Monday, December 9, 2024
It is Monday, December 9, 2024. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
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Police detain suspect in CEO’s killing
News reports said police arrested a suspect in connection to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. The suspect was detained at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania after an employee called the police after realizing the man looked just like the suspect.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams said in a press conference they have a “strong person of interest” in the CEO shooting. He said he matches the description of the suspect that the NYPD was looking for.
The NYPD commissioner said the suspect’s name is Luigi Mangione (26). He was charged with firearms charges pending an investigation. Law enforcement believe he is the shooting suspect.
When he was detained, he was wearing clothing that we saw in his images. He had a handwritten document with him that spoke of his thinking and motivations.
The NYPD said he will be brought to New York and will probably face more charges. The NYPD said he had a ghost gun that may have been 3D printed. They believe Mangione was acting alone.
CNN reported that the suspect had multiple fake IDs and a gun with a silencer-like device. He also had a two-page document criticizing the health care industry and said violence is the answer to the problem.
Prior to his arrest, police released two images of the suspect riding a taxi cab in New York City about an hour after the shooting last Wednesday morning. Police also said they found the suspect’s backpack in Central Park and that it had Monopoly money in it.
People on social media released many images of Mangione and found that he used to study at UPenn. Some shared his old photos and posts on the internet — one of them praised the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and said violence is necessary and more effective than peaceful protest.
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-murder-live-updates-12-09-2024
https://gothamist.com/news/nypd-releases-new-images-of-suspected-ceo-assassin-in-taxi-as-he-fled-nyc
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Syrian rebels force al-Assad out
CNN reported that rebels in Syria have taken control of the country’s capital city and forced Syria’s longtime ruler, President Bashar al-Assad, to flee to Russia.
President Joe Biden and the U.S. military don’t want to see ISIS take control of the country and they’ve struck more than 75 ISIS targets and vowed support for the region.
CNN explained that Assad and his family are known for a brutal dictatorship and the country has been in a devastating civil war since 2011 that sparked a refugee crisis that saw millions displaced from their homes.
An analyst said Assad has relied on Russia and Hezbollah in the past to protect him from rebels but things have changed with Hezbollah being occupied by its war with Israel and Russia with its war against Ukraine — it’s left Assad exposed and unable to fight back.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/08/middleeast/assad-wherebouts-russia-syria-regime-intl/index.html
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$310M verdict for family of teen who died in Orlando ride
In 2022, a 14-year-old teen from Missouri was tragically killed after he fell from an amusement ride at the ICON Park in Orlando. His name was Tyre Sampson.
A jury recently ruled that the company that manufactured the ride, Funtime Handels (an Austrian company), is to pay $310 million in damages to Sampson’s family.
Tyre was a big teen who was in Orlando for a football training camp. He was over six feet tall and weighed 383 pounds, which exceeded the ride’s weight limit at 287 pounds. Workers at the ride manually adjusted the ride’s harness to bypass a safety feature.
Tyre’s family settled lawsuits against ICON Park and the ride’s operator and this case is associated with the ride’s manufacturer.
The ride was closed, disassembled and removed after the incident.
https://pix11.com/news/tyre-sampsons-family-awarded-310-million-after-fatal-fall-on-florida-ride/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/17/us/orlando-freefall-tower-dismantled-tyre-sampson/index.html
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South Korean leader apologizes for martial law order
The president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, apologized on Saturday for causing chaos when he imposed martial law earlier last week.
Lawmakers tried to impeach him but there were not enough votes. Lawmakers said they would try again with a new impeachment motion this week.
South Korea’s Justice Ministry imposed a travel ban on Yoon, barring him from leaving the country. There is an investigation into why Yoon made the order.
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Jay-Z and Sean Combs accused of raping minor in lawsuit
A new lawsuit accuses Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 at an afterparty.
Jay-Z said the allegations are false and a “blackmail attempt.” He said the lawyer who represented the alleged victim wanted quick settlement money but he wouldn’t give him a penny.
Combs also denied the allegations. He is in custody in New York as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jay-z-diddy-accused-of-raping-13-year-old-in-civil-suit/
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Daniel Penny acquitted in subway choking case
Daniel Penny was acquitted on his homicide charge from when he tackled and choked a homeless man to death last year in a subway car in New York City.
The man’s name was Jordan Neely. Witnesses in the subway said prior to the choking, Neely was yelling at passengers, throwing trash at them, and frightening them. Penny approached him from behind and put him in a chokehold and held on tightly for about five minutes. Two other men helped to hold down Neely. When police arrived, Neely was unconscious and later pronounced dead.
Penny is a Marine veteran. The chokehold incident was very controversial with people either saying Neely acted excessively or was a racist or saying he was a Good Samaritan that acted to protect other people.
The jury in the case deadlocked on a manslaughter charge and acquitted him on a criminally negligent homicide charge.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/nyregion/daniel-penny-not-guilty-jordan-neely.html
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.