Category Archives: US

SUNY Potsdam student Elizabeth Howell was struck three times in drive-by shooting

SUNY Potsdam student Elizabeth “Beth” Howell was struck by three bullets fired from a car and ran a short distance before collapsing, witnesses told police of the mysterious murder.

Howell, 21, was walking just off campus when three shots were fired during the drive-by shooting at around 5:45 p.m. on Friday, according to the Potsdam Police Department.

Responding officers found the music education student unresponsive on the side of the road at the corner of College Park Road and East Drive, the statement said. Authorities administered life-saving measures at the scene, but the Patterson, NY native was later pronounced dead at Canton Potsdam Hospital, police said.

Cops later arrested Michael J. Snow, 31, for the murder but are asking the public’s help in getting information about his gray Honda Civic that was caught on surveillance footage in the area.

It remains unclear if Snow and Howell knew each other, but the school said the alleged shooter had any affiliation with the school “either as a student, employee or graduate.”

A memorial was created in honor of SUNY Potsdam student Elizabeth Howell, who was killed in a drive-by shooting.
SUNY Potsdam/Twitter

But a college spokesperson told Syracuse.com on Tuesday that Snow’s uncle works at the college and his mother is an alumna.

Michael J. Snow was arrested and charged for Howell’s murder.
Potsdam Police Department/Facebo

State Department of Environmental police were searching for the gun used in the killing along the St. Regis River on State Highway 11B, WWNY-TV reported.

Snow, who was arrested Saturday at his home in Massena, is now being held at the St. Lawrence Correctional Facility without bail.

Police said he drove his Honda in a 90-mile arc Friday night crossing through Potsdam, Hopkinton, Malone, Westville, Hogansburg and Messina from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Potsdam is about 30 miles from the US border with Canada.

Potsdam police are asking residents in the area to review home or business surveillance footage “for evidence of Snow or his vehicle in the area in the hour leading up to the shooting.”

Howell, who played in the school’s Crane Symphony Orchestra, was set to graduate this year. Her parents told The Post in an emotional interview that they believed their daughter was in the “wrong place [at the wrong time.”

“She was the type of person that didn’t have enemies, and certainly no one that would want to kill her,” grieving dad Joe Howell said in an interview at the family’s home in Putnam County.

Police released a photo of Snow’s gray Honda Civic used in the shooting.
Potsdam Police Department/Facebo

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Austin police officers charged after 2020 George Floyd protests says they’ve been released on just $1 bond

The 19 officers were indicted on two counts of aggravated assault by a public servant that “intentionally, knowingly, and recklessly” caused serious bodily harm to individuals, according to court documents. One of the 19 officers has been indicted twice for his alleged actions against two alleged victims, court documents show.

Last week, Travis County District Attorney José Garza said multiple indictments were forthcoming when it was announced at the time that only eight officers were facing indictments. Garza alleged many protesters injured by the officers were innocent bystanders. He said the majority of the victims suffered serious injuries.

One of the 19 officers is Justin Berry, a Republican running for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. While saying he was previously cleared of wrongdoing by the police department, Berry also accused the district attorney of using his office to influence the election.

“The timing is not just suspect, it is obvious. The riot was two years ago, and he times his indictments of officers two weeks before the election,” Berry said in a statement released on Friday. “Not one of the officers I have spoken to are worried about a conviction. This case is beyond preposterous.”

Garza addressed criticism of the indictments last week. “There are some people in the community and across the state who insist that there must never be accountability for law enforcement if they break the law. Some of them have already suggested that our office’s review of the 2020 protests have been biased and that we are targeting police while letting others off scot-free,” Garza said. “That cannot be further from the truth, and it is time to put that nonsense to bed.”

“Our office investigates and prosecutes any person who causes harm in our community regardless of who causes it,” he said.

On February 17, the Austin City Council approved two lawsuit settlements totaling $10 million for two men injured by police during the protests, CNN affiliate KEYE reports, citing statements by the Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon and the City of Austin. Justin Howell received $8 million, and Anthony Evans received $2 million, KEYE said.

Howell, then a 20-year-old student at Texas State University, suffered a fractured skull and brain damage after a beanbag round struck him in the head, his brother told CNN in June 2020.

“While settlements are necessary to compensate police brutality victims, settlements are not solutions,” Jeff Edwards, the attorney for Howell and Evans, said in a statement Tuesday. “Hopefully, the settlements in the Howell and Evans case will lead to some serious self reflection on the part of the Austin Police Department and its leadership.”

Eight of the officers were released on a $1 cash deposit bond each, with no additional bond conditions, their lawyers said Monday.

Defense attorneys Ken Ervin and Doug O’Connell said the eight officers reported to the Travis County jail and were fingerprinted, photographed and released.

CNN is seeking comment from the 11 other officers and nine alleged victims identified in court documents.

Attorney Scott Vasquez, who is representing Nicole Underwood, one of the nine alleged victims cited in court documents, released a statement saying she was shot by a bean bag that “pressed into her body, butting against her lung.”

“This indictment is one step in the justice process. If it wasn’t for video none of [these indictments] would have transpired,” Vasquez’s statement read. “How would anybody feel being shot like that for no reason? It affects her in a way that a citizen shouldn’t lose trust in, namely the police and being shot unjustly by a cop.”

The Travis County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Tuesday that it has prosecuted 33 cases against other people who allegedly engaged in criminal conduct during the protest, including 11 cases that are still pending.

But the officers’ attorneys said seven of their eight clients were injured during clashes with protesters and that their use of bean bag rounds was authorized and specifically targeted to discourage the use of violence.

Protesters were also given multiple warnings before the use of bean bag rounds to disperse a crowd blocking a major overpass, the attorneys said.

“These aren’t a few rogue officers doing what they wanted to do. The actions they took on the bridge deploying the bean bags were in full view of the chain of command,” Ervin said. “They were commonly accepted tactics.”

If convicted, the officers could face five to 99 years or life in prison and a potential fine of up to $10,000.

Initial court appearances have been set, O’Connell said. But he said he doesn’t expect trials to start for at least a year.

Police Chief Chacon said last week he stands by the officers and believes their actions, saying the officers’ conduct did not “rise to the level of a criminal violation.”

The Austin Police Department announced last week the officers would be placed on paid administrative duties.



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Trump-linked SPAC’s shares surge as Truth Social app tops Apple downloads

Feb 22 (Reuters) – Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC.O), the blank-check company behind former U.S. President Donald Trump’s new social media venture, Truth Social, rose about 14% on Tuesday as the app topped downloads on Apple’s App Store after its launch late on Sunday.

Truth Social was downloaded 170,000 times since its launch, according to research firm Apptopia. read more

The app’s launch could mark Trump’s return to social media after he was banned from Twitter Inc (TWTR.N), Facebook (FB.O) and Google (GOOGL.O) following an attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters last year. read more

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Digital World’s shares jumped 14% to $96.36, levels last seen in October, days after the blank check firm announced a deal to publicly list Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the venture behind Truth Social.

The stock was also trending high on investor-focused social media site stocktwits.com, indicating interest from retail traders.

“It’s driven by hype but I’m skeptical that the retail driven frenzy can be sustained,” said Dennis Dick, head of markets structure, proprietary trader at Bright Trading LLC in Las Vegas.

“From a fundamental perspective, it’s too early to tell. Trump has a huge following and they could move from traditional social media to this platform… but it depends on how good the app is.”

New users faced trouble signing up for the free app or were placed on a waitlist that cited “massive demand” soon after the launch. It was unclear if the issues were resolved by Tuesday.

Trump Media & Technology Group and Digital World did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Wall Street’s top financial regulators are investigating Trump’s $1.25 billion deal to float TMTG on the stock market, a filing showed in December. read more

Other stocks linked to Trump also advanced. Phunware (PHUN.O), hired by Trump’s 2020 Presidential re-election campaign to build a phone app, climbed 11%. SPAC CF Acquisition Corp VI (CFVI.O), which is taking video platform Rumble Inc public, added 3.3%.

Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) slipped 1.7%, while Facebook-parent Meta Platforms (FB.O) shed 1%.

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Reporting by Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Trump news – live: Ex-president hails ‘savvy’ Putin’s ‘genius’ Ukraine move as E Jean Carroll case proceeds

Ad trolls Trump over January 6 committee developments

Donald Trump has hailed Russian President Vladimir Putin as “savvy” and called his move on Ukraine “genius” in a new interview.

Mr Putin’s steps towards a possible full-on invasion of Ukraine have seen a number of Republicans seeking to blame the crisis on Joe Biden, arguing that Russia did not invade any countries while Mr Trump was president – despite the fact that he repeatedly sided with Mr Putin over the US’s military and intelligence agencies, disdained Nato, and attempted to extort the Ukrainian government into investigating the Biden family.

Mr Trump initially broke his silence on the Russia-Ukraine crisis on Tuesday morning through a tweet posted by his spokesperson in which he claimed that his relationship with Putin would have prevented the crisis.

The former president saw another defeat in his effort to stymie the 6 January Select Committee’s investigation into the causes and events of the Capitol riot. The Supreme Court has rejected a request from the former president to review the panel’s demand that his records be handed over. He has now several times been defeated in his claims that papers from his time in the White House are covered by “executive privilege” and should not be released to the investigation.

On Tuesday afternoon a judge heard an oral argument relating to the longrunning E Jean Carroll vs Donald Trump case, in which Ms Carroll is suing Mr Trump for defamation.

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Lawyer for Carrol who says Trump raped her tells court they want his DNA

A federal judge sparred with former president Donald Trump’s legal team over his attempt to countersue E Jean Carroll, the journalist who has sued him for defamation.

Ms Carroll has alleged that Mr Trump raped her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s. The former president has denied the allegations.

Representing Ms Carroll, Roberta Kaplan said her client is keen to proceed with fact-finding regarding the case: “We’d like to get on with discovery. We do not seek to depose President Trump.”

“And we’d like his DNA,” she added, repeating a request previously made at an earlier stage of the case.

Clémence Michallon and Oliver O’Connell report.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 February 2022 04:22

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Republicans slam Trump for praising Putin amid Ukraine crisis

Republican leaders on Tuesday slammed former president Donald Trump after he hailed Russian president Vladimir Putin as “savvy” and called his move on Ukraine “genius”.

Rep Liz Cheney on Tuesday said: “Former President Trump’s adulation of Putin today – including calling him a “genius” – aids our enemies”.

“Trump’s interests don’t seem to align with the interests of the United States of America,” she added.

House Republicans tweeted an image of Mr Biden walking away with a caption: “This is what weakness on the world stage looks like.”

Retweeting the post, Rep Adam Kinzinger condemned the “damn awful tweet during the crisis”.

“You can criticize policy but this is insane and feeds into Putin’s narrative. But hey, retweets amirite,” he added.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 February 2022 04:00

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Florida Republican withdraws ‘Don’t Say Gay’ amendment that would forcibly out students

A Republican legislator in Florida has withdrawn an amendment to his so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would require schools to disclose whether a child is LGBT+ to their parents within six weeks of learning whether they are not straight, and appeared to remove protections for students who would have potentially been subject to abuse, abandonment or neglect by their families.

Oliver O’Connell23 February 2022 03:30

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Everything we know about CPAC 2022

Oliver O’Connell23 February 2022 02:45

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Lawmaker’s Senate GOP platform says Democrats ‘trying to rig elections’

Absent any agenda from Senate Republican leaders heading into midterm elections this fall, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee has released his own blueprint to “rescue America” with a mix of familiar GOP priorities and culture war politics-fuelled action items.

Oliver O’Connell23 February 2022 02:01

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Trump insists Ukraine crisis would not have happened while he was president

Former president Donald Trump broke his silence about the crisis in Ukraine to slam the Biden administration, saying Moscow’s decision send troops across its border would not have happened during his administration since he knows Russian President Vladimir Putin well.

Oliver O’Connell23 February 2022 01:15

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Trump sitting on electoral war chest

The 45th president has endorsed more than 100 candidates but has been less forthcoming with donations, writes Chris Stevenson.

Oliver O’Connell23 February 2022 00:30

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Supreme Court denies Trump bid to review Jan 6 documents

The Supreme Court has denied a request by former president Donald Trump to review his White House records related to the Capitol insurrection on 6 January of last year.

The court made the announcement on Tuesday in a list of orders on pending cases. Mr Trump had requested a writ of writ of certiorari in a case against Rep Bennie Thompson, who serves as chairman of the House select committee investigating the riot.

“The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied,” the court wrote.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

Oliver O’Connell22 February 2022 23:45

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Trump’s social media platform dedicated to free speech appears to have already banned an account

Donald Trump’s new social media platform was meant to be a bulwark against the tyranny of Big Tech censorship.

But Truth Social already appears to be banning accounts that get under the skin of the social media company’s CEO, former Congressman Devin Nunes.

Matt Ortega, described as a “frequent internet trickster”, tried to set up a parody account on the platform under the name DevinNunesCow, mimicking a popular Twitter account that is being sued by Mr Nunes for defamation.

Oliver O’Connell22 February 2022 23:03

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Former Trump press secretary ridiculed for saying Putin has no greater supporters than Democrats

The last press secretary of the Trump White House was mocked after claiming that her former boss would have done a better job of standing up to Vladimir Putin and Russian aggression in Ukraine on Tuesday.

Kayleigh McEnany, now a co-host of the Fox News show Outnumbered, made the eyebrow-raising remarks on Tuesday’s broadcast while a discussion of Russia’s decision to move troops into Donbas was underway.

Oliver O’Connell22 February 2022 22:24



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Black Hawk helicopters crash, Utah National Guard says

No crew members or skiers at the Snowbird ski resort were injured, according to Jared Jones, chief warrant officer 5 with the Utah National Guard.

“Everyone is safe,” Jones said. “It was a blessing that everyone was OK.”

The accident occurred near the Mineral Basin area of Snowbird, “about 150 yards off of Snowbird proper,” Jones said.

The resort, almost 30 miles from Salt Lake City, has the capacity to carry more than 17,000 skiers and snowboarders uphill per hour on its many lifts, according to Snowbird’s website.
Both helicopters suffered some damage because of the crash, the Utah National Guard said in a tweet.

“As the first aircraft landed … portions of the blade of the lead helicopter separated and it appears struck the second helicopter,” Jones said.

The accident is under investigation.



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Pentagon expected to OK National Guard for DC truck convoys

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is expected to approve the deployment of 700 to 800 unarmed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, a U.S. official said Tuesday, in the face of trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week.

The District of Columbia government and the U.S. Capitol Police are requesting the National Guard assistance. The troops would be used largely to help control traffic and are expected to come from the district’s National Guard and three states, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss aid not yet formally approved.

Modeled after recent trucker protests in Canada, separate truck convoys have been planned through online forums with names like the People’s Convoy and the American Truckers Freedom Fund — all with different starting points, departure dates and routes. Some are scheduled to arrive in time for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next Tuesday, March 1, though others may arrive afterward.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the D.C. government and Capitol Police had requested National Guard personnel “to provide support at traffic control points in and around the District” and stand ready in case of “possible disruptions at key traffic arteries.” He too said no formal decision on the requests had been made.

The convoys follow the recent Canadian truckers’ protest which shut down the busiest U.S. Canadian border crossing and besieged the streets of the capital, Ottawa, for weeks to protest government pandemic restrictions. The multiple blockades were broken up by police last week, with more than 100 arrests.

It remains to be seen if any of the U.S. convoys would seek to actively shut down Washington’s streets, the way their Canadian counterparts did in Ottawa. Some convoy organizers have spoken of plans to briefly roll through the city, then focus on shutting down the Beltway, which encircles the capital.

A statement from the People’s Convoy specifically says the trucks “will NOT be going into DC proper.” That convoy is planning to embark Wednesday from southern California and arrive in D.C. around March 5.

The U.S. convoys seek an immediate lifting of what they say are heavy-handed government pandemic restrictions like mask mandates and vaccine requirements. The American Truckers Freedom Fund website says the group is protesting “the unscientific, unconstitutional overreach of the federal government.”

Vaccines have proven highly effective at preventing COVID-19 infections, especially serious illness and death, and high-quality masks offer strong protection against spreading or contracting the disease. Public sentiment, especially among conservatives, has been shifting against government mandates as the pandemic heads into its third year.

People’s Convoy organizer Mike Landis, in a video testimonial on the group’s website, said the current COVID vaccine “is not proven yet” but supported individual choice on whether to take it or not. Landis said the convoy was open to all vehicles and said the primary goal was to pressure Biden to lift the national state of emergency.

“We want this government to bring back the Constitution,” Landis said. “We do not want to be under a dictatorship communism-style regime, like where we are right now.”

A state of emergency in the U.S. was declared by former President Donald Trump in March 2020. Last week, Biden announced his intention to extend it beyond the current March 1 expiration date.

The websites organizing the American trucker convoys directly reference the inspiration of the Canadian movement. A statement on the People’s Convoy website pays homage to “our brave and courageous neighbors to the north — our Canadian brothers and sisters who led the charge.”

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said Friday that his department was closely monitoring the shifting information and would be devoting additional police manhours in a rolling state of heightened alert over the next few weeks. In the meantime, he warned D.C. residents to stay alert for unexpected traffic snarls.

“There will be disruptions to traffic, that kind of thing,” Contee said. “I think we need to be very candid with the public about what some of the expectations, based upon what we’ve seen in Ottawa, that we might see here in the District.”

Contee called the Ottawa standoff, “an incredible situation — one that we have not seen here in the District of Columbia.”

Contee and Mayor Muriel Bowser memorably predicted unrest several days before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol Building. They warned residents to stay indoors and called for additional resources, but the Capitol Police and National Guard were still caught unprepared when crowds of Trump supporters overran the building, resulting in several deaths and numerous injuries.

Lingering memories of that debacle have fueled a heightened sense of anxiety and speculation over the coming convoys. But Bowser said she wasn’t yet warning residents to avoid the Capitol area or the National Mall.

“We’re not at a point to give specific instructions to residents just yet. We will,” Bowser said.

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Stolen Limo Party Bus Crashes in LA Pursuit – NBC Los Angeles

The pursuit of a limo party bus that was stolen in the San Diego area ended with a crash Tuesday afternoon on a highway north of Los Angeles.

Details about the theft of the 40-foot limo party bus were not immediately available. It was reported stolen in the San Diego area when someone took it after the driver got out of the bus to pick up a client, the bus owner said.

The pursuit, which began around 11:30 a.m., was on the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley at midday. The driver of the black bus continued north onto the 14 Freeway.

At least one spike strip was deployed, but the attempt to slow the bus was unsuccessful.

The bus slammed into the rear end of a car on Pearblossom Highway in the Acton area. The bus slowly drifted into oncoming traffic before rolling to a stop.

A woman in the Hyundai sedan suffered moderate injuries.


NBCLA

A stolen limo party bus rear-ends a car on Highway 138 north of Los Angeles.

Steam appeared to be coming from the front of the bus following the crash. The woman behind the wheel was taken into custody.

Details about the driver’s identity were not immediately available.

The bus’ interior appeared to be decorated for a birthday party.

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Arbery Killers Found Guilty of Federal Hate Crimes: Live Trial Updates

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Credit…Elijah Nouvelage/Associated Press, Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press, Octavio Jones/Getty Images,

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A jury on Tuesday determined that the three white Georgia men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery violated a federal hate-crime statute by depriving Mr. Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, of his right to use a public street because of the color of his skin.

The jury also found the three men — Travis McMichael, 36, his father, Gregory McMichael, 66, and their neighbor William Bryan, 52 — guilty of attempted kidnapping and found the McMichaels guilty of one count each of brandishing or discharging a firearm during a violent crime.

The men now face up to life in prison for the federal crimes, on top of the life sentences they received earlier this year in state court after being convicted of Mr. Arbery’s murder, with only Mr. Bryan eligible for parole. The federal convictions ensure that the defendants will receive significant prison time even if their state convictions are overturned or their sentences reduced on appeal.

The victory will also be important, symbolically and emotionally, for Mr. Arbery’s family, as well as other observers who believed that the pursuit and fatal shooting of Mr. Arbery on a Sunday afternoon in February 2020 amounted to what the Rev. Al Sharpton called “a lynching in the 21st Century.”

During the federal trial, lawyers for the three defendants argued that the men had not been motivated by racial animus, but rather because Mr. Arbery seemed to them like a potential crime suspect. Prosecutors, however, presented copious evidence that showed that the men harbored coarse racist views about Black people.

After a graphic video of his fatal shooting went viral in 2020, Mr. Arbery joined a grim list of African American victims of recent violence that has triggered a broader conversation about the treatment of Black people at the hands of law enforcement and in everyday situations. This week’s verdict offered another example of the judicial system’s varied responses to these incidents, coming 10 months after a jury found Derek Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, guilty of murdering a Black man, George Floyd, and a few days after another white former police officer, Kimberly Potter, was sentenced to two years in prison for shooting Daunte Wright, a Black motorist, at a traffic stop.

Social justice advocates were generally pleased with the outcome of Mr. Chauvin’s trial, but some have expressed frustration that the sentence given to Ms. Potter, who was found guilty of manslaughter, seemed too lenient.

The Georgia hate-crimes trial followed a dramatic murder trial in state court concerning the Arbery killing. Key aspects of that trial were televised and the case attracted scores of demonstrators, including well-known Black activists like Mr. Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, to the small coastal city of Brunswick. A large group of activists chanted and cheered outside the Glynn County courthouse on the day before Thanksgiving, when a nearly all-white jury issued the guilty verdicts.

In the murder case, prosecutors treaded lightly on the topics of race and racism, focusing instead on the rash and dangerous decisions the men made when they decided to jump into a pair of trucks and chase the unarmed Mr. Arbery, who was on foot, through their quiet South Georgia neighborhood.

Even before the federal trial began, it was expected to be different because the men’s racist views — evidence of which was divulged or hinted at in pre-trial state hearings and court filings — would take center stage, with jurors forced to determine whether racism had been a motive in the actions of the defendants that day.

In January, the McMichaels appeared to be heading off the possibility of going through a federal trial, having reached plea deals with the U.S. Department of Justice in which they would have been sentenced to 30-year sentences to run concurrent with their state sentences. However, Mr. Arbery’s parents came to court and pleaded for U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to reject the deals, in part because they would have allowed the men to spend the bulk of their sentences in the federal prison system, which is generally thought to be a less harsh environment than the Georgia state system. Judge Wood ended up rejecting the pleas.

When the evidence of the defendants’ racism was finally laid out in court, it proved to be both voluminous and harsh, including numerous uses of racist epithets and racial insults. Along with video of Mr. Arbery gasping for his final breaths on the pavement and testimony that the defendants did not render aid to him, the government’s case seemed to take an emotional toll on jurors, some of whom could be seen crying. Last week, one of the jurors asked court officials if counseling was available.

Even the defense lawyers acknowledged to the jury — made up of eight white members, three Black members and a Hispanic member — that their clients’ views were reprehensible. J. Pete Theodocion, a lawyer for Mr. Bryan, referred to racism as “among the lowest of human emotions.”

Text messages recovered from Mr. Bryan’s cellphone showed that he opposed his daughter’s relationship with a Black man, using a racist slur to describe the boyfriend in a text exchange four days before Mr. Arbery’s killing. A witness said Gregory McMichael made disparaging comments about a Black tenant who rented from him and about the civil rights leader Julian Bond.

Travis McMichael, the man who used his Remington shotgun to fatally shoot Mr. Arbery three times at close range, was revealed to have repeatedly used racist slurs, and expressed the desire to see violence and death visited upon Black people.

The government introduced no evidence to show that the men directed their racist language toward Mr. Arbery specifically. But prosecutors noted that some of the racist language had been used a few days or months before the killing. They also seemed to bet on the jury being revolted by how much evidence of racism there was, with the quantity of insults showing that these were more than accidental slips of the tongue.

“At the end of the day, the evidence in this case will prove that if Ahmaud Arbery had been white, he would have gone for a jog, checked out a house under construction and been home in time for Sunday supper,” Bobbi Bernstein, a Justice Department lawyer, told the jury. “Instead he went out for a jog, and he ended up running for his life. Instead he ended up bleeding to death, alone and scared, in the middle of the street.”

Gregory McMichael’s lawyer, A.J. Balbo, told the jury that Mr. McMichael had not been out to hunt down a Black person that day, but rather to go after Mr. Arbery specifically, after a police officer showed security camera images of Mr. Arbery entering a nearby house that was under construction.

Mr. Arbery had entered the house numerous times in the weeks before the shooting, including the moments before the chase began, though there is no evidence he stole or disturbed the property inside. Twelve days before the shooting, Travis McMichael had also seen Mr. Arbery outside the house and had called 911, claiming he saw Mr. Arbery reach toward his waistband, a gesture, Mr. McMichael said, that made it seem like he could have been reaching for a gun.

Travis McMichael’s lawyer, Amy Lee Copeland, noted that her client had been shocked, rather than “gleeful” after the shooting, which occurred after Mr. Arbery, pinned in by the two trucks, clashed with the younger Mr. McMichael, who had by that point stepped out of his truck with his shotgun in his hands.

Mr. Theodocion noted that his client, Mr. Bryan, did not know anything about Mr. Arbery’s history with the McMichaels, or his visits to the house, when he saw Mr. Arbery run by his house, with the McMichaels in full pursuit. Mr. Bryan joined the chase assuming that Mr. Arbery had done something wrong enough to warrant the pursuit, Mr. Balbo said.

The death of Mr. Arbery was met with revulsion from both conservative and liberal lawmakers in Georgia. It prompted state legislators to significantly weaken a citizen’s arrest law that one local prosecutor had cited soon after the shooting to argue that the three men should not be arrested. It also prompted them to pass a state hate-crime law.

This month, the legislature also passed a resolution declaring Wednesday, the two-year anniversary of the killing, “Ahmaud Arbery Day.”

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Man charged in shooting death of star North High quarterback Deshaun Hill

A 29-year-old man with a violent criminal history is charged with shooting a star Minneapolis high school football player in the head two weeks ago on a North Side street, according to a murder charge filed Tuesday.

Cody L. Fohrenkam of Minneapolis was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the shooting of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill, a North High School sophomore, on Feb. 9 near N. Penn Avenue and Golden Valley Road.

Fohrenkam was jailed on Friday and remains held without bail ahead of a court appearance Wednesday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

The filing of the criminal complaint came on the same day that Hill was being eulogized at North Central University on the southern edge of downtown Minneapolis. It hints to no motive in the shooting, aside from a possible chance encounter where they two may have brushed shoulders on the street.

Hill was the starting quarterback on North’s varsity football team. He was paid tribute at a North basketball game a few days after the shooting. His death has led to renewed calls for a more forceful response to violence that has afflicted the city’s North Side for generations.

“This is a tragic death of a young man who should still be with us today,” County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement announcing the murder charge. “Our community once again mourns the loss of a life due to senseless gun violence. … We will do our work as ministers of justice to ensure the defendant is held accountable for his actions.”

Fohrenkam’s criminal history in Minnesota includes two convictions each for illegal weapons possession, illicit drugs and robbery, and one each for arson and assault.

According to the criminal complaint:

Officers arrived at the shooting scene and saw Hill down on the northwest corner of the intersection, with a gunshot wound to the head. He died the next day at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale.

Outdoor video surveillance showed Fohrenkam walking east on Golden Valley Road as Hill was walking toward him.

Fohrenkam and Hill passed each other, “close enough to possibly brush shoulders,” the complaint read.

Hill kept walking, while Fohrenkam stopped just before three shots can be heard on the video. A tree blocked the camera from capturing Fohrenkam during the gunfire, however, Hill and Fohrenkam “were the only two people on the street at the time the shots were fired,” the complaint noted.

Multiple witnesses in the area encountered Fohrenkam shortly before the shooting. One told police that Fohrenkam said he was looking for someone who stole his cellphone. That same witness heard the gunfire and saw Fohrenkam running.

Another witness said that a man matching Fohrenkam’s description was blocking an alley where he and his wife were driving.

Investigators located Fohrenkam, who at first said he was not in the area of the shooting. Told of video of him being at a store near where Hill was shot, he said to police that he was looking for someone who stole his cellphone.

A cousin gave detectives an alibi for Fohrenkam, saying the two of them were together. Since Fohrenkam’s arrest, he has made calls from jail “seeking to set up an alibi for himself,” the complaint revealed.

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George Floyd death: Closing arguments begin in civil rights trial of 3 ex-officers

Assistant US Attorney Manda Sertich told jurors Tuesday during her closing argument that Thomas Lane, 38, J. Alexander Kueng, 28, and Tou Thao, 36, were all aware that Derek Chauvin was using unreasonable force and knew what procedures could help Floyd, but chose not to act on it.

Sertich argued that Thao and Kueng “had the ability, authority, opportunity, means, and duty to intervene,” adding that there was plenty of time for Kueng and Thao to take action.

“It wasn’t a split-second use of force like a gunshot,” she said, emphasizing Chauvin’s use of force was “not 30 seconds, not a minute: several minutes — 569 seconds.”

“Defendants Thao and Keung watched while George Floyd condition slowly deteriorated,” Sertich argued.

Sertich countered the defense’s argument that it would have been too much to ask of novice officers to know better and do something to help in this situation. She said the officers’ alleged inexperience did not make them unable to recognize a medical emergency situation. The defendants were aware of the level of force being used on Floyd, she said.

“Just look at the video of Thao staring at Chauvin while Chauvin presses his knee into Mr. Floyd’s neck, (who) then stops speaking, stops moving, loses consciousness,” Sertich said.

Even Lane, she pointed out, knew what needed to be done, as evidenced by his asking Chauvin twice whether they should turn Floyd over. But asking a question isn’t rendering medical aid, Sertich said.

“It is not complicated,” Sertich said in concluding her closing arguments. “All the witnesses, including the defendants, agreed they had a duty to intervene … They chose not to intervene, they chose not to aid Mr. Floyd.”

Defense attorneys for Lane rested their case Monday, and the prosecution did not call any rebuttal witnesses.

Defense attorney Robert Paule is currently delivering his closing argument for Thao. Attorneys for Kueng and Lane are also expected to deliver their closing remarks later Tuesday afternoon. Defense attorneys told US District Court Judge Paul Magnuson last week they’d each need between an hour and 90 minutes for their closing remarks.

A Hennepin County jury found Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in April. He was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. He awaits additional sentencing after pleading guilty in federal court to violating the civil rights of Floyd and, in a separate incident from 2017, a handcuffed 14-year-old. Prosecutors have asked that Chauvin be sentenced to 25 years, to be served concurrently with his state sentence.

Lane, Kueng and Thao also face a state trial later this year on charges of aiding and abetting in Floyd’s murder. They have pleaded not guilty.

It began with a report of a counterfeit $20 bill

In opening statements, the prosecution alleged the officers committed federal crimes by repeatedly ignoring Floyd’s cries of, “I can’t breathe.” Bystander video shows Floyd, pinned under Chauvin, pleading with officers as he desperately gasps for air before passing out. He was declared dead later that night.

Lane and Kueng were the first to respond to Cup Foods on May 25, 2020, after a report that Floyd had attempted to pass a fake $20 bill. It was Lane’s fourth day with the Minneapolis Police Department.

Floyd wouldn’t immediately answer questions, was “very hyperactive” and appeared to have white foam around his mouth, Kueng testified.

“He seemed to snap and started yelling,” Lane said.

Chauvin and Thao soon responded to the scene. Floyd was “very sweaty” and appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Thao said. While the county’s chief medical examiner ruled Floyd died from cardiopulmonary arrest during “law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression,” Dr. Andrew Baker also testified in Chauvin’s trial last year that fentanyl and heart disease were contributing factors — but not the main cause.

Floyd resisted getting into a patrol vehicle, telling officers he was claustrophobic, video from the scene shows. Lane testified he tried to de-escalate the situation by assuring the 46-year-old that he would get into the vehicle with him and roll down the windows.

Floyd’s legs at one point “kind of collapsed without reason,” Kueng said, and “his behavior just went to extreme measures.” Floyd attempted to “launch himself” while fighting the officers trying to place him in the patrol vehicle, Thao testified.

Chauvin informed his colleagues Floyd needed to be taken to the ground, Kueng said, and Thao explained that the intention was to protect him and any bystanders. No one meant to hurt Floyd, Thao said.

It was not unusual to see Minneapolis officers use their knees during an arrest, Thao said. The knee-to-neck move is banned by several police departments, but the MPD allows officers to restrain suspects’ necks if they’re aggressive or resisting.

Floyd was unarmed and handcuffed when he was pinned to the ground.

Ex-officer snaps at prosecutor on stand

Thao began conducting crowd and traffic control, he said, adding that the bystanders had begun to “cause issues.” Asked why he never asked Chauvin to get off of Floyd’s neck, Thao snapped, “I think I would trust a 19-year veteran to figure it out.”

Kueng could not determine how much pressure Chauvin was applying to Floyd’s neck, he testified, but he didn’t think Floyd had stopped breathing.

Lane, who was holding Floyd’s legs, twice asked Chauvin if Floyd should be repositioned, and Chauvin responded, “We’re good,” Lane testified. When Lane expressed concern about Floyd possibly experiencing “excited delirium,” Chauvin told him, “That’s why we got him on his stomach and that’s why the ambulance is coming,” according to Lane’s testimony.

About 5 minutes after Kueng told Lane he could not find a pulse, Lane began administering CPR on Floyd, Lane testified, conceding that CPR should have, ideally, begun immediately after Kueng announced Floyd had no pulse.

It wasn’t until a homicide detective arrived on the scene that Kueng realize Floyd was dead, Kueng testified.

Prosecutors allege Floyd might’ve lived if not for the officers’ decision to ignore his cries.

“Each made a conscious choice over and over again,” Samantha Trepel, special litigation counsel from the US Justice Department’s civil rights division, said in opening statements. “They chose not to intervene and stop Chauvin as he killed a man. They chose not to protect George Floyd, the man they handcuffed.”

Because the alleged crime ended in Floyd’s death, a guilty verdict on a count of deprivation of rights under the color of law commands a hefty maximum sentence. Though the US code permits the death penalty in such cases, prosecutors have not indicated they would pursue such a sentence. Thus, a guilty verdict could mean fines for the three officers and sentences up to life in prison.

CNN’s Bill Kirkos, Brad Parks, Julia Jones and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.

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