Month: May 2025

Authorities in Philadelphia are searching for the suspects in a mass shooting that left two people dead and nine injured in the city’s Fairmount Park.

Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel announced Tuesday that two adults, a man and a woman, were killed in the incident that occurred Monday night on the 800 block of Lemon Hill Drive, near the Lemon Hill mansion, just before 10:30 p.m.

Police identified the man and woman killed in the mass shooting as Amya Devlin, 23, and Mikhail Bowers, 21, stating that three teens between the ages of 15-17 were among those injured.  All of the wounded were reported to be in stable condition, and one other person was taken to the hospital after being hit by a car in the chaos.

Commissioner Bethel said the shooting occurred while different groups of people were gathered in the park, and it’s not clear whether there was an exchange of gunfire involved or if this was a targeted shooting. Police said that three different types of shell casings were found at the scene, with Crime Scene Unit investigators examining the shell casings and get an idea of how many shooters were involved and what caliber weapons they were using. Bethel said: “it’s pretty rapid fire, so we’re pretty confident that there probably was a switch on this gun,” referring to a gun modification that can make a regular semi-automatic handgun fully automatic, capable of firing 17 rounds in under two seconds. No weapons have been recovered and no one has been arrested, police said.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker called the shooting a “heinous act of violence that was inhumane with no regard for human life,” and vowed to use all federal and local authorities to track down those responsible for the deadly gunfire: “this was wartime ammunition that was just opened on Philadelphians and those who were here in our city.”

Lemon Hill and Fairmount Park will serve to host major events this weekend, including the upcoming Roots Picnic, set to be held this weekend at the Mann Center across the Schuylkill River and within Fairmount Park. Commissioner Bethel said that Philadelphia police will have a significant deployment of officers at that event and leaders are confident the event will be safe.

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The Trump administration revealed on Tuesday they are urging all federal agencies to explore ways to terminate contracts with Harvard University, valued at roughly $100 million. This move represents the latest escalation in a prolonged conflict between the administration and Harvard, the country’s oldest and one of its most prestigious universities. The New York Times was the first to report on the administration’s plan.

The Trump administration had announced last week that it had revoked roughly $450 million in grant funding for Harvard, which came on top of a previous freeze in April of about $3.2 billion in grants and contracts linked to the university.

The letter Tuesday from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) alleges that Harvard “continues to engage in race discrimination, including in its admissions process and in other areas of student life.” The GSA is instructing agencies to provide them with a list of any Harvard contracts they’ve terminated by June 6. The letter states that “in light of this deeply troubling pattern, each agency should consider its contracts with Harvard University and determine whether Harvard and its services efficiently promote the priorities of the agency. Going forward, we also encourage your agency to seek alternative vendors for future services where you had previously considered Harvard.”

John Gruenbaum, head of the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, accused Harvard of ongoing racial discrimination, particularly in its admissions process and other aspects of student life. These claims relate to the administration’s concerns over the university’s use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and its alleged failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic incidents. Gruenbaum also alleged that troubling information had surfaced about discriminatory hiring practices at Harvard and its affiliated organizations, suggesting these practices could constitute violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and pointing to possible systemic issues in hiring, promotions, pay, and other employment-related actions. Gruenbaum also cited issues within the Harvard Law Review, which it claimed had engaged in discriminatory behavior. Additionally, he criticized the university for what it described as a serious neglect of the safety and well-being of its Jewish student population.

Tensions between Harvard and the federal government intensified after the university resisted sweeping demands from the Trump administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, who had sought oversight of Harvard’s admissions and hiring decisions and proposed a federal audit of its faculty. In response to Harvard’s refusal, the administration revoked $2 billion in federal research grants.

Additionally, the Trump administration attempted to block Harvard from admitting international students, a move that was temporarily blocked by a federal judge after the university filed a lawsuit. A hearing to determine whether that injunction will remain in place is scheduled for Thursday.

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Law enforcement officials in northwest Arkansas are searching for a former Arkansas police chief serving a 30-year sentence for murder and rape who has escaped from prison, while disguised in what appeared to be a police-style outfit.

The Arkansas Department of Corrections shared in a press release that 56-year-old Grant Hardin fled from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, located in Izard County, at around 3:40 p.m. CDT. (Calico Rock is approximately 126 miles north of Little Rock).

Officials reported that Hardin was wearing an improvised uniform resembling that of a police officer at the time of his escape. However, he was not dressed as a corrections officer, and all prison-issued gear has been accounted for, suggesting he did not use official DOC equipment during the breakout. Authorities have described Hardin as being 6 feet tall and weighing roughly 259 pounds.

According to the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, the ongoing manhunt involves a coordinated effort among the Arkansas Department of Corrections, state police, and various local law enforcement agencies. Hardin previously served as the police chief of Gateway, a small community in Benton County with a population of just 444 as of 2023 (Gateway lies near the Missouri state line, about 129 miles west of Calico Rock).

Hardin has been incarcerated at the North Central Unit since 2017. He is serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder, along with two 25-year sentences for separate rape convictions. He admitted to the killing of 59-year-old James Appleton, a municipal water worker who was discovered with a gunshot wound to the face inside his service truck in October 2017. Hardin was also tied to a previously unsolved 1997 rape case through DNA evidence. The victim, Amy Harrison, was a teacher at Frank Tillery Elementary in Rogers. She was assaulted at gunpoint while preparing lesson materials after school, according to The Associated Press.

Rand Champion with the Department of Corrections in an interview with KHBS-TV: “Whenever an inmate escapes custody, we treat it as a serious public safety concern.  Given his law enforcement experience, this case raises additional red flags. He poses a credible threat to the community.”

The Stone County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning on social media, stating that Hardin is “considered extremely dangerous” and should not be approached under any circumstances. Authorities said anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.

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