12 officers shot, five killed in ambush
Johnson shoots twelve police officers, killing five, in an ambush during a Dallas protest against the recent police shootings of two black men, Alton Sterling in Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Minnesota.
Policeman kills U.S. trainers
A Jordanian policeman shoots and kills two of his American instructors in Jordan. The attacker is said to be a Captain with the Jordan police force is also said to have killed a South African along with injuring two others Americans and four Jordanian. An investigation had been launched. U.S. Embassy:
Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of all of the victims. The investigation is ongoing and it is premature to speculate on motive at this point. We are working closely with the government of Jordan and local security services on a full and comprehensive investigation. We strongly condemn this incident and we deeply appreciate the co-operation and support received from our Jordanian partners.
Killed on live TV
Parker and Ward are fatally shot on live television during an interview with Gardner outside Bridgewater Plaza, Moneta, VA. While Parker is interviewing a woman, shots ring out. Both women scream and Ward falls to the ground. The audience sees a glimpse of a man who appears to be pointing a gun toward Ward. The station cuts away to a shocked anchor, Kimberly McBroom, back in the studio. Gardner is shot in the back and taken to hospital.
Murders 19 girls
ISIS murders 19 girls for refusing to act as sex slaves to ISIS soldiers. A Kurdish official from the area reports the girls were part of a group of women, taken as sex slaves, who hail from non-Sunni Muslim demographics that include Yazidis, as well as Christians. The group is reportedly being held in Mosul. UN Envoy:
The girls get peddled like barrels of petrol.
E’Dena Hines stabbed to death age 33
Hines, Freeman’s step-granddaughter, is fatally stabbed in New York City. Her body is found lying in the street outside her home, with multiple stab wounds to her torso. EMS to Harlem Hospital and pronounced dead. A 30-year-old man is arrested at the scene. Freeman:
The world will never know her artistry and talent, and how much she had to offer. Her friends and family were fortunate enough to have known what she meant as a person. Her star will continue to shine bright in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace.
Cousin kills air force official in road rage incident
A cousin of Syria’s president shoots dead a senior air force officer in a road rage incident according to a monitoring group. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the incident happened when the cousin followed the officer because he overtook him at a crossroads, then swerved the car around, got out and shot him dead. The cousin has not been arrested.
One dead in Perth shooting
One woman in her thirties dies after a shooting incident in Perth. Police are called to Mayfair Street after gunshots are heard at 2 AM. They arrest two men. The street is cordoned off and forensic experts are also present to investigate. A neighbour:
I opened my window to tell the people to be quiet and I noticed there was a group of police trying to gain entry to the unit,
Found dead
Middleton’s body is found in a Santa Cruz dumpster. An unidentified 15 year old allegedly lured her inside his apartment and killed her, hiding her body in a recycling bin. Police Chief:
[The body was] concealed in a way that wasn’t obvious or readily apparent.
Five shot, four dead in murder-suicide
Five people are shot and four are dead with one critically wounded in Suwanee, GA. Three, and adult male and two children under the age of ten, are found dead at the scene. An adult woman dies either on her way to the hospital or at the hospital from a gunshot wound to her back. An older man remains in critical condition and is being treated for multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities have not identified a motive. Sheriff:
We have absolutely no clue at this point what precipitated it. We hope to find a motive during the ongoing investigation.
Killed in struggle
Falls is shot in a Charleston, West Virginia home. Falls allegedly was answering an escort ad online and showed up to the house armed with a gun. The victim only identified as Heather:
When he strangled me, I grabbed my rake, and when he laid the gun down to get the rake out of my hands, I shot him. I grabbed the gun and shot behind me.
Brooks, Deneus murdered
Kantral Brooks and Esther Deneus, both aged 29, are shot by three intruders around 4:00 A.M. on the morning of Thursday July 9th at their home in Bradenton, Florida. Several of the five children who witnessed the event unfold after they were awakened by noises caused by a brick being thrown against the front door. Authorities are investigating a possible drug-related motivation in the crime.
Katie Steinle killed age 31
Steinle, a medical device sales person, is walking on a busy pier in San Francisco with her father when there is a single popping sound in the air. She falls to the ground, struck by a bullet in the upper body. Mother:
She just kept saying, ‘Dad, help me, help me’.
She is taken to San Francisco General Hospital. Her heart stops twice on the way to the hospital. She dies during surgery.
She fought for her life. They said how strong she was but they just couldn’t save her.
Nine killed at prayer meeting
A gunman kills six women and three men, at a bible study group at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Victims include Reverend Clementa Pinckney, the church’s pastor, who was a Democratic member of the State Senate. The gunman arrives at the church and asks for the pastor, the Rev. Pinckney, and sits among parishioners during a Bible study meeting. At the conclusion of Bible study , the gunman opens fire on the gathering, wounding several people, including the pastor. A survivor says the gunman reloads five different times and that her son was trying to “talk him out of doing the act of killing people,” but he does not listen. The shooter says to the group:
You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.
Eight people are killed inside the church and one more dies at the hospital soon after the incident. Three people survive. Police are still searching for the suspected shooter – a clean-shaven white male about 21 years of age. He is reportedly wearing a grey sweatshirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots.
Bangladeshi blogger hacked to death
A blogger critical of Islam is hacked to death when four masked men attack him, hacking him to death with cleavers and machetes, as he left on his way to work at a bank. Ananta Bijoy Das’ death is at least the third known killing of someone posting online critical of Islam in India. In each case, the murder was committed in public on city streets.
Student kills teacher
A 13-year-old student forces entry into Joan Fuster secondary school and shoots and kills a teacher with a crossbow. The student is under arrest. Police are not releasing the student’s identity, gender, or if the student attends the school. Police confirm only one shooter is involved. Four students are being treated at a local hospital.
We can confirm a teacher has died and a person has been arrested. We are not in a position at the moment to confirm if that person is a male, female or ex-pupil.
On suicide watch
Hernandez is placed on suicide watch at his Massachusetts prison. Hernandez has been held at MCI Cedar Junction since his conviction. It is not an uncommon move by prisons, especially when an inmate has recently been handed a long sentence. Hernandez is separated from other inmates.
Boris Nemtsov murdered age 55
Nemtsov is murdered in central Moscow. He is shot four times in his back with a pistol while returning from a restaurant with his girlfriend.
Mirjana Puhar murdered age 19
Puhar, a finalist on the show, and two other people are found dead in a Charlotte, North Carolina home Tuesday evening. Emmanuel Jesus Rangel, 19, is charged with three counts of murder. Initial reports indicate the murders are drug-related.
Tour crew members stabbed
Two members of Minaj’s touring crew are stabbed after an incident at Che Bar & Grill in Philadelphia. De’Von Pickett dies from his wounds, while Eric Parker is in critical condition at a hospital. Minaj announces the news via her Twitter and Instagram pages.
Two members of my team were stabbed last night in Philly. One was killed. They had only been there for two days rehearsing for the tour.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) February 18, 2015
Peter Kassig beheaded
ISIS releases a video showing the beheading of a dozen Syrian soldiers that ends with a militant standing over a severed head he says belongs to Kassig. U.S. officials said they are working to determine the video’s authenticity. The main militant has a British accent (although the video appears to have been distorted to hide the speaker’s identity) and warns that U.S. soldiers will meet a similar fate.
We say to you, Obama: … You claim to have withdrawn from Iraq four years ago. Here you are: You have not withdrawn. Rather, you hid some of your forces behind your proxies.
The militant claims Kassig was killed because he “fought against the Muslims in Iraq, while serving as a soldier”. Kassig’s family says it is awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
The family respectfully asks that the news media avoid playing into the hostage takers’ hands and refrain from publishing or broadcasting photographs or video distributed by the hostage takers. We prefer our son is written about and remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family, not in the manner the hostage takers would use to manipulate Americans and further their cause.