Tuesday, November 9 top stories
It is Tuesday, November 9. Here are today’s top stories.
A study from the Texas Department of State Health Services found that 24,517 unvaccinated Texans died from Covid-19 from January to October of this year. In the same time period, about 4,000 Texans who were either fully or partially vaccinated died from Covid-19. That means that over 85% of Covid-19 deaths in Texas were among those who were unvaccinated. The most vulnerable group was those older than 75.
The study found that those who were unvaccinated were 40 times more likely to become infected with the coronavirus.
The studies do show that the vaccines are not a 100% guarantee in preventing infection or death, but the numbers clearly show that the vaccinated have a greater chance of living.
In September, I did a news story about a teenager in Texas who plowed his large pickup truck into a group of cyclists. Witnesses said the teenager drove aggressively by driving only inches away from them so he could blow exhaust smoke on them before he hit them. Six cyclists were severely injured. The teenager was questioned by police at the scene, but was released without any charges. There was an outcry for justice.
Today the district attorney in Waller County, Texas said after a six-week investigation, they have filed six felony charges against the teenager: six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The teenager was taken into custody. His case is in the juvenile justice system.
Two police officers in Oklahoma were charged with second-degree murder for using their Tasers over 50 times on a 28-year-old man named Jared Lakey, who later died. The incident was on July 4, 2019. The officers responded to a call of a man acting in a disorderly way. Video clips show that the officers calmly used their tasers again and again as Lakely rolled around in pain. Eventually an officer put Lakely in a chokehold. When Lakely was in police custody, he stopped breathing, was hospitalized and died. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said the officers’ use of tasers “greatly exceeded what would have been necessary or warranted.” The officers now face 10 years to life in prison if convicted.
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In Wisconsin, the prosecution in the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse rested its case today after calling 22 witnesses over six days.
On Monday, Gaige Grosskreutz, who was shot in the right bicep by Rittenhouse’s AR-15 style rifle, took the stand. A previous video shows that Rittenhouse was lying on the street after shooting two men when Grosskreutz, holding a handgun, approached Rittenhouse. Grosskreutz testified that he was a trained paramedic and was out on the streets to provide first aid to protesters. He said he heard gunshots and thought Rittenhouse was an active shooter and that’s why he confronted him. He told defense attorneys that he pointed his gun at Rittenhouse before Rittenhouse fired his weapon at his bicep.
Last week a forensic pathologist testified that the first man who was shot and killed by Rittenhouse, Joseph Rosenbaum, was shot at close range and had soot injuries that may be from putting his hand on the barrel of Rittenhouse’s rifle. A drone video showed Rittenhouse running through a parking lot with Rosenbaum chasing him before Rittenhouse turned around and shot him at close range. Rosenbaum was shot four times, in the groin, the hand and thigh, the head, and in the back.
Prosecutors said Rittenhouse started the violence. Rittenhouse’s defense attorneys said Rittenhouse was scared that his gun would be taken away and used against him. The jury will have to decide whether Rittenhouse acted in a criminal way when he opened fire or if he was acting in a legal form of self-defense.
In Georgia, prosecutors in the murder trial of three white men who are accused of killing a Black man Ahmaud Arbery showed graphic, closeup police photos of Arbery’s wounds to his chest, arms, and wrist. Arbery was seen in a video running on a street and trying to get around a truck belonging to Travis McMichaels. Travis was with his father, Greg, and they were armed and waiting for Arbery. The third man, William Bryan, was following Arbery in his own vehicle. There was a confrontation that ended with Arbery being shot to death. A police officer who was the first to arrive at the scene testified that he saw Arbery lying facedown in the street with blood pooling around him. The officer said he didn’t render aid because there were no other police officers to watch his back. Arbery’s mother told news reporters that she was confused at why the officer didn’t provide aid. Defense attorneys said the three men were justified to chase and attempt to detain Arbery because they saw security camera videos that showed Arbery going inside of a home that was under construction, which made them think Arbery was a burglar. They said the shooting was out of self-defense because Arbery attacked the man using his fists. Prosecutors said during their opening statements that the three men made assumptions about Arbery and that there is no evidence that Arbery took anything from inside of the construction zone.
There are tensions at the border between Belarus and Poland. Over 4,000 migrants from Belarus have swarmed at the border, hoping to cross into Poland. News reports say there are military forces massed up on both sides of the border and that there are reports of gunfire. There are accusations against Belarus for encouraging migrants to try and cross the border to intentionally raise tensions. An U.N. official said children and their families are living in bad conditions and they deserve to have the right to seek asylum in Poland, but Polish officials said they have to seal the border to protect their country.
That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.dshs.texas.gov/immunize/covid19/data/Cases-and-Deaths-by-Vaccination-Status-11082021.pdf
https://abc13.com/waller-county-cyclist-crash-bicyclists-injured-teen-charged-in/11213646/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/us/Jared-lakey-death-Oklahoma-police-taser.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/08/us/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-monday/index.html
https://abc7chicago.com/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-live-coverage-kenosha-gaige-grosskreutz/11215060/