Officer, Woman Shot And Killed In North Dakota

A Grand Forks police officer died and a woman was shot dead as law officers attempted to serve eviction papers on a man in the North Dakota city. Police said gunfire broke out Wednesday afternoon as two Grand Forks County sheriff's deputies and two city police officers tried to serve the papers. The man to be evicted, Salamah Q. Pendleton, 41, opened fire, police said. Pendleton was shot and was being treated at a local hospital. A woman in the apartment was shot fatally, as was the city police officer. A sheriff's deputy who was shot and wounded was in stable condition, police said. KNOX radio reported the shooting was being investigated by the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation. 

30 Counts Filed Against 2 Men In Ambush, Shooting Of Michigan Officer

Two men suspected in the weekend shooting of a Monroe police officer have been arraigned, according to the Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Kordney Antwoine McDonald of Ypsilanti and Koby Ryan Falls of Monroe are charged in the shooting of Cpl. Renae Peterson of the Monroe City Police Department at around 8 p.m. Sunday, May 24, near North Dixie Highway and Ternes Drive, Michigan State Police said. Both men appeared before First District Court Judge Jack Vitale Tuesday afternoon, May 26. McDonald faces 17 counts, including assault with murderous intent, assaulting a police officer, felonious assault, armed robbery, carjacking and felony weapons charges. Falls faces 13 counts, including assaulting a police officer, armed robbery, concealed carry violations and felony weapons charges.

Protesters, Law Enforcement Clash In Downtown L.A. During Protest Over George Floyd’s Death

Several hundred demonstrators, organized by Black Lives Matter-LA, converged on downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday to march around the Civic Center, part of a series of national protests to show outrage over the the death of George Floyd, a black man killed Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with his knee. At some point during the march, a group of people broke off and entered the 101 Freeway near Alameda Street, briefly blocking the roadway. Television footage showed the protesters blocking the freeway and confronting a California Highway Patrol car. At least one patrol car was vandalized by protesters during the confrontation, and one demonstrator was injured after falling off the CHP cruiser as it drove away. That protester received medical attention; the person’s condition was not released. The marchers eventually left the freeway but continued to protest off Aliso Street. Ringed by officers and police cruisers and with helicopters circling overhead, protesters used an aerosol spray to burn an upside-down American flag at the intersection of Aliso and Los Angeles streets. Some tagged the LAPD headquarters with anti-police graffiti.

No Appeal For North Hills Man In Killing Of Wife And Son

The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to review the case of a North Hills man convicted of fatally stabbing his wife and then shooting his bisexual son to death. Shehada Khalil Issa is serving two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole for his September 2017 first-degree murder conviction for killing his wife of 50 years, Rabihah, and using a shotgun to kill his 38-year-old son, Amir, also known as “Rocky,” in March 2016. In a ruling Feb. 20, a three-justice panel from California’s Court of Appeal found there was “overwhelming evidence” of Issa’s guilt. “Defendant controlled access to the home through a padlock to which only he knew its combination. The padlock was placed on the front door after Rabihah was murdered,” the appellate court panel noted in its ruling in February.

After More Than 130 Burglaries, LA Man Arrested

A man tied to more than 130 burglaries in Southern California as well as in Minnesota was arrested this week in Los Angeles, police said Wednesday. Torrance police were investigating several commercial burglaries in the city dating to last year when on Tuesday, investigators located and arrested 48-year-old Brian Williams in Los Angeles, police said in a statement. Williams was accused of more than 30 burglaries in Los Angeles County and more than 100 in Minnesota, according to Torrance police. “During the burglaries commission, the suspect would target office buildings with multiple suites looking for currency,” police said. “Over the past several months, the suspect was able to elude authorities by utilizing several aliases temporarily.”

Los Angeles Sheriff Says Crime Continues To Drop During Pandemic

Crime rates are generally continuing to drop in Los Angeles County during the coronavirus pandemic, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said while again lamenting cuts to his department's budget. Villanueva said both violent and property crime have dropped by more than 6% during the pandemic, although homicides are up more than 12%. Reports of rape, meanwhile, are down by nearly one-third. The sheriff said the drop in rape reports does not necessarily mean the number of actual crimes is dropping, but merely that the reporting has been reduced. Similarly, reports of child abuse are significantly down, meaning that children are likely stuck at home with their abuser rather than going out to places where other adults might be able to identify possible signs of abuse, he said.

Study: Domestic Violence Reports Increased In L.A. During Coronavirus Crisis

A UCLA-led research team announced Wednesday they have found an increase in the incidents of domestic violence being reported in Los Angeles and Indianapolis since safer-at-home policies were implemented in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “Shelter-in-place rules, by mandating more time at home, are very likely to increase the volume of domestic or intimate partner violence, which thrives behind closed doors,” said the study’s senior author, UCLA anthropology professor Jeffrey Brantingham. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, both Los Angeles and Indianapolis already have seen significant increases in domestic violence calls to the police, and we know domestic violence is one of the crimes least reported to the police.” Researchers analyzed police calls for service before and during the coronavirus pandemic, along with crime statistics for both cities.

Feds Arrest 'The Mask Man,' New York Pharmacist Accused Of Profiteering On N95 Masks

A licensed pharmacist in New York bought up thousands of rare N95 masks and sold them at much higher prices during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal authorities said Tuesday, announcing the arrest of Richard Schirripa, a.k.a. "the Mask Man," on charges that include violating the Defense Production Act. Schirripa is accused of charging up to $25 per mask – often selling them out of his car. Schirripa is accused of buying about $200,000 worth of N95 masks between February and April and selling thousands of them "at severely inflated prices during both late March and April 2020," according to a criminal complaint that was recently unsealed. The timeframe coincides with the wave of coronavirus cases that came crashing into New York, as the pandemic arrived in the U.S. in full force. "I feel like a drug dealer standing out here," Schirripa, 66, allegedly said in early April as he was recorded selling 16 boxes of N95 masks to a customer on a street in Manhattan, according to the complaint.

Local Government News

Thousands Of Struggling L.A. Residents Could Get Rent Relief Under $100-Million City Council Proposal

Tens of thousands of renters facing pandemic-related economic struggles in Los Angeles could receive financial assistance under a plan set to be unveiled today from Council President Nury Martinez. The $100 million in proposed rent relief is necessary to keep financially strapped Angelenos in their homes, Martinez said. “You can see the desperation in people’s eyes about how they’re going to feed their families let alone how they’re going to pay their rent,” said Martinez, who represents eastern San Fernando Valley neighborhoods. The economic devastation of the novel coronavirus shutdown has been felt across the region, with the unemployment rate in L.A. County topping 20%.