to rear-ending the woman's vehicle twice but denied doing so intentionally. When police asked him about the shooting earlier that afternoon, his mind seemed to have gone blank. "Lovell advised he did not know why he would have shot his gun and he could not recall any part of the shooting incident," the affidavit said.

No one was injured either in the Austin shooting or in the minor vehicle crash.

In November, two months after the shooting in Austin and nine months after the shooting at Markes' ranch, ballistics tests revealed that the same gun, a Glock 23 .40-caliber, had been used in both incidents.

In February 2024, Lovell was arrested and charged with eight felony counts of deadly conduct — discharge of a firearm in connection with the Austin shooting. He was issued a $10,000 bond and released once it was paid appropriately. He has a hearing scheduled for this case in June.

On Friday, Lovell was arraigned on one felony count of use of a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a firearm and an alternative felony count of discharging a firearm into a dwelling in connection with the shooting at Markes' home. Lovell did not submit a plea, so a not-guilty plea was submitted by the court on his behalf. He was assessed a bond of $25,000 and released on the condition that he steers clear of Markes and his family as well as all firearms.

Lovell's Oklahoma attorney, Stephen Jones, believes Lovell has been wrongfully accused. "It was a long time before the indictment was returned and that bears on him and his family. But he’s a strong character," Jones said. "And in my view, he’s innocent."

Jones also insisted that Lovell's defense intends to "attack the jurisdiction and soundness of the indictment." "From our own investigation, the evidence is insufficient to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt," Jones claimed.

Markes seemed less certain of his brother-in-law's innocence. "I had no idea that it could’ve been Brian Lovell," Markes said. "Seeing a person in a window, and missing by a matter of inches, is not just a random shooting."

Lovell has a court hearing in connection with the shooting at Markes' ranch in late August. Garfield County District Judge Paul Woodward previously claimed that Lovell had agreed not to hear cases until his case had been fully adjudicated.

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Washington state Democrats push to reduce sentences for drive-by shooters in the name of 'racial equity'



Washington state Democrats have introduced a bill that would reduce penalties for drive-by-shootings as part of an effort to promote "racial equity in the criminal legal system."

The proposal, House Bill 1692, would remove drive-by shootings as a basis for elevating a first-degree murder charge to aggravated murder in the first degree, which carries a greater sentence of life in prison without parole. It was introduced by state Reps. Tarra Simmons (D) and David Hackney (D) on Dec. 23, pre-filed for the upcoming legislative session that will begin on Jan. 10, according to the Center Square.

House Bill 1692 would apply retroactively to anyone convicted of aggravated first degree murder where a drive-by shooting was the only aggravating factor in the charge. Such persons "must be returned to the sentencing court or the sentencing court’s successor for entry of a conviction of murder in the first degree and sentencing according to the sentencing guidelines in effect on the date of the offense.”

Additionally, the bill grants Washington state judges the discretion to discard the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for anyone who was convicted of aggravated murder for a drive-by shooting committed when they were under age 21. In such cases, the bill says judges may "take the particular circumstances surrounding the person's age and all other pertinent factors into consideration when determining an appropriate sentence."

In a statement to KTTH-AM, Simmons' office said first degree murder "is a heinous crime which already carries a long and serious sentence." But she added that, “it’s clear that [this aggravated classification] was targeted at gangs that were predominantly young and Black.” She went on to argue that the current law is an example of "systemic racism."

According to the Center Square, Washington state added drive-by shootings as an aggravating factor for first degree murder charges in 1995, amid a surge in gang-related crime. A 1997 annual report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs catalogued gang-related homicides, showing just 3 cases in 1991, followed by 17 in 1992, 31 in 1993, 26 in 1994, and 13 in 1995.

Republicans lawmakers opposed to the bill charge that Democrats are pushing soft-on-crime policies as part of the "defund the police" movement at a time when violent crime is rising again in Washington.

“Violent crime is on the rise in our communities, in part, because law enforcement officers do not believe under new laws passed by the Legislature earlier this year that they have the authority to detain or pursue individuals, for whom they reasonably suspect have committed criminal acts,” Rep. Gina Mosbrucker (R), the ranking Republican on the state House Public Safety Committee, said in a press release.

She continued: "It was reported during the summer that at least nine drive-by shootings in the Yakima area this year have left a trail of injuries, deaths and traumatized neighborhoods. This horrific crime is happening more and more across our state, taking the lives of innocent victims, destroying their families, and leaving neighborhoods and communities in fear."

Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber (R), the House Republican floor leader and a former law enforcement officer, asserted House Bill 1692 is the latest in a series of Democrat-backed criminal justice reform bills that are soft on crime.

“The Defund the Police movement pushed by progressives in this state brought forth a package of law enforcement ‘reform’ bills during the 2021 legislative session that, in the end, have made families and communities less safe, law enforcement less effective, and criminals were emboldened,” she said in a press release.

Maycumber cited statistics showing a surge in violent crime in Washington, questioning why Democratic lawmakers are pushing to reduce sentences for violent criminals.

“Washington state is already seeing a surge in violent crime which is currently at a 25-year high, with murders at an all-time high in 2020, up 80 percent from five years ago,” she said. “Rape is up 40 percent from five years ago and aggravated assaults are up 50 percent from five years ago. In light of this, why are some elected officials so intent on making it easier to be a violent criminal and releasing murderers back onto our streets?

“House Bill 1692 is a tragedy in the making as our children and families will be less safe in their own homes and even their own beds. This bill will allow those who have committed murder when engaged in drive-by shootings to get out of jail sooner.”

The Center Square reported that murder and manslaughter rates both rose last year, citing a more recent WASPC report.

According to the WASPC, there were 302 murders in 2020 compared to 206 murders in 2019, an increase of 46.6%. Manslaughter rose 100%, with 34 cases in 2020 compared to 17 in 2019.

Washington State Democrats Want To Pull Back Penalties For Drive-By Shootings

Washington Democrats are seeking to pull back penalties for drive-by shootings to promote 'racial equity in the criminal legal system.'

Sleeping 3-year-old killed when drive-by shooters fired 150 rounds into home, neighbors heard family's 'blood-curdling screams'



Drive-by shooters killed a sleeping 3-year-old boy by spraying almost 150 rounds of ammunition into a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week.

What are the details?

The toddler, Asiah Figueroa, died from his wounds late Tuesday night after the gunmen opened fire on a home on Richard Rozzelle Drive, WCNC-TV reported. The boy's 4-year-old sister was also struck in the attack but is expected to survive.

Police added that the toddler is the latest victim in a string of deadly shootings purportedly connected to disputes between students at area high schools. The suspects, whom police believe to be teenagers, remain at large.

Surveillance video of the attack show cars drive up to the house before multiple gunmen exit the vehicles and spray bullets at the residence for a prolonged period of time.

Warning: The following videos contain content that may be disturbing to some viewers.

Videos show deadly Charlotte drive-by shooting that killed 3-year-old boy youtu.be

"We're asking again and we're pleading and we're begging, as the mayor mentioned, for your assistance to help us identify the people involved in this shooting so we can take dangerous criminals off the street who are preying on our community and our society," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings, according to WBTV-TV.

CMPD Capt. John McNelly urged parents in the community to investigate their own children in order to prevent more senseless violence.

"We need you to look through their stuff. You're their parents, you can do that. Look through their rooms, look through their phones, look through their social media accounts, and find out what you can find out. We need that to solve the murder of three-year-old Asiah," he said.

What else?

Asiah and other family members were reportedly staying with his great-grandmother Susie Whitley when the attack occurred. He was asleep in his bed when the shots rang out.

"I don't know why this happened and I don't know why this is going on, why the world can't get together and just love one another," Whitley said, adding, "He was only 3, hadn't lived that long a life, and he was just taken away."

Neighbors were reportedly jolted awake by the gunfire, and then they heard shrieks from the family.

"The worst sound that I heard was the blood-curdling screams of the mother that had just lost their child," said Abdul Khan, who lives nearby.

3-year-old boy killed in Charlotte drive-by shooting www.youtube.com

Neighbors gathered outside the bullet-riddled home Wednesday, leaving balloons, stuffed animals, and other tributes to honor Asiah's life.

During the gathering, Figueroa's father became filled with emotion, and at one point a woman in the crowd asked other men "to surround this daddy in love y'all. All the men, you have to strengthen him and build him up."

Drive-by shooters target elderly couple's home after outraged leftists demanded removal of their 'Thin Blue Line' flag



When an elderly north Seattle couple decided recently to fly a "Thin Blue Line" flag outside the home they've lived in for more than 30 years, they knew their decision to support police wouldn't be popular, KIRO-TV reported.

They were right.

And what started as angry comments, demands that they take down the flag, and graffiti on the street in front of their residence appears to have escalated into a drive-by shooting last week, the station said.

What are the details?

"About twice a week someone was coming by and [saying] derogatory remarks, saying take it down," the man told KIRO. "I didn't argue with anybody."

"Black Lives Matter" and the letters "ACAB" — which stands for "all cops are bastards" — also were painted on the street in front of the home, the station said.

The couple — who didn't want to identify themselves or show their faces on camera for fear of retaliation — filed a police report for harassment, KIRO said.

Then last Friday surveillance video caught someone driving a dark SUV by the home, firing nine shots, and speeding away, the station said. Six shots hit the home and a vehicle, KIRO reported, adding that at least one bullet pierced multiple walls of the home.

"This didn't really happen did it?" the man asked the station in disbelief.

"I'm fearful because I don't know who it would be that would get that angry," the woman told KIRO.

The homeowners replaced a large flag with a similar-looking smaller flag, hoping that would deescalate the situation — but after the shooting, the station said police officers told them it wasn't safe to keep it hanging.

"The police said, 'As much as we appreciate your support, we tell our families don't fly 'em,'" the woman told KIRO.

'Everybody has an opinion ... but you don't shoot me for it'

In the aftermath, the couple is troubled that they were targeted with such violence simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.

"I feel like people are trying to take over someone else's opinion and controlling them, and I had no idea that this was happening," the woman noted to the station, adding "everybody has an opinion, and we're entitled to it — but you don't shoot me for it."

(H/T: The Police Tribune)