Author: Edward Campbell

A 16-year-old was fatally shot in Norristown Tuesday morning after investigators determined that he and another juvenile were playing with a firearm inside a home, authorities said. Norristown police responded to the 800 block of Arch Street at about 10:30 a.m. on September 22 following reports of a shooting. Officers found the teenager suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators with Norristown police and the Montgomery County Detectives determined that two juveniles had been handling a firearm when one of them fatally shot the other. Authorities have not publicly identified either juvenile. Another…

Nearly three and a half years after Michael Garr was fatally stabbed while walking through Drexel Hill, the case has reached a Delaware County courtroom. Garr, a 15-year-old sophomore at Upper Darby High School, was killed on April 21, 2023. Prosecutors told jurors Tuesday that the teenager had no known connection to the man accused of attacking him and described the killing as an unprovoked act of violence. The first-degree murder trial opened with emotional testimony, including the 911 call made by Ian Coughlan, a driver who stopped after Garr ran toward his vehicle seeking help. Coughlan testified that Garr…

LAKEVILLE, Minn. — Two Lakeville high schools were placed under lockdown Tuesday after separate anonymous threats referenced possible weapons, including firearms and explosives. Police searched both campuses and found no weapons or evidence of violence. The first threat was reported shortly after 9 a.m. through Lakeville Area Schools’ anonymous reporting system and was directed at Lakeville South High School. Because authorities considered the threat immediate and specific, students and staff were evacuated while police, first responders and K-9 teams searched the building. No weapons were found at Lakeville South, according to police. Students were moved from the school to Trinity…

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A Haitian woman has pleaded guilty to federal charges after prosecutors said she falsely identified herself as a U.S. citizen while registering to vote in Miami-Dade County and then voted in the 2024 general election. Valery Zidor, 23, pleaded guilty to two counts involving false claims of U.S. citizenship for voting purposes and one count of voting by an alien, according to federal prosecutors. Court records cited by prosecutors say Zidor submitted two voter registration forms to the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections. On both forms, she indicated that she was a U.S. citizen even though…

The latest investigation began after deputies were called Sunday to a used car dealership on Cesar Chavez Avenue in Pontiac. Investigators found signs of forced entry, a badly damaged Dodge Charger and a Dodge Dart that had been taken from the dealership. The case quickly expanded as detectives connected the dealership break-in to two vehicles reportedly stolen from a Pontiac landscaping business during the previous two days. A Chevrolet pickup truck was reported stolen on Sept. 19 and was allegedly used to crash through a fenced parking area. The following day, another truck, a Dodge Ram, was taken from the…

An urban explorer known online as Decaying Midwest says he was assaulted by a man he believed to be a security guard while trying to find a way into the recently closed Ford City Mall in Chicago. The 28-year-old content creator, who has not publicly shared his real name, said the incident happened Monday night as he and a friend were near the former mall property on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Decaying Midwest is known for exploring abandoned and closed buildings and documenting what remains inside. The creator said he and his friend were looking for a way into the shuttered…

A swastika was found painted on a playground slide at Devonshire Park in Highland Park on Tuesday, prompting a police investigation and renewed attention to security around local parks and houses of worship. Highland Park police responded to the park after the antisemitic graffiti was reported. Park district personnel later removed the marking from the slide. City officials condemned the vandalism and said the incident is especially troubling as members of Highland Park’s Jewish community observe the High Holy Days and prepare for Sukkot. Mayor Nancy Rotering said the timing made the incident particularly painful for Jewish families in the…

A fatal confrontation in Yorkville has led to serious criminal charges against a 21-year-old Oswego man after police said a vehicle was deliberately used to strike two people during a dispute Sunday evening. Jacob T. Lestina is accused of hitting two pedestrians in the parking lot of a Planet Fitness in the 300 block of East Veterans Parkway at about 5:15 p.m. Sunday, according to police. One of the victims, Victor M. Hernandez Medina, 23, of Sandwich, later died from his injuries at a hospital. The second victim survived and was treated for injuries that police described as non-life-threatening. Police…

A ride home on an MBTA bus took a violent turn Sunday night when a Dorchester man says he stepped in after another passenger began harassing an older woman and ended up suffering multiple stab wounds. Shane Vautour said he had just finished working as a bartender and was riding the Route 22 bus when the incident unfolded. According to Vautour, an older woman boarded the bus and began speaking with other passengers before another man started yelling at her. Vautour said the man made racist and sexual remarks toward the woman and became increasingly aggressive. He told reporters that…

A 28-year-old San Jose man was arrested after police said he approached an officer and reported a killing, leading investigators to a second person found dead at another location. Police said the investigation began around 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, when an officer was flagged down by Marcelino Castro. According to authorities, Castro told the officer he had committed a homicide near Lelong Avenue and Alma Avenue. Officers went to the area, near the Guadalupe River and Highway 87, and found a deceased male. Castro was taken into custody as detectives began investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. While speaking…