June 7 top stories
It is June 7. Here are today’s top stories.
Woman arrested after fatally shooting neighbor
On Friday night in Ocala, Florida, a 58-year-old female homeowner shot and killed a mother of four children by firing a bullet through her front door while she knocked on her door. The mother’s name was Ajike Owens and she was 35.
The homeowner, Susan Lorincz, was arrested on Tuesday after police determined that she did not shoot out of self-defense.
Police said Lorincz was irritated that Owens’ children were playing in a field near her home, yelled at the children, and threw a roller skate at Owens’ 10-year-old son. It appears that the children left the field but one of them left behind an iPad, which Lorincz took.
Owens then went to Lorincz's front door and as she knocked on the door, apparently to confront her and to get the iPad back, she was shot in her upper chest. Police said they found Owens lying in the grass and not breathing. Her 10-year-old son was standing next to her when she was shot.
Police said the two women had a history of disputes that lasted over two years. There were protests and pressure on police to arrest the homeowner.
Last night, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested Lorincz and charged her with manslaughter and other charges after they determined it was not a “stand your ground” case or self-defense. Police said it was “simply a killing.”
Wildfire smoke triggers air pollution warnings
Millions of people in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest are under air pollution warnings due to smoke drifting from wildfires that have been burning in Canada for several weeks.
One of the hardest-hit areas for air quality is the Central New York region which includes Syracuse. News images showed New York City covered in a haze. NYC Mayor Eric Adams said schools are not doing any outdoor activities and some people in the city wore face masks.
Philadelphia is also impacted with a “code red” indicating there are unhealthy, fine particles in the air.
Weather forecasters said the haze may linger in the air for a couple of days.
Shooting at high school graduation
On Tuesday evening during a high school graduation ceremony at a theater in downtown Richmond, Virginia, a 19-year-old male suspect shot and killed an 18-year-old male student who had just graduated and his father, who was a 36-year-old man. Witnesses said there were about 20 gunshots in rapid succession. Five others were injured by bullets.
The shooting caused panic and a stampede and at least 12 people were injured or treated for anxiety. A nine-year-old child was hit by a car.
AP News said the suspected gunman tried to escape on foot but was arrested and will be charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Police said the suspect knew at least one of the victims and that he had multiple weapons on him.
Local news identified the victims as 18-year-old Shawn Jackson and his father, Renzo Smith.
A police official said it is incredibly tragic that someone decided to bring a gun to this incident and cause terror. He said people should have felt safe at a graduation.
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Missouri executes Michael Tisius
Michael Tisius, a 42-year-old man who was convicted of shooting and killing two Missouri jail guards in 2000, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday night.
Tisius said in a final written statement that he tried hard to become a better man and that he is “truly” sorry for what he did. I explained what he did in yesterday’s news.
The Supreme Court turned down two appeals for the state of Missouri to not execute Tisius.
The Guardian said the execution is the 12th in the U.S. this year and the third in Missouri.
CNN ousts leader Chris Licht
Chris Licht, who was CNN’s leader for little more than a year, is now no longer with the company.
Analysts said Licht struggled to drive up ratings for CNN and that he also struggled to win the trust of CNN journalists and employees.
CNN executives said they are searching for a new CEO.
Archaeologists discover prehistoric paintings using drones
In Spain, archeologists using drones discovered prehistoric paintings in caves that are hard to reach. The paintings date from 5,000 to 7,500 years ago.
Archeologists said the caves, which are in the eastern part of the country, are already well-known for having prehistoric art but the use of drones enabled them to find a new site with paintings of different styles. After drones discovered the new paintings, climbers visited the sites. It is considered a safer process compared with researchers having to randomly search for paintings in dangerous areas.
The paintings showed human figures hunting animals like goats and deer. Archeologists said the fact that the paintings were at a very high area on the mountains shows that prehistoric people figured out a way to climb and that they may have used ropes or a type of wooden scaffolding.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/vcu-shooting-richmond-monroe-park-af3d46f8ece90c574731354a4e4157ab
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/altria-theater-graduation-shooting-june-6-2023
https://apnews.com/article/florida-shooting-neighbor-7d033653743d3efe2395367be27ea77b
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-arrested-fatal-shooting-neighbor-florida-rcna88060
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/06/07/us/canada-wildfires-air-quality-smoke
https://www.axios.com/2023/06/07/cnn-chris-licht-out-atlantic
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/06/missouri-execution-michael-tisius-jail-escape
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/drone-prehistoric-cave-paintings-spain-scli-intl-scn/index.html