Black People in the News
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ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Friday admitted fatally shooting someone who was trying to collect a drug debt.
Terrell Donta McDaniel, 41, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of discharge of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
In the plea agreement and in court, McDaniel admitted agreeing to sell 10 grams of fentanyl to Andre Nash on Nov. 2, 2022 for $500. But McDaniel did not give Nash the full amount of fentanyl that he paid for, and Nash began looking for McDaniel to collect the debt.
When Nash learned McDaniel was staying at a vacant house in the 4100 block of Clara Place, he went there and entered the house. McDaniel shot Nash twice in the chest and once in the face, killing him.
McDaniel and several others wrapped Nash’s body in tarps and plastic and placed him in the trunk of a stolen car, dumping the body in the 5900 block of St. Louis Avenue after dark that day. The body was discovered the next morning.
McDaniel is scheduled to be sentenced November 29.
The fentanyl conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both. The discharge of a firearm charge is punishable by a sentence of up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI.
A 63 year old elderly white man was sitting quietly with his wife in an assigned VP seat at a Florida movie theater when a 27 year old black man beat him for refusing to move and give his seat to the black man who did not pay for a reserved VIP Seat.
www.foxnews.com
Florida moviegoer beaten after asking couple to move from his reserved, VIP seats in 'callous' attack
A 63-year-old man was beaten in a Florida movie theatre after he asked a young couple to move from the seats he reserved.
www.foxnews.com
jack
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Search continues for Nashville police chief's son after shooting of two officers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. − Authorities on Monday continued to search for the son of Nashville's police chief who officials said is a suspect in the shooting of two officers in Tennessee over the weekend.The shooting took place Saturday afternoon in the city of La Vergne, about 20 miles southeast of Nashville, and injured two La Vergne Police Department officers.
Police in the city issued a shelter-in-place order after the shooting, asking residents in Rutherford County − the the fifth-most populous county in the state − to lock their doors and stay inside while officers combed the area for the suspect.
La Vergne police identified the suspect as John C. Drake Jr. − confirmed by the Metro Nashville Police Department as Chief John Drake's son.
The suspect, police said, is believed to be armed and dangerous and is wanted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Drake Jr. remained at large as of Monday morning, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron told USA TODAY.
On Monday police said both injured LaVerne officers, who were taken to a Nashville hospital in stable condition Saturday, had been released from the hospital.
The shelter-in-place order, police said, was lifted Saturday night after "all search efforts had been exhausted" and police had reason to believe Drake "was no longer in the established perimeter."
The shooting occurred at 2:23 p.m. in front of a Dollar General Store in La Vergne while officers pursued a possible stolen vehicle, according to La Vergne Police Chief Christopher Moews.
"Our officers were investigating a stolen vehicle. They made contact with a subject. They struggled with that subject," Moews said. "During that struggle, the suspect produced a handgun and fired shots."
Both injured officers were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to be treated for multiple gunshot wounds − one by ambulance and one by medical helicopter.
Police identified the injured officers as La Vergne officers Ashley Boleyjack and Officer Gregory Kern.
Boleyjack, a nearly three-year veteran whose name was not released, was shot in the left shoulder. Kern, who has held the position for a year and a half, was shot in his right groin and right forearm.
The suspect wore gray pants and a "black T-shirt with a hockey mask emblem on the front with red lettering," Moews said. "Lock your doors and call the police if you see subjects matching this description."
Police said Boleyjack was released from the hospital on Saturday night and Kern was released Sunday.
Drake issued a statement Saturday evening calling for the arrest of his son, with whom he said he is estranged.
"Despite my efforts and guidance in the early and teenage years, my son, John Drake Jr., now 38-years-old, resorted to years of criminal activity and is a convicted felon," Drake said in the statement. "He has not been a part of my life for quite some time. He now needs to be found and held accountable for his actions today. I hope that anyone who sees him or has information about him will contact law enforcement immediately.”
Newly elected Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell issued his own statement in support of Drake.
"My heart goes out to Chief Drake, his family, and the two wounded La Vergne police officers. I know that despite our best efforts − including in their early years − we can't be responsible for the choices of family members," O'Connell said. "I support Chief Drake and stand by him at this difficult time. He is the right Chief of Police for Nashville."
Drake was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted List on Sunday and is wanted by the TBI for two counts of attempted first degree murder.
Police described him as 5’11” tall and about 195 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
At the time of the shooting, he had facial hair and dreadlocks, police said.
The TBI on Monday was offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of Drake.
Nashville's top cop, the city's eighth police chief, was appointed to the post in November 2020.
Drake, who has been with the department for 35 years, bested four outside finalists to succeed his predecessor Steve Anderson, who left the police department under criticism in 2020.
Drake should not be approached, police said.
Anyone who knows where Drake is should call 911 or the 1-800-TBI-FIND hotline.
jack
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Protesters demand answers after Black woman found hanging on tree
Dozens marched following the closure of the case of Yolna Lubrin, a Black woman discovered hanging from a tree last month in Orlando, Florida, according to a local newspaper. The march aimed to urge police to disclose their findings and conduct a more thorough investigation after officers discovered Lubrin’s body Sept. 28.Speakers at the event included Naomi Lubrin, Yolna’s sister, and the family’s attorney, Life Malcolm. Malcolm demanded that the Orlando Police Department share more records associated with the case. Malcolm said officers called off a planned meeting with him and the family earlier in the week. Instead, he was instructed to submit public record requests to access the information that was supposed to be discussed during the meeting. “With transparency comes trust, and by the same token, a lack of transparency breeds distrust, so it’s unusual to me that this police department would just stonewall this family from information,” he said. “It is unusual to make that promise, set that expectation for the family, and then renege with almost no explanation at the very last minute.”
An Orlando Police spokesperson said witness statements, Lubrin’s mental health history, cellphone communications and physical evidence, including no physical injuries other than ligature marks on her neck, “all point to suicide.” The family has not received the findings. Lubrin’s family has also requested officers to conduct a sexual assault test, funded an independent autopsy and is currently awaiting the results.
On Friday, Lubrin’s sister led a crowd of protesters to the house where the body was found. From there, gatherers walked several miles throughout the Parramore community while holding up signs with pictures of Yolna Lubrin’s face while chanting her nickname, “Yo-Yo.”
Advocates highlight overlooked aspects of the case, like Lubrin’s vandalized car. They also raised concerns about her emotional state, noting her proximity to her birthday and plans to move to Miami.
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6 former Mississippi officers to be sentenced over torture of two Black men
Six white former law enforcement officers in Mississippi are set to be sentenced in federal court this week over the beating and sexual assault of two Black men, one of whom was shot in the mouth.Five former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies and another officer pleaded guilty to more than a dozen federal charges in August after Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker accused them of bursting into a home without a warrant, beating them, assaulting them with a sex toy and shocking them repeatedly with stun guns last year. Jenkins said one of the deputies shoved a gun in his mouth and fired the weapon. "I relive this everyday," Parker, who is expected to testify in court this week, said at a news conference Monday. "I relive this every time I turn on the TV, anytime I get on my phone, I'm on social media and I'm seeing everybody telling my story, everybody telling my story."
The officers are former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton, Hunter Elward, and Daniel Opdyke; and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield, according to the indictment in the Southern District of Mississippi. Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey in June announced the deputies involved in the incident had been fired and in August, they pleaded guilty to state charges connected to the incident, which Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, previously described as "torture."
In court documents, prosecutors said some of the officers called themselves the “Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force and not report it. Three of the officers − Dedmon, Elward, and Opdyke − also pleaded guilty to using excessive force in a separate incident. Prosecutors recommended sentences ranging from five to 30 years, which will run concurrently with time served for separate convictions at the state level, the Associated Press reported. Attorneys, family members of the two men who were assaulted and community advocates called for the maximum sentence for each former officer.
"The day of justice has finally come for the Rankin County 'Goon Squad,'" attorney Malik Shabazz told reporters. "It's an important day not only in Mississippi, but this is an important day for accountability for police brutality all throughout America."
According to the federal indictment, Parker was staying at the home of a longtime friend, and Jenkins was there temporarily. McAlpin received a complaint from one of his white neighbors that some Black men had been staying at the property and the neighbor had observed "suspicious" behavior. That night, Dedmon reached out to a group of officers and asked if they were "available for a mission," according to the complaint. On Jan. 24, 2023, the officers entered the home without a warrant, handcuffed the men, shocked them with stun guns, used racial slurs and assaulted the men with a sex toy.
At one point, Dedmon "demanded to know where the drugs were" and fired a bullet into a wall, the complaint said. Dedmon also "poured milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup on their faces and into their mouths," and "poured cooking grease" on Parker's head. Elward threw eggs at the men. Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon and McAlpin used a wooden kitchen implement, a metal sword and pieces of wood to beat Parker, the complaint said. The incident culminated in a "mock execution," when Elward fired a bullet in Jenkins' mouth, which lacerated his tongue, broke his jaw and exited through his neck, the complaint said. The officers ordered the men to strip naked and shower "to wash away evidence of abuse" before they were brought to jail, according to the complaint. The officers then concocted a cover story and "planted and tampered with evidence to corroborate their false cover story and cover up their misconduct," it said. The officers submitted fraudulent drug evidence to the crime lab, filed false reports, charged Jenkins with crimes he did not commit, made false statements to investigators, pressured witnesses to stick to the cover story, planted a gun and destroyed video evidence, shell casings, and stun gun cartridges, according to the complaint.
"The cover up and the obstruction are as dangerous as the acts themselves," Shabazz said.
Jeffrey Reynolds, who represents Opdyke, said in a statement provided to USA TODAY that he and his partner will be releasing "substantial evidence" to explain Opdyke's actions. "Daniel has accepted responsibility for his actions, and failures to act, in relation to the two incidents that are the subject of his sentencing hearing, has admitted he was wrong, and feels deep remorse for the pain he caused the victims," Reynolds said.
The six former officers also pleaded guilty to state charges of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and hinder prosecution, according to a press release from the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch. Dedmon and Elward pleaded guilty to additional charges of home invasion, the release said. Elward pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke and Hartfield pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and hindering prosecution. Bailey previously acknowledged the deputies' actions eroded the public's trust and pledged to work to restore it. In November, he announced the department updated its training and complaints process after the assault. Shabazz called for Bailey's resignation Monday and called on Clarke to launch a pattern or practice investigation into Rankin County, similar to the investigation recently opened in Lexington, Mississippi. Jenkins and Parker have also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking $400 million in damages.
"We're still in a battle for justice, for dignity, for respect, and we are planning on winning that battle," Shabazz said.