Month: February 2023

Five teens, one 2-year-old girl and one woman were shot Thursday evening near a school in Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion section. The shooting happened just before 6 p.m. in the 3100 block of West Norris Street, near the James G. Blaine School.

According to police, the 2-year-old girl was shot once in the left thigh and was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she was listed in stable condition. A 13-year-old boy was shot in the hand, one 15-year-old male was shot twice in the chest, a 16-year-old male was shot in the arms, and a second 16-year-old male was shot once in the right arm and once in the right thigh, as well as one 17-year-old grazed in the thigh, police said. All five were hospitalized and listed in stable condition. A 31-year-old woman – the mother of the injured 2-year-old girl — was shot twice in the thigh; she was transported to Temple University Hospital and is listed in stable condition.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said “We don’t believe that all of the victims at this point were intended targets.” As of press time no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting, and police have not released information on any suspects.

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Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday for a rape conviction in Los Angeles. The 70-year-old Weinstein was convicted in the Los Angeles case in December, three years after he was convicted at a sex crimes trial in New York City. Weinstein’s new sentence will run consecutive with the 23-year term given to him in his New York trial, giving him a total of 39 years behind bars in sex crimes convictions.

A jury found Weinstein guilty of three counts in the L.A. case, related to the accuser known as Jane Doe 1: ‘forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by foreign object.’  The jury found him not guilty of sexual battery by restraint involving a second accuser, identified as Jane Doe 2, and was unable to reach verdicts for allegations involving Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 4. Appearing in a wheelchair and a gray county jail uniform, Weinstein was allowed to speak during the hearing, where he proclaimed his innocence, accusing Jane Doe 1 of being an “actress” who can “turn on” her tears: “Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it. There are so many things wrong with this case. … This is a setup.”

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has said that Weinstein faced up to 24 years in the Los Angeles case. Weinstein’s legal team filed an appeal requesting a new trial, alleging that evidence was excluded about a romantic relationship between Jane Doe 1 and a witness that could have altered the jury’s decision. Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench denied Weinstein’s request for a new trial.

Weinstein was convicted in New York in 2020 of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act for crimes against two women. Weinstein pleaded not guilty at both trials and has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. In both trials, Weinstein waived his right to take the witness stand.

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Authorities confirmed that a local TV news journalist and a 9-year-old girl were among three people killed in shootings in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, while two others were wounded. Authorities said the mother of the 9-year-old child who died was in critical condition and is continuing to “fight for her life.”

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said in a news conference that Keith Melvin Moses, 19, has been arrested in connection with the shootings and is expected to be charged. Mina said that Moses has a lengthy criminal history that includes gun charges and charges for aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft. The sheriff’s office said they didn’t yet know if the suspect had any connection to the news crew, or the mother and daughter.

Police say the deadly rampage began at 11 a.m. local time when deputies responded to a shooting and discovered a woman in her 20s who had been fatally shot.  Moses allegedly shot and killed a woman in her 20s (with whom he was an acquaintance) on Wednesday morning, and police were called later in the day to two additional shootings near the scene. Sheriff Mina said a 9-year-old child and her mother were shot at one home; and at another scene nearby, staffers from Spectrum News 13 were shot near their vehicle. Authorities located the reporter and photographer for Spectrum News 13 — who were on the scene to cover the homicide which had occurred Wednesday morning — shot in or near their news vehicle. One of the News 13 employees died from their injuries. Mina said it is unclear why the Spectrum News 13 crew members were targeted, or if the suspect even knew whether or not they were members of the media.

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A twin-engine plane crashed near the Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Ark., on Wednesday afternoon, killing all five people on board. The Little Rock Police Department tweeted that emergency departments were alerted to the crash at 12:02 p.m., with callers reporting a crash near the 3M plant that is in the area. Sources from the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed there were no survivors.

The sheriff’s office said the plane was about a mile from the Clinton National Airport when it crashed after departing the airport. The plane was reportedly a Beech BE20 that was on its way to Columbus, Ohio.

Lt. Cody Burk, spokesman for the department, said it is unclear if weather played a role in the crash. A line of thunderstorms with wind gusts up to 46 mph swept through the heart of Arkansas at about the time of the crash.

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