Headstones desecrated at Ukrainian cemetery in Maryland, police say. ‘It’s just sad’

Headstones were found damaged at a Ukrainian cemetery in Maryland, police say. The investigation into the vandalism comes amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

By Edward Era Barbacena

Ukrainians are facing another threat not from the invading Russians but from the racist Americans. While the Russians are aggressively invading Ukraine, the Americans are desecrating the Ukrainian cemetery in Maryland.  

Headstones were found knocked down and desecrated at a Ukrainian church’s cemetery in Maryland last week and police say they’re investigating. Reports of the damaged cemetery come as Russia’s attack on neighboring Ukraine is ongoing in Eastern Europe and hundreds, potentially thousands, of Ukrainians have died as of Feb. 28. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine on three fronts early 

Myron Skyrczuk, who was visiting his brother’s grave when
he discovered the destroyed headstones 

Thursday, Feb. 24, “bombarding cities, towns and villages.” “It’s just sad,” Myron Skyrczuk, who was visiting his brother’s grave when he discovered the destroyed headstones told 11 News. His brother’s headstone was one of many damaged at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church’s cemetery in Dundalk last week

He also found broken urns and said he couldn’t believe “somebody would come here and desecrate headstones of people that worked here in the U.S. and wanted a better life,” according to the outlet. The destruction is being investigated by Baltimore county police, the Baltimore Sun reported, and they plan to analyze potential fingerprints that may have been left on the headstones.

Cemetery administrator Stephen Humeniuk told the newspaper that “the first thing you think is a hate crime, but you can’t prove it.” “There was no notes. There was no spray paint. Nothing to indicate that. It was just the timing of the incident and the crisis in Ukraine.” McClatchy News reached out to Baltimore county police and a spokesperson said the release of a public statement is pending. McClatchy News also reached out to the church for comment.

“I’m hoping we can get the headstones repaired, maybe some more fencing, somehow maybe run some electric and having some type of camera system within the cemetery,” Skyrczuk told WBFF. Roughly four years ago, the church’s cemetery was vandalized in a similar incident, according to a pastor, 11 News reported.

 

Marcos-Duterte tandem dominates OCTA’s presidential, vice presidential surveys

By Edward Era Barbacena

Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio topped the presidential and vice presidential surveys conducted by OCTA Research, the independent group of experts revealed on Monday, Feb. 28.

The “Tugon ng Masa 2022 Elections: Presidential and Vice Presidential Preference” survey was conducted on 1,200 respondents from Feb. 12 to Feb. 17, 2022.

Marcos emerged as the top presidential pick with 55 percent votes from across the country. Mindanao residents dominated the voters at 65 percent, while Marcos garnered 46 percent, 56 percent, and 47 percent in the National Capital Region (NCR), Balance Luzon, and Visayas respectively.

At the second spot was Vice President Leni Robredo with a nationwide vote of 15 percent. She was followed by Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno (11 percent), Senator Manny Pacquiao (10 percent), and Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson (three percent).

Marcos emerged as the top presidential pick with 55 percent votes from across the country. Mindanao residents dominated the voters at 65 percent, while Marcos garnered 46 percent, 56 percent, and 47 percent in the National Capital Region (NCR), Balance Luzon, and Visayas respectively.

At the second spot was Vice President Leni Robredo with a nationwide vote of 15 percent. She was followed by Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno (11 percent), Senator Manny Pacquiao (10 percent), and Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson (three percent).

Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Bongbong’s running mate, has emerged as the top choice for the vice presidential survey which was conducted during the same period.

Duterte-Carpio garnered 43 percent of votes across the country. 82 percent of voters from Mindanao said that they will vote for Duterte-Carpio if the elections are held today.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto, on the other hand, landed at the second spot with 33 percent of votes nationwide. Followed by Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan (10 percent), Dr. Willie Ong (7 percent), Lito Atienza (1 percent), Carlos Serapio (0.1 percent), Walden Bello, Rizalito David, and Manny Lopez.

 

 

Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych 

Heroic Ukrainian soldier blows himself up on bridge to prevent Russian advance

Marine battalion engineer Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych blew himself up on a bridge to stop the Russians from advancing in Ukraine.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Ukrainian soldier has been hailed as a hero for blowing himself up to destroy a bridge in an effort to stop Russian tanks from invading his country.

Marine battalion engineer Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych was deployed to the Henichesk bridge in the southern province of Kherson when the Russian tanks advanced, the Ukrainian military said on its Facebook page.

“On this difficult day for our country, when the Ukrainian people give way to the Russian occupiers in all directions, one of the hardest places on the map of Ukraine was the Crimean intersection, where one of the first enemies met a separate marine battalion,” according to the post.

When the battalion decided that the only way to block the armored column was by blowing up the bridge, Volodymyrovych volunteered to place mines on the span, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said.

And when he realized he had no time to get to safety, the brave soldier made the ultimate sacrifice on the bridge, which connected Russian-occupied Crimea and mainland Ukraine.

“According to his brothers in arms, Vitaly got in touch [with them] and said he was going to blow up the bridge. Immediately after an explosion rang out,” the military said.

“Our brother was killed. His heroic act significantly slowed down the push of the enemy, allowing the unit to relocate and organize the defense,” the statement said.

“Russian invaders, know, under your feet the earth will burn! We will fight as long as we live! And as long as we are alive we will fight!” it added.

Military commanders said they planned to give Volodymyrovych a posthumous award for his “heroic act.”  

As a result of his act of valor, the Russian forces were forced to take a longer route into the region, the US Sun reported.

More than 130 Ukrainian soldiers were killed on the first day of fighting after Russian forces stormed into the country, according to the outlet.

Three Georgia men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery found guilty of hate crimes

 

Travis McMichael, William Bryan, and Greg McMichael are found guilty of hatecrimes 

Three white men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery found guilty of hate crimes

By Edward Era Barbacena

The three white men who chased down and murdered black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in what was called a “modern-day lynching” were found guilty of federal hate crimes Tuesday.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael, ages 66 and 35 respectively, and William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, were already sentenced to life in prison for Arbery’s murder in January in a Georgia court.

The federal jury of eight white people, three black people and one Latino person deliberated on the hate-crime charges for less than a day, announcing the verdict Tuesday morning.

The case was handed over to the jury Monday afternoon after a weeklong trial in US District Court in Brunswick, Ga., where prosecutors argued the three convicted killers clearly harbored racist beliefs, using previous racist text messages and social-media posts as proof.

On Feb. 23, 2020, the McMichaels grabbed their weapons when they witnessed Arbery jogging past their home and chased him in their truck. The killing, in which Travis McMichael fired the fatal shot, was captured on cellphone footage that Bryan recorded after joining the father and son in the chase. Arbery had no weapons and committed no crimes. 

FBI intelligence analyst Amy Vaughan told the court during the federal trial that Travis McMichael repeatedly used the “N-word” in private conversations and on social media. Once, commenting on a Facebook video of a black man pranking a white person, he wrote: “I’d kill that f–king n—-r.” 

Bryan’s messages showed him mocking Martin Luther King Jr. day, expressing anger that his daughter was dating a black man, repeatedly mocking black people’s lips and using the “N-word,” the analyst said.

Greg McMichael’s private messages were encrypted and unable to be accessed, but prosecutors brought up a Facebook post where he shared a meme that claimed Irish people were treated far worse than enslaved black Americans.

Witnesses also testified in the trial that they heard the three men make racist remarks and go on tirades against black people.

Auhmud Arbery

Wednesday marks the two-year anniversary since Arbery’s murder, which his father has called a “modern-day lynching.”

At the sentencing for the three men’s murder trial, Judge Timothy Walmsley said, “Ahmaud Arbery was hunted down and shot.”

 

5-year-old Michigan boy found dead with gunshots in his face, mother and boyfriend also murdered: police

The boy, named Caleb, was murdered in his own home and his mother, Lashon Marshall, and her boyfriend, Aaron Benson

By Edward Era Barbacena

A 5-year-old Michigan boy found dead over the weekend had bullet holes in his face and was killed execution-style alongside his mother and her boyfriend, officials said. 

The boy, named Caleb, was murdered in his own home and his mother, Lashon Marshall, and her boyfriend, Aaron Benson, were also found dead in the home Sunday, Detroit police said, Fox 29 reported. It is believed the murders occurred before Sunday, police said. 

A family member grew concerned after not hearing from them for some time and visited the home, where they found the two adult bodies and notified emergency services, according to the report. Law enforcement officers then arrived at the scene and found the boy in another room, they said.

"What mindset can anyone be in that would shoot a baby in the face intentionally?" asked former state representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, a relative of the family, Fox 29 reported. "You have to be heartless. There is one thing to even a score or have issues with an adult but a child? A child is off-limits."

Shalesa Floyd, Caleb's paternal grandmother, similarly said she received "the most devastating news" when she learned of the death, Fox 29 reported.

Floyd added: "He could have grown up to be anything he wanted. He’s our future, he was our future. Why would you take my grandson from me? I’m just lost, I’m devastated."

Detroit Police are continuing to investigate the triple-murder but have not yet located a suspect. 

"Every resource we have is going to be dedicated to pursuing and apprehending the person that murdered this baby and the people in this home," Detroit Police Chief James White said Sunday evening.

Law enforcement is continuing to ask anyone with information about the crime to come forward

 

Russian president Vladimir Putin

UK says Russian invasion of Ukraine has begun: Boris Johnson says first sanctions coming today

Russia’s President Putin has decided to attack the sovereignty of Ukraine and its territorial integrity,

By Edward Era Barbacena

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has begun, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said this morning.

As a result, Britain will impose sanctions on Russia and its government, the UK government minister said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the “first barrage of UK economic sanctions against Russia” will be revealed today as he warned Vladimir Putin is bent on a “full scale invasion of Ukraine”

“It’s clear from what we have already seen and found out today that Russia’s President Putin has decided to attack the sovereignty of Ukraine and its territorial integrity,” Javid said.

“We’ve seen that he’s recognised these breakaway eastern regions in Ukraine and we can already tell he’s sent in tanks and troops, so I think from that you can conclude that the invasion of Ukraine has begun,” he added.

“We’ve always preferred dialogue and still continue to do so but it’s clear from President Putin’s actions that he has chosen confrontation over dialogue,” Javid also told BBC Breakfast.

A meeting of the UK’s emergency Cobra committee was underway in 10 Downing Street early this morning, with Johnson joined by senior security officials, including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

The Prime Minister is due to give a statement to Parliament later, having also spoke with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night. 

Labour have given their “full support” for any new sanctions on Russia.

“This is clearly a blatant breach of international law and it’s a dangerous escalation,” shadow defence secretary John Healey told Sky News.

“It must be met with immediate sanctions. If the UK government introduce these sanctions this afternoon in the House of Commons it will have Labour’s full support.

“But it’s important also that our sanctions and our actions now to confront Russian aggression are taken in unity with NATO allies and the EU.”

Russia hits back

Meanwhile, Russia has said it will retaliate if new sanctions are imposed by the UK.

It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin formally recognised two Russian-backed separatist-controlled regions in Ukraine; he said he would send Russian troops to those regions – Luhansk and Donetsk.

A senior Russian MP has said he believes Russia intends to recognise separatist claims over the entirety of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. There is an overarching fear that Russia will try to expand the territory controlled by the rebels, which would lead to physical conflict in the region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the move “predictable, shameful act”, and the US has stated that it will announce further measures against Russia today.

Ukraine’s hryvnia currency weakened by more than one per cent from the beginning of the trading session this morning, Refinitiv data showed.

 

Melissa Blair

Tennessee woman had sex with 9 high school students in exchange for vape pens: cops

Melissa Blair, 38, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with 18 counts of statutory rape, four counts of human trafficking by patronizing prostitution, solicitation of a minor, and forfeiture of personal property

By Edward Era Barbacena

Residents of a small Tennessee town are shaken up after a woman was indicted for having sex with at least nine local high school students in exchange for vape pens, reports said.

Melissa Blair, 38, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with 18 counts of statutory rape, four counts of human trafficking by patronizing prostitution, solicitation of a minor, and forfeiture of personal property, WTVC-TV reported.

According to McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy, there are at least nine confirmed male victims with incidents occurring from spring 2020 to late 2021 from students at McMinn Central High School in the town of Englewood.

Parents told WTVC that Blair reached out to her victims – all of whom were between the ages of 14 and 17 – and offered them items such as vape pens in exchange for sex.

Authorities said they believe there may be more victims.

Englewood, located about 65 miles north of Chattanooga, boasts a population of just over 1,500 residents.

Police began investigating Blair after the school district received an anonymous letter, officials said. She is not a teacher or employee for the district but was involved in the school’s booster club. She had a child in the school system that has transferred.

Blair is banned from school property and school activities.

“We are devastated at this point,” a mother of one of the victims, who asked to remain anonymous, told the outlet. “I cannot in words describe what it feels like to be going through what we’re going through right now. It is every emotion that you can imagine. And none of them happy.”

“People focus mostly on the perpetrator,” she continued. “They don’t realize how it devastates a family. How the families are at home, and we don’t know what to do next. I have no idea how to go forward with this.”

Blair is currently out on a $100,000 bond she made Tuesday night. She is scheduled for an arraignment on Feb. 28.

“Parents need to talk to their kids to speak up because it’s not right. It’s just really, really not right,” Englewood resident Christie Teague told the station.

“I would be livid if it happened to my kids,” she added.

 

Michigan driver deliberately struck, killed retiree so he could have sex with her body

Colby Martin was arrested for striking and killing a retired woman who was jogging near the Oak Shores Campground on September 20.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Michigan white driver deliberately struck and killed a retired woman who was out on her daily walk so he could have sex with her body, authorities have alleged, according to reports.

The suspect, identified as Colby Martin, 29, of White Pigeon, Michigan, was arraigned Wednesday in Van Buren District Court on a newly filed murder charge, WMMT-TV of Grand Rapids reported.

Some media reports have named the victim, but Fox News is withholding her identity because of the nature of the allegations.

Martin was previously charged in September with manslaughter and concealing a body, WMMT reported.

The driver struck the jogger as she was near the Oak Shores Campground on Sept. 20, the report said. He then moved the body to a wooded area where he allegedly committed the sex acts, authorities said, according to the station. Martin led investigators to the site the next day, the report said.

Authorities added the murder charge this month after examining DNA evidence and the suspect’s online search history, which included searches for pornography involving dead or unconscious women, WMMT reported.

Martin’s vehicle, a 2013 Ford F-150, had severe front-end damage when investigators first encountered him at a Walmart store in Oshtemo Township the day after the crime, the report said.

The suspect was found to have the woman’s cell phone, and he allegedly made attempts to conceal other evidence linked to the crime, according to the report.

Prior to the murder charge, Martin was freed on a $300,000 bond. Following the new charge, he was returned to custody but denied bond and was being held in the Van Buren County jail pending further legal action, the station reported.

The suspect was arrested several days ago at his girlfriend’s home in Big Rapids, WMMT reported.

Martin’s lawyer said he didn’t believe the new murder charge was justified, according to the station.

“We’re still waiting for reports and more evidence from the prosecutor’s office. From a legal standpoint, I’m not seeing the increase in charges will be justified,” attorney Jim Mequio said.

Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott said an investigation was continuing, with his department expecting to obtain more information about the case, WMMT reported.

 

Britain's Queen Elizabeth tests positive for Covid-19

By Edward Era Barbacena

London: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for coronavirus, Buckingham Palace announced Sunday.

The 95-year-old sovereign -- who is celebrating her 70th year on the throne -- is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week, the palace said.

"She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines," it added.

The Queen confirmed she and her late husband, Prince Philip, had received their first doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in January 2021. But the palace has declined to reveal any information about subsequent vaccinations, citing medical privacy.

The Queen's health has been closely scrutinized since late last year when she retreated from public events on advice from doctors to rest after an overnight hospital stay for an undisclosed reason. Fresh concern was renewed in the past few days as multiple family members self-isolated after testing positive for the virus.

Her son Prince Charles tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time 10 days ago while his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, confirmed she too had the virus on Monday.

The Queen's diagnosis comes days after she completed her first in-person engagement since returning to Windsor.

On Wednesday, the monarch held an audience with the outgoing Defence Services Secretary, Rear Admiral James Macleod, and his successor, Major General Eldon Millar.

 

French model agent pal of Jeffrey Epstein found hanged in prison cell

Jean-Luc Brunel, 74, was found hanged in his cell at La Sante.

By Edward Era Barbacena

The French model agent who was charged with securing girls and young women for billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was found dead Saturday in a Paris prison cell, according to reports.

Jean-Luc Brunel, 74, was found hanged in his cell at La Sante where he had been remanded in custody since December 2020, awaiting trial on sexual assault and rape. He was also being investigated for trafficking minors, including girls as young as 12 years old, according to French news reports.

Brunel, who ran Karin Models in Paris, and later formed MC2 Model Management with Epstein, went into hiding after Epstein’s own suicide in a Manhattan lockup in August, 2019. French police arrested Brunel in December, 2020.

Brunel, who worked as a model agent in Paris since the late 1970s, was introduced to Epstein by his former gal pal, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking last year.

French prison authorities told Le Parisien that “no breach” in security at the prison had occurred, and an investigation into the cause of death had been opened.

 

William Paul

American Senator Rand Paul's son charged with assaulting flight attendant

William Paul was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female by aggressive physical force

By Edward Era Barbacena

It is no longer that we encounter alot of unruly passengers during flight in the United States and flight crews and attendants would serve as shock absorbers of the displacements of angry passengers.  This kind of bizarre plague has been going on since the epidemic began and most of these cases have something to do with the mask mandates.

Indeed the number of cases of unruly passengers keeps on increasing and the majority of the culprits are self-entitled whites.

The son of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is accused of assaulting a flight attendant during a trip from Kentucky to North Carolina.

The Charlotte Observer reported over the weekend that 19-year-old William Paul was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female by aggressive physical force. The paper had previously reported that he also was charged with underage drinking, disorderly conduct and being intoxicated and disruptive.

The newspaper quoted Lt. Shawn Crooks as saying all the charges against Paul were filed the day of the incident, Jan. 5.

Police officials did not immediately return telephone messages from The Associated Press on Monday.

The son of the Republican senator from Kentucky and grandson of former presidential candidate Ron Paul was arrested after his plane landed at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

William Paul and Republickan Rand Paul

It wasn't the first time that the senator's son was charged and arrested for such inappropriate behavior. In 2015 he was arrested for drunken driving after he slammed into a car while reeking of alcohol, a report said Wednesday.

William H. Paul plowed his Honda truck into the back of a parked car  in Lexington, Ky., and cops found him in the driver’s seat “belligerent” and with “a strong odor of alcohol."

 

Police: Dr. Paul Carey Arrested For Allegedly Building 18 Ghost Guns; Had Cache Of Assault Rifles, Silencers, 3,000 Rounds

By Edward Era Barbacena

Ghost guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition were found inside a Long Island home.

Police say they discovered the cache in a dentist’s house, and it’s not the first time officers have been there.

As CBS2’s Jennifer McLogan reports, Dr. Paul Carey’s office is on the main floor of his Massapequa home. His medical staff called Nassau County Police for help.

“While he appeared to be agitated and intoxicated, he went upstairs. His secretary heard him racking a rifle, a shotgun. She immediately ran out of the house and called 911,” said Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.

A SWAT team responded. Carey, it appeared, had barricaded himself inside.

Carey, they said, was not new to authorities. They had arrested him multiple times in the past for menacing, DWI, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene.

“I saw them carrying weapons out of the house,” one neighbor said.

Carey surrendered, and police discovered a cache of weapons including assault rifles, shotguns, silencers, high capacity magazines, 3,000 rounds of ammunition. There were 18 ghost guns among them.

Dr. Paul Carey

“It would make anybody nervous. He was making ghost guns,” a neighbor said.

“He’s buying pieces through the mail. He’s putting them together, and making these illegal ghost guns. He had a machine shop in his basement,” Ryder said.

“Yeah, it will be a better place without him,” another neighbor told McLogan.

Neighbors are bitter.

Carey’s pistol holding license was revoked in 2016 when he was arrested for firing shots in his back yard. Frantic neighbors called police.

“We’re happy that he’s no longer a possible threat to our community because we are very close here,” said neighbor Jennifer Sciscioli.

“These ghost guns without serial numbers scare me. The number has increased exponentially in the last couple of months of how many we are taking off the street,” said Nassau DA Anne Donnelly.

Carey’s website says he has a whole host of happy patients. He’s a graduate of NYU dental school.

His attorney says he is withholding comment at this time. Carey was hoping to post the $100,000 bond and get out of jail.

Police say Carey’s wife convinced him to come out of the house and surrender to authorities.

 

Former cop Kim Potter in white tears while giving her statement

Ex-cop Kim Potter sentenced to two years in prison for Daunte Wright alleged accidental killing

This time white tears didn't work for a tragic mistake against a people of color by a white person

By Edward Era Barbacens

Ex-white cop Kim Potter was sentenced to two years in prison Friday for killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright, shooting him when she thought she was firing her Taser.

The 26-year Brooklyn Center police veteran was convicted of manslaughter in December for the fatal shooting.

“This is one of the saddest cases I’ve had on my 20 years on the bench,” Judge Regina Chu said Friday. “This is a cop who made a tragic mistake.”

Chu was quick to differentiate Potter from other officers convicted in recent killings, most notably Derek Chauvin, the officer convicted of murder for kneeling on George Floyd

“She never intended to hurt anyone,” Chu said of Potter. Had Potter in fact pulled her Taser, Chu said, that use of force would have been legitimate.

The sentence came after an extremely emotional statement from Potter, who wept openly while apologizing to Wright’s family.

“To the family of Daunte Wright, I am so sorry that I brought the death of your son, father, brother, uncle, grandson, nephew, to your home.”

She addressed Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, directly.

“Katie, I understand a mother’s love, and I am sorry I broke your heart. My heart is broken for all of you.”

Daunte Wright holding his baby when he was still alive

“Earlier when you said that I didn’t look at you during the trial, I don’t believe I had a right to.”

“I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly,” she said, her voice breaking.

“I do pray that one day you can find forgiveness,” she said.

Daunte Wright’s mother asked for “the highest accountability” in Friday’s sentencing for Potter, who unintentionally shot and killed the 20-year-old after he fled a traffic stop.

“She took our baby boy with a single gunshot through his heart,” Katie Wright told Judge Regina Chu. “And she shattered mine”

Throughout the emotional statement, Wright’s mother broke into tears.

She referred to Potter only as “the defendant,” because “she referred to Daunte, over and over again, as ‘the driver.'” 

“As if killing him wasn’t enough to dehumanize him, she never once said his name,” Katie Wright said, before turning to Potter: “And for that, I’ll never be able to forgive you.”

“She rolled around on the ground crying for herself: ‘I’m going to prison, I shot a boy, call [my union representative],'” Katie Wright said at sentencing. 

“She should have in fact said, ‘Please go save him. How is he doing? Is he ok? Please help him,” Wright’s mother said, in tears. “She didn’t even try, your honor.”

Wright was killed after Brooklyn Center officers pulled him over for having expired license tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.

Evidence at Potter’s trial showed officers learned he had an outstanding warrant for a weapons possession charge and they tried to arrest him when he pulled away.

Video showed Potter shouted several times that she was going to Tase Wright, but she had her gun in her hand and fired one shot into his chest.

“Oh my God!” Potter said as another cop tried to console her, according to the footage released by police. “Holy s–t! I just shot him!”

She then collapsed to the ground and sobbed, “I’m going to prison.”

 

Cynthia Perkin

Louisiana teacher pleads guilty to lacing students' cupcakes with ex-husband's sperm, other child sex crimes

Cynthia Perkins is due back in court for sentencing Friday

By Edward Era Barbacena

A disgraced Louisiana white teacher has pleaded guilty to "horrific crimes" against children and admitted to serving her students cupcakes that contained sperm from her ex-husband, who is awaiting his own trial on child sex crime charges, according to authorities.

Cynthia Perkins, 36, agreed to plead guilty and testify against her ex, 44-year-old former Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office SWAT member Dennis Perkins, who is also charged with dozens of child sex crimes, according to prosecutors.

Cynthia Perkins was a junior high English teacher until she resigned after police raided the couple’s home. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office immediately fired Dennis Perkins, who had been a special operations lieutenant.

Investigators said they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the Denham Springs couple in 2019. Police seized photographs of the couple posing nude with a child, as well as other evidence while serving a search warrant in October of that year.

Court documents reported by WBRZ in May revealed that police also found pictures of Perkins’ students eating the semen-laced cupcakes and that the couple allegedly raped a child between the ages of 9 and 10. Investigators allegedly found hidden cameras in their attic and bathroom and said they uncovered more pictures on an iPhone.

Dennis Perkin

The couple had initially been charged with 60 counts of production of child porn, rape and other crimes. Prosecutors also accused Dennis Perkins of obscenity, video voyeurism and possessing child porn.

Livingston Sheriff Jason Ard said at the time that although Perkins had been a longtime officer who he considered a friend, "no one is above the law."

"This type of alleged behavior will not be tolerated by me or anyone at the LPSO," he said

Cynthia Perkins pleaded guilty to second-degree rape, producing child porn and conspiracy mingling of harmful substances Monday, according to Landry’s office. She’s due back in court Friday for sentencing.

 

Simon Nellist mauled by white shark

Australia shark attack victim ID’d as engaged diving instructor

By Edward Era Barbacena

The man who was killed in a horrifying attack by a great white shark in Australia has been identified as a British diving instructor who was training for a charity swim – and about to get married to the “girl of his dreams.”

Simon Nellist, 35, was mauled to death Wednesday in the caught-on-video attack by the 15-foot-long predator at Buchan Point in Malabar, in south-east Sydney, according to local reports.

The 6-foot-5 ocean lover — a former member of the Royal Air Force — was swimming at Little Bay Beach when he was attacked just 500 feet from the coast, The Sun reported.

“Everything that is connected to Simon is connected to the ocean,” his friend Della Ross told 7NEWS.  “The news hit us like a truck because he was one of the people who make this Earth lighter.”

The expat, who lived in the Wolli Creek area of Sydney, was due to soon marry his girlfriend Jenny Ho, whom friends described as the “girl of his dreams.”

The couple had planned to tie the knot last year but the wedding was put off because of the pandemic, a close friend of the victim told The Sun.

“It’s just horrendous. We spent most of yesterday just hoping and praying it wasn’t him. It’s still incredibly raw,” the friend told the outlet.

“Simon was amazing. That’s all there is to say really. He was just the best,” the friend added. “He was the nicest, kindest human. It is a huge loss.”

Nellist spent two years in the RAF and then traveled around the world for six years before he “fell in love” with Australia, the friend said.

“He was massively into wildlife and knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn’t daft. It’s just a freak accident,” the pal said. “Simon was doing his diving and he would send us the most amazing videos of the wildlife out there. He was so respectful of the wildlife.

Nellist was training for a weekend charity event, the Murray Rose Malabar Magic Ocean Swim, according to 9NEWS. The event has been canceled due to the tragedy.

“The organising committee extends our thoughts and prayers to the family of the swimmer who was so tragically taken yesterday,” organizers told the outlet in a statement.

The distressing footage of the incident shows the shark thrashing around in the bloody waters near the rocks.

“Someone just got eaten by a shark! Oh man! Oh no! That’s insane! That’s a great white shark,” a man is heard shouting.

“I just saw a four- to five-meter great white explode on the surface right here on a swimmer and it was like a car landing in the water,” he says.

“F— man! I heard a scream and the shark was just chomping on his body and the body was in half here just off the rocks. It came back and swallowed parts of his body and that was it,” he adds.

The attack was reportedly the first shark fatality in Sydney since 1963.

The shark is seen thrashing around in the bloody water

The Department of Primary Industries is still searching for the shark and authorities are looking for additional human remains, 9NEWS reported.

“At this stage, no shark has been sighted,” Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter General Manager Shane Daw told Sunrise, according to 9NEWS.

“All agencies are doing their best to see if they can find this person to bring some closure to their family,” Daw added.

On Thursday, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said: “To the victim’s family and friends we extend our deepest condolences and sympathies, our thoughts and prayers and hearts are with you at this difficult time.”

 

Arbery killer shared racist messages, white supremacist song with friends

By Edward Era Barbacena

The three foolish white men who were convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery had a history of sharing racist and violent messages online, an FBI intelligence analyst said Wednesday.

While testifying during the defendant’s hate crime trial, Amy Vaughan told the jury that two of Arbery’s killers—Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan—repeatedly sent bigoted private messages and memes on social media in the years before Arbery’s death. Vaughn provided dozens of conversations Travis and Bryan had with unidentified individuals; some of the messages included the use of the N-word as well as threatening language toward the Black community.

According to the Associated Press, the FBI was able to retrieve the conversations through each of the men’s phones. Investigators say they were unable to access the phone of the third defendant—Travis’ father, Greg McMichael—because the device was encrypted. 

Vaughn pointed to several online conversations in which Travis continued to use racial slurs against Black people. One of the messages included a video of a Black man dancing to racist lyrics, and another included his claim that Black people “ruin everything.” The FBI also highlighted several racist comments Travis had left under Facebook posts. 

 

NJ police under fire after cuffing black teen in mall fight as white teen watches the show down

By Edward Era Barbacena

A New Jersey police department is being criticized after two white officers handcuffed and pinned a black teen to the ground during a weekend mall fight while the white teen involved in the feud was left to sit on a couch.

The Saturday fracas at Bridgewater Commons – and the subsequent police response that has since sparked an internal investigation – was captured on video that has quickly spread on social media.

The teens started out arguing with each other before things turned physical and the two exchanged punches and shoves, the video shows.

Two officers from the Bridgewater Police Department arrived seconds later and pulled the white teen away from the other boy and pushed him onto a nearby couch.

With the black teen already on the ground, the male cop pinned him down and placed his knee on the boy’s back, the video shows.

The female officer then leaves the white teen alone and joins the cop, also placing a knee near the back of the black teen’s neck as the two handcuff him.

While the two cops are subduing the black teen, the other boy can be seen standing up and looking at the arrest taking place.

“Yo, it’s ’cause he’s Black. Racially motivated,” a person can be heard saying.

The black teen, identified as Kye, told NBC News in an interview that he confronted the other boy who had been bullying his friend.

“He was kind of saying, like, ‘You’re a little kid, you’re my little pet,’ and stuff like that,” Kye said.

Kye’s mother, who also spoke with the news outlet, slammed the police response.

“It doesn’t take two cops to hold a 14-year-old boy down who’s not resisting, while the other boy is just kind of going free and still going off on my son. It just doesn’t make sense,” she said.

Gov. Phil Murphy

Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement posted to Twitter that he was “deeply disturbed by what appears to be racially disparate treatment in this video.”

In a Monday Facebook post, Bridgewater Police Department announced that an internal probe would be conducted.

Commenters to the department’s voiced outrage at how the officers handled the situation.

“Those officers need to be held accountable! Immediately!” one woman wrote.

“We want an independent investigation. If we are going to restrain youth, both should have been restrained. Blackness is not more threatening,” another person said.

A third Facebook user said: “Clearly they targeted one over the other. It is disgusting and evidences the reason why the African American community has no trust in the system whatsoever. Very upsetting.”

Florida mom Cheryl Ann Asiq arrested for giving meth to teenage son

 

Cheryl Ann Asiq

Florida white mom  Cheryl Ann Asiq arrested for giving meth to teenage son

Cheryl Ann Asiq gave her 14-year-old son methamphetamine and caused him to hallucinate.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Pasco County white woman was arrested Saturday after she allegedly gave a 14-year-old boy methamphetamine, according to deputies.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said Cheryl Ann Asiq, 38, gave the teen meth on three separate occasions between Thursday and Saturday.

A Florida white mom helped her son take meth and had the kid hallucinating from the drug, a report said.

Cheryl Ann Asiq, 38, allegedly held foil with heated methamphetamine while the teenager used a straw to take a hit of the vapors in Pasco County, WFLA-TV reported.

Asiq gave the teen meth three separate times between Thursday and Saturday, when a family member called the house and spoke with the boy who was “hallucinating” from the drugs, the TV station said.

The mom then hopped on the line and told the unidentified relative the kid had just taken a Xanax pill, the report said.

After an ambulance showed up to take the teenager to a hospital for treatment, Asiq allegedly called him and told him he should lie about where he got the meth.

“She initially said the teenager got the drugs while she was in the shower, but later admitted to giving him the drugs herself, thinking it would help him relax,” the WFLA report stated.

Asiq was slapped with charges of child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the report said.

 

Bryan Scott Pellham

Father faces terrorism charge after alleged threat to son’s basketball coach

Bryan Scott Pellham allegedly made a death threat at his son's basketball coach at Bolivar High School in Missouri.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Missouri dad was slapped with a terrorism charge after allegedly threatening to kill his son’s high school basketball coach.

Bryan Scott Pellham, 35, allegedly told a coach at a Bolivar High School tournament on Jan. 27 something along the lines of “I’ll put a red dot on your head and watch the mist appear,” police told KY 3-TV.

Pellham was allegedly irate over a varsity coach taking on coaching duties for his son’s junior varsity team out of Marion C. Early High School, which was facing Branson High School in the tourney.

The father apparently also said during the heated exchange that he knew where the coach lived.

“When he was later apprehended that same night by deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office he was found to be in possession of a gun,” Bolivar Lt. Roger Barron told the station. “In a later interview with the suspect, he admitted that he did have the gun while he was at the high school.”

Barron said the world today is “less considerate.”

“Patience isn’t what it used to be. Kindness just isn’t there. Not everyone is that way but you see it more,” he said, according to the station. “And there never is a point where you threaten physical violence to any coach, player, or referee. It’s still a game and we should be teaching our kids good sportsmanship and good citizenship.”

If convicted on the second-degree charge of making a terroristic threat, the Willard resident can face up to four years behind bars and a fine of up to $10,000, the station said. Pellham’s attorney wouldn’t comment on the case to the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Pellham was released from jail on a $25,000 bond, the AP reported.

Joseph Angel, superintendent of Marion C. Early schools, called the incident “unfortunate and unacceptable.”

“We are aware of the incident and take all threats of this nature seriously. Student and staff safety continues to be our top priority,” Angel said in a statement to KY. “Teachers and coaches work extremely hard to make sure all students are successful on and off the floor.”

Kirk Shultis Jr. Kimberly Cooper

 

NY couple arrested for abducting and hiding 4 year-old under stairways for more than 2 years

By Edward Era Barbacena

A New York girl reported missing in 2019 when she was 4 years old was found alive this week under a wooden staircase in a home that officials had visited several times while investigating her disappearance, authorities said Tuesday.

The child was reported missing on July 13, 2019, from Cayuga Heights, a village on the outskirts of Ithaca, New York. At the time, she was believed to have been abducted by her non-custodial parents, Kimberly Cooper and Kirk Shultis Jr., police said in a news release.

Paislee Shultis was abducted aged four in
2019. She is now six

Throughout the 2.5-year investigation, authorities received several tips about the Saugerties-area home where the child was eventually located -- but each time, the residents denied knowing anything about the girl's whereabouts, the release said. The town of Saugerties is about 160 miles east of Cayuga Heights.

"Each time, we were met with resistance from the occupants of the residence. We were told that the child was not there, that we were only harassing the family," Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra told HLN in an interview on Tuesday.

On several occasions, investigators were allowed into the home without a warrant, but they were given "limited access" by Kirk Shultis Jr. and Kirk Shultis Sr., the release added.

That changed Monday when police received information that the child was being hidden and got a search warrant for the home. Police executed that warrant a little after 8 p.m., the release said. The homeowner denied knowing the girl's whereabouts, saying he had not seen her since she was reported missing in 2019, the release added

Something peculiar in a staircase

An hour into the search, one detective noticed that the steps leading to the basement were oddly constructed. The detective, Erik Thiele, pointed a flashlight through a crack in the wooden steps and saw what seemed to be a blanket, the release said.

Police said the secret location underneath the stairs
to the basement appeared to have been built to hide
 the girl.

Investigators removed several of the steps, the release added, and "that is when detectives saw a pair of tiny feet."

"The child and her abductor, Kimberly Cooper were found hiding in the dark and wet enclosure," the police release said. Authorities believe Cooper and the child had been staying at the home since they disappeared in 2019, Sinagra said, adding the staircase appeared to have been built to hide them both.

Police arrested the child's non-custodial parents as well as Shultis Sr., the release said.

Cooper was charged with two misdemeanors: custodial interference in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child, and remains in jail because of a prior arrest warrant issued through family court, according to police.

Kirk Shultis Jr. and Kirk Shultis Sr. were each charged with custodial interference in the first degree, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Both were arraigned and released on their own recognizance, police said. All three defendants were ordered by the court to stay away from the child.

One last stop: A McDonald's drive-thru

The young girl was "upset and was concerned" when police first rescued her, Sinagra said.

"That begs the question, what was the child told about the police and, you know, why the police would come and take her," Sinagra said. "That's what I'm concerned about. ... And I'm sure that when she saw several of our officers, who were heavily armed ... that was somewhat traumatizing to the child."

As detectives drove the girl to police headquarters, she saw a McDonald's and recalled having some a long time ago, the chief said.

"So, the detectives turned the car around and went to the drive-thru at McDonald's, picked her up a Happy Meal, and brought her back to headquarters. And she was fine after that," the chief added.

The child was found to be in good health and released to her legal guardian and reunited with her older sister, police said.

On Tuesday, "detectives met with the family that has the child, and she was in very good spirits," the chief said.

An investigation is ongoing, the release added.

 

Philippine Vice-presidential hopeful Kiko Pangilinan files libel complaint vs. YouTube channel for what he claims as ‘damaging’ content

By Edward Era Barbacena

Vice-presidential candidate Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Monday, Feb. 14, filed a libel case against YouTube channel Maharlika for spreading false and malicious content that intends to inflict damage on him and his family.

The senator said his wife, superstar Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, and daughter, Frankie, also intend to file a case against Maharlika for violating Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Tech giant Google, which owns YouTube, must also explain how these videos do not violate its community standards after the senator repeatedly asked the company to take down the “libelous video content,” Pangilinan added.

“We also urge corporations placing ads on these and similar YouTube channels to stop enabling these sites that peddle lies and disinformation,” he said as he filed the case before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The complaint stated further that “the contents of the videos are all false, have no factual basis and are intended to destroy or damage my reputation as a senator, public servant, and a husband to one of the most beloved celebrities in the Philippines, Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan.”

“More importantly, the libelous videos are meant to destroy the family. The libelous videos are not only intended to damage my relationship with my wife but also meant to destroy my relationship with our children,” the senator said.

He added that the people behind the channel “acted in reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity of the statements in the video.”

The Maharlika YouTube channel started posting a series of videos attacking Pangilinan on May 21, 2021. It also posted videos about his wife, Sharon.

This follows the two separate cyber libel complaints Pangilinan filed in July 2021 against YouTube channels “Latest Chika” and “Starlet” for similar false videos, which video-sharing platform YouTube has since taken down.

In the videos, “Latest Chika” and “Starlet” alleged Pangilinan was abusing his wife, Sharon, and that the Megastar was cheating on him.

On January 12 this year, over 80 fact-checking organizations around the world admonished YouTube for its failure to effectively address online disinformation and misinformation.

The organizations called on YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki to end the spread of disinformation using YouTube as the platform.

A news release from Pangilinan’s camp said that among many politicians who used YouTube for “political disinformation and misinformation” is the family of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, who distorted “historical facts about their ill-gotten wealth.”

 

United States not to allow Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos to become the next Philippine president

Since December, Bongbong for president and his vice presidential running mate in Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio have been topping the surveys.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A former Cabinet secretary claimed over the weekend that the United States, through its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), would not allow former senator Bongbong Marcos to become the next Philippine president.

The ex-exec put forth the proposition that the CIA would meddle in the May elections to ensure America would have a malleable Palace tenant in the next six years after practically being told by President Rodrigo Duterte to get lost.

It’s true that America has meddled in the affairs of many nations in the past — including those of the Philippines. But the present US leadership may not have the appetite for that, what with the myriad problems they are facing at the home front and their borders.

A US nearly helpless against the unabated entry of drugs from Mexico and the runaway homeless people problem in Los Angeles, for example, does not fit that narrative of America overreaching into the Philippines.

Add to this the very fluid developments in Europe with the war-mongering Vladimir Putin threatening to unleash the Russsian military’s might against Ukraine before it could become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

But whether America would choose to interfere or not in the coming elections in the Philippines, it could not possibly stem the tide of an impending win at the polls by Bongbong.

Short of hacking the Commission on Election’s servers for a digital version of “dagdag-bawas” or vote-padding and reduction victimizing BBM, it would be giving America too much credit over what it can and cannot do. This is the same America whose election of Donald Trump was said to have been influenced by the Russians, remember?

Likewise, the Philippines no longer fits the banana republic mindset American operators may have since Filipinos would not allow any massive poll fraud by anyone to blunt their choice of leaders. And the handwriting on the wall is unmistakable.

Since December, Bongbong for president and his vice-presidential running mate in Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio have been topping the surveys, including by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS).

In the latest nationwide poll by RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD), Bongbong secured 45.02 percent of the respondents’ votes with Vice President Leni Robredo remaining at far second with 20.6 votes, followed by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (16.25 percent), Senator Manny Pacquiao (9.79 percent) and Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson (8 percent).

Sara continued pulling away from the pack of vice-presidential hopefuls with her 52.05 percent, with Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III running second with 35.95 percent, and third place Senator Francis Pangilinan reduced to an also-ran with 6.22 percent.

BBM was strongest in Metro Manila (47.94 percent), the rest of Luzon (46.61 percent), and Mindanao (46.04 percent), while leading still in the Visayas with 38 percent.

Sara, on the other hand, dominated Mindanao (65.70 percent), with equally dominating numbers in the National Capital Region (44.62 percent), rest of Luzon (48.65 percent) and the Visayas (48.04 percent).

The 2022 first quarter surveys of Pulse Asia and SWS can also be expected to track their 2021 last quarter polls showing the BBM-Sara tandem as runaway winners, especially with the recent junking of three disqualification cases before the Comelec against Bongbong.

In the 19 to 24 January survey of Pulse Asia released Sunday, Bongbong continued shellacking his rivals with 60 percent of respondents’ votes, broken down as follows: 57 percent, Metro Manila; 61 percent, balance of Luzon; 53 percent, Visayas; and 66 percent, Mindanao.

Miles away were Leni, 16 percent; Pacman, 8 percent; Isko, 8 percent; and Ping, with 4 percent.

At the rate Bongbong and Sara are rolling over their rivals, the elections for president and vice president three months from now may turn out to be no-contests in favor of the proud son of Ilocos Norte and Davao City’s feisty daughter.

Source: Tribune

 

Brandon Case and Gregory Charles

Two Mississippi men arrested for shooting a black FedEx driver who was just out there doing his job 

Attorneys for a Black delivery driver are calling for a federal hate crimes investigation into the attempted shooting of the driver in Mississippi

By Edward Era Barbacena

RIDGELAND, Miss. -- Attorneys for a Black delivery driver are calling for a federal hate crimes probe of the attempted shooting of the driver in Mississippi, saying it's another example of Black Americans facing danger simply for going about their daily activities.

The FedEx driver, 24-year-old D’Monterrio Gibson, was not wounded in the Jan. 24 incident. One of his attorneys, Carlos Moore, said Thursday that he believes police are not taking the investigation seriously. Two white men are facing charges, but Moore said the state needs to upgrade those charges to attempted murder.

Moore said Gibson had done nothing wrong before two white men tried to stop him, with one of the men holding a gun.

“He was simply Black while working,” Moore said during a news conference.

The FedEx driver, 24-year-old D’Monterrio Gibson, was not wounded in the Jan. 24 incident. One of his attorneys, Carlos Moore, said Thursday that he believes police are not taking the investigation seriously. Two white men are facing charges, but Moore said the state needs to upgrade those charges to attempted murder.

A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that the department received a request to look into the case and will review the request to determine any next steps.

Gibson said he was wearing a FedEx uniform and was driving an umarked van that FedEx had rented when he dropped off a package at a house in south Mississippi. He said as he was leaving, he noticed a white pickup truck pulling away from another house on the same large lot.

He said the pickup driver tried to cut him off as he left the driveway. Gibson swerved around him and then encountered a second man who had a gun pointed at the van and was motioning for him to stop. Gibson said the man fired as he drove away, damaging the van and packages inside. He said the white pickup chased him to the interstate highway near Brookhaven before ending the pursuit.

Two white men from Brookhaven, 58-year-old Gregory Charles Case and his son 35-year-old Brandon Case, were arrested and released on Feb. 1. Police told local news outlets that the elder Case was the suspected pickup driver, while Brandon Case was the man in the street. Gregory Charles Case is charged with conspiracy. Brandon Case is charged with aggravated assault.

The attorneys who represent the men — Terrell Stubbs for the father and Dan Kitchens for the son — did not immediately respond to two phone messages that the AP left for each of them Thursday. A person in Stubbs' office said he was in court, and a person in Kitchens' office said he was out of the office.

Gibson said Thursday that he is seeking mental health treatment and is on unpaid leave from his job.

“I have real bad anxiety since the incident,” Gibson said.

Jim Masilak, manager of media relations for FedEx, said in response to questions from AP Thursday: “FedEx takes situations of this nature very seriously, and we are shocked by this criminal act against our team member. ... The safety of our team members is our top priority, and we remain focused on his wellbeing. We will continue to support Mr. Gibson as we cooperate with investigating authorities.”

Nobody was injured but the chase and gunfire have sparked social media complaints of racism in Brookhaven, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of the state capital, Jackson. The local NAACP chairman has called on city's Black police chief to resign, but the chief says he has no intention to do so.

“I’m not going anywhere until God makes that decision,” Collins told the Daily Leader. “That’s between me and God. Until God calls me I’m not worried about what anybody says.”

Moore compares the incident to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was running empty-handed through a Georgia subdivision in 2020 when three white strangers chased him down and blasted him with a shotgun. The white men, including a father and son, were convicted of murder and sentenced to life. Defense lawyers said they suspected Arbery had committed crimes in their neighborhood, but prosecutors said there was no evidence of that. The three still face a federal hate crime trial.

About 68% of Brookhaven's 12,000 residents are Black. The city is in Lincoln County, where District Attorney Dee Bates said information will be presented to a grand jury for a decision on charges once police complete their investigation of the Gibson incident. Witnesses, including Gibson, will be able to testify.

James A. Bryant II of Los Angeles, another of the attorneys representing Gibson, said Thursday that Gibson experiences pain knowing that people tried to harm him because he is Black.

“That has to be the most frightening experience one could face as a young Black man," Bryant said. "And then not only that — they continued to chase him until they got to the freeway. So what would have happened if they were able to cut him off?”