Man acting as neighborhood watch kills one person in a racial tantrum

A white man who apparently called police to complain about "hoodlums" near his house was charged with murder after he shot and killed a black man outside, authorities said.
The shooting happened early Sunday morning when 39-year-old Chad Cameron Copley fired a shotgun from inside his garage and hit the victim, according to a Raleigh Police Department news release. He was arrested hours later, and jail records show the suspect was being held on a murder charge.
Kouren-Rodney Bernard Thomas, 20, suffered a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police spokeswoman Laura Hourigan said Thomas was black.
A male relative who answered the phone Monday at a listing for members of the victim's family said they weren't doing well.
"We're broken apart torn apart, not doing well. Trying to get our lives back on track the way it was but it's hard. We lost somebody very special to us," said the man, who hung up before giving his name.
Police released an audio recording of a 911 call that came in shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday in which a male caller tells a dispatcher that he's "locked and loaded" and preparing to go outside. Saying there are people outside with guns, he tells the dispatcher he is on neighborhood watch and asks them to send police.
"We've got a bunch of hoodlums out here racing," he says. "I am locked and loaded. I'm going outside to secure my neighborhood."
The dispatcher then attempts to get a numeric address for the caller, but he declines and hangs up.
About seven minutes later, an upset female caller gives the dispatcher an address that authorities would later identify as Copley's house. The dispatcher asks what happened.
"I don't know. I'm upstairs with our children," the female caller says.
She then gives the phone to what sounds like the same male caller from earlier.
"We have a lot of people outside of our house yelling and shouting profanity. I yelled at them 'please leave the premises.' They were showing firearms so I fired a warning shot," he says. "And, uh, we got somebody that got hit."
After the dispatcher asks if someone was shot, the male caller responds: "I don't know if they're shot or not. I fired my warning shot like I'm supposed to by law. ... They do have firearms and I'm trying to protect myself and my family."
After the dispatcher asks who was outside, the caller says: "There's black males outside my freaking house with firearms."
Hourigan said state law prohibits the police from releasing the identity of emergency callers.
Copley lives in a subdivision in the northeastern stretches of the city where tidy two-story homes sit on tree-shaded lots. The surrounding Census tract is about 60 percent white and almost 30 percent black, with a median household income of about $76,000 — well above the state as a whole, according to 2014 Census estimates.
The news release says Thomas was among people who were outside of Copley's home, but Hourigan declined to elaborate on where he was when he was shot.
Two people who called 911 tell the dispatcher that the shots came from inside the house, with one giving the address for Copley.
"Someone just got shot," one of the callers says. "Someone shot him out of his house."
A dispatcher tells another caller not to move the victim as commotion and profanity can be heard in the background.
"Tell him help's already on the way," the dispatcher says.
Police announced Copley's arrest on a murder charge Sunday afternoon.
Copley appeared before a judge during a short hearing Monday, and he was denied bail. The Capital Defender's Office said it hadn't assigned an attorney to Copley's case as of Monday afternoon.

Man drugs police officers soda at Subway restaurant

A Utah sandwich shop employee has been arrested on accusations he put methamphetamine and THC into the drink of a uniformed police officer.
A probable cause statement filed Tuesday says the Layton police sergeant immediately felt impaired after getting the drink at a Subway restaurant Monday. The sergeant was in a marked patrol car going through the restaurant's drive-thru.
He struggled to find the brake pedal of his patrol car at a red light and couldn't answer questions at the police station.
Police Lt. Travis Lyman says the officer has been released from a hospital and is okay.
Tanis Ukena, 18, was arrested on suspicion of surreptitiously giving a poisonous substance. He denied the allegations.
Ukena prepared the sergeant's drink and was seen with something in his hand as he stepped out of view of a surveillance camera for an extended period of time before returning and handing the officer the drink, Layton Police tell KUTV.
Lyman says police don't know why Ukena allegedly drugged the drink.
It's unclear if Ukena has an attorney. No listed phone number for him could be found.
Subway spokesman Shawn Cook says the company is shocked and is cooperating with police.
Ukena is being held on $10,000 bail.

Murder suicide for family of 5

A Pennsylvania woman found dead alongside her husband and three children in an apparent murder-suicide had told friends on social media that she planned to leave him.
Megan Short alleged abuse and posted on Facebook that she needed help moving out of the family's Sinking Spring home Saturday, the day authorities discovered the family shot dead, The Reading Eagle reported (http://bit.ly/2aUuXSw ). A neighbor, Angie Burke, told the newspaper she saw the post about a week ago.
Short and her husband, Mark Short Sr., had been featured in news stories about their difficulties getting medication for a daughter who had a heart transplant. The girl, 2-year-old Willow, and her siblings, 8-year-old Lianna and 5-year-old Mark Jr., were found shot to death near their parents.
Police found the five bodies in the living room while conducting a welfare check at the home. A dog also was found dead.
Police also found a handwritten letter that "appeared to be a 'murder-suicide' note" and a handgun near one of the adults, the district attorney's office said. The couple had been having "domestic issues," District Attorney John Adams said.
Authorities have yet to identify the suspected shooter. Investigators scheduled a Monday afternoon autopsy for Mark Short and are conducting forensic analysis of evidence taken from the scene.
In an April 13 post on Philly at Heart, a website devoted to families dealing with congenital heart issues, Megan Short wrote that anxiety related to her daughter's condition had left her with post-traumatic stress disorder and "survivor's guilt" when children with similar problems from other families died.
Burke told the newspaper that she and Megan Short stayed in contact through Facebook. She said Short commented on a link to an online article about abuse, then wrote that she planned to leave her marriage after 16 years.

Politician's son breaks neck on waterslide

A Kansas waterslide billed as the world's tallest remained off-limits as authorities pressed to figure out how a state lawmaker's 10-year-old son died of a neck injury while riding it.
Details remained murky about what happened Sunday to Caleb Thomas Schwab on the 168-foot-tall "Verruckt" — German for "insane" — that since its debut two years ago has been the top draw at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.
Kansas City, Kansas, police issued a statement late Monday afternoon saying that Caleb suffered a fatal neck injury around 2:30 p.m. while he was riding the slide with two women, neither of whom was related to him. They suffered minor facial injuries and were treated at an area hospital, police said.
Emergency responders arrived to find the boy dead in a pool at the end of the ride, according to the statement, which offered no further details.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Schlitterbahn said it was "deeply and intensely saddened for the Schwab family and all who were impacted by the tragic accident." The park was tentatively scheduled to reopen Wednesday, but "Verruckt is closed," according to the statement.
Officer Cameron Morgan, a police spokesman, said no police report about the incident was available. He said police were investigating because a death was involved and they want to ensure no crime was committed, but he noted that such accidents are usually handled as civil cases.
"It's being investigated as a criminal case but we are not saying something criminal happened," Morgan said Tuesday.
Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio declined interview requests Monday but told reporters a day earlier that Caleb had been at the park with family members, adding that "we honestly don't know what's happened."
It wasn't immediately clear whether results of an autopsy Monday on Caleb would be publicly released or, if so, how soon, said Margaret Studyvin with the Wyandotte County coroner's office.
Leslie Castaneda, who was at Schlitterbahn on Sunday, told The Kansas City Star that she saw Caleb's crumpled shorts or bathing suit at the bottom of the ride, along with blood on the slide's white descending flume.
"I'm really having a tough time with it. I really am," said Castaneda, of Kansas City, Kansas. "I saw his (Caleb's) brother. He was screaming."
On the waterslide certified by Guinness World Records as the world's tallest, riders sit in multi-person rafts during "the ultimate in water slide thrills," subjecting "adventure seekers" to a "jaw dropping" 17-story drop, the park's website says. Passengers then are "blasted back up a second massive hill and then sent down yet another gut wrenching 50 foot drop," the website adds.
Each rider must be at least 54 inches tall, and the group's weight is limited to a total of 400 to 550 pounds. Authorities didn't release information about Caleb's height or the combined weight of his group of riders.
According to rules sent to the media in 2014, riders had to be at least 14 years old, but that requirement is no longer listed on the park's website.
Caleb's parents — Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele — have requested privacy as the family grieves, saying in a statement Sunday that "since the day he was born, (Caleb) brought abundant joy to our family and all those he came in contact with."
"As we try to mend our home with him no longer with us, we are comforted knowing he believed in our Savior Jesus, and they are forever together now. We will see him another day," the statement added.
The tragedy happened on a day the park offered lawmakers and other elected officials a buffet lunch, hot dogs and hamburgers.
Verruckt's 2014 opening repeatedly was delayed, though the operators didn't explain why. Two media sneak preview days in 2014 were canceled because of problems with a conveyor system that hauls 100-pound rafts to the top of the slide.
In a news article linked to the news release announcing a 2014 delay, Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry told USA Today that he and senior designer John Schooley had based their calculations when designing the slide on roller coasters, but that didn't translate well to a waterslide like Verruckt.
In early tests, rafts carrying sandbags flew off the slide, prompting engineers to tear down half of the ride and reconfigure some angles at a cost of $1 million, Henry said.
A promotional video about building the slide includes footage of two men riding a raft down a half-size test model and going slightly airborne as it crests the top of the first big hill.
The Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County said it does not inspect the operations of such rides and is responsible only for ensuring they've adhered to local building codes.
Without specifically mentioning waterslides, Kansas statutes define an "amusement ride" as any mechanical or electrical conveyance "for the purpose of giving its passengers amusement, pleasure, thrills or excitement." Such rides, by statute, commonly are Ferris wheels, carousels, parachute towers, bungee jumps and roller coasters.
State law leaves it to the Kansas Department of Labor to adopt rules and regulations relating to certification and inspection of rides, adding that a permanent amusement ride must be scrutinized by "a qualified inspector" at least every 12 months. Kansas' Labor Department didn't return messages Monday.
Prosapio said Sunday the park's rides are inspected daily and by an "outside party" before the start of each season.
Kansas state Sen. Greg Smith, an Overland Park Republican, said that although state law doesn't specifically address waterslides, it's clear they "would fall into that category." He called any potential legislative response to Sunday's tragedy premature, saying the investigation should be given time to play out.

Racist miss teen "usa" uses "N" word

Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay allegedly used the N-word a number of tweets prior to being crowned on Saturday night at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. Hay’s tweets have seemingly been removed from her Twitter account @haaykarris,  but there still remain offensive messages from a few years ago.
Not long after the 18-year-old blonde-haired, blue-eyed Hay beat out runner-up Miss North Carolina Emily Wakeman for Miss USA did social media explode with purported screen grabs of Hay’s past tweets filled with the N-word (below). While the former Miss Texas did not comment on the controversy, she wrote on Instagram after her win, “Several years ago, I had many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who I am as a person. I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for.”
Hay added, “Through hard work, education and thanks in large part to the sisterhood that I have come to know through pageants, I am proud to say that I am today a better person.” “I am honored to hold this title and I will use this platform to promote the values of The Miss Universe Organization, and my own, that recognize the confidence, beauty and perseverance of all women,” concluded the new Miss Teen USA.

Rape victim arrested and jailed

Prosecutors broke the law when they jailed a rape victim in order to secure her testimony against her attacker, the attorney for the woman said in a letter to Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson.
In the letter delivered Monday, Sean Buckley, the rape victim's attorney, said he believes prosecutors illegally obtained a court order to confine his client in the Harris County Jail last December, committing the crime of official oppression. He requested that Anderson appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the matter.
"I have made a colorable claim that employees in your office engaged in official oppression in their mistreatment of my client," Buckley stated in the letter. The attorney filed a federal suit for his client in July over her jailing. "This is a very serious matter that deserves a full, independent investigation by a neutral prosecutor with no ties to your office."
The 25-year-old woman, identified in court documents as "Jane Doe," agreed to testify in the December trial against her assailant, serial rapist Keith Edward Hendricks. However, the victim, who has long-suffered from mental illnesses, suffered a psychological breakdown while testifying about her 2013 attack, according to the lawsuit.
She was subsequently taken to a hospital for mental health treatment and then jailed for 27 days following her release at the request of prosecutors who wanted to ensure she would testify in the January trial.
It is that court order - called an "attachment order" - prosecutors used to take the woman into custody that Buckley says was illegally obtained.
"The evidence shows that prosecutors and others in your office broke the law by obtaining an illegal attachment order/witness bond that was unauthorized by any statute," Buckley stated in his letter. "Specifically, there was no legal basis for your employees to 'attach' my client and throw her in the Harris County Jail for 27 days, since she was not under subpoena, was not a resident of Harris County, and was not financially able to pay a surety bond."
The DA's office has not yet been reached for comment regarding Buckley's request.
During her confinement in jail, the rape victim, who was housed in the facility's general population, was attacked by another inmate, had a altercation with a jailer and was not regularly given her medications, according to her lawsuit.
Anderson has previously defended her prosecutors' actions, stating that while the DA's office does not jail victims, this was "an extraordinary set of circumstances."
On Jan. 11, the woman returned to court and testified against Hendricks. He was convicted and received two life sentences.
    In a video statement released last month, Anderson said Hendricks, 55, could have gone free had she not taken the stand in the trial and the woman's life again would have been at risk.
In his letter to Anderson, Buckley asked for a response by Friday.

Teen with cancer killed before receiving "Make A Wish" donation

A Texas teen battling bone cancer was killed by a 15-year-old just days before he was set to see his Make-A-Wish dream come true.
Diego Rodriguez, 17, was fatally shot Tuesday by a teenage boy playing with a handgun, it was reported.
The gun went off when Rodriguez tried to take the weapon from the younger boy, police said.
At the time of his death, the San Antonio teen had one wish.
He’d been battling bone cancer for two years and just wanted to live to see his grandfather’s truck redone by the Black Jack Speed Shop owned by retired NBA All-Star Tim Duncan.
The 23-year-old old Chevy S10 was probably only worth $1,500 — and the restoration may have cost $15,000. But the Make-A-Wish Foundation was willing to help.
As soon as the nonprofit approached Black Jack about pitching in, they said yes.
“I was excited to bring some joy to a young man who was down for the better part of his earlier years,” Pena said.
Getting the truck work done was part of a birthday promise from the boy's mom.
"She had promised Diego if he can fight the cancer and make it to his 16th birthday that she would give him the truck," Pena said.
But Rodriguez didn’t live to see the completed product.
Now shiny and new-looking, the treasured truck boasts new paint, a custom interior, new suspension and new wheels and tires.
All the work isn’t for naught, though — the truck will be unveiled Monday at the teen’s funeral service, where it will be featured in the procession.
"I'm grateful to have been a part of the journey with Make-A-Wish and Diego's family and I still look forward to unveiling it to the family so they have some sort of bright spot in this whole equation," Pena said.

Off duty cop shoots another cop during domestic violence dispute

An off-duty Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer shot a detective Friday night who was investigating a report of domestic violence involving he and his estranged wife, then fled to Ohio.
The wounded detective, a veteran of the department, police said, was shot at least once in the elbow, and possibly a second time in his side. He is expected to survive his injuries.
The shooting, police said, stemmed from an investigation into the off-duty IMPD officer, who was involved in "some type of domestic incident" with his estranged wife in an apartment on the southeast side Friday.
About 8 p.m. local time, southeast district officers were called to the 6700 block of Valley Ridge Drive, in the Overlook at Valley Ridge apartments, regarding the disturbance; however, since the incident involved an IMPD officer, the department's special investigation unit (SIU) was requested to handle the case.
As the SIU detective began his investigation, police said, the off-duty officer, who is also a veteran of the department, returned and began shooting inside the apartment sometime around 10 p.m local time. The detective, who was struck at least once, returned fire, but didn't hit the off-duty officer, police said.
After the shooting, the off-duty officer fled the scene in his personal vehicle. The wounded detective was rushed to Methodist hospital, where he remains in good condition.
Over the course of the next few hours, police were able to track the off-duty officer to Cincinnati, where he was taken into custody, "without incident," by Cincinnati Police Department officers, said IMPD Major Rich Riddle.
"Our detectives our on their way to Cincinnati to continue their investigations," Riddle said early Saturday morning. "(The off-duty officer) will be facing criminal charges here in Indianapolis once our investigation completes."
At the time of the domestic disturbance, and the shooting that followed, police said, the off-duty officer's two children were inside the apartment. They were not injured.
It was unclear early Saturday morning what exactly happened between the off-duty officer and his wife before police were called, but Riddle said the circumstances were "serious enough of a criminal nature to call in our SIU detectives."
Friday's incident marks the second time an IMPD officer has been shot this week. On Monday, an officer was shot in the ankle while pursuing a suspect who fled a traffic stop at a gas station at 71st Street and Georgetown Road.
The off-duty officer involved in Friday's shooting, who is assigned to southwest district, has been immediately suspended without pay, pending termination from IMPD, police said.
The names of the officers involved in the incident have not been released. Both have at least 18 years of service on the force.

3 killed more hurt in home invasion shooting

A gunman attacked a gathering of young adults at a suburban Seattle home early Saturday, killing two people at a fire pit before firing more shots from the roof, the grandmother of one of the witnesses said.
Three people were killed and another injured at the Mukilteo property. State troopers pulled over and arrested the fleeing suspect on an interstate three counties away, authorities said.
"She was hiding in the closet and called me from the closet while it was going on," Susan Gemmer said of her 18-year-old granddaughter, Alexis. "We were texting back and forth, telling her to stay quiet, stay calm, we're on our way. She kept saying, 'They're dead, they're dead, I saw them, I was right there and I saw them.'"
Gemmer said that according to her granddaughter, the gunman arrived with a rifle at the party of about 15 to 20 friends from Kamiak High School — mostly recent graduates aged 18 to 20. The gunman walked through the house to the fire pit out back, where he shot two of the victims. Those present knew the gunman, she said, and he and one of the victims had broken up last week.
The shooter then made his way onto the roof, where some of the friends were hanging out, Gemmer said.
  The young man who lived at the home tried to lead Alexis Gemmer to safety by escaping out the garage. As they rolled under the garage door and the boy bolted across the street, the gunman began shooting at him from the roof, her granddaughter told Gemmer.
"She panicked and ran back in the house and hid in the closet until police arrived," Gemmer said.
Authorities did not immediately release information about or the identities of the suspect or the victims.
"Our community has suffered a great loss tonight," Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson said. "There were many young people who saw and heard things that no one should ever experience."
The shooting happened in the upscale Chennault neighborhood of Mukilteo, a waterfront town of about 20,000 people, 25 miles north of Seattle.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn said the male suspect was pulled over at around 2 a.m. heading south on Interstate 5 near Chehalis, about 113 miles away. Finn declined to release information about his identity, but said troopers returned him and the vehicle he was driving to the custody of Mukilteo police.