Crowds turn out to say final farewell to murdered mother and her children
Veterinary surgeon Vanessa Whyte, 45, and her children James Rutledge, 14, and Sara Rutledge, 13, died in a shooting incident at their home in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh, in July.
Agricultural contractor Ian Rutledge, 43, who died on Monday, is understood to be the only suspect in the shooting of his family.
Police in Northern Ireland have said a triple murder and attempted suicide was a line of inquiry.
Following a service of removal in Maguiresbridge on Wednesday, a funeral service took place for Ms Whyte and her children in Barefield, where she was originally from.
Crowds travelled to attend the funeral at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday.
Many of the mourners wore GAA jerseys and bright colours as requested by the family as they lined the main street to watch the three hearses pass by.
The three are to be buried together in Templemaley Cemetery later.
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Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Soldier shoots five at US military base
A soldier has been arrested on suspicion of shooting five of his colleagues at a US army base in Georgia. Fort Stewart was locked down shortly after 11am local time over an 'active shooter incident' in its 2nd Armoured Brigade Combat Team area. All those who were injured were soldiers. The gunman was on 'active military duty', CNN reported. Authorities named the suspect as Quornelius Radford, a sergeant assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, which is part of the 3rd Infantry Division and stationed at Fort Stewart. All of the injured soldiers are in a stable condition and are expected to make a stable recovery, although three required surgery. 'The shooting occurred at the soldiers' place of work,' Brig Gen John Lubas, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, told reporters on Wednesday. 'It did involve his co-workers. We're still not certain about the motivation.' When the gunman opened fire, soldiers in the area tackled and subdued him, allowing law enforcement to take him into custody, Brig Gen Lubas continued. 'These soldiers, without a doubt, prevented further casualties,' he said He said Sgt Radford had been previously arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, but clarified that the sergeant's superiors were unaware of this. 'I do believe he was arrested locally for a DUI. That was unknown to his chain of command until the event occurred and we started looking into the law enforcement databases,' he said. The suspect used a handgun rather than a military weapon, he added. Sgt Radford is said to be in 'pre-trial confinement' and being interviewed by army investigators. He was apprehended at around 11.35am local time (4.35pm UK). The injured soldiers were treated on the base before being moved to Winn Army Community Hospital. 'Please join me in prayers for the casualties, their families, and the brave law enforcement officers working to protect our community,' said Buddy Carter, a Republican congressman representing the district that includes Fort Stewart. Sgt Radford is awaiting a charging decision by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel, an army body responsible for prosecuting serious crimes. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office released a mugshot of Sgt Radford following his arrest for driving under the influence in May. Public records indicate Sgt Radford, who had never been deployed to combat, is 28 and used to live in Jacksonville, Florida. As the incident unfolded, personnel were ordered to stay inside and lock all their windows and doors. Law enforcement was dispatched to the base, which is around 40 miles south-west of Savannah, at around 10.56am. Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, said: 'We are keeping the victims, their families, and all those who answer the call to serve in our hearts and prayers, and we ask that Georgians everywhere do the same.' Local schools, which had returned for their first day of term after the summer holidays, also went into lockdown out of what authorities called an 'abundance of caution'. In December 2022, infantryman Shay Wilson, 28, was charged with shooting and killing Sgt Nathan Hillman, a veteran of the Afghanistan War, at Fort Stewart. The case is still pending. Like Sgt Radford, Mr Wilson was assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, and was allegedly subdued by fellow officers. Fort Stewart opened as an anti-aircraft training facility in 1940, steadily growing in size in the decades since. The largest military installation east of the Mississippi, it now covers some 280,000 acres, an area roughly the size of New York City. More than 10,000 people live on the base, including soldiers, civilian army employees and their families. Donald Trump, the US president, called the incident an 'atrocity' when he spoke at the White House later on Wednesday. 'Five people are seriously wounded, and two very, very seriously,' he told reporters. 'The army criminal investigation division is on site to ensure that the perpetrator of this atrocity, which is exactly what it is, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 'The entire nation is praying for the victims and their families, and hopefully they'll fully recover and put this chapter behind them. But we're not going to forget what happened. 'We're going to take very good care of this person that did this,' Mr Trump added, calling the suspected gunman a 'horrible person'.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Moment gunmen flee London millionaire's enclave after assassinating Kurdish working men's club owner in 'gang-related shooting'
New video shows the moments after a father of three was gunned down on the street in a 'gang-related murder' in a wealthy north London neighbourhood - as new information emerged about his criminal past. Erdal Ozmen, a 45-year-old Kurdish social club owner, was shot dead on Dynevor Road in the millionaires' enclave of Stoke Newington, north London, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. CCTV obtained by the Daily Mail shows the suspected gunmen calmly fleeing the scene in a black Kia sport's car seconds after the shooting. The car is seen turning right out of Dynevor Road onto Stoke Newington High Street before stopping at the traffic lights. Moments later, the car speeds off. A friend of Mr Ozlem told the Mail: 'They were waiting outside. They were in a black Kia 2024. Someone shot him in the back then came back and kicked him and shot him another two times. 'There was one person and another waiting in the car. When they left, they waited 25 seconds at the traffic lights, that's how confident. They didn't hide their face, no masks, nothing.' Mr Ozmen was part of a group of men who were jailed in 2006 for trying to shoot dead a Turkish man outside a petrol station in Tottenham three years earlier, the friend confirmed. He and another man, Ibrahim Aslan, opened fire on the man but only wounded his right arm. Police were called at 0.18am on Tuesday and Mr Ozmen was pronounced dead at the scene, with a murder investigation then launched. No arrests have been made at this stage. Detectives believe the murder - which was the sixth fatal shooting in London so far this year - was an 'isolated incident' with 'no wider risk to the general public'. Residents claimed it was 'gang related', and police acknowledged it would 'concern within the Stoke Newington community' but have not given any indication of a motive. Witness Liza Dodds, 58, a youth worker who lives in the area, said: 'My husband woke up and said there was gunshots. The instant reaction was "how do you know?" 'We both got up and had a look. A police officer was doing CPR where the person fell. It seemed like they were going forever.' Mr Ozmen has three brothers, who are set to join other members of his family to celebrate his life at a social club in Tottenham. Neighbours recalled seeing Mr Ozmen regularly hanging around the street he was gunned down on and going in and out of a 'sketchy' basement opposite where he was shot dead. Residents claimed the shooting was 'gang related', and police acknowledged it would 'concern within the Stoke Newington community' but have not given any indication of a motive Mr Ozmen's friend Ali Rizi Ojur told ITV that he was a 'very good guy, always helping people' Sandy Fabiszewska, 28, who has lived in a flat above the shooting scene for three years, said: 'I was in my bed and then I heard gunshots, it was like four gunshots. It was really loud. 'I was too scared to look out the window. When I finally came out my flatmate said don't look, don't look. 'There was just a dead man there. They tried to resuscitate him for quite a long time.' She added: 'My flatmate was outside and heard a car fleeing and someone saying 'Go, go, go'. There was definitely a car and that's why the Lime bike fell over. 'It was a car and 100 per cent more than one person. I heard screaming and a few people around. 'I think a few people came out of the basement wondering what happened.' Ms Fabiszewska said the victim would often go in and out of the basement below their flat where there was 'suspicious' activity and that it had been raided by police in the past. She explained: The flat below us is always suspicious to be honest. You can smell weed, I think they were dealing drugs. 'Then they got raided quite a while ago. I don't know what happened then. But the door was always open a few days before the shooting. People were in and out and I don't know what happened there. 'I definitely saw the victim walking around here before. He would just be going in and out of the suspicious basement below us with quite a lot of people, like five or six people.' Another local, who asked to remain anonymous, added: 'We were out when it happened so we didn't hear or see anything. 'But when we came back at around 1am, the whole area was cordoned off and the police officers told us that it will be a crime scene for a couple of days.' Mr Ozmen's friend Ali Rizi Ojur told ITV News: 'I've known him maybe more than 20 years. He is a very good guy, always helping people, he has two kids and family.' Four forensic officers in scrubs and masks were at the scene yesterday afternoon, alongside several police officers. A Lime bike was lying flat in the cordoned area. The forensic officers used torches to investigate underneath the nine cars parked on the street. Scotland Yard said the man's next of kin have been told and a post-mortem examination will take place. Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing for the area, said: 'Our team of detectives and forensic specialists are working at pace to establish the full circumstances that led to the tragic death of this man. 'We understand this incident will cause concern within the Stoke Newington community, however we do believe this to be an isolated incident at this stage of the investigation with no wider risk to the general public. 'Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area, along with a crime scene, as we carry out our enquiries. We thank them for their patience and co-operation at this time. 'We urge anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information that could assist us, to come forward as soon as possible.' A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called at 12.18am [on Tuesday] to reports of a shooting at the junction of Stoke Newington High Street and Dynevor Road, Hackney. 'We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, a paramedic from our tactical response unit and an incident response officer. 'We also dispatched a trauma team from London's Air Ambulance, which consisted of a paramedic and a doctor in car. 'Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.' Anyone who can help is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD 108/5AUG. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Fort Stewart army base shooting raises questions about military gun policies
A shooting that injured five soldiers at one of the country's largest military bases on Wednesday has resurfaced questions about a long-standing army policy that largely prevents service members from carrying personal weapons on military installations. Soldiers in the area who witnessed the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia 'immediately and without hesitation' tackled the shooter to subdue him before law enforcement arrived, Brigadier Gen. John Lubas said at a news conference Wednesday. But they didn't have firearms to shoot back because of a policy first enacted decades ago to ensure safety by limiting armed members on army bases to military police. The suspect in the shooting, logistics Sgt. Quornelius Radford, used a personal weapon, Lubas said. Questions about why soldiers didn't have weapons were buzzing online after at least one video of the incident on social media appears to show service members in uniform running to safety amid a lockdown that lasted about an hour, instead of firing back at the shooter. While some have questioned why many service members in the area during the shooting didn't use weapons to defend themselves, others have questioned whether existing regulations do enough to prevent shootings on bases. The shooting is the latest in a growing list of violent incidents at American military installations over the years — some claiming upward of a dozen lives. Experts say that there are reasons for long-standing regulations on military bases, despite their limitations. Department of Defense policy in place for decades Department of Defense policy prohibits military personnel from carrying personal weapons on base without permission from a senior commander, and there is a strict protocol for how the firearm must be stored. Typically, military personnel must officially check their guns out of secure storage to go to on-base hunting areas or shooting ranges, and then check all firearms back in promptly after its sanctioned use. Military police are often the only armed personnel on base, outside of shooting ranges, hunting areas or in training, where soldiers can wield their service weapons without ammunition. The federal policy leaves little room for local commanders to use discretion about how the policy is enforced. That means the regulation applies even in Georgia, a state with some of the most lax gun regulations in the country, where Fort Stewart is located. Designed to protect national security Robert Capovilla, a founding partner for one of the largest military law firms in the country, strongly believes in the Second Amendment. But he said that the strict firearm policies on military bases exist for a reason. 'A lot of these installations are involved in top-secret operations, dealing with top-secret information, and because of that you need a heightened security," said Capovilla, a former military prosecutor and defense attorney. 'You simply don't want folks walking around a federal installation with personal weapons.' He said he has traveled to 'nearly every single major military installation' in North America for his work. Whenever he visits an installation, he said armed military police have a visible presence almost constantly on base. He added that he doesn't believe Wednesday's shooting could have been prevented if military personnel had been armed at the time. Limitations to military gun regulation Firearms on military bases are more regulated than most states in some ways, according to former military prosecutor and defense counsel Eric Carpenter. But he said that the limitations on gun control on military bases parallel gun policy debates in the public more broadly. 'You don't forfeit all of your rights when you enter the military,' Carpenter said. ' Outside of a military situation, the service member has just as much Second Amendment right as anyone else.' For example, it could be fairly straightforward for a service member living off-base to bring a weapon onto the military installation, Carpenter said, because a senior commander can't regulate gun ownership off base. There is also scant legal ground for leadership to confiscate a gun when a service member is exhibiting signs of a mental health crisis or post-traumatic stress disorder, potentially posing a threat to themselves or others. In recent years, those gaps have come under more scrutiny because of mass shootings, he said. 'All those rules aren't going to prevent someone from doing what the guy did today,' Carpenter said.
