Crime and Punishment

[Ordnael]

Follow up on the follow up
13 people arrested for brutal assault in supermarket queue in Valongo released

Libertados os 13 detidos por brutal agressão na fila de supermercado em Valongo

As 13 pessoas detidas pela GNR, na terça-feira, em Valongo e Gondomar, por suspeitas de terem agredido selvaticamente um homem, por motivos fúteis, após uma disputa numa fila de supermercado de Sobrado, foram libertadas, esta quinta-feira, por decisão do Tribunal de Instrução Criminal do Porto.

www.jn.pt

The 13 people arrested by the GNR on Tuesday in Valongo and Gondomar, on suspicion of having savagely attacked a man for futile reasons after a dispute in a supermarket queue in Sobrado, were released this Thursday by decision of the Porto Criminal Investigation Court. The Public Prosecutor's Office wanted house arrest for eight of the 13 defendants, but the judge ordered 11 of them to be presented to authorities biweekly and banned from contact with the victim or witnesses in the case. The remaining two were given identity and residency terms.The suspects, aged between 18 and 60, are part of a clan that largely resides in the Baldeirão neighborhood of Sobrado. They were in possession of firearms, knives, and ammunition, as well as counterfeit money whose origin remains to be determined.Other People's DisagreementThe incidents date back to September 3rd, when a man took his wife shopping at a supermarket in downtown Sobrado. Ricardo was in the car with his two-year-old daughter, waiting for his wife. Meanwhile, inside the small supermarket, an incident unfolded whose outcome was unknown. A woman, a member of the Baldeirão clan, argued with another customer over the checkout line.Insults and hair-pulling later, the commotion spilled out into the street, with Ricardo's wife trying to calm things down. Her husband tried to pull her out of the fight, but there was no time. And Ricardo was the one who got hit. He was treated at the scene and taken to São João Hospital, where he was diagnosed with multiple injuries throughout his body, mainly to the head and face.

To the surprise of absolutely no one they were released!
Hope next time it's a family member of the judge on the receiving end!
I will keep voting accordingly, since Chega is the only party that dares to mention this injustice and openly criticise these folks!

 

[Ordnael]

German mayor was 'tortured for hours by her adopted daughter, 17, who kept her in a basement and brutally stabbed her' leaving her fighting for life

German mayor 'tortured for hours by daughter' left fighting for life

A police investigation has revealed horrific new details of torture including the use of multiple knives to inflict more than a dozen stab wounds to Mayor Iris Stalzer

www.dailymail.co.uk

A
police investigation has revealed horrific details of torture after the brutal stabbing of a German mayor left her fighting for her life.

Herdecke mayor Iris Stalzer was airlifted to hospital after police were called to her home on October 7, with officers discovering gruesome evidence of abuse believed to be at the hands of her 17-year-old adopted daughter.

Initial local reports had claimed that a gang of men had been responsible for Stalzer's condition, with her daughter calling emergency services claiming she was found bleeding out in their living room.

The mayor was taken to Bochum hospital, where Stalzer was found to have 13 stab wounds to the upper body as well as multiple hematomas and skull fractures.

Despite her extensive injuries, the SPD politician survived the ordeal and was questioned by police - revealing that her life-threating condition was caused by her own child.

She described how she was tortured by her daughter in the house's basement for hours, according to German outlet BILD. This included being stabbed multiple times with two separate knives, having her head bashed and the use of a deodorant can and a lighter to scorch her hair and clothing.

When police investigated these claims they found one of the knives used in the attack in the backpack of Stalzer's 15-year-old adopted son. They also discovered bloodstained clothing believed to belong to her daughter.

Ms Stalzer was found slumped in an armchair in the house's living room, with investigators still unsure how the severely injured woman escaped the basement.

But forensics found clear attempts to remove blood and other evidence from around the armchair she collapsed in, suggesting that the area was cleaned.

Although a full motive remains unclear, local reports claim that over the summer there was a dispute between the mother and her children with domestic violence and the use of a knife being mentioned. Police initially arrested both children but the pair have been released after the public prosecutor's office decided it would not pursue an attempted homicide charge, downgrading the crime to the German equivalent of grievous bodily harm.

Senior public prosecutor Bernd Haldorn said that the decision to classify it as a lesser offence was due to the daughter and her brother making the initial emergency call.

The 17-year-old's calling the emergency services is considered a 'resignation from the crime' and because neither child is considered at risk of fleeing, they will not be arrested.

The pair are currently in the care of the youth welfare office and the mayor appears to be recovering.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

The 'problem' is how punishment is understood today in most so-called civilized countries. Punishment has traditionally had three functions: prevention, deterrence (or prevention special and general) and retribution. That is, the offender is imprisoned, first to remove them from society so they cannot commit crimes (at least until they can be reintegrated); second, to discourage others from committing crimes through the possibility of suffering punishment; and third, the moral obligation the state has to the victims and society to punish the offender.

Today, criminal law theory has completely abandoned retribution and, to some extent, deterrence; the main thing taken into account is (special) prevention. That is, if a criminal is believed not to commit another crime, escape, or destroy evidence of their crime, they are simply set free or left with relatively light punishment.

I disagree with this amoral and utilitarian view of punishment. As Kant said, if the world were to end tomorrow, society would have a moral duty to execute those condemned to death before the day is over. (I don't agree with the death penalty; it's just an extreme example of what the moral obligation to apply the penalty as retribution for crime means.)

Otoh this approach seems to work to some extent to avoid the worst blood crimes at least. Europe, where this utilitarian view is most prevalent is arguably one of the safest places in the world. Of course other factors may be more influential and it would be so in despite that utilitarian view instead. Who knows.

 

[JollyRoger]

I took a card from a gypsy in my dungeons and dragons game and lost a level and was cursed with dancing as I fight. Something needs to be done.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Moderator Action: Pointless bickering and inappropriate posts removed. Move along please.

 

[EnglishEdward]

Yes, it was a heinous act. But so were the other 40k+ assaults and 80 odd murders that happened in Portugal over the last year. Yet you're not making posts about them.

It is not possible to make separate posts on all crimes. So your last sentence has little meaning.

The media - whether "mainstream" or otherwise, focus on a select few crimes so they can push agendas, typically about the particular groups involved in those particular instances of crime.

When there are many crimes going on and it is not possible to comment on all of them, then to comment on crimes it is necessary to focus on a few select crimes.

Is there is any evidence that the media only select crimes of particular groups ?

If not, I suspect selection is more likely to be primarily on the basis of what is made known to the media about the crimes and their relative seriousness.

 

[danjuno]

Crime down in every category in 2024, FBI report says​

Crime decreased in every category in 2024, including murder, violent crime and motor vehicle thefts, according to data released by the FBI on Tuesday. It reflects a trend experts have been tracking as reported numbers of violent crimes continue to drop from a spike immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the report included good news, a violent crime still occurred on average every 25.9 seconds in the United States last year, according to the FBI's annual Unified Crime Report, which compiles crime statistics submitted by law enforcement agencies across the country. This year's report used data submitted by 16,675 different agencies, which the FBI said covers a combined population of more than 325 million people, or about 95.6% of U.S. residents.

The FBI's report did not venture to say why the violent crime stats decreased. "It's difficult if not impossible for us to say why, and each reporting agency would have a different reason why," an FBI official said Tuesday in response to a question from CBS News during a briefing.

The FBI did note it has seen an increase in the number of officers shot in the line of duty. "Between 2021 and 2024, we saw 258 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the line of duty," the FBI official said.

All violent crime decreased last year​

Violent crime, which the FBI defines as murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, was down an estimated 4.5% in 2024 compared to 2023, with each subcategory also seeing a decrease.


The murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate decreased 14.9% year over year. Robbery dropped by 8.9%. Rape saw an estimated 5.2% decrease and aggravated assault was down 3%, the report found

The murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate dropped for a second straight year, after dropping from 6.5 to 5.7 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023. In 2024, the rate dropped again, to 5 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. Over the last 20 years, the high mark in the murder rate was recorded in 2020, with 6.7 per 100,000 residents, while the lowest recorded was in 2014, with 4.4 cases per 100,000 people.

Analysis from Jeff Asher, a criminal justice data expert and co-founder of consulting firm AH Datalytics, noted that while murder, rape and robberies have fallen to below pre-COVID levels following a large spike during the pandemic, aggravated assaults, while decreasing, remain "stubbornly high."

In a shift from previous years, both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office contributed data to the FBI report.


LAPD Chief of Detectives Alan S. Hamilton credited community and violence intervention programs in Los Angeles for contributing to the drop in crime there. "We made an investment in the future and I think these are the dividends," he told CBS News in a phone call Monday night.

Rodney Harrison, former police commissioner of New York's Suffolk County and a CBS News law enforcement contributor, said some of the drops in violent crime could be attributed to criminals shifting their efforts to online crimes like identity theft.

"If they don't have to go out on the street and run drugs and can make money sitting at the computer, some criminals will do that, which presents a new challenge to police," Harrison told CBS News.

Property crime also down​

Property crime also saw a considerable decrease of 8.1% in 2024, the FBI report found, following a 2.4% drop in 2023.

Of note, motor vehicle thefts decreased by 18.6% from 2023 to 2024 following several years of increases. It's the largest one-year drop ever recorded in that category, although the overall rate of car thefts is still higher than it was in 2019, according to Asher.

Other subcategories of property crime include burglary, down 8.6%, and larceny-theft, down 5.5%.

The overall property crime rate in 2024 was the lowest recorded since 1961, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.

Hate crimes​

The FBI also included data on hate crimes, based on reports from 16,419 law enforcement agencies. In 2024, those departments reported 11,679 criminal incidents and 13,683 related offenses motivated by bias based on race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender or gender identity.

The overall number of such incidents decreased slightly in 2024 compared to 2023, although the FBI noted there can be fluctuations when looking at different groups.

While the FBI report did not give a breakdown of the targets of hate crimes, CBS News has been tracking an increase in reported antisemitic hate crimes in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack in Israel and the subsequent Israeli military operation in Gaza. Anti-Muslim hate crimes have also been on the rise in the same time period.

The Secure Community Network, which helps to track antisemitic incidents across the country, said roughly 69% of the reported religiously motivated incidents in 2024 were antisemitic, targeting Jewish people or institutions.

Downward trend continuing​

While the FBI's report is focused on 2024, statistics for the current year are available and show a continuing downward trend, according to analysis from the Council on Criminal Justice.

The homicide rate continued to decline in the first half of 2025, lowering the rate in the U.S. to a level it hasn't seen in a decade, the CCJ said. Although the group noted that while the overall numbers are going down, many cities are still seeing higher homicide rates than they did in the first half of 2019.

"These numbers are promising but not surprising," Ernesto Lopez, senior research specialist at the CCJ, told CBS News. "After significant increases in violent crime starting in 2020, the decline in all major crime types across all sizes of jurisdictions is promising. These trends are closely aligned with our own findings, which show crime falling last year and continuing to fall in the first six months of 2025."


The council also noted the limitations of the FBI's data, which doesn't cover the entire U.S. population and only measures crimes that are reported to law enforcement. Advocates for victims of sexual assault, for example, often note that many rapes go unreported.

"The police data is critical, but it's also important to remember that most crimes are not reported to police, so the overall volume is much higher than what's represented here," the CCJ told CBS News.

 

[Ordnael]

Here they go again!

Relatives of a fatal victim become agitated at Abrantes Hospital, forcing police intervention.​

Familiares de vítima mortal exaltam-se no Hospital de Abrantes obrigando a intervenção policial

Grupo transportou por meios próprios uma vítima mortal em acidente rodoviário e exigiu a sua reanimação. Além dos danos materiais e do clima de medo houve quem fosse agredido. Unidade de Saúde confirma a situação de tensão que levou à intervenção das forças de segurança.

omirante.pt

The group transported a fatal victim of a traffic accident using their own means, requiring resuscitation. In addition to the material damage and the climate of fear, some were assaulted. The Health Unit confirms the tense situation that led to the intervention of security forces.​

A group of people who decided to transport a victim of a serious road accident to Abrantes Hospital by their own means became agitated and caused a disturbance at the hospital, requiring police intervention. The incident occurred on Saturday, October 11th, and was due to a negative reaction to the victim's death. The victim was not treated at the scene by pre-hospital emergency teams and was reportedly already dead when he arrived at the hospital.

According to a witness, the group of about 50 people entered the emergency room with the victim and, after he was declared dead, "forced their way into the resuscitation room, demanding that health professionals attempt to revive the individual. During the incident, several security guards and health professionals were assaulted, with some requiring medical attention."

The Médio Tejo Local Health Unit (ULS) confirmed to O MIRANTE the “situation of tension over the weekend […] caused by an irreversible death situation”, highlighting that “it did not result in injuries or physical harm to health professionals, with material damage being very limited”.

The group, which was joined by more people from the same community, remained in the vicinity of the hospital in the following days, “between Sunday and Monday, until the victim’s body was released,” reports the same witness, highlighting the “fear and insecurity” felt by the professionals at that unit whenever they had to pass, at the end of their shifts, by “dozens of people from the group” who approached them.

According to the Médio Tejo Health Unit (ULS), "the situation was monitored in person from the outset by the board of directors," which was "in constant contact with the director of the Abrantes Hospital Emergency Department, as well as with public security forces and the institution's internal security services." The authorities' intervention, the ULS emphasizes, "was immediate and decisive in restoring normalcy, ensuring the safety of users, professionals, and facilities."

“All elements involved followed the instructions given by the public security forces, who remained on site until the situation was completely resolved,” the ULS also reported, stressing that “to date, no formal complaints have been filed by users or health professionals regarding this episode.”

Considering the “particularly demanding context” for the professionals who were in charge, who never failed to ensure the continuity of service to users, the ULS expresses “solidarity” and recognizes the “demonstrated commitment”.

The ULS says it is adopting measures to reinforce security.
The board of directors, chaired by Casimiro Ramos, told our newspaper that it "is adopting measures arising from this type of incident, in coordination with the competent internal services and security entities, to ensure the permanent reinforcement of security conditions and support for professionals."
Emphasizing that the daily routine in a Medical-Surgical Emergency Service is "marked by episodes of great emotional and human tension, resulting from the severity of the clinical situations that arrive there," the ULS says that the professionals who work there "are prepared and trained to act with calm and competence, in close collaboration with security forces." The conflict prevention and management plan, it adds, is aligned with "the Action Plan for the Prevention of Violence in the Health Sector (PAPVSS), of the Executive Directorate of the National Health Service (DE-SNS) and the Directorate-General of Health (DGS).

Apparently, according to comments I found on reddit about this incident, the deceased gipsy had just been released out of jail and he and his friends decided celebrate by street racing.
Nothing to see here!

 

[Samson]

Total condemned for greenwashing: a major legal precedent against the climate disinformation of oil majors
Translated by thinking machine

The Paris Court of Justice today issued a landmark, world first decision: it condemns TotalEnergies for misleading business practices because of its false allegations about its “ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050” and “to be a major player in the energy transition.”

This historic decision follows the legal action initiated in 2022 by Les Amis de la Terre France, Greenpeace France and Notre Affaire à Tous, with the support of ClientEarth. She denounces the communication campaign of the major around her name change of Total to TotalEnergies in 2021.

This victory marks a turning point for consumer protection, climate preservation and the fight against greenwashing practices. This is the first time around the world that a oil and gas major has been condemned by the judiciary for deceiving the public by greening its image about its contribution to the fight against climate change.

The court considers that Total has “committed deceptive commercial practices by broadcasting, from the site www.totalenergies.fr, messages based on the allegations concerning their “ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050” and “to be a major player in the energy transition” likely to mislead the consumer, on the scope of the Group’s environmental commitments.

Therefore, the court orders TotalEnergies and TotalEnergies Electricité et Gaz France:

• to stop their false allegations within one month, under penalty of provisional penalty payment of 10 000 euros per day of delay,
• to publish the court decision on the home page of their website www.totalenergies.fr in a visible way for 180 days.

The associations welcome this decision, at the height of the seriousness of the climate damage caused by this oil-gas giant. This victory devotes three years of legal action and the determination of associations to have TotalEnergies’ responsibility for climate disinformation recognized.

The associations nevertheless regret that the court rejected their applications concerning gas and agrofuels, because it considered that the communications referred to were not “in direct relation to the promotion, sale or supply of the energies of TotalEnergies to consumers”. However, the court did not rule on the content of these communications.

 

[PhroX]

Frankly, that seems like a slap on the wrist.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Alberta teen faces new charges after terrorism peace bond for alleged online extremism ties​

Latest charges include participation in terrorist group activity and possession of child sexual abuse material​

A teenager from the Edmonton area is facing new charges following a terrorism peace bond for alleged links to an online network of violent extremism.

The 15-year-old was initially arrested in May, with RCMP starting peace bond proceedings under a fear of terrorism offence.

Investigators said at the time they believed the youth would commit terrorism offences related to the 764 online network, which targets vulnerable children by prowling gaming sites like Minecraft and Roblox and lures victims into private online chats.

According to RCMP, the 764 network encourages youth “to commit sexual acts, self-harm, and the torture of animals, and elements of it “are known to have extreme ideological views and are victimizing children through desensitizing and radicalizing them to violence.”

• Edmonton-area youth, 15, arrested for terrorism-related offence

• The Fifth Estate
  Alleged leaders of child exploitation cult known as 764 arrested, charged

Police said Thursday that the move was related to “escalatory behaviour in a February 2025 incident.”

A peace bond allows investigators to monitor people who appear likely to commit a crime when there's no evidence of an actual offence.

RCMP said a forensic examination of the youth’s electronic devices led to the latest charges. They include participating in activity of a terrorist group, willful promotion of hatred, uttering threats and possession of child sexual abuse material.

Police haven’t provided additional information about the teen, who can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, but CBC News has confirmed at prior court appearances that he is a boy.

He continues to be in custody at the Edmonton Young Offender Centre, according to RCMP.

The teen is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-teen-terrorism-peace-bond-charges-9.6950809

 

[Kaitzilla]

US woman jailed for fatally shooting neighbour through door​

A Florida woman who fatally shot her neighbour through her front door last year has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Susan Lorincz, 60, opened fire on 35-year-old Ajike "AJ" Owens as she knocked on Lorincz's locked door during a dispute about the victim's children playing outside in the city of Ocala.
According to Owens's family and an affidavit, Lorincz, who is white, had shouted racial epithets at the children of Owens, who was black, before the shooting on 2 June 2023.
A jury convicted Lorincz in August of one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault. The trial tested Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which permits use of deadly force in self-defence.

The fatal shooting followed a series of quarrels between Lorincz and Owens that resulted in police being called at least six times from January 2021.
The confrontation is believed to have stemmed from an altercation earlier in the day when Lorincz shouted at Owens's children and struck one of them with a roller skate.
Lorincz was inside her home when she opened fire with a handgun, striking single mother-of-four Owens in the chest.
She did not testify at her trial, but told investigators that she had feared for her life when Owens approached her door.
"I panicked and I thought, 'Oh my God, she's really going to kill me this time,' you know," Lorincz told Marion County Sheriff's investigators.
"And so I don't even actually remember picking up the gun, I just remember shooting."
Her lawyers told jurors she had "no choice".
But during Monday's sentencing, Judge Robert Hodges said that the shooting was prompted “more by anger than fear” and that “at the time she fired the gun through the door, she was safe”.
Judge Hodges acknowledged as mitigating factors abuse that Lorincz suffered as a child and her diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
But he ruled that this did not merit a substantial reduction in her maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison.
Addressing the court on Monday, Lorincz denied calling Owens's children racial slurs and said the shooting was "not about race".
"I am so sorry that I took AJ’s life. I never intended to kill her. The night I shot that gun I was confused as to why she was screaming and pounding on my door," she told the court.
"Please accept my humble and sincere apology for this tragedy."

At trial, prosecutor Rich Buxman argued that for Lorincz to have lawfully used force, the threat against her life had to be "imminent".
“If Ms Owens would somehow have managed to bust through this locked, dead bolted metal door, enter her house and start coming at her, the defendant may have had a right to shoot... but that’s not the situation we have here,” Mr Buxman said.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors also took issue with the defence's PTSD claim, saying that Lorincz had sought treatment for the condition twice in her life, most recently five years before the shooting.
Owens's family had originally asked for federal hate crimes charges in the case.
Florida introduced a "stand your ground" law in 2005 that gives individuals a right to protect themselves with reasonable force - including deadly force - to prevent death or bodily harm.
At least 28 states have versions of stand your ground laws.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ygd59q7l1o

There is now a Netflix documentary on this terrible crime.

Inside Netflix’s 'The Perfect Neighbor': A Dispute Over Kids Playing Turns Deadly

Streaming Friday, Oct. 17, the documentary features police body cam and ring camera footage showing everything that led to Ajike Owen's tragic shooting death.

people.com

I'm not sure why I thought the shooter's name was Karen.
It is clearly Susan.

I kept yelling at the screen to get a lawyer, but she kept talking and talking to the friendly detectives.

The cops are really good at their jobs sometimes.

 

[Sommerswerd]

I'm not sure why I thought the shooter's name was Karen.
It is clearly Susan.
I kept yelling at the screen to get a lawyer, but she kept talking and talking to the friendly detectives. The cops are really good at their jobs sometimes.

She understandably assumed that the police would be completely on her side. She was 60, and living in Florida, so her whole life experience would have primed her to have that expectation.

 

[Lexicus]

She understandably assumed that the police would be completely on her side. She was 60, and living in Florida, so her whole life experience would have primed her to have that expectation.

Same thought I had, she just assumed the audience was friendly.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Same thought I had, she just assumed the audience was friendly.

So its not that the cops were "good at their jobs", ironically its arguably the contrary... specifically that the cops were no longer doing the job as she understood it to be her whole life and instead were finally moving towards doing the job a little more like what they would have been doing already, absent the institutional prejudice and bias.

That the cops weren't doing the job they should have been always doing, is what contributed to creating these circumstances in the first place, all over the country... that they finally are starting to rightfully be conflicted about maintaining that status quo, is what caused the woman to stumble into a rare situation where the cops wouldn't be 100% on her side.

 

[Lexicus]

So its not that the cops were "good at their jobs", ironically its arguably the contrary... specifically that the cops were no longer doing the job as she understood it to be her whole life and instead were finally moving towards doing the job a little more like what they would have been doing already, absent the institutional prejudice and bias.

That the cops weren't doing the job they should have been always doing, is what contributed to creating these circumstances in the first place, all over the country... that they finally are starting to rightfully be conflicted about maintaining that status quo, is what caused the woman to stumble into a rare situation where the cops wouldn't be 100% on her side.

To your point here I'd argue that if the circumstances were just a bit different (fewer witnesses) our psycho shooter would have stood a good chance of getting away with it.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Ex-officer guilty of murder of Sonya Massey after she reported suspected intruder​

A former Illinois sheriff's deputy has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death last year of a householder who had reported a suspected intruder.

Mother-of-two Sonya Massey, 36, was fatally shot on 6 July 2024 at her home near Springfield, Illinois, after calling 911 about a possible prowler.

Ex-officer Sean Grayson, 31, said he opened fire because he thought Massey was about to throw a pot of boiling water on him.

He was charged with first-degree murder, but the jury was allowed to convict him of the lesser charge of second-degree murder. Grayson faces up to 20 years in prison.

The killing reignited conversations about police brutality in the US, with then President Joe Biden saying Massey "should be alive today". Massey was black and Grayson is white.

Prosecutor John Milhiser said in his closing argument to the jury that Grayson had lost control and "snapped".

"These were not the actions of a scared young police officer doing a dangerous job," Milhiser said. "These are the actions of a bully."

The incident unfolded in the early hours over Independence Day weekend when Massey called police to her home in Springfield, 200 miles (320km) south of Chicago, to report that she believed someone had broken into her property.

Police bodycam footage of the incident showed the chaotic moments that led to the shooting.

Officers arrived at the home and followed Massey inside when she entered her property, and watched as she searched for her ID.

In the video, Grayson sees a pot sitting on a lit stove, gestures towards it and says: "We don't need a fire while we're here."

Massey, who had received treatment for mental health issues, walks to the stove to remove the pot. She and Grayson appear to laugh over her pot of "steaming hot water", before she twice says: "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."

"You better [expletive] not or I swear to God I'll [expletive] shoot you in your [expletive] face," Grayson says. He then draws his pistol as he shouts for her to drop the pot.

"OK, I'm sorry," Massey is heard saying before she ducks.

He fired three shots, striking Massey in the face.

Afterwards, Grayson says: "What else do we do? I'm not taking hot [expletive] boiling water to the [expletive] face."

The video also captures Grayson telling his police partner that Massey would not need medical help.

As the other deputy tries to get a medical kit, the officer says: "She's done. You can go get it, but that's a head shot."

Grayson, who was subsequently fired, took the stand in his own defence during the trial.

He told the court the bottom of the pot was red and he believed Massey's words were a threat and she planned to throw the water at him.

But the jury deliberated for about 11 hours before returning their guilty verdict on Wednesday.

Personal injury lawyer Ben Crump, who has been representing the Massey family, said the verdict was "still a measure of justice", although he expressed disappointment that Grayson was not convicted of first-degree murder.

"Accountability has begun, and we now hope the court will impose a meaningful sentence that reflects the severity of these crimes and the life that was lost," Crump said in a statement.

Grayson will be sentenced on 29 January.

Sangamon County, where the shooting happened, awarded the Massey family a $10m (£7.6m) settlement in February.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr01eepvrqo

 

[Samson]

Former L3Harris Trenchant boss pleads guilty to selling zero-day exploits to Russian broker

Peter Williams, the former general manager at defense contractor L3Harris, has pleaded guilty to selling surveillance technology to a Russian broker that buys “cyber tools,” the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Wednesday.

“The material, stolen over a three-year period from the U.S. defense contractor where he worked, was comprised of national-security focused software that included at least eight sensitive and protected cyber-exploit components,” read the DOJ’s press release on Wednesday. “Those components were meant to be sold exclusively to the U.S. government and select allies.”

On October 14, the U.S. government accused Williams, who is known in the industry as “Doogie,” of selling trade secrets to a buyer in Russia, without specifying what those trade secrets were nor what company he stole them from. According to a document filed in mid-October, Williams made $1.3 million for the sale of the exploits.

Last week, TechCrunch reported that Williams had fired a Trenchant developer earlier this year who was suspected of stealing Chrome zero-days. The former Trenchant employee told TechCrunch that he never had access to those tools, as he worked on developing iOS zero-days. Other of his former colleagues supported his account.

“I know I was a scapegoat. I wasn’t guilty. It’s very simple,” the exploit developer told TechCrunch. “I didn’t do absolutely anything other than working my ass off for them.”

 

[Ordnael]

Civil trial begins in $40 million lawsuit over 6-year-old student shooting teacher​

Civil trial begins in $40 million lawsuit over 6-year-old student shooting teacher

The complaint alleges the school's assistant principal at the time failed to act after being informed multiple times that the student had a firearm.

abcnews.go.com

A school staffer recounted the moment she heard a gunshot fired in an elementary school during an ongoing civil trial in Virginia, nearly three years after a then-6-year-old student shot his first-grade teacher in a classroom.

The teacher, Abby Zwerner, is seeking $40 million over the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, according to the civil complaint.

The complaint alleges that the school's assistant principal at the time, Ebony Parker, failed to act after being informed multiple times that the student had a firearm on the day of the shooting and did not let anyone search him despite repeated requests.

Students return to Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., Jan. 30, 2023, for the first time since a 6-year-old shot his teacher three weeks earlier.
Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/TNS via Getty Images
Amy Kovac, a reading specialist for Newport News Public Schools, was one of several school staffers who testified Tuesday that they reported concerns that the 6-year-old student -- who Zwerner's attorneys are referring to as JT during the trial -- had a gun.

Kovac testified that two students in Zwerner's class told her that JT had a gun in his backpack, and that when she confronted him, he refused to provide her with his bag. She told the court that she reported this to Parker and told the assistant principal that she would check the backpack during recess.


Kovac testified that Zwerner texted her that she saw JT take something out of his backpack and put it in his pocket ahead of recess. When she searched JT's backpack, Kovac told the court that, as she then suspected, there was no gun. She said she reported this to Parker as well.

Asked by the plaintiff's attorney if she thought Parker was handling the situation, Kovac responded, "I did, until nothing happened."

When she heard a gunshot go off in Zwerner's classroom near the end of the school day, Kovac testified that she believed JT had fired the gun. She said she went inside the classroom as children were "screaming and running out" and saw Zwerner with blood on her leg.

Kovac testified that she went straight to JT and contained him, then dialed 911 and said, "This is Richneck. A teacher's been shot, I have the shooter."

6-year-old who shot teacher had history of violent behavior at school, assistant principal failed to act: Lawyer​

Another first-grade teacher at the school, Jennifer West, testified Tuesday that a "visibly nervous" student told her after recess that JT had a gun on him and he saw the firearm and bullet. She said she called the front office to report this to an administrator, per protocol, and also spoke to a school counselor about it.


The counselor, Rolonzo Rawles, testified Tuesday that he asked Parker if he could search JT's person for a gun, and that she responded that the student's mother would be arriving to get him soon and to wait to check him then.

"I didn't want to step over any boundaries, so I wasn't going to check him without permission," Rawles said.

Rawles got emotional recounting the shooting and the moment he learned that JT had shot Zwerner.

The civil complaint alleges Parker acted with gross negligence and in "reckless disregard" for Zwerner's safety.

"Who would think a 6-year-old is going to bring a gun to school and shoot their teacher? Members of the jury, it's Dr Parker's job to believe that that is possible. It's her job to investigate it and to get to the very bottom of it," Zwerner's attorney, Diane Toscano, said during opening statements earlier Tuesday.


Toscano said jurors will hear from the defense that "Abby could have done more," but instead asked them to "notice each time Dr. Parker had a decision to make, what that decision was that Dr. Parker made, how many opportunities Dr. Parker had to prevent what happened on Jan. 6."


"I'm confident at the end of this, you'll have a clear picture of what happened and how that tragedy on Jan. 6 happened, minute by minute, decision by decision," Toscano said.

Ebony Parker was released on bond in Newport News, Va., Apr. 10, 2024.
Newport News Police Department
The student took the firearm out of his pocket and aimed it at Zwerner while she was seated in the classroom, according to the complaint. The bullet went through her hand and then into her chest, and Zwerner was initially hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Toscano said jurors will hear how the shooting has "changed Abby's life forever," through testimony from doctors and her family members who cared for her, and the "pain and trauma" she continues to experience.

Parker's attorney, Daniel Hogan, called the negligence case "unusual" and discussed "hindsight bias" in his opening remarks.


"No one could have imagined that a 6-year-old first grade student would bring a firearm to an elementary school," he said.

He said the jury will have to answer "hard questions": "Is it really foreseeable that a 6-year-old child would shoot their own teacher? Was that reasonably foreseeable? Was Dr. Parker indifferent? Did she fail to exercise at least some degree of care, even if it didn't work out? Did Abby Zwerner fail to take steps for her own safety?"

Virginia ex-assistant principal charged a year after 6-year-old shot his teacher​

The civil trial has been scheduled to run through Nov. 6, according to the online docket.

Three other defendants initially listed in Zwerner's complaint -- two other school administrators and the Newport News School Board -- have since been dismissed from the lawsuit.

Parker has also been charged with eight counts of felony child abuse with disregard for life in connection with the shooting -- one count for each bullet that was in the gun, according to the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. A trial on the criminal charges is scheduled to start next month.

Parker resigned from her position shortly after the incident.

Abby Zwerner attends a hearing for a civil lawsuit she filed against the Newport News Public Schools, Oct. 27, 2023, in Newport News, Va.
Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Zwerner has said she has undergone multiple surgeries following the shooting, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression and has nightmares stemming from the incident.

Zwerner told Hampton, Virginia, ABC affiliate WVEC in an interview a year after the shooting she does not think she will be able to teach again due to the "anxiety, the PTSD and the fear."

The student brought the gun from home, police said. His mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to two years in state prison for child neglect in connection with the shooting, which she is currently serving. Taylor was also sentenced to 21 months in prison on federal firearm and drug charges, which she has since served.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Video captures Toronto police vehicle running over suspect, arresting officer on weekend​

A dramatic video circulating on social media shows a Toronto police vehicle "inadvertently" running over a female suspect and an officer during an arrest on the weekend.

Toronto police said in an email on Monday that they are aware of the video and reviewing the circumstances of the arrest.

At about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, police said they responded to reports of a woman with knives, allegedly damaging vehicles, in a plaza parking lot in the area of Jane Street and Alliance Avenue, south of Eglinton Avenue W.

Police said the woman, 23, was arrested and charged with one count of weapons dangerous and four counts of mischief under. She appeared in court on Sunday.

In the video posted by 6ixBuzzTV on X, formerly Twitter, the suspect is struck with a conducted energy weapon. She screams and falls to the ground. A few officers come running over and one officer hops out of a police vehicle. That vehicle rolls forward, colliding with the suspect and an arresting officer.

The officer then jumps back into the vehicle to regain control of it and it rushes forward. The suspect can be heard screaming and one officer can be heard yelling for the driver to backup. The vehicle runs over the suspect's legs again. Other officers restrain the suspect, telling her to stop resisting.

Neither the suspect nor the officer was seriously injured, according to police.

Police failure to put vehicle in park called 'careless'​

Steven Summerville, a retired staff sergeant with the Toronto police, said in an interview on Monday that he thinks the officer forgot to put the vehicle in park in the heat of the moment and it wasn't a deliberate act.

Summerville, who has taught police vehicle operations, said he thinks when the officer attended the call, his heart rate and blood pressure might have gone up, and with his focus on getting out of the vehicle to help, he overlooked putting the vehicle in park.

"I'm not going to suggest for a second there was intent behind this. But was it careless? Sure," Summerville said.

"Before we point fingers and make accusations, we're all human beings, police officers included."

Summerville said people do make mistakes in critical moments.

"Probably the officer would never do something like that again," he said.

Stephanie Sayer, spokesperson for the police, said in an email on Monday that police are aware of the video showing the incident in the Jane Park Plaza parking lot.

"To safely disarm the individual, a conducted energy weapon (CEW) was deployed. As officers moved to take the suspect into custody, another officer arrived on scene to assist. During this response, the officer’s vehicle inadvertently rolled forward into both the suspect and one of the arresting officers," Sayer said.

Sayer said Toronto paramedics assessed the suspect and officer, and both were medically cleared.

She said the suspect was taken to hospital for further assessment because she had been struck by the CEW, which is in keeping with police procedures.

"We are actively reviewing the circumstances and are grateful there were no serious injuries during this dynamic incident," Sayer added.

The video is not the only one circulating online of the incident. Another video, posted to YouTube by MadLab Press, shows the suspect from two angles before she is run over.

At one point, the suspect is seen holding two large knives and slashing the tires of at least two police vehicles while officers are inside. Police have not said if they are aware of this video.

Toronto Paramedic Services, for its part, said it took one person to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and another patient was assessed on scene but didn't need to go to hospital.

Police watchdog not notified of incident​

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit said it was not notified about the incident because the suspect was not reportedly seriously injured.

The SIU is called in to investigate any time police are involved in an incident that results in death, serious injuries, allegations of sexual assault, and the discharge of a firearm at a person.

In a statement on X, Toronto Police Association vice-president Brian Callanan said the organization is aware there is video online of the incident.

"Thankfully, our members were not seriously injured. The woman did not sustain any injuries from the police vehicle and was taken to hospital for the Taser deployment."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...e-vehicle-running-over-suspect-legs-9.6965340