Manhunt Underway for Gunman Who Killed Two and Wounded Two Officers

In Oklahoma, a gunman is on the run after he killed two people and wounded four others. The casualties included two police officers, police said.

The suspect was identified as Michael D. Vance, 38-year-old, of Chandler, Oklahoma. He is believed to be driving a silver 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse sedan and armed with an AK-47.

Another suspect has been arrested, according to authorities.

Emergency officials in Lincoln County said that at about 7 p.m. local time Sunday, Vance shot and wounded two officers from the town of Wellston. The officers had responded to a reported shooting.

County Sheriff Charles Dougherty said that one officer was shot in the leg and the second, in the foot.

Vance was hit more than twice as the wounded officers returned fire, Dougherty said.

According to KOCO, Vance then commandeered a patrol car and drove to a nearby mobile park. There, he stole a Lincoln Town Car from a woman and then shot at her. The woman was hurt but not taken to the hospital, KOCO said.

Authorities, later, went to the residence of Vance’s uncle in neighboring Oklahoma County. At about 11 p.m. Sunday, they discovered the bodies of two people who had been shot, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities believe Vance switched vehicles again as the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported a man meeting Vance’s description driving a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Furthermore, the report said that the man shot someone at a Flying J truck stop on Interstate 40 near Sayre at around 2:38 a.m. Monday.

http://pic.twitter.com/llIQbSqpMa

— Okla. Highway Patrol (@OHPtraffic) October 24, 2016

Suspect afflicted with infectious disease

Dougherty said that authorities have released a wanted flyer for Vance. He is described as a “heavy-set male” with a height of 5 foot 11 inches and weighs 212 pounds. The suspect has a medical condition and may attempt to spread disease, according to the flyer.

The medical condition was unclear, but sheriff’s public information officer Mark Opgrande said it is an infectious disease that can be transmitted by blood.

“It’s possible he may attempt to spread it to others if he is put in a situation where that would be possible,” Opgrande said.

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Suspect In California Officers’ Fatal Shooting Arrested by Police

Law enforcement officers arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting of two California police officers. The arrest happened on early Sunday morning in Palm Springs, California.

A SWAT team took John Felix, 26, into custody after an hours-long confrontation. The drama started when four officers appeared at the suspect’s home to look into a report of a family disturbance.

Felix was wearing concealable soft body armor and had high-capacity ammunition magazines but was not armed when he was captured.

A neighbor, Frances Serrano, said on Saturday that the suspect’s terrified father earlier said his son had a gun.

Serrano said that the older Felix told her that his son is inside, acting crazy and that they’re scared. When she suggested that they call the police he said that he already knows they’re coming and he is going to shoot them.

Serrano said that police cars arrived and gunfire erupted within minutes she went back inside her house.

The slain officers, who were identified by Chief Bryan Reyes, were Lesley Zerebny, 27, and Jose Gilbert Vega, 63.

Zerebny had been on the force for 18 months and had just returned from maternity leave after giving birth to a daughter. Vega, on the other hand, was a 35-year veteran who planned to retire in December.

The wounded officer was not named but his injuries were non-life threatening, according to Reyes. He added at a news conference that the officer was speaking with investigators. He will be released from a nearby hospital shortly.

After the initial shooting, a number of officers in tactical gear established positions outside the suspect’s home and continued to shoot.

Non-lethal means

Police discharged chemical agents inside the home after failing to pinpoint the suspect’s location despite using robots within the house.

Officers utilized less lethal ammunitions to suppress the suspect when he still refused to give up, the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s chief deputy said.

Authorities said in a statement that Felix would be charged with two counts of murder of a police officer. If convicted, he could receive the death penalty.

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Police Chief: Teenager Shot by LA Cops Had Deathwish

The death of a teenager in a police shooting in Los Angeles started protests all across the city. Authorities identified the teenager, first mistaken for an adult man, as Daniel Perez. He died of multiple gunshot wounds.

According to the authorities, Perez left a ‘farewell note’ for his family before the fatal encounter. He then called U.S emergency hot-line and reported a man with a gun matching his own description.

According to recent reports, Perez confronted the officer who arrived at the scene and pointed the fake gun at him. Prompting the officer to shoot him several times.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said, “We believe that this officer-involved shooting was a result of his desire to end his own life,”

“We are deeply saddened by these events and my heart goes out to his family as well as to the officer involved in the shooting.”

LA spokeswoman  Norma Eisenman said that the fake gun used by Perez looks real because He painted its orange tip with black paint.

Fake guns legal

US lawmakers allow imitation firearms with the exception that they sport an orange tip to distinguish it from real guns. California lawmakers 2014, passed another bill requiring manufacturers to have more visible markings on the fake guns.

The officer involved in the fatal shoot-out of Perez had worn a body-camera that would prove his version of the encounter. The authorities however, have no intention of releasing the footage.

Perez fatal shoot out came after the encounter of another LA cop who shot dead an 18 year old black man, Carnell Snell Jr.

Both encounters led the city to protest due to the increasing numbers of fatal shootings involving black men. It also prompted a national debate on racism and excessive law enforcement.

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Six Year Old Boy Wounded in S.C. Schoolyard Shooting Dies

Jacob Hall, the six year old victim of a schoolyard shooting in South Carolina died on Saturday, a coroner said. Jacob was fatally wounded after a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the school grounds. The incident happened moments after the teenager killed his own father.

According to a family member, Jacob sustained injuries which ripped his femoral artery causing blood loss. Because Jacob loss so much blood, it led to major brain injury, and had been on life support.

Greg Shore, the Anderson County Coroner at a Greenville hospital said on a telephone interview, “Unfortunately he’s lost the battle, at 12:56 p.m. today”. The body of the boy will be transferred for an autopsy on Sunday.

The deadly shooting happened on Wednesday at Townville Elementary School in Townville, South Carolina.

Authorities said the 14 year old boy first shot and killed his 47 year old father, Jeffrey Osborne. Osborne was shot while watching television in their home, about 2 miles (3km) from the school. The teenager then drove the pickup truck then apparently crashed into the fence and opened fire on the school. He also shot Jacob, another 6 year old boy and a teacher.

Closed door hearing

The teenager was charged on Friday with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. The 10th Judicial Circuit court will handle the case in closed doors because the suspect is a juvenile.

Authorities are still looking for motives and links in the shooting since the suspect is home-schooled.

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California; Police Release Video of Police Officers Shooting Unarmed Black Man

California Police authorities finally released the video of two police officers shooting an unarmed black man on Friday. The video quality, grainy and mostly without audio, did not help in calming the rage of the community.

On Tuesday, two officers fatally shot an Uganda born citizen, Alfredo Olango aged 31. Authorities however, made no decision that concerns filing a criminal case against the two officers involved.

El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis said in a news conference. “This is as difficult a situation as any law enforcement officer will ever encounter and its one we never seek”. He then added “That being the case, a tragic event took place that took a life and had a major impact on our community.”

El Cajon officer Richard Gonsalves and Josh McDaniel both have 21 years in service. The two officers responded to an emergency call about a “mentally unstable” man walking in traffic.

The police officials said Olango ignored commands to take his hand out of his pocket. He then pulled out an object and assumed a “shooting stance”, and pointed the device. The object Olango carried turns out to be a vaping device, a 3-inch-long (8-cm) cylinder used to inhale nicotine. The police found no gun in the scene.

Series of events

Before police authorities released their video, two other videos surfaced showing the incident. The Los Ponchos Taco stand in El Cajon captured the incident on their drive thru window camera. The other video came from a bystander’s cellphone.

Both of the videos show two police officers confronting Olango, one with a gun the other with a taser before opening fire in the restaurant’s parking lot.

The video from the cellphone only last 17 seconds but a distinct voice of a woman can be heard in the background. It appears she shouted “Officer don’t shoot him!” before at least four shots resonated in the background with the woman screams.

An officer obscured the camera hence making it hard for authorities to see Olango’s action moments before he got shot.

Family members and activists appealed for several days for the police to release the video. Believing it will shed light on how police officers acted improperly during the confrontation.
During a press conference on Thursday, Olangos’ emotionally distressed mother said her son is having mental breakdown; instead of shooting her son, the police should have helped him.

On Friday, Dan Gilleon, the lawyer representing the family said that the newly released footage supported their position that the officers had “provoked a mentally disturbed person.”

 

Activists and family members also scrutinize police for releasing a still photograph of Olango. The photograph shows Olango pointing an object to an officer, giving misinterpretations and unfair judgments for the former Ugandan refugee

Anger from Africa

Olango’s death sparked controversy reaching several countries including Africa. International officials criticized not only Olango’s death but also the series of events in police killings of black men in the US.

The shooting led to a protest in El Cajon, a suburb of San Diego on Thursday. Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd and arrested two men for unlawful assembly.

Police authorities put Gonsalves and MacDaniel on administrative leave while investigations continue.

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Teen Opens Fire at South Carolina School After Killing Father

A fourteen-year-old boy killed his father then opened fire at a school playground in South Carolina on Wednesday, authorities said. The shooter wounded two students and a teacher.

Police accused the teen, whose name was not released, of fatally shooting Jeffrey DeWitt Osborne, his 47-year-old father. He then drove a pick up truck to Townville Elementary School.

Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said the suspect was crying and upset when he called his grandmother’s cellphone at 1:44pm. According to the grandparents, they could not make out what he was saying so they went to the teenager’s house, which was just a hundred yards away. That’s when they discovered that their son had been shot and their grandson was gone.

Authorities received a 911 call from Townville Elementary School about a minute later.

The shooter drove a vehicle into the school parking lot and instantly started firing the moment he got out, Sheriff John Skipper said.

Tackled by firefighter

Volunteer firefighter Jamie Brock then stopped the teenager as he shot at the school.
Brock pinned down the teen while school staff led children to safety, Anderson County emergency services director Taylor Jones said.

The shooter never entered the building as police arrived within minutes to take the suspect into custody.

Immediately after the shooting, police evacuated the students from the school under armed guard. A bus took them to their waiting parents in a nearby church.

The motive of the shooting is unknown but authorities ruled out race as both the shooter and the victims were white.

A six year-old boy who was shot in the foot and a female teacher who had a shoulder wound were treated and released, said AnMed Health Medical Center Ross Norton. However, another six year-old boy, Jacob Hall, who was shot in the leg, remained in critical condition.

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13-Year-Old Tyre King, Victim of Police Shooting Mourned by Family and Friends

Tyre King, the 13-year-old African-American boy shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, Ohio was finally laid to rest. 500 mourners attended the funeral service held at the First Church of God in Columbus.

At the funeral held on Saturday, Nia Malika King, wept as she stood beside her son’s casket. She begged for his casket not be closed for the final time.

Ushers with white gloves consoled the friends and family of Tyre. However, the ushers needed to guide the distressed mother away from the casket so the service could start.

The incident happened on September 14, and the latest to evoke rage in the US due to excessive force by police against black males. Similar incidents occurred in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Tulsa, Oklahoma within the past week.

Mike Bell, a youth sports coach said “Tyre had a smile that was a glow, he demanded attention”. Friends fondly called him “Lil Boxx”, and said he enjoyed playing hockey, football and basketball.

King’s family attorney said that Tyre’s funeral represents citizen’s opinions on recent police shooting victims in Charlotte and Tulsa. Police shooting incidents sparked extensive debates on race and justice in the United States. The Black Lives Matter movement swelled its numbers because of the series of incidents caused the spread of the Black Lives Matter movement.

According to the Columbus Police Department, police accosted 3 suspects including Tyre  as they responded to reports of an armed robbery. A police officer shot King several times after he seemed to draw a handgun from the waistband of his pants.

It turned out that Tyre carried an air pistol that fires small metal pellets called BBs.  Columbus Mayor Andre Ginther described the BB gun as “almost Identical” to the 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistols issued to the city police, hence the mistake.

Conflicting accounts

Skeptical of the police reports, Tyre’s family however, called for an independent investigation. The medical examiner they hired found evidence that the officer shot the teenager while the latter ran away. Also, eye-witness accounts did not match the details of the police reports.

The Franklin County Coroner’s Office said the investigation for determining the cause and manner of Tyre’s death is ongoing.

Columbus Police officials placed Bryan Mason, the veteran Columbus police officer who shot Tyre, on administrative leave.

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