White House Secured Following Reports Of Multiple Gunshots Outdoors
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4 children alone at home when thugs shoot up house; Mom says it's payback after son, 14, fought at school when he got jumped
Gunmen opened fire at a home in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Tuesday morning — and four children who were alone inside the home were forced to run for cover, WSB-TV reported.
Their mother told the station that the shooting was retaliation after her 14-year-old son got into a fight when he was jumped at school.
'One came close to my sister, but she ducked.'
WSB said the home on Overlook Avenue was hit by bullets dozens of times just before 10 a.m.
The mother told the station it all happened right after she departed her residence with her son: “We left at 9:45. My daughter was calling me at 9:52 screaming in the phone."
WSB said the mother allowed her 11-year-old girl to tell the station how the terrifying incident went down, with bullets piercing windows and walls and all the children running for their lives.
“One came close to my sister, but she ducked,” the 11-year-old girl told WSB, adding that "gunshots" were "going all through all over the house."
The station said bullet holes were seen all over the home, most of which were located in the upper level.
No one was hurt in the shooting, WSB said, adding that a neighbor showed a station reporter doorbell video in which gunmen are heard firing multiple shots into a home.
The reporter asked the mother whether she thought the gunmen wanted to kill her family, the station said, adding that the mom replied, “Of course, they shot 25 times in the house."
WSB said police were on the scene, and evidence markers were visible in the street — and the mother indicated that police told her they have a good idea who fired the shots.
“They got Ring cameras so they gonna get to the bottom of it,” the mother told the station reporter.
The neighbor who showed the WSB reporter doorbell video of the shooting asked him not to air it.
You can view a video report here about the incident.
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Gunfire hits commercial airliner near cockpit as plane taxis before takeoff — and shocked passengers speak out
A bullet hit a Southwest Airlines plane near the cockpit as the flight was taxiing for takeoff at Dallas Love Field on Friday night, KXAS-TV reported.
An airport spokesperson told the station the gunfire forced an evacuation of the flight, and KXAS added that Dallas Police are looking for whoever pulled the trigger.
'The fact that it hit so very close to the cockpit seems too much of a coincidence.'
Flight 2494 was struck around 8:30 p.m., KXAS said, citing the Federal Aviation Administration, which added that the plane — which was taxiing for takeoff to Indianapolis — returned to the gate where passengers deplaned.
Police told the station they responded to a shooting call around 9:48 p.m., and no one was hurt.
The runway was temporarily closed Friday night while police conducted their investigation, KXAS added.
A Southwest spokesperson told the station the plane was removed from service.
Police said they're leading the investigation, KXAS reported, adding an FBI airport liaison agent has been assigned to work with police "and other federal partners as deemed necessary."
'A rattle outside of the plane'
The station spoke to Shannon and Jamie Lee who were aboard the flight with two of their children; the couple told KXAS everything seemed normal until they heard the pilot on the loudspeaker.
"He said there's a rattle outside of the plane, and they needed to return back to the gate," Jamie Lee recalled to the station.
The couple told KXAS the pilot said the plane needed to be checked to determine if it was functional — then added that the front of the plane was damaged, and everyone would have to deplane.
The Lees told the station everyone was calm.
"We had no idea that something happened," Shannon Lee told KXAS. "We thought Southwest had missed something in an inspection or something, you know ... a normal mechanical issue."
The couple and their two sons didn't find out about the gunfire until they landed in Indianapolis around 2:30 a.m. and encountered a news crew, the station station said.
“I had my son with me. He was sitting in the window seat. ... And we were just in row 13. So, we were pretty close to the cockpit," Shannon Lee added to KXAS.
While the Lees told the station they're grateful for the way Southwest handled the initial sharing of information with passengers, they believe they should have been told what happened before getting on another flight.
"I was surprised that they had shut the runway, not really knowing if there were potentially other shots being fired or where the shot could have even come from," Jamie Lee told KXAS.
Had they known the plane was shot at, the couple told the station they likely would have gone home that night and delayed their flight another day — or flown out of DFW International Airport instead.
"You have to give people a choice, whether they want to put their safety at risk a second time in one night," Shannon Lee told KXAS.
The Lees added to the station that they want to find out what investigators uncover and what safety improvements may result before walking away from one of their favorite airports and airlines.
"We fly quite a bit ... and ... our kids fly on their own," Shannon Lee told KXAS. "So, it is concerning."
The station said Southwest sent the Lees an email apology as well as a voucher toward a future flight.
'Holy cow'
Armen Kurdian — a retired Navy captain and Naval flight officer — told KXAS his "first thought is like, 'Holy cow, somebody just shot a gun, and it hit a commercial aircraft!"
Kurdian added to the station that investigators will start by figuring out where the bullet came from: "So, what was the orientation of the aircraft when it was actually hit? How deep did the bullet penetrate? That'll tell you what its speed was. And that'll give you an idea of the range from which it was fired."
Kurdian added to KXAS they'll also be looking into whether or not the shot was intentional: "The fact that it hit so very close to the cockpit seems too much of a coincidence. The odds of that happening, I think, got to be really, really high."
He also told the station that the damage could be wide-ranging — from something small like an inoperative light switch to something bigger, such as the GPS system not working.
"Now, if [the bullet] hits something more vital, say like a hydraulic system, then the pilots would be alerted rather quickly that there would be ... a pressure drop in the hydraulic system," Kurdian added to KXAS.
He noted to the station that such airliners have a lot of backup systems, and it's likely a bullet to the cockpit would not have caused a crash — but the whole ordeal presents a security vulnerability.
"Did this put an idea into, say, a non-state or a state actor as, 'Oh, maybe this is something we can do to disrupt air travel'?" Kurdian wondered to KXAS.
He added to the station that it would be wise for the airport and other agencies to look into safety measures.
"So, does it mean random sweeps outside of the airport while flight operations are going on?" Kurdian asked the KXAS. "Does it mean that there [are] going to be more physical barricades or basically physical barriers — not just fences but things that you actually can't see through, concrete — around the airport?"
You can view a video report here about the incident.
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Yet another Oakland street takeover with thugs firing guns caught on video; residents complain cops are nowhere to be found
Just about a month ago, five people were shot during an Oakland street takeover. The lawless gatherings also are known as "sideshows," during which motorists block off intersections and drive in circles, peeling out and burning rubber as large crowds look on and record video.
Well, early Saturday morning, Oakland suffered yet another street takeover, this one an hour long that included participants shooting guns into the air — all caught on video. Shellshocked residents complained that police were nowhere to be found, KTVU-TV reported.
'We know that we don’t have enough police officers. ... We can’t afford it.'
You can view a video report here that includes what appears to be cellphone clips showing individuals firing shots into the air during the sideshow.
Residents told KTVU they're afraid stray gunfire may hurt someone — or worse.
"I just heard gunshots, like gunshots coming from all directions, people trying to hide. They just fire up in the air, and you don’t know where it’s going to land," a neighbor who asked for anonymity told the station.
Indeed, the resident was one of several neighbors who told KTVU that such sideshows outside their homes near 98th Avenue and Empire Boulevard have become commonplace.
"Like a whole hour. No police. I didn’t hear no sirens at all. ... Some people were on top of that house's roof. There were fireworks included. There were blue lasers, green lasers," a neighbor revealed to the station.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Police Chief Floyd Mitchell have appeared at recent town halls pledging to do more to combat sideshows, KTVU said. Possible solutions include the use of new technology, such as drones and cameras, and the help of the California Highway Patrol, the station said.
"We know that we don’t have enough police officers," the mayor said one recent town hall, according to KTVU. "We can’t afford it, but that doesn’t mean that we use that as an excuse or reason not to be sure that people feel safe."
Mitchell noted that police are "working hard to try to curb this activity. We have a sideshow detail that goes out every Friday and Saturday," the station said.
Mitchell also said redesigned intersections could help, too, but KTVU reported that residents near Saturday's sideshow said they're still waiting to see city leaders keep their promises on this matter.
"I’ve been here my whole life, and it has changed, it has changed so much, and it’s frustrating because it seems like they don’t care," a neighbor told the station.
KTVU said it reached out to police and the mayor's office for comment on the fears and frustrations about area crime that residents have expressed — but the station said it didn't hear back from either in time for its report.
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Male allegedly tries to burglarize home, struggle ensues with homeowner — but fight ends when alleged intruder meets bullet
Police in Riverton, Wyoming, responded to a reported attempted burglary where shots were reported fired shortly after 11 p.m. Friday in the 900 block of East Park Avenue, police said.
Police said a caller reported a struggle between a possible intruder and a homeowner.
The homeowner is cooperating with the detectives' investigation, police said.
Officers found a male in his 20s suffering from an apparent gunshot wound near the home, police said.
An individual at the scene reported seeing the male attempting to break into the home, police said, adding that the apparent intruder was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
The homeowner is cooperating with the detectives' investigation, police said.
In addition to officers from the Riverton Police Department, law enforcement from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and the Shoshoni Police Department responded to the call as well.
Police said those with information about the incident can call the Riverton Police Department at 307-856-4891 and that more information will be released as the investigation continues.
How are observers reacting?
Commenters on the Riverton Police Department's Facebook page seemed decidedly pleased about the outcome — and frustrated about crime and crime-fighting:
- "What’s there to investigate?" one commenter asked. "Sounds like a clear case of stand your ground/castle doctrine… the homeowner defended his/her property. Good for them!!! The people of this town are fed up with the crime — you’re going to see more and more of us exercising our rights because something has to give."
- "Seems that’s what it’s gonna take to make it all stop since the prosecutors won’t prosecute," another user declared.
- "Good for the homeowner!!!!" another commenter exclaimed. "This is what it is coming [to]. Can I be on this jury???"
- "... needs to happen more," another user added. "Teach these little Son-of-a- Bi….. what happens when you break the law."
- "HELL YES!! YOU GO!!!" another commenter wrote.
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Alcohol-fueled family game of Monopoly turns violent as furniture is overturned, gunfire erupts — and man goes to jail on assault with a deadly weapon charge
An alcohol-fueled family game of Monopoly turned violent in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday evening as furniture was overturned, gunfire erupted — and a man was sent to jail on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
What are the details?
Officers were called around 6:25 p.m. about gunshots fired at a home near East Admiral Place and North Mingo Road, KJRH-TV reported.
The caller told dispatch a man — John Armstrong — chased her down a street with a gun and fired shots at her and her father, the station said.
Arriving police quickly arrested Armstrong and began investigating, KJRH said.
Investigators learned a family was hosting a game night and drinking alcohol — and during a Monopoly game a fight broke out between Armstrong and his stepfather, the station said.
The game board was flipped, and furniture was overturned, and a family member told them to take the fight outside, police told KOKI-TV.
When Armstrong got cut in the head, the melee escalated, the station said — and then Armstrong pulled out a gun and chased his stepfather and stepsister down a street, KJRH reported.
Armstrong admitted to police that he fired one round "at the ground” to make sure they stayed away from his mother, KOKI reported.
Officers searched the house for the gun but did not find it, KJRH said, adding that police believe Armstrong hid the gun in the house before his arrest.
Armstrong was booked into jail on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, KTUL-TV reported. He was still behind bars Sunday night, jail data indicates, his bond is set at $25,000, and his next court date is set for Friday.
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