Connect with us

Published

on

A TikTok star has died after spending several days on life support following a shooting inside a cinema in the US, police and his family have said.

Anthony Barajas, 19, and Rylee Goodrich, 18, were both shot in the head as they watched The Forever Purge at a cinema in Corona, southern California, about 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, on Monday 26 July.

They were found by workers at the cinema after the last showing of the night.

Ms Goodrich died at the scene while Mr Barajas was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police said they had attended the showing together and they had gone to see the film for their first date, according to US media reports.

On Saturday, police confirmed the teenager had died from his injuries. Officers said the shooting appeared to be random and unprovoked.

Suspected gunman Joseph Jimenez, 20, appeared at Riverside County Superior Court on Friday after being charged with murder in the death of Ms Goodrich and attempted murder of Mr Barajas. Officers are now working with prosecutors to add a second murder count.

Jimenez has not entered a plea and is due to appear in court again next week.

More on California

He has also been charged with a special circumstance of lying in wait, which makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted as charged.

Mr Barajas was a high school honour student, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. He was known online as “itsanthonymichael”, NBC reported, with nearly a million followers on TikTok and more than 50,000 on Instagram.

“From his quick smile to his compassionate heart, Anthony’s presence was a gift to all who knew him,” his family said in a statement paying tribute.

A GoFundMe page set up to help cover medical expenses while Mr Barajas was on life support has now received more than $80,000 (about £57,500) in donations.

Continue Reading

US

Nashville school shooting: First pictures emerge of victims of attack, including nine-year-old girl and headteacher

Published

on

By

Nashville school shooting: First pictures emerge of victims of attack, including nine-year-old girl and headteacher

Images of four victims of a shooting at a school in Nashville have been released.

Six people, including three children, were all shot dead by Audrey Elizabeth Hale after the former student opened fire in the private Covenant School in the Tennessee state capital.

The six victims have been named as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all aged nine, 61-year-olds Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, and 60-year-old Katherine Koonce.

Pictures have so far been released of Mr Hill, Ms Koonce, Ms Peak and nine-year-old Hallie.

Read more:
Video shows moment attacker was shot dead

Why tragedy could have been even worse

Hallie was the daughter of the pastor whose church runs the school.

The three adults were all staff, Ms Koonce was the headteacher, Ms Peak a substitute teacher and Mr Hill was a caretaker.

Headteacher Katherine Koonce was among the six victims. Pic: The Covenant School
Image:
Headteacher Katherine Koonce was among the six victims. Pic: The Covenant School
Michael Hill - Facebook
Image:
Mike Hill was 61. Pic: Facebook
Cynthia Peak
Image:
Cynthia Peak was also 61

“We love the Scruggs family and mourn with them over their precious daughter Hallie,” Park Cities Presbyterian Church senior pastor Mark Davis said in a statement.

“Together, we trust in the power of Christ to draw near and give us the comfort and hope we desperately need.”

The Covenant School in Nashville has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade, as well as roughly 50 staff members.

Hale had a manifesto and detailed maps of the school, and entered the building by shooting through its doors and starting on a killing spree.

Read more:
Video of Nashville school killer entering building released
What we know about killer Audrey Hale

Police chief John Drake said: “We have a manifesto. We have some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this day, the actual incident. We have a map drawn out about how this was all going to take place.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Nashville shooting: Police kill school attacker

Officers started receiving reports of an attack at 10.13am (4.13pm UK time) and as police began clearing the ground floor of the school they heard gunfire coming from the second floor.

Two officers from a five-member team opened fire in response and fatally shot the suspect at 10.27am (4.27pm).

Hale’s motive for the attack is not yet known.

Continue Reading

US

Nashville school shooting: Bodycam video shows moment attacker was shot dead by police

Published

on

By

Nashville school shooting: Bodycam video shows moment attacker was shot dead by police

Graphic video has been released of the moment the Nashville school attacker was shot dead by police.

Audrey Hale, who identified as a transgender male and was a former student of the private Christian school, killed three pupils aged nine and three adults before being stopped.

Footage from Officer Rex Engelbert’s bodycam shows him opening fire with a rifle several times on Hale before the perpetrator falls to the ground injured.

Audrey Hale. Pic: Metro Nashville Police Department
Image:
Audrey Hale. Pic: Metro Nashville Police Department

Police then head towards the 28-year-old just a few metres away as officers shout “move, move”, and “watch out, watch out”.

The attacker, now on the floor, is hit by several more police gunshots before an officer yells to the suspect “stop moving, stop moving”, with the killer appearing to be still alive as one of their arms moves.

An officer screams “throw your hands away from the gun, get your hands away from the gun”, while another says “suspect down, suspect down”.

Hale’s body is then shown lying next to the weapons, including a rifle, the assailant used in the deadly Monday morning attack on the second floor of the Covenant School in Tennessee.

More on Nashville Shooting

Footage shows the attacker just before they were shot
Image:
Footage shows the attacker just before they were shot
The attack's body is shown lying on the ground after officers opened fire
Image:
The attacker’s body is shown lying on the ground after officers opened fire

A second clip shows what happened from a different angle with footage from Officer Michael Collazo’s bodycam. He is shown firing his pistol at Hale in the second volley of shots after the suspect was already on the ground.

Minutes earlier, the officers had stormed the building as video showed several going from empty classroom to empty classroom before making their way to the second floor.

(L-R) Officer Rex Engelbert and Officer Michael Collazo
Image:
(L-R) Officer Rex Engelbert and Officer Michael Collazo both opened fire on the perpetrator

Multiple gunshots are heard in the footage as officers run down a hallway – past what appears to be a victim – and into a lounge area, where the suspect is seen dropping to the floor after being shot.

Police said the suspect was killed after a confrontation with officers.

Read more:
What we know about killer Audrey Hale
Video of Nashville school killer entering building
Why Nashville tragedy could have been even worse

The start of the six-minute police video shows Officer Engelbert retrieving a rifle from his car boot before a member of staff directs him to the entrance, telling him that the school is locked down but at least two children are not accounted for.

“Let’s go! I need three!” the officer yells as he uses a key to unlock a door and enter the building, where alarms can be heard ringing.

Hale was described by officials as a “lone zealot”, who lived in Nashville, and was armed with two assault-type weapons, and a handgun.

Audrey Hale
Image:
Hale identified as transgender

Hale had a manifesto and detailed maps of the school, and entered the building by shooting through its doors before the killings.

Police have also released video of the moment the attacker entered the school.

The six victims have been named as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all aged nine, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak and school custodian Mike Hill, both 61, and 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, who was the headteacher.

Continue Reading

US

Watch Gwyneth Paltrow in court over ski crash lawsuit

Published

on

By

Continue Reading

Trending