List of All Articles with Tag 'erica'

Since 2021, state lawmakers have introduced nearly 400 bills aimed at giving parents, government officials and concerned citizens the ability to challenge or monitor what schools teach about race and gender issues, according to a new report from the free expression advocacy group PEN America.

The son of a Los Angeles County fire captain has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and murdering a California woman who was shot and abducted from a park. Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, has been charged with multiple felonies including murder, kidnapping and attempted rape of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez. Mr Esparza entered a not-guilty plea when he made his first court appearance for the brutal slaying on Wednesday. Prosecutors have formally filed seven charges against the suspect, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court. These also include attempted murder, kidnapping to commit another crime, assault with intent to commit a felony, and two counts of attempted forcible rape. Vazquez was randomly kidnapped on Sunday while in a car with her boyfriend in a Whittier park. While Vazquez and her boyfriend were sitting in the parked car at Penn Park, an armed man approached them and began shooting. Vazquez’s boyfriend fled the scene and when he returned, he “discovered blood” near it and Vazquez was gone. Vazquez’s body was found the following day in Moreno Valley. Read More Andrea Vasquez: California woman shot and kidnapped from boyfriend’s car found dead Ambushed at an LA park, kidnapped and her body dumped in a field: What happened to Andrea Vazquez?

Prosecutors said new DNA results are expected in just a matter of weeks in their case against a Massachusetts man accused of murdering his wife, Ana Walshe. Ms Walshe, 39, was last seen at her home just after midnight on New Year’s Day. Her body has not been found, but prosecutors are trying to prove that her husband, Brian Walshe, murdered and dismembered the mother-of-three. In a court appearance on Tuesday, prosecutors said they are awaiting the results of DNA testing as they continue to build their case against Mr Walshe, WHDH reported. The convicted art fraudster was arrested on 8 January on charges for hindering the police investigation after prosecutors said that traces of blood and a knife were found in the basement of her family home. On 17 January, he was charged with his wife’s murder. While court proceedings continued on Tuesday, another search for Ms Walshe was conducted in a wooded area of Peabody, Massachusetts. The search location was less than a mile from the Peabody Transfer Station where investigators said they found evidence in this case back in January. But the search yielded nothing, according to Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrisey’s office. “Two persons in the Peabody community unconnected to the prosecution of Brian Walshe contacted State Police investigators with their belief that an area of that community may be of investigative interest in that matter,” spokesman David Traub said in a statement. “A search of that area by the Massachusetts State Police SERT team yielded nothing.” Police in Cohasset first announced that Ms Walshe was missing in a statement on 5 January and asked for the public’s help in finding her. Authorities said that she was last seen at her home shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, and described her as being 5 feet 2 inches tall, 115 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes and an olive complexion. They state that she speaks with an Eastern European accent. She had been due to take a ride-share car from her home to Boston’s Logan Airport to take a flight to Washington DC, where she works in real estate, police said. Tishman Speyer reported her missing on 4 January, and police in Cohasset performed a welfare check at the family home. A criminal affidavit in the case states that Mr Walshe told police that he last saw his wife at their home early on 1 January when she took an Uber or Lyft to the airport. He also told authorities that he went to a Whole Foods and a CVS in Swampscott, Massachusetts, 40 miles away, on 1 January and took his child to get ice cream the following day. The affidavit states that police did not find that any Uber or Lyft ride had taken place on New Year’s Day, and Ms Walshe never took a flight to DC or arrived in the city by any other means of transport. Prosecutors also say they reviewed video footage of Whole Foods and CVS and did not see Mr Walshe at either location. The search for Ms Walshe initially focused on wooded areas near the family’s home. Officials said that 20 troopers from a specialised search and rescue were joined by three police K9 teams and a police helicopter in the search. State police divers also searched a small stream and drained the home’s swimming pool. Ms Walshe lived with her family in Cohasset, Massachusetts, but worked in real estate in Washington DC during the week. Ms Walshe was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and was working at the Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox when she met Mr Walshe in 2008. After their 2015 marriage, they had three sons between two and six years old. The couple’s three young boys were placed in the care of the Department of Children and Families following Mr Walshe’s first arrest. Read More Ana Walshe: Timeline of missing Massachusetts mother’s disappearance Desperate searches for two missing women who vanished days apart in Colorado resort town

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan told staff an all-hands meeting earlier this month that he wants employees to return to in-person work because Zoom is making them too “friendly” and unable to build trust. “Over the past several years, we’ve hired so many new ‘Zoomies’ that it’s really hard to build trust,” Mr Yuan says in the audio, which was obtained and first reported by Insider. “We cannot have a great conversation. We cannot debate each other well because everyone tends to be very friendly when you join a Zoom call.” Mr Yuan’s thoughts were accompanied by action: On 3 August, Zoom instituted a new policy requiring employees who live within 50 miles of a physical Zoom office to report to work at least two days per week. The return to the office policy at Zoom is striking considering that it was the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting stay-at-home orders that turned the platform from one few people had ever heard of to a part of everyday life for millions. But Mr Yuan is not alone among senior executives at tech firms. Apple, Meta, and Amazon have all instituted return-to-work policies in recent months, angering employees who have enjoyed the increased flexibility afforded by work-from-home policies. Since Covid-19 vaccines have facilitated the re-opening of the economy, workers and bosses in many sectors have clashed over the importance of in-person work and the ability of companies to exercise control over their employees whereabouts and schedules. Some, like Zoom and a number of other tech companies, have adopted hybrid policies in which workers are required to come into the office on certain days of the week but are allowed to work from home on others. But even those companies have faced backlash from workers, many of whom were hired at a different stage of the pandemic when most or all work at their respective companies was being conducted remotely. Mr Yuan’s comments, which were not meant for public consumption, may provide a measure of insight into how he and other top executives truly feel about Zoom and remote work more broadly — suggesting that it somehow limits innovation by not allowing for the sometimes uncomfortable kinds of interactions that can build trust. Mr Yuan, who was born and raised in China, moved to Silicon Valley during the late 1990s. He founded Zoom more than a decade ago and became a multibillionaire during the pandemic. Read More Maui residents are still reeling from wildfire devastation. Now investors and realtors are trying to cash in

It began just like any other Wednesday night at the popular biker bar. Motorcycle riders and enthusiasts had gathered for drinks, food and fun with friends at Cook’s Corner, one of the most famous biker bars and restaurants in southern California. But, this one night took a devastating turn when a gunman opened fire, leaving at least three people dead and many others injured. The mass shooting suspect – identified by authorities as retired police officer John Snowling– was then shot and killed by responding officers. Reports suggest that Snowling’s wife Marie Snowling, who is being treated in hospital for gunshot wounds, was the target of the attack. Now, the southern California biker community has been left reeling, as the latest community rocked by the effects of gun violence in America. Cook’s Corner has been met with an outpouring of love and support on its Instagram account in the wake of the mass shooting. “I’m still trying to process what happened tonight,” Diana Simon, who works at Cook’s Corner, wrote on Facebook. “The loss and what it has done to all I care about. We are a family at Cook’s Corner. Marie lights up every room she walks in. Her smile and enthusiasm for life… it’s just so wrong. It all doesn’t feel real.” Here’s what we know so far about the shooting: The deadly shooting At around 7.04pm on Wednesday 23 August, authorities received a 911 call about a shooting at Cook’s Corner biker bar in California’s Orange County. Police said that the gunman opened fire at the bar, killing at least three people. Another six victims were injured including five who were hospitalised with gunshot wounds. Witnesses told CBS and KCAL News that the gunfire began in the picnic area. They said they initially heard about five or six shots before a brief pause. Shortly after, the shooting continued with an increased volley of fire. One witness told the outlet that he and a cook barricaded themselves in the kitchen to hide from the gunman. They armed themselves with a frying pan and waited until it was safe to come out, he said. The cook had been shot in the arm during the encounter. The witness also claimed that a pregnant woman had begged the gunman to spare her, saying “please don’t shoot me, I’m five months pregnant”. The gunman allegedly told her to “get out of here” and let her leave. Another man was not so fortunate, however, with the witness saying his friend was fatally shot in the back by the gunman. Police said that officers arrived on the scene of the shooting around two minutes after the 911 call came in. There, they encountered the gunman who was fatally shot at the scene. Six victims were taken to Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo for treatment. Two are in critical condition while four others are in stable condition. The suspect The suspected gunman was identified on Thursday as retired police officer John Snowling. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said that Snwoling had been employed by the Ventura Police Department from 1984 until his retirement in 2014. According to an article published in 2012, Snowling led a patrol task force within the agency. Local media reports said that the incident began as a domestic dispute between the shooter and his wife, Marie Snowling. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department said it was looking into reports that the suspect first shot his wife at the bar. Despite earlier reports that Ms Snowling had not survived, her father William Mosby told The Orange County on Thursday that she is recovering from her injuries at Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo. “Her friend in the bar said she was shot in the lower jaw,” Mr Mosby told the outlet. “I’m extremely relieved, what I heard was the worst.” Mr Mosby described Snowling as a “crazy husband” who couldn’t cope with Ms Snowling’s request for a divorce. Ms Snowling’s friend Betty Fruichantie also told NBC that the two were enjoying a live performance at the popular biker’s bar when the gunman entered the establishment. “We were sitting there listening to the band and all of sudden, from behind us, we hear shooting. A bunch of shooting,” Ms Fruichantie said. “I thought it was just firecrackers, she didn’t say anything. People were getting shot. People were getting shot.” Ms Fruichantie said that Ms Snowling had recently filed for divorce and was staying with friends. The reaction The devasting shooting has left many in shock, including community members, gun control groups and lawmakers. In a press conference, undersheriff Jeff Hallock described the night as “difficult” for everyone involved and for the community. “I want to start off by offering condolences to the families of the victims and to the entire Trabuco Canyon community,” he said. California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he was monitoring the shooting “and coordinating with local officials as more details become available”. Orange County supervisor Katrina Foley tweeted: “We must do more to protect survivors. Another domestic dispute led to another mass shooting. This as US v. Rahimi, being heard by SCOTUS following Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal decision ruling this lifesaving federal ‘red flag’ law unconstitutional. We must do more to protect survivors.” Senator Dave Min from Orange County said he was "devastated" by the news. “Our district is one of the safest areas in the country, and yet we too are repeatedly afflicted with the scourge of mass shootings,” he said. “An office park in Orange, a church in Laguna Woods, a bar in Trabuco Canyon. There is no place in America that is safe from the scourge of gun violence. There is no community not affected.” There have been more than 400 mass shootings in the US so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Read More Cook’s Corner shooting – live: Ex-cop John Snowling named as suspect who killed three in California biker bar Gunman in Cook’s Corner shooting identified as retired police officer John Snowling At least four dead in shooting at historic California biker bar

A three-year-old was struck by a stray bullet while jumping on a couch in New York on Monday night. Lovely Toney was at home in an apartment complex in the hamlet of Ridge, Long Island, when police arrived looking for murder suspect Gary Jones. Detectives were in the building to interview Jones’s friend, who is a resident in the same complex, and soon found that the suspect was there at that moment too. They subsequently instructed everyone to leave the apartment, before Jones came out of another room and began shooting. Of the multiple shots fired, three rounds went through the wall into the apartment next door and a bullet struck Lovely, causing her to bleed heavily. Describing the harrowing scene to CBS, Lovely’s father James Toney said: “No three-year-old, any child, should experience anything inside their home. She was fresh out of the tub, dripping wet from getting out of the bath.” “She just jumped on the couch, and she must have had her hand up, because the shot went through the hand, through the stomach,” he added, explaining: “I turned around and my daughter was standing there with blood running.” Lovely was rushed to hospital and underwent life-saving surgery. At a press conference Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison released bodycam footage of the incident and praised the “heroism” of apartment residents and the “quick action” of police officers and detectives at the scene, without whom the incident could have resulted in “horrific tragedy.” Mr Harrison explained that the “timely manoeuvre of getting that three-year-old child into a vehicle, rushing to a hospital” were what saved Lovely’s life. Referring to the family’s trauma, he said: “I have a grandson who is three years old. I can’t imagine going through that same situation.” “But I will say thank God for the men and women of this department,” Mr Harrison finished. Jones was found dead in the neighbouring apartment later, as a result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The murder suspect was wanted by police for allegedly killing his girlfriend in Central Islip in June. Read More Woman arrested and charged with threatening to kill judge presiding over Trump’s Jan 6 case Cook’s Corner shooting – live: Four killed, including gunman, and 6 injured at California biker bar Philadelphia officer to be fired over shooting death of Black man as new video contradicts police account Will Donald Trump go to prison?

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis has requested a 23 October trial for all 19 defendants in the 2020 election subversion case, including former President Donald Trump. Ms Willis was responding to the request for a speedy trial from one of the defendants, lawyer Kenneth Chesebro. His filing didn’t get much attention on Wednesday as former New York Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani stole the spotlight as he surrendered to the authorities in Atlanta and had his mugshot taken. Mr Chesebro made the filing as a legal gamble to throw a wrench into the proceedings in the hopes that Ms Willis wasn’t ready for it, but Ms Willis seemingly called his bluff, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The issue of the trial date is now up to the Judge in the case. More follows...

Six others have been wounded in the incident at Cook's Corner, a popular community hangout.

Newly-released bodycam footage shows the dramatic moment police arrested Jared Bridegan’s ex-wife for the Microsoft executive’s murder. Shanna Gardner-Fernandez, 36, was taken into custody in front of the couple’s children at her Washington state home just before 9am on 17 August 2023 after a year-long investigation. Bridegan, who was a father of four and a software developer at Microsoft, was ambushed and shot dead in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022 after driving his children home. More than a year later, half-a-dozen police officers descended on the ex-wife’s home and could be heard yelling “Warrant! Police,” as seen in a bodycam video obtained by Fox News. A frazzled-looking Gardner-Fernandez is handcuffed and brought out onto the porch in a black t-shirt and pink printed pajama shorts. Someone is heard asking if they should get her pants while the woman’s mother cries while waiting outside. She can be heard asking police about her 12-year-old twin grandchildren, “Can I be with the kids, or can you at least bring the kids out to me?” One of Gardner-Fernandez’s children can be heard asking her mother, “Where are your jeans, mom?” Another child responds, “I know where they are.” Gardner-Fernandez reappears in pants and is heard on the video telling her children “I love you” before she is escorted to the police car. The footage also shows Gardner-Fernandez to a police interview room. She later extradited to Jacksonville where she faces charges of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse. Gardner-Fernandez, her husband Mario Fernandez Saldana and Henry Tenon have all been charged in the death of the Microsoft executive. State Attorney Mellisa Nelson said the couple will be prosecuted together. They are seeking the death penalty. “Shanna’s arrest ends one horrific chapter of our pursuit for justice for Jared and now we opened a new one. This next chapter will be excruciating. We are confident in the ability of the State’s Attorney’s Office and law enforcement to bring truth to light we expect to see justice carried out to the fullest extent of the law.” Read More Jared Bridegan’s widow reveals last time she saw him alive as ex-wife fights extradition over murder – latest Microsoft exec Jared Bridegan was shot dead in a chilling ambush. Did his ex wife arrange it?

Separate searches are underway for two missing women who vanished from a popular Colorado resort town within days of each other. Melissa Whitsitt, 34, was reported missing on 13 August after she failed to show up to her job at the Winter Park resort, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Ms Whitsitt had moved from Tennessee to Colorado in May for the job and was extremely excited to start her new life in Winter Park, her family said. The missing woman was last seen on Woodspur Lane. Her phone was used by an “unknown male” to make several calls from the Denver area but it has since been turned off, the Denver Gazette reported. Just days earlier, on 11 August, authorities had started a search to find another missing woman, 55-year-old Svetlana Ustimenko after her rental car was found parked at the Deadhorse Trailhead area in the Arapaho National Forest in late July. The vehicle was supposed to be returned on August 10 but it was left parked “for an extended period of time” with no sign of her, authorities said. Multiple searches took place on August 12-13 and again on 18 August and 20 August, but there was no sign of Ms Ustimenko, who is from Florida. An investigation found Ustimenko was recently diagnosed with a terminal illness and she was “struggling as she tried to cope and was attracted to the Colorado mountains”. On 22 August, the search was suspended pending new information. The sheriff’s office says the two cases are not related and reassured local residents that there is no threat to the community. Ms Whitsitt’s parents Cindy and Jerry Whitsitt, have since travelled to Winter Park from their home in Tennessee to search for their daughter. “Like a needle in a haystack,” Cindy Whitsitt told CBS News. “Some of the law enforcement have been very eager to help us but they are understandably outnumbered, there are literally two detectives in the department here in Denver and we found that unacceptable.” The missing woman had not been in contact with her friends or family since she was last seen and has not used her debit card. A photo of Ms Whitsitt with brown hair has been released by the sheriff’s office, but her mother recently shared two old photos of her daughter with blonde hair on Facebook and said “there are reasons for the three different pics”. She added that her daughter may have changed her hair colour but would be easy to spot in public. “She is a livewire,” her heartbroken mother said, teary eyed. “Always has been, she is very loud; you would see her or hear her if she is anywhere out there.” “Melissa,if you see us, just call us,” she pleaded. Anyone with information about Ms Whitsitt is asked to contact the Winter Park Police Department at 970-722-7779. Anyone who believes they may have seen or talked to Ustimenko is asked to contact the Grand County Sheriff’s Office at 970-725-3311. Read More Camela Leierth-Segura – update: Police reveal Katy Perry songwriter wasn’t reported missing for six weeks Ambushed at an LA park, kidnapped and her body dumped in a field: What happened to Andrea Vazquez? Police investigating claim that missing South Carolina woman was last seen with Gilgo Beach murders suspect

The suspected gunman in Wednesday night’s shooting at a biker’s bar in California has been identified as retired police officer John Snowling. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Snowling, a former officer from the City of Ventura, died during a confrontation with law enforcement. Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said he couldn’t confirm whether Snowling was killed by deputies but said it was “safe to assume” so, local news station KTLA reports. The violence broke out around 7pm at the Cook’s Corner bar. Four people, including the suspected gunman and his wife, were killed. Six others were wounded. This is a developing story ... check again for updates.

Elon Musk’s rebranded social media platform X took two days to suspend the account of a gunman identified by authorities as Laura Carleton’s killer. Travis Ikeguchi, 27, posted hate-filled screeds about the LGBTQ+ community and threatened law enforcement officers on the platform formerly known as Twitter. On 18 August, Ikeguchi fatally shot Carleton, 66, after yelling homophobic slurs about a Pride flag hanging outside her Mag.Pi fashion store in Glen Cedar, California. He was identified as the killer by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office on 21 August, when a spokesperson said a review of his social media accounts on X and Gab showed extremist anti-LGBTQ+ views and intense hatred for law enforcement. Ikeguchi had pinned an image of a burning Pride flag to the top of his X account. After numerous users reported him for violating the platform’s safety standards, X finally suspended his account on Wednesday (23 August). CNN reported that the account was suspended 30 minutes after it contacted the platform seeking comment. After Mr Musk purchased the platform last year, he fired roughly 80 per cent of its employees including most of its content moderators and compliance team. Under previous management, accounts associated with violent incidents were typically suspended straight away. On X, Ikeguchi posted anti-semitic statements, followed and boosted rightwing personalities Jordan Peterson and Matt Walsh, and expressed support for anti-vaxx presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr X did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Independent. Carleton, a fierce LGBTQ+ ally and mother of nine, had faced repeated threats for displaying a Pride flag from her clothing store, family say. The Lauri Carleton Memorial Fund has been set up to support community projects she was involved in in the Lake Arrowhead area. Read More Laura Carleton memorial fund set up to keep LGBTQ+ ally’s ‘spirit alive’ Laura Carleton’s murder over Pride flag captured on store surveillance camera Laura Carleton’s killer was the son of a decorated police officer