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Questions and sadness remain at the door of the apartment where a deputy killed an American airman

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WASHINGTON (AP) – At the doorway of the apartment where Florida’s deputy president shot and killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson, a small shrine grows, containing tributes from an Air Force unit struggling to manage along with his loss.

There is a long picket board, anchored by two pairs of aviator’s wings, and a black marker where mourners can leave prayers and memories for the 23-year-old.

One of the guests left an open Stella Artois beer. Others left combat boots, bouquets and an American flag. On either side of the door are 105mm and 30mm shell casings, like the ones Fortson used as a gunner on the unit’s AC-130J special operations aircraft – the empty 105mm cartridge is stuffed with flowers.

Then there’s the quarter.

In keeping with military tradition, quarters are left quietly and often anonymously if one other service member was there at the time of death.

The 1st Special Operations Wing, Florida Panhandle, where Fortson served, took a break from normal duties on Monday to process his death and “reflect members’ attention inward, lead small group discussions, enable voices to be heard and engage with teammates.” the statement reads. Wing said in a statement.

In the week since Fortson was shot, a heated debate has erupted on multiple online forums: Did the police have adequate housing? The caller reported a domestic disturbance, but Fortson was alone. Why would the deputy shoot so quickly? Why would police kill a service member?

There are also questions on whether race played a role in Fortson being black and echoes of the police killing of George Floyd.

Fortson was holding a legally owned gun when he opened the front door, nevertheless it was pointed at the floor. Based on body camera footage released by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the sheriff’s deputy only ordered Fortson to drop his gun when he shot him. The sheriff didn’t disclose the deputy’s race.

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“We know our air commandos are receiving increasing media attention and conversation about what happened,” Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, said last week in a message to unit commanders.

He urged these leaders to listen and seek to grasp their soldiers: “We have grieving teammates who have been through various adventures.”

In 2020, after Floyd’s death, then-Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth O. Wright wrote an emotional note to his troops about police killings of black men and children: “I’m a black man and I occur to be an Air Force master sergeant. “I’m George Floyd… I’m Philando Castile, I’m Michael Brown, I’m Alton Sterling, I’m Tamir Rice.”

At the time, Wright was one of the few black military leaders, including now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr., who said they needed to handle the assassination and its impact on them.

“My best fear is just not that I will probably be killed by a white policeman (imagine me, my heart starts racing like most other black men in America after I see those blue lights behind me)… but that I’ll get up and discover that one of our black airmen was killed at the hands of a white policeman,” Wright wrote at the time.

Wright, who’s now retired, posted a photo on his personal Facebook page Thursday of Fortson standing in matching flight suits along with his younger sister.

“Who am I… My name is SrA Roger Fortson,” Wright wrote. “That’s what I used to be all the time afraid of. She prays for his family. The young king of RIH.

On Friday, many members of Fortson’s unit will travel to Georgia to attend his funeral, with a planned flyover of AC-130 special operations aircraft.

“You were taken too soon,” one other senior airman wrote on a picket board outside Fortson’s front door. “Without justice there is no peace.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Crime

Luigi Mangione, 26, in police custody in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO

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UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, UnitedHealthcare CEO murder, UnitedHealthcare CEO death, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, Luigi Mangione UnitedHealthcare CEO murder, Luigi Mangione UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, theGrio.com

New York authorities have identified 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as an individual of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

According to police, a McDonald’s worker recognized Mangione in a photograph taken by NYPD Crime Stoppers and called authorities to report that he was eating at the restaurant, which led to his arrest.

Police say Mangione was carrying an anti-corporate manifesto, false identification and a ghost gun.

Black Girl Disney co-founder Dominique Brown dies from an allergic reaction during the brand's holiday event

“It fits the description we were looking for,” Mayor Eric Adams said. An early NYPD report drew criticism online for calling the suspect a “light-skinned male” fairly than simply saying he was white.

The New York Post reports that Mangione previously attended the University of Pennsylvania, was valedictorian of the highschool in 2016 and had ties to Towson, Maryland. His social media posts indicate motivation related to dissatisfaction with the health care industry.

The shooting gained national attention because of the lukewarm response to Thompson’s death from many voters, who criticized the high insurance denial rate and greed that contributed to the American loss of life.

NYPD officers will now travel to Pennsylvania to query Mangione. Watch the entire press conference below:

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Crime

OJ Simpson’s audio testimony claims have been proven false

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OJ Simpson, O.J. Simpson

OJ Simpson, OJ Simpson

Iroc Avelli, OJ Simpson’s former bodyguard, claimed to have a recording of the late NFL player admitting to killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. According to .evaluation of the audio recording showed the claim to be false.

In June 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) contacted the Bloomington, Minnesota police department to realize access to thumb drives confiscated during Avelli’s 2022 arrest.

Bloomington Police Department arrested Avelli for alleged assault in 2022; upon arrest, the police seized Avelli’s backpack and obtained an order to gather relevant evidence on the scene. The backpack contained multiple flash drives that the previous security guard said contained Simpson’s confessions.

According to Peasant! News“search warrant filed in Hennepin County requested by Officer George Harms seek for image pendrives in order that “a full forensic examination could possibly be carried out on all of the pendrives to acquire the recording.”

The Bloomington Police Department didn’t return the drives, opting as an alternative to conduct an internal forensic examination. After a digital forensics specialist examined the drives, Bloomington police didn’t disclose any information of “probative value” to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The further investigation into the Simpson and Goldman murders is strange because on October 3, 1995, OJ Simpson was acquitted of all charges. The former San Francisco 49er maintained his innocence until his death from cancer on April 11, 2024.

After his acquittal, OJ Simpson continued to benefit from his fame. In 1996, the Buffalo Bills player published a book titled If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer. Many found the book’s title and content distasteful and criticized it Naked weapon the actor’s constant presence in celebrity culture.

However, many individuals imagine that Simpson’s acquittal ought to be enough to just accept his presence in all spaces. BLACK ENTERPRISES reports on rapper Cam’Ron’s response to criticism after Simpson was invited on his sports show before his death.

The It is what it’s the host and businessman believes that the accusations – proven in court – shouldn’t result in ostracization. Cam’Ron believes that Simpson’s race may have played a job in continuously questioning his innocence throughout his life.

“Look, if he was guilty, we wouldn’t have him on the show,” he said. “You wish to proceed convicting an innocent man. He is innocent. If it was another person, whiter, you’d all say, “Oh, he’s innocent.” TO BE reported.

It appears that the hearings and investigation into Orenthol James Simpson’s role, or lack thereof, in his ex-wife’s murder will proceed even after his death.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Suspect charged with fatally shooting 3-year-old on Thanksgiving Day

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Suspect Charged In Fatal Shooting Of 3-Year-Old On Thanksgiving

Suspect charged with fatally shooting 3-year-old on Thanksgiving Day

Tatisha Refuge, a 47-year-old New Orleans resident, turned herself in to authorities after the death of 3-year-old Rudy Ratliff. Refuge is charged with “manslaughter by negligence.”

Rudy’s mother, Leshawn Ratliff, lives in Texas but visited Refuge, her foster mother, in the previous few days of Thanksgiving. Nov 8 News.

“I came here on Saturday to pick up my older son. He was here over Thanksgiving break, and I came down on Saturday to pick him up so we could go home on Sunday and they could go back to school on Monday.” Ratliff he said.

While playing UNO, Refuge’s unsecured gun fell from her belt and fired, striking Rudy. Ratliff she recounted how the scene unfolded when she discovered Rudy had been shot.

“I began seeing blood coming out of his chest. That’s once I knew he had been shot. So I called 911.

The mother didn’t wish to wait for 911. Instead, she decided to take Rudy to University Medical Center for treatment. She said that after they arrived at the ability, Rudy seemed to be alive. Unfortunately, 20 minutes later she was informed of his death.

Ratliff she nurtured her relationship with Refuge and is torn now that the accusations involve her foster mother.

“It was a random shooting. His grandfather’s gun fell. It wasn’t within the secure. It wasn’t within the gun position. I believe it went into the pocket and fell out and shot my son,” Ratliff said. “I understand it was a mistake. I imagine in my heart that it was a mistake. I just don’t understand. I just don’t understand.

The grieving mother began a GoFundMe and is asking the general public for help with Rudy’s burial. To support the Ratliff family of their time of need, click here.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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