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'Part of the blessing for me was not getting married before now'
Groom shot in head by masked gunman during attempted armed robbery at wedding reception in St. Louis
A new husband is in the hospital fighting for his life after two masked gunmen stormed his wedding reception and shot him in the head.
Last Friday, Manuel and Dulce Gonzalez became husband and wife. They had been together for a decade and have two children together.
'They were saying my brother-in-law was going for his wallet, and maybe they thought he was going for a weapon.'
So that evening, 50 of their closest family and friends gathered in the couple's backyard in Dutchtown, a neighborhood located near the Mississippi River just a few miles south of downtown St. Louis. The group was having such a good time that the party extended well into the night.
Unbeknownst to the hosts and guests, a pair of masked suspects had seemingly been casing the area. Ring camera footage indicates that the males rode by the home on their bikes shortly after midnight on Saturday morning as 32-year-old Manuel Gonzalez walked some of the guests to their cars.
About an hour later, the suspects burst into the couple's backyard. They were armed and demanded everyone there to freeze. One suspect then began rifling through people's pockets and belongings while the other held a gun to Manuel's head.
Suddenly, the suspect holding the gun shot Manuel in the head, and the two fled the scene, having stolen nothing. "They took nothing, yet they took everything from us," said Yaribeth Peña, the bride's sister and the couple's next-door neighbor.
Manuel was raced to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition. His new father-in-law reported that he has made some slight movements with his hands, which have given the family hope.
"He’s fighting for his life. We are hoping he pulls through," Peña said.
Peña characterized her brother-in-law as a hardworking man who loves Dulce and their children. "He’s just an all-around good person that, I don’t know, he didn’t deserve this," she said.
She also offered a possible explanation for the horrific shooting: "They were saying my brother-in-law was going for his wallet, and maybe they thought he was going for a weapon."
A GoFundMe account has been established to help cover "medical bills" and the family's loss of income. For now, Dulce Gonzalez remains "distraught," "depressed," and "heartbroken," Peña said.
So far, police have no suspects, though Peña believes they are both teenagers. She described one as shorter than the other.
An investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. Anyone with information or perhaps further surveillance footage of the suspects is asked to call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS.
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Unbelievable: Progressive bride who didn't want conservative uncle at wedding was still counting on the man to send a check
A progressive woman said that she would feel unsafe if her uncle attended her wedding, according to the woman's parent, who detailed the situation when writing to advice columnist.
But apparently the bride had still been counting on receiving a wedding gift from her conservative uncle.
"Dear Amy: Four months before my daughter's wedding, she told me that her uncle (my brother, 'Dave') would make her feel unsafe if he was a guest. She asked me not to invite him," the person wrote. "My daughter is very politically progressive, as are many of her friends, and although she and Dave have always had a good relationship (I thought), he is a conservative voter and has supported candidates we all abhor."
The parent of the bride claimed to have written "a very nice note" informing the man that they would not feel comfortable if he attended and that he was not being invited. The man did not reply. The sibling later sent him a card and photos after the wedding. "I have not heard from Dave since then," the person noted.
"Another problem is that Dave has not sent my daughter and son-in-law a wedding gift. In the past, Dave has given family members wedding checks in excess of $1,000. She says she was counting on receiving the same type of gift," the person wrote. "Dave’s behavior is upsetting and embarrassing to me. How can I get my brother to recognize and change his petty behavior?"
Advice columnist Amy Dickinson suggested that the money issue would "enter the Bridezilla Hall of Infamy."
"Brides who are too afraid of family members to invite them to a family wedding don't then get the pleasure of receiving their money," Dickinson wrote.
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Biden disappointed the Supreme Court ruled Colorado cannot force designer to create wedding sites that violate her religious beliefs
President Joe Biden is disappointed the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado may not require a graphic designer to create wedding websites that go against her religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.
Lorie Smith had been concerned that if she expanded her business to include the creation of wedding websites, the state would insist that she also offer the service for weddings she does not support.
"In her lawsuit, Ms. Smith alleged that, if she enters the wedding website business to celebrate marriages she does endorse, she faces a credible threat that Colorado will seek to use CADA [Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act] to compel her to create websites celebrating marriages she does not endorse," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the opinion. "The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands," he explained, noting that "Colorado seeks to deny that promise."
Biden described the ruling as "disappointing."
"In America, no person should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love. The Supreme Court's disappointing decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis undermines that basic truth, and painfully it comes during Pride month when millions of Americans across the country join together to celebrate the contributions, resilience, and strength of the LGBTQI+ community," the president said in the statement.
"While the Court’s decision only addresses expressive original designs, I'm deeply concerned that the decision could invite more discrimination against LGBTQI+ Americans. More broadly, today’s decision weakens long-standing laws that protect all Americans against discrimination in public accommodations – including people of color, people with disabilities, people of faith, and women," he said.
The decision comes the day after the court ruled against race-based criteria in college admissions. Biden and other leftists also disagreed with that decision.
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Lawsuits fly: Hotel allegedly boots homeless vets, wedding parties to make room for migrants
Multiple couples' wedding plans were disrupted and homeless veterans were displaced when a hotel canceled blocks of previously-booked rooms to make way for migrants, WNBC and Mid Hudson News reported Friday.
"It was absolutely devastating, groom-to-be Gary Moretti, 35, told the Daily Mail.
"We felt discarded, disappointed and angry that they just tossed us aside to make an extra dollar for the hotel. It’s just not right,” bride-to-be Deanna Mifsud, 35, told the New York Post.
Monday, two New York counties declared states of emergency in advance of the ending of Title 42, as TheBlaze reported. The Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh is located in Orange County, near the Moretti and Mifsud's wedding venue in in the Hudson Valley.
"We signed a contract. We had a legal contract to have those rooms," Moretti told the Post.
Wedding parties were not the only ones to be pushed aside to make way for migrants. The same hotel kicked out homeless veterans who were temporarily housed there, according to Mid Hudson News.
"Whether you agree or disagree with migrants being housed in the Hudson Valley, I believe all of us can agree that this issue should not negatively impact our homeless veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country," Sharon Toney-Finch of the YIT Foundation told the outlet. YIT is a nonprofit that works to "provide permanent housing to homeless military veterans."
The Crossroads Hotel was included in a trio of lawsuits filed by Orange County and the town of Newburgh Friday. Other defendants include New York City and the Ramada by Wyndham, WNBC reported. The goal of the suits is to block New York City's Mayor Eric Adams from bussing groups of migrants to the county and housing them there in hotels.
"It’s a complete mess and the government has not been forthright and honest with us," Orange County Executive Steve Nehaus said.
Another couple, Sean and Nicole of Queens, called the situation "hectic" and "unbelievable" in an interview with the outlet. The couple's last names were not provided.
The couple say they are set to be married in about a week, and they have family flying from Ireland, England, Canada, Ecuador, and Japan for the nuptials.
Sean and Nicole said they also booked rooms at The Crossroads, and are now out of luck, as the hotel canceled their reservations for a 37-room block. They say the hotel manager eventually told them all blocks of rooms had been canceled for the next few months.
Adding insult to injury, the couple say they were not proactively contacted about the time-sensitive matter by the hotel manager. Instead, they learned of the cancellation when they called to inquire and are now scrambling to make alternative plans.
"All affected guests will be contacted for assistance with rebooking their upcoming reservations," a spokesman for Choice Hotels, the brand under which the Crossroads Hotel operates, told the New York Post.
The Crossroads Hotel did answer WNBC's multiple phone calls nor did the hotel respond to a message from the New York Post.
Watch WNBC's coverage below of The Crossroads Hotel allegedly cancelling blocks of room reservations for multiple wedding parties to make way for migrants being bussed in from New York City.
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'Grow up': Nikki Haley dings Newsweek over dress-related request for comment
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley blasted Newsweek after a reporter reached out to request a comment related to the dress Haley apparently wore to her daughter's wedding.
"My name is Gerrard Kaonga and I'm a reporter at Newsweek. I wanted to reach out for comment following a slight backlash after Haley shared images from her daughter's wedding," the reporter wrote, according to a screenshot Haley posted on Twitter. "Some have argued Haley should not have worn her dress as it is too close to the bride's white. Does Nikki Haley have any comment regarding this? Did she and her daughter discuss and decide the dresses they would be wearing ahead of the ceremony? Any comment would be appreciated."
Haley criticized the outlet when sharing a screenshot of the message: "This is why people don't trust the media. Liberal 'journalists' spend their time harassing conservatives about outfit choices. Grow up, @Newsweek. P.S. The dress was gold."
On Sunday, Haley tweeted a photo of her family and wrote, "We had the sweetest weekend celebrating Rena and Josh. Thankful for our sweet family and friends who joined us in supporting and celebrating them. Rena and Josh, we could not be more proud of both of you!"
Haley, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during a portion of President Donald Trump's White House tenure, is one of the GOP candidates currently vying for the Republican presidential nomination. She also previously served as governor of South Carolina.
The Republican primary field includes Trump, Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, and Larry Elder — political watchers widely expect Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to jump in to the race eventually as well. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has announced a presidential exploratory committee.
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