Month: November 2023

Four people — two men and two women — were found dead Sunday at a homeless encampment outside of Autryville, North Carolina.

According to the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of shots fired near the end of Tanner Lane around 9:22 a.m.  Once on scene, deputies found the four people dead near two tents at a homeless encampment; all four had apparent gunshot wounds.

The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office said based on the preliminary investigation, the incident appears to be a murder-suicide case. No identities have been released; the sheriff’s office, who noted the victims were two men and two women, said their names are being withheld pending identification and notification of the next of kin. They added that it appeared there was no ongoing threat to the public, but the investigation is ongoing to ensure there is no additional foul play.

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Three Palestinian students were shot and wounded near the University of Vermont over the weekend. According to a report from the Burlington Police Department, two of the three 20-year-old men are in stable condition, while the other is in serious condition.

Officers said that the victims were on their way to a Thanksgiving dinner at one of their relative’s homes, with two of them wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, when the shooter fired at least four rounds from a pistol – striking all three students.  Officers from the Burlington Police Department, the University of Vermont police department and other local forces immediately responded to the scene. “Without speaking, he (the shooter) discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled on foot,” police said.

In a joint statement released by the Institute for Middle East Understanding, the victims’ families suggested the attack was a hate crime: “We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice. No family should ever have to endure this pain and agony. Our children are dedicated students who deserve to be able to focus on their studies and building their futures.”

The three students were identified as Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown University in Rhode Island; Kinnan Abdalhamid, a student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania; and Tahseen Ahmad, a student at Trinity College in Connecticut. The students had graduated from Ramallah Friends School, a Quaker-run private nonprofit school in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, according to the school.

The shooter or shooters have not been identified or apprehended, and the police department is “at the earliest stages of investigating this crime.” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement. said it is pursuing all angles in its investigation, including the possibility that this was a hate crime: “In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said in a post on X. “It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation. My thoughts are with them and their families.”

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said in a news release that they “have reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab,” and the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced it was offering a $10,000 reward for “information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator or perpetrators” of the shooting.

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The FBI said in a statement that the deadly explosion near the New York-Canadian border has been referred to Niagara Falls police as a traffic investigation. Officials said that no explosives or any connections to terrorism were found regarding the fiery incident in which two people in the car were killed on the Rainbow Bridge (which leads into and out of Canada at Niagara Falls). The explosion occurred on one of the busiest travel days in the U.S. as people across the country hit the road for Thanksgiving.

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security closely monitored the situation, saying they were in touch with Canadian counterparts. The FBI in Buffalo NY said in a statement: “A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified. The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.”

At a news conference, New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said that one of the people killed was from western NY, and in a statement on Thursday morning, the Niagara Falls Police Department said the identity of those involved is pending notification of relatives. A Customs and Border Protection employee suffered minor injuries and was treated at and released from a hospital, a law enforcement official said.

Niagara Falls police also thanked local business partners, including the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, for their assistance in the investigation. According to a statement from the casino, the car stopped there for “a matter of minutes shortly before the crash occurred.”

Officials have said that the vehicle involved in the incident was traveling at a high rate of speed on the U.S. side of the border when it crashed, caught fire and exploded – contrary to some early reports that it had come from Canada. Governor Hochul said she has seen video of the car, which was going at an “extraordinarily high rate of speed” before it went airborne, crashing into a median and striking a border crossing booth. She stressed at the Wednesday evening news conference that there were no indications of terrorism.

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On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a female coworker 30 years ago. According to court documents, the complaint against Adams, which was filed on Wednesday, alleges “sexual assault, battery and employment discrimination on the basis of Plaintiff’s gender and sex, retaliation, hostile work environment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

The suit was submitted under the New York Adult Survivors Act, a law passed last year that opened a one-year window for sexual assault claims to be filed that otherwise happened too far in the past to litigate.

The civil suit alleges the plaintiff “was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York.” The plaintiff is seeking a trial and at least $5 million in relief.

Mayor Adams, however, “vigorously” denies the claim, his office said, arguing he does not know the plaintiff and would never cause anyone physical harm. A City hall spokesperson said in a statement that ‘the mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn’t recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.”

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