Crime
US bans airlines from flying to Haiti and UN suspends flights after gangs shot up planes
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – The Federal Aviation Administration has banned U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot three planes and the United Nations also temporarily suspended flights to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, limiting humanitarian aid flowing into the country.
On Monday, bullets hit a Spirit Airlines plane that was about to land within the capital, injuring a flight attendant and forcing the airport to close. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes scattered throughout the plane’s interior.
On Tuesday, JetBlue and American Airlines announced that post-flight inspections showed their planes were also shot down on Monday while departing Port-au-Prince. The American suspended flights to the capital until February 12.
The shootings were a part of a wave of violence that erupted because the country tormented by gang violence swore in a brand new prime minister after a politically turbulent process.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the agency documented 20 armed clashes and more roadblocks affecting humanitarian operations during Monday’s violence. Port-au-Prince airport will remain closed until November 18, and Dujarric said the United Nations will redirect flights to the country’s second airport, within the northern, quieter city of Cap Haïtien.
Difficult access to the epicenter of violence, Port-au-Prince, is probably going to be devastating as gangs choke life within the capital pushed Haiti to the brink of famine. Dujarric warned that cutting off flights would mean “reducing the flow of humanitarian aid and humanitarian personnel into the country.”
A convoy of 20 trucks full of food and medical supplies has already been rescheduled south, and an operation to provide money assistance to 1,000 people within the Carrefour area, where violence broke out, had to be called off.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure business continuity in this difficult environment,” he said. “We call for an end to the escalation of violence to allow safe, sustainable and unimpeded humanitarian access.”
Life in much of Haiti’s capital got here to a standstill on Tuesday after a wave of violence. Heavily armed police in armored cars checked passing public transport trucks outside the airport.
Schools were closed, as were banks and government offices. The streets, where just the day before there had been a fierce shootout with gangs and police, were eerily empty, with few people passing by apart from motorcycles with a shot man hanging on behind.
In the afternoon, the sounds of heavy gunfire continued to echo through the streets – a reminder that despite political maneuvering by Haiti’s elites and a robust push from the international community to restore peace, the country’s toxic gang group retained a robust grip on many of the Caribbean nation.
The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital Port-au-Prince. UN supported mission run by Kenyan police to quell gang violence, scuffling with an absence of funding and staff that prompted the calls for the UN peacekeeping mission.
President Luis Abinader within the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti, was the primary leader on the island to condemn the violence, labeling the shooting an “act of terrorism.”
On Tuesday, the transitional council established in April to restore democratic order in Haiti also condemned the violence.
“This cowardly crime, which threatens Haiti’s sovereignty and security, goals to isolate our country on the international stage. The perpetrators of those heinous acts shall be tracked down and brought to justice,” the council said in a press release.
The council has faced fierce criticism from many in Haiti who say its political struggles and corruption charges against three members has created political instability, allowing gangs to violently seize power, as happened on Monday.
This happened on the weekend when the primary shot was fired interim Prime Minister Garry Conille – he argued with the Council for a very long time. They replaced him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who was inaugurated on Monday surrounded by suit-wearing officials and diplomats as gangs terrorized the encompassing capital.
Neither Fils-Aimé nor Conille commented on the wave of violence.
Conille initially called the council’s move illegal, but on Tuesday he confirmed Fils-Aimé’s appointment in a post on the X social media platform.
“(I) wish him success in fulfilling this mission. At this crucial moment, unity and solidarity are essential for our country. Long live Haiti!” he wrote. Fils-Aimé promised to work with international partners to restore peace and hold long-awaited elections, a promise also made by his predecessor.
But many Haitians, like 43-year-old Martha Jean-Pierre, don’t have any taste for political fighting, which experts say only gives gangs more freedom to further expand their control.
Jean-Pierre was amongst those that braved the streets of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to sell bananas, carrots, cabbage and potatoes, which she carried in a basket on her head. She said she had no alternative – selling was the one way she could feed her children.
“What good is a new prime minister if there is no security, if I cannot move freely and sell my goods?” she said, nodding at her basket of vegetables. “This is my bank account. My family depends on it.”
The frustration alarmed international actors comparable to the UN and the US, who called for a peaceful resolution to the situation in Haiti.
On Tuesday, the US State Department regretted that Conille and the Council had been “unable to make progress in a constructive manner” and called on Fils-Aimé and the Council to present a transparent plan of motion with a shared vision to reduce violence and pave the way in which for an electoral path that is meant to “prevent further deadlock.”
“The urgent and immediate needs of the Haitian people compel the interim government to prioritize governance over the competing personal interests of political actors,” the statement said.
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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