Wildfire rages on Greece’s Crete island; settlements evacuated
2 dead, 7 injured, including police officer, in a Miami bar shooting
Two people were killed and seven injured in a shooting at a bar near downtown Miami early Saturday morning.
Miami-Dade Police Department were called about 3:30 a.m. Saturday to a report of an altercation at the Martini Bar in the CityPlace center in Doral. The suspect was located by a security guard who tried to deescalate the situation, police said. The suspect then shot and killed the security guard and a responding police officer killed the suspect, according to a press conference held by the Miami Dade Police Department.
In the gunfire exchange, another officer sustained a gunshot wound to the lower extremity and at least six other people – five men and one woman – were injured, Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said during the conference.
Two victims were taken to trauma centers and listed in critical condition, Zabaleta said, and the remaining four were stable.
Investigators are working to determine what caused the altercation.
Man convicted of hate crimes for stabbing attack in New York City
A New Jersey resident was convicted of hate crimes after he attacked a Muslim man with a knife near a New York City food cart while saying slurs, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Gino Sozio, 40, of Morganville, New Jersey, swung a knife at a group of Muslims near a halal food cart in Midtown while making Islamophobic comments, prosecutors said, slashing one man in the torso.
“Instead of walking away from a dispute, Sozio went on an appalling racist and anti-Muslim tirade,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
A New York Supreme Court jury found Sozio guilty of first-degree attempted assault and second-degree assault, both as hate crimes, as well as third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He will be sentenced on May 3.
The conviction comes as civil rights leaders decry a record-high level of Islamophobic hate incidents in the United States.
Ex-officer faces federal charges, accused of punching handcuffed man
A former Weymouth, Massachusetts, police officer who resigned after allegedly punching a handcuffed man more than a dozen times during an arrest now faces federal charges.
Justin Chappell, 44, was charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled a plea hearing for Thursday. In a plea agreement signed by Chappell, U.S. District Attorney Joshua Levy recommended no prison time, one year of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and 100 hours of community service. The charge of deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in bodily injury can bring a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Ken Anderson, an attorney for Chappell, declined to comment until after the
case is resolved.
Texas woman arrested on warrant for overdue library book
AUSTIN, Texas — Kaylee Morgan, a stay-at-home mother of five from Bastrop County, went to renew her driver’s license only to find out she had a warrant out for her arrest because of an overdue library book.
The DMV rejected the 30-year-old’s license renewal and informed Morgan she needed to contact the court about the warrant. She was issued a $570 fine for the overdue library book from the Navasota Public Library in Grimes County.
“It’s a freaking book, y’all,” Morgan said in a Facebook post March 29. “It’s not the Declaration of Independence.”
The city of Navasota requires two written notices to be sent requesting the return of library materials within 30 days from the due date. The library can then file a complaint against the person responsible for the materials and suspend their library cards. Failing to respond to the complaint letter within 10 days by returning the materials and paying the overdue fine results in a misdemeanor criminal offense. This is punishable by a maximum fine of $500, according to the city of Navasota.
“It is so silly, I have a warrant out for my arrest for past-due library books,” Morgan said.
China, US military officials to hold talks in Hawaii
WASHINGTON – U.S. military officials met their Chinese counterparts earlier this week for a series of meetings in Hawaii focused on how the two countries can operate safely, U.S. officials said on Friday.
President Joe Biden sought to manage tensions over the South China Sea in a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.
The two leaders had agreed to resume direct military talks when they met in November.
In a statement, the U.S. military said officials from both countries “reviewed safety-related events over the last few years, and discussed sustaining maritime and aviation operational safety and professionalism.”
At the meetings, China also firmly opposed any attempt to endanger its sovereignty and security in the name of freedom of navigation and overflight, the ministry said.
ATHENS, Greece — A wildfire raged out of control on the Greek island of Crete on Saturday, with authorities ordering the evacuation of four residential settlements, the fire department said.
Fanned by strong winds, the blaze spread across the slopes of the mountainous forest east of the seaside town of Ierapetra.
Authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of the Achlia, Galini, Agia Fotia and Mavros Kolimpos settlements, home to around 300 people, as the blaze got close to some homes.
About 120 firefighters were battling the blaze on the ground, assisted by two helicopters.