North Texas man who shot roommate while high on mushrooms sent to federal prison
Russell Alan Ragsdale, 25, was initially arrested in February 2022 on felony murder charges, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in North Texas. At that time, he told police that his roommate attacked him and that he shot the other man 'many times' in self defense.
Police recovered three firearms and two grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms from Ragsdale's home during their investigation, federal attorneys said. Analysis of Ragsdale's phone showed a history of drug use dating back to 2021 and evidence that he had bought and used mushrooms on the day of his roommate's murder.
Ragsdale pled guilty in April to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, according to the statement.
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Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mom brought kids to safety before she and husband stabbed to death on trail: Police
A 28-year-old teacher has admitted to murdering the married couple found stabbed to death on a walking trail in an Arkansas park over the weekend in what appears to be a "completely random" attack, police said. Andrew James McGann, 28, of Springdale, Arkansas, was charged with two counts of capital murder in the killings of 43-year-old Clinton David Brink and his wife, 41-year-old Cristen Amanda Brink, Arkansas State Police announced Wednesday evening. The Brinks were "fatally attacked" while out hiking with their two daughters at Devil's Den State Park on July 26, police said. The "horrific" assault occurred about a half mile into the park, with the husband attacked first, police said. The children, ages 7 and 9, were not harmed in the incident thanks to the actions of their mother, police said. "We believe that the mother took them to safety, and then returned to help her husband," Maj. Stacie Rhoads with the Arkansas State Police said during a press briefing Thursday. Following a dayslong manhunt for the suspect, McGann was arrested shortly before 5 p.m. local time Wednesday at a barbershop in Springdale, about 30 miles north of the park, police said. During an interview with police, he admitted to killing the couple, Arkansas State Police Director Col. Mike Hagar said during Thursday's press briefing. DNA from blood recovered from the crime scene also matched McGann's DNA, Hagar said. The suspect had sustained cuts on his hands during a struggle with the victims, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. Items recovered from his residence were "consistent with being involved in this particular crime," Hagar said. McGann had recently moved to the area from Oklahoma and had been hired to work at a local school, officials said. He was hired to teach in the Springdale Public Schools district this upcoming school year but had not yet begun employment, according to the district's superintendent, Jared Cleveland. "This individual has not at any time come into contact with Springdale students or the families we serve," Cleveland said in a statement, adding that no additional information is available at this time due to the ongoing investigation. "Our entire team extends our deepest condolences to the Brink family. Their children are especially in our thoughts and prayers," he said. McGann was a fifth grade teacher in Broken Arrows, Oklahoma, during the 2023-2024 school year, the school district said. He passed required background checks, a Broken Arrow Public Schools spokesperson said. The prior school year, he was employed at an elementary school in Flower Mound, Texas, the Lewisville Independent School District confirmed. He was placed on administrative leave in the spring of 2023 "following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism," and he ultimately resigned, the school district said. "An internal investigation found no evidence of inappropriate behavior with students," the school district added. Asked about a motive in the double homicide, Hagar said it remains under investigation, though he did say it appeared to be a "completely random event." "We have no reason to believe that there was any known association between our suspects and our victims," Hagar said. The victims died from stab wounds, and the murder weapon was a knife, Hagar said Thursday. Knives were recovered from the residence's home, but it is unclear if any was the murder weapon, Rhoads said. Hagar said police received over 500 tips and credited the public's help with bringing the suspect into custody. Arkansas State Police had also released a composite sketch and photo from behind of a man who was seen in Devil's Den State Park on Saturday, the day of the killings. Police asked for the public's help in identifying the man, who they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the double homicide. Police previously said the suspect was seen leaving the area of the park in a black, four-door sedan, possibly a Mazda, with a license plate covered by tape, police said. The vehicle description was "critical" in identifying the suspect, Rhoads said. Though he took steps to conceal his identity, the suspect was "very sloppy," Rhoads said. Once they identified the suspect, McGann was arrested within an hour at the barbershop, she said. Police do not believe the suspect was trying to alter his appearance in getting a haircut, according to Rhoads, saying, "Could chalk that up to school starts next week." The Brinks had recently moved to Prairie Grove from North Dakota, police said. The children are safe and in the custody of relatives, according to police. "Our entire state is grieving for the tragic loss and senseless and horrific crime that's taken place," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "One of the worst experiences that certainly I've ever had was making a phone call to the Brink family earlier this week. Nothing like that should ever have taken place." Hagar said the Brinks were a loving couple, and credited their two young daughters with helping in the case, saying they are "in awe" of them. "The information that they were able to provide to start us down this path, to be able to make this arrest, it all started with those two little girls," he said. "It's incredible." Hagar said the couple has a third daughter who wasn't at the trail that day. "It is my intention to use the full weight of my office to bring this defendant to justice for the Brinks family," Brandon Carter, the prosecuting attorney for Washington County, said at Thursday's press briefing. The prosecutor's office will not be waiving the death penalty in the case, Carter said. McGann is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday, with an arraignment expected next week. All trails at Devil's Den State Park, which were closed following the killings, will remain closed for now, Arkansas Secretary of Parks Shay Lewis said.
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
The Changing Politics of Masks
Lately it seems almost impossible to look at a news feed or catch up on current events and not be greeted by the picture of a man in a mask. Or rather a neck gaiter, buff or scarf made to cover the mouth and nose, along with a baseball cap or helmet to hide the crown of the head, and shades to obscure the eyes. Such are the images of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents — on the streets, in courts, at factories — rounding up individuals the agency claims are undocumented immigrants (as well as, sometimes, those they say are helping them). Such are the images of ICE agents illustrating stories about new legislation introduced in Congress and in states across the country, including New York, California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, to prohibit the agents from hiding their faces while doing their jobs. And such are the images of protesters speaking out against ICE actions — or for Palestine — and obscuring their identities while doing so. Sometimes the coverings are black, sometimes they are star-spangled and sometimes they are hunter's camo, but at all times it's the mask that stands out. The mask that is at the center of the story. The mask that has become the catalyst for a debate about whether such face coverings are a tool of intimidation or protection, of good or evil. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
Manhattan Has More Secure Buildings Than Most Cities. That Wasn't Enough.
At the heart of the horrific shooting that killed four people at a Manhattan office building on Monday is a tragic irony: All things considered, the building at 345 Park Avenue was relatively well prepared to withstand a violent attack. It had security personnel — a police officer and at least one security guard in the lobby. It had turnstiles that required a badge to be scanned. And many tenants of the building had the presence of mind to barricade themselves in offices once it became clear that an armed intruder had entered. 'As horrible and heartbreaking as it is that people lost lives in this, it could have been a lot worse had they not had that security protocol,' said Glen Kucera of Allied Universal, which provides security to hundreds of large companies. He said that additional security might have stopped the attacker but that it was very difficult to completely neutralize an armed assailant who had 'made up his mind to hurt people' and was willing or even determined to die. The gunman double-parked his car near the building and began firing upon entering. He killed four people before turning the gun on himself. Experts on building security say most large office buildings in New York City have something resembling the security measures at the Park Avenue building. They said the real question wasn't so much whether New York buildings would take additional steps in the aftermath of Monday's tragedy, but whether buildings and employers in other cities might revise their approaches to be more like those in Manhattan. 'New York is the one city in America where, by far, virtually all high-end buildings have turnstiles,' said Mark Ein, the executive chairman of Kastle Systems, a building security firm with clients around the country. That is not the case in most cities, he said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
