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BREAKING NEWS Active shooter faces violent death after bursting into border patrol building near major airport

BREAKING NEWS Active shooter faces violent death after bursting into border patrol building near major airport

Daily Mail​6 days ago
An active shooter who burst into a Border Patrol building and ambushed federal agents next to an airport in Texas has been killed.
The unnamed gunman entered the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol building near McAllen International Airport early Monday morning.
He was shot and killed, according to a source speaking to Telemundo40.
The man was armed with a rifle and was wearing tactical gear when he ambushed Border Patrol agents.
All flights at McAllen Airport have been delayed as a result of the ordeal.
Graphic photos showed the gunman lying dead outside of the federal building.
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Punishment revealed for prison guards who let 'Devil in the Ozarks' escape
Punishment revealed for prison guards who let 'Devil in the Ozarks' escape

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Punishment revealed for prison guards who let 'Devil in the Ozarks' escape

Two prison guards who let an inmate dubbed the 'Devil in the Ozarks' escape the maximum security facility have been fired for violating the Arkansas Department of Corrections policy. Grant Hardin, a convicted murderer and rapist whose notoriety led to a television documentary, slipped through the gates of the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25, wearing a makeshift law enforcement uniform. The 56-year-old former police chief was captured nearly two weeks later, roughly one mile from the prison, and is now being held at a supermax facility in Varner. An internal investigation has since uncovered breaches in protocol that contributed to Hardin's escape, and two guards were terminated for multiple violations of Department of Corrections conduct standards - including inadequate job performance, inattentiveness on duty and failure to follow supervisor instructions. They were identified in documents obtained by KATV as Justin Delvalle and William Walker. The Department of Corrections said Delvalle admitted to allowing Hardin to clean the chemical case on an outside kitchen dock unsupervised, while Walker failed to report an unsupervised inmate on the back dock and opened the gates for Hardin without confirming his identity. Walker reportedly saw an individual in what he believed to be a uniform - black in color, unlike standard DOC blue uniforms - pushing a cart. He then failed to maintain a visual surveillance on Hardin after he passed through the gates while security footage captured the former police chief walking out of the prison confidently with no signs of panic, according to the Department of Corrections. 'All the stars had to line up for Hardin,' Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness told members of the Legislative Council's charitable, penal, and correctional institutions subcommittee on Thursday. 'Two employees violated policy for this to happen. It was human error that allowed this to happen,' he continued, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. 'If either one of them would have been following policy, it wouldn't have happened.' Magness also noted that Delvalle was busy at the time he let Hardin leave the kitchen unattended, but should have called his supervisor to ask for another guard to watch over the inmate. But it appears guards had become lenient with Hardin, who did not have any disciplinary problems during his time at Calico Rock. In an interview with authorities following his capture, Hardin reportedly said officers stopped making him inventory his possessions at the end of a shift in the kitchen. He then used a marker to color a prison-issue t-shirt black over the course of several month and fashioned a soup can lid and a Bible cover to look like a badge. He also used an old apron to create a patch. Additionally, he fashioned a ladder out of wooden pallets that were on the kitchen dock, and took peanut butter sandwiches from the prison to survive following his escape. If the gate had not been opened for him, Hardin planned to use the ladder to scale the fence, according to Dexter Payne, director of the division of correction. But state lawmakers now say Hardin's well-planned escape points to systemic problems beyond the two guards - noting that Hardin was able to fashion the fake uniform without any guards noticing. 'I think we´ve got major issues here that need to be dealt with,' said Republican Sen. Matt McKee, who co-chairs the subcommittee. 'There are a lot of things he did unnoticed and unaware,' added Republican Sen. Ben Gilmore. 'I don't think you can blame just two people for that.' Members of the panel also said Hardin's escape points to the need to scrutinize a classification system that placed a convicted murderer and rapist in what's primarily a medium-security facility. Payne said a critical incident review of the escape planned later this month may determine if other employees will face firings, demotions or disciplinary actions. It also will determine what other policy changes may be needed, he said. In the meantime, state officials said more security upgrades will be coming - including a possible electronic system that would alert a higher-ranking officer whenever the gates are open. Additionally, all correctional staff will be retrained to prevent anything like this from happening again. Meanwhile, state police are investigating the escape to determine whether any laws, policies or procedures were violated in the escape. Col. Mike Hagar, the head of state police and secretary of public safety, said the final report on the investigation may be completed within 30 days. Thomas Hurst, warden of the prison -formally called the North Central Unit - said State Police was not notified immediately of the escape though local police were, blaming it on a miscommunication. 'There´s nobody that´s more embarrassed about (the escape) than me,' Hurst said. 'It's not good. We failed, and I understand it.' Hardin, though, has pleaded not guilty to an escape charge and is set to go on trial in November. He is already facing lengthy prison sentences for murder and rape, after being found guilty of shooting James Appleton - a water department employee - in the head on the side of a road in a small town called Gateway. Police found the victim's body inside a car, and a witness identified Hardin as the gunman. He ultimately pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 30 years behind bars. But while serving his time, a DNA sample taken in prison linked him to the 1997 rape of an elementary schoolteacher in Rogers. Hardin pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of Amy Harrison, whom he assaulted at gunpoint in a school bathroom. His crimes were later sensationalized in the 2023 HBO documentary the Devil in the Ozarks, which featured interviews with everyone from the victim of the 1997 rape and sisters of the murder family to Hardin's family. It revealed a crucial run-in between Hardin and Appleton in the Spring of 2016 in which Appleton stood up to Hardin about fixing a police car. 'He was out chasing cars for no reason,' Cheryl Tillman, Appleton's heartbroken sister, said. 'He was pulling guns on the citizens here in Gateway and then as time went on with him being the police chief things just started going down hill fast.' Then-Gateway Mayor Andrew Tillman, who was Appleton's brother-in-law, also described being on the phone with him when he was shot, and local resident John Bray spoke about driving past Appleton's car when the shooting happened. He was the first to find his body and identified Hardin as the shooter. 'I heard what I thought was someone had fired a rifle,' he said. 'I went back and I seen it looked like he had been shot,' he added, wiping away tears. The documentary further revealed details about the resentment Hardin felt toward Appleton, as well as depicting accounts of the moments right before and after the murder. A Benton County Sheriff's Office lieutenant described several times when they got into each other's faces and the dislike they both felt toward one another. The city council gave him an ultimatum: resign or be fired. He stepped down four months after taking the position and nine months later, he killed Appleton. The documentary also gave insight into his troubled and scattered career. He worked at the Fayetteville Police Department from August 1990 to May 1991, but was let go because he did not meet the standards of his training period. Hardin worked about six months at the Huntsville Police Department before resigning, but records do not give a reason for his resignation, according to Police Chief Todd Thomas, who joined the department after Hardin worked there. Hardin later worked at the Eureka Springs Police Department from 1993 to 1996. Former Chief Earl Hyatt said Hardin resigned because Hyatt was going to fire him over incidents that included the use of excessive force.

Family of Chinese scientist speaks out after she committed suicide amid probe into research
Family of Chinese scientist speaks out after she committed suicide amid probe into research

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Family of Chinese scientist speaks out after she committed suicide amid probe into research

The family of Dr. Jane Wu, a renowned Chinese American neuroscientist who died by suicide last year, is speaking out for the first time, accusing Northwestern University of discrimination, retaliation, and abuse that they say drove her to take her own life. The family are now suing the institution that once championed her work, alleging it helped destroy both her career and her spirit. Dr. Wu, 60, a naturalized US citizen and longtime faculty member at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, died in mid-2024, just months after her lab was shut down following a federal investigation into foreign ties - part of a broader government crackdown that disproportionately targeted Chinese researchers. Wu was never charged with any wrongdoing. The university, however, began limiting her activities, quietly winding down her influence while the investigation dragged on. Now, as the one-year anniversary of her death approaches, her daughter, Elizabeth Rao, is publicly demanding answers. 'As painful as it is for us as her family to recount how Northwestern treated her, we are seeking justice to prevent this from happening again to others in the future,' Rao said to NBC News. Wu spent nearly four decades in neuroscience, including almost 20 years at Northwestern. Her lab focused on tumor development, metastasis, and neurodegenerative diseases - research that had brought in significant federal funding, according to the family's lawsuit, filed last month. Her daughter also said how she a devoted mother and music lover who found joy in everything from Taiwanese pop icon Teresa Teng to country star Tanya Tucker. Yet in 2019 Wu became one of hundreds of US-based scientists investigated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for alleged foreign influence - part of a sweeping national security campaign that has since drawn accusations of racial profiling. NIH Deputy Director Dr. Michael Lauer later defended the program stating, 'This is not xenophobic racism, this is not targeting and this is not stigma. This is real theft.' In Wu's case, her family said, there was 'no evidence of wrongdoing', yet despite that, Northwestern allegedly continued to punish her. 'NU did nothing to support her nor help lift the racial stigma placed over Dr. Wu despite her obvious innocence and the enormous funding her work had brought to NU,' the lawsuit states. Wu was left in professional limbo. Her family says that once the probe concluded in 2023 with no evidence of wrongdoing, instead of restoring her status, the university intensified its restrictions. The suit accuses Northwestern of systematically dismantling Wu's professional standing - limiting her research, reassigning her grants to white male colleagues, and isolating her from her team. The dean of the medical school slashed her salary and imposed new requirements to reinstate her funded status. Her team was broken up and her lab space diminished. Her grants were reassigned. Her legacy, her family says, dismantled piece by piece. After the university abruptly shut down her lab without explanation in May 2024, the emotional toll was devastating, the complaint says. According to the suit, Wu suffered a stress-induced stroke that damaged her vision. Still able to work, she clung to her research, but Northwestern allegedly used her emotional state as a 'pretext' to evict her. That same month, acting on the university's orders, police officers entered her campus office. Wu was handcuffed, forcibly removed, and involuntarily committed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital's psychiatric unit without notice to her family or consultation with outside physicians, the suit claims. 'The physical assault directed by NU and the forced hospitalization sent Dr. Wu into a severe state of shock,' the lawsuit states. Two weeks after her release, she died by suicide. In a statement Northwestern said it was 'deeply saddened' by her death but 'vehemently denies' the allegations. The school added it plans to file a motion to dismiss the case by early September and has declined to comment further. Wu's death is now being cited by advocacy groups as a chilling example of the fallout from what they describe as discriminatory federal scrutiny of Chinese American scientists. The NIH acknowledged in December 2024 that its efforts had created 'a difficult climate for our valued Asian American, Asian immigrant and Asian research colleagues who may feel targeted and alienated.' Gisela Perez Kusakawa, executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum, issued a statement condemning the university's alleged actions. 'Universities must be places of community, support, and fairness, not fear and coercion,' she said. Beyond the legal battle, Wu's daughter wants the public to remember her mother as more than just a brilliant scientist. 'She made sure that my brother and I had got not only a great education but also got to do all the stuff of a quintessential American childhood,' Rao recalled. 'Sports, road trips, dance classes, choir, you name it.' Rao told of a home life filled with movie nights, road trips, and singalongs, in stark contrast to the 'tiger mom' stereotype. 'She turned simple houses into warm homes,' Rao said, adding how the family are determined to shine a light on what happened - not just for justice, but to ensure other scientists don't meet the same fate. 'We carry this with us: her upstanding morals and conviction to fight against injustice,' she said. The lawsuit is still in early stages but seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. For Rao, it's not just about financial redress but vindicating her mother's name, her legacy, and the thousands of scientists like her who may suffer in silence. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7, free and confidential support at 988 or by texting 988.

California migrant worker dies after falling from greenhouse while trying to run from ICE
California migrant worker dies after falling from greenhouse while trying to run from ICE

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

California migrant worker dies after falling from greenhouse while trying to run from ICE

The Mexican migrant worker who fell 30 feet off a greenhouse trying to run from ICE agents has died in the hospital, his family said Saturday afternoon. Jaime Alanís was just one of the dozens of migrants working at Glass House Farms, a weed operation in Southern California, when ICE raided it on Thursday. Amid the chaos of people running from smoke canisters and tear gas, Alanís fell off a greenhouse on the farm and broke his neck and skull. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and spent nearly two days on life support. The family confirmed he had died as of 4:38pm on Saturday. 'Jaime was not just a farmworker, he was a provider, and a human being who deserved dignity. His death is not an isolated tragedy. It is the result of a targeted raid at Glass House Farms,' the family wrote on Instagram. 'Workers were met not with protection, but with chaos and fear. Some were detained. Others were traumatized. Jaime lost his life,' they said. 'This cannot be swept under the rug. We are demanding answers from Glass House Farms. Calling on all legal and community organizations to investigate this raid.' Yesenia Duran, Alanís's niece, has explained that he was the sole provider for his family back in Mexico. Duran started a GoFundMe immediately after Alanís suffered his catastrophic injuries, and more than $127,000 has been raised as of Saturday evening. The family said Alanís would be buried in Mexico if he didn't pull through. The raid was on Glass House Farms, which employs hundreds of people and bills itself as the largest cannabis operation in the world. Customs and Border Protection said it served a warrant on the Camarillo farm, accusing it of employing illegal migrant workers. ICE and the National Guard executed that warrant on Thursday. Protestors showed up to impede federal agents, some of whom threw smoke canisters and flash bangs to control the growing crowd. Once the smoke and tear gas was deployed, most of the protestors ran in the opposite direction, though some were seen throwing rocks at the agents. The demonstration lasted past 11pm on Thursday, with federal agents remaining on the scene as well. Video and photos from the scene showed ICE agents clashing with a crowd of more than 100 people - many of them farmworkers or their family members - who had initially formed a human blockade along the road. It was a scene of absolute chaos, with protesters, farmworkers, and family members scattering throughout the fields. In photos and videos that have been widely shared, one individual at the scene pointed a gun at federal agents and appeared to fire on them. Bill Essayli, the US Attorney for the Central District of California, said the alleged shooting happened at around 2:30pm on Laguna Road. 'FBI has issued a $50,000 award for information leading to the conviction of an Unknown Subject who appeared to fire a pistol at Federal Law Enforcement Officers near Camarillo,' he wrote on social media. Things got so out of control at the farm that the Ventura County Fire Department was on the scene to provide treatment to people who were affected by tear gas or smoke inhalation. 'The Ventura County Fire Department was dispatched at approximately 12:15 pm on Thursday, July 10th to provide medical aid as a result of federal enforcement activity along Laguna Road in the Oxnard Plains,' the department said in a statement. 'VCFD was requested through our county's 911 system solely to provide medical aid and has no connection with any federal immigration enforcement actions.' Although some have sought to cast the raid as a chaotic failure, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott revealed that 10 illegal juveniles were found working at the cannabis farm. He then shared a photo of the kids they discovered, who were all sitting in front of five federal agents. 'These are the juveniles found in the marijuana facility - almost all unaccompanied, one as young as 14,' Scott said. 'California are you ready to partner with us to stop child exploitation?'

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