Crime
After the mass shooting in Baltimore, there were no homicides for an entire year
BALTIMORE (AP) – As gun violence continues to say no in Baltimore after years of rampant bloodshed, the historically turbulent neighborhood in the city’s southwest corner is celebrating a long-awaited victory: zero homicides in greater than a year.
These numbers have particular significance for the Brooklyn community where: mass shooting in July 2023, it tore through the annual summer party, leaving two people dead and 28 others injured in the courtyard of an aging public housing estate. Majority victims they were teenagers and young adults.
In the wake of the tragedy, the city’s flagship anti-violence program Safe Streets has stepped up its efforts in the area, and officials say the efforts are paying off. On Tuesday afternoon, residents and city officials gathered near the site of the mass shooting to have fun a year of progress.
“This just isn’t just an achievement for Safe Streets. It’s a testament to Brooklyn’s resilience and community strength,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. “This is a community that has been sold out, neglected and ignored for a protracted, very long time. But together, together, we are saying enough is enough.
Citywide, homicides are down about 24% in comparison with this time last year. That’s roughly it 20% decline in 2023when Baltimore recorded fewer than 300 homicides for the first time in nearly a decade, ending a surge that began in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray and widespread civil unrest.
Violent crimes too decreased nationwide after a surge during the pandemic.
The Baltimore Safe Streets program includes 10 offices situated in the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. It was released in 2007 and has developed in recent years under Scott, who has ceaselessly pledged to treat violence as a public health crisis and address its root causes.
Safe Streets focuses on de-escalating conflicts by employing mediators with credibility and street knowledge. This is an inherently dangerous job because they develop close relationships with people who find themselves most liable to becoming perpetrators or victims of gun violence. Officials say reaching young people is vital.
Adanus Sprillium, 22, said he recently enrolled in a residential job readiness program that was really useful by Safe Streets staff in Brooklyn. He had his first GED class last week. Sprillium said he previously struggled with drug addiction and homelessness.
“I would probably end up dead or in jail,” he said.
A community survey conducted in the weeks after the mass shooting in Brooklyn found that city officials consider many borough residents place more trust in Safe Streets than Baltimore police, local schools, nonprofits and other institutions. Only neighborhood churches ranked higher.
Still, the presence of Safe Streets staff at the block party was not enough to forestall it from ultimately degenerating into chaos and bloodshed.
Baltimore police faced heavy criticism for their response to the incident. The report pointed to potential bias amongst officers after finding police he ignored many warning signs and didn’t take proactive motion in the hours before the shooting broke out. Critics questioned whether police would have responded in another way if the shooting had occurred in a wealthier neighborhood.
The department announced disciplinary charges against a dozen officers earlier this year.
Five teenagers arrested in reference to the shooting. Four of them have already pleaded guilty to varied charges.
Sean Wees, director of Safe Streets’ Brooklyn chapter, said a lot of the staff have deep roots in the community. In response to the shooting, the team has made every effort to advertise safety and ensure residents have access to services. However, Wees said there continues to be much work to be done.
“We are working to promote peace and progress here in Brooklyn,” he said during Tuesday’s meeting. “We cannot stop until these kinds of ceremonies are no longer needed – until peace becomes the standard, not a streak measured in days or months.”
Crime
Luigi Mangione, 26, in police custody in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO
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.
“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:
Crime
OJ Simpson’s audio testimony claims have been proven false
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.
Crime
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.
Tatisha Refuge has been charged with negligent homicide within the shooting death of 3-year-old Rudy Ratliff. #Khou11 @AmandaHTV
https://t.co/BFIeGhAHYG— KHOU 11 Houston News (@KHOU) December 4, 2024
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.
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