Latest news with #Cashaw
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mental competency evaluation ordered for alleged Portside Pub killer
A man who allegedly killed two people and wounded three others, including his girlfriend, at a Hammond bar will undergo a court-ordered mental competency evaluation, records show. Caprice Cashaw, 31, of Merrillville, is charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Each charge includes a firearms enhancement in the commission of the crime. He is in custody, being held without bond. Two psychologists were ordered to evaluate him. Such reports typically take a long time to complete and it is extremely rare for a defendant to be declared incompetent for trial. Court records allege Cashaw — a heavy gambler — just lost at least $7,000 on March 30 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond before he randomly pulled over near the Portside Pub, 1516 Indianapolis Blvd., and started beating his girlfriend. Four people in the bar stepped outside to help her. When she tried to run, he opened fire. Bartender Paul Olivares, 25, of Whiting, and patron Lorraine Reyna, 59, of Whiting, were killed outside. Cashaw's girlfriend was shot multiple times and survived. His next court date is Aug. 6. In a Facebook post after the shooting, Portside Pub said they were 'devastated and heartbroken.' Representatives could not be immediately reached for comment Friday. mcolias@
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man charged in fatal Hammond bar massacre
Caprice Cashaw randomly pulled in front of a Hammond bar just after he lost at least $7,000 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond. He was 'mad' and took it out on his girlfriend — beating her while driving back from the casino. He pulled in front of the Portside Pub, 1516 Indianapolis Blvd., to keep assaulting her. Four people in the bar stepped outside to help her. When she tried to run, he opened fire, killing two people — a new bartender and longtime female patron — and wounded three others, including his girlfriend. Cashaw, 31, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Each charge includes a firearms enhancement in commission of the crime. He is in custody, being held without bond. In a Facebook post, Portside Pub said they were 'devastated and heartbroken.' Hammond Police were called March 30 to the scene. They found bartender Paul Olivares, 25, of Whiting, unresponsive, shot in the head. Nearby, patron Lorraine Reyna, 59, of Whiting was lying partially outside, motionless in the doorway, and she was shot multiple times. Their deaths were ruled homicides. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. 'Paul and Lorrie both had hearts of gold and truly loved people,' according to the bar's Facebook post. 'They were great people who were so kind to everyone and with their big hearts they would never hesitate to help someone.' 'Lorrie was known for a long time for her generosity and the way she always made you feel like a friend. Both will never be forgotten,' it said. 'They taught us a lot about how to conduct ourselves in this world.' Inside the bar, Cashaw's girlfriend was lying face down, still breathing. She had been shot 10 times, court records show. Another man was on his hands and knees, shot multiple times. Another woman was shot in the leg, hiding in a walk-in cooler. The bar's footage, without audio, showed a dark Chrysler 300 pull up and park just north of the bar's entrance around 3:44 a.m. A man — whom Cashaw said was him — got out and beat the girlfriend. She tried to run, but he forced her back inside the vehicle. Just then, Reyna appeared to hear what was happening outside. She went to look, then went back in the bar, 'distressed,' according to the affidavit. All four — her, Olivares, the other man and woman later wounded — went outside where Cashaw's girlfriend was screaming for help. 'What's going on, Olivares said, according to other security footage. 'Get inside the bar,' Olivares said. The other man and woman went inside and closed the door. Open the door, Olivares is heard saying over and over. Cashaw appears to open fire, shooting Olivares. He shoots Reyna in the back, records show. The affidavit stated he fired around 20 rounds outside. The girlfriend ran and collapsed halfway inside. Cashaw fired into the bar with a semi-automatic gun. In the footage inside the bar, the other wounded man is seen clutching his stomach. The other woman is holding her leg. Sparks appear to hit bar stools from the bullets. Cashaw walks past the girlfriend — he later told police he thought she was dead — and goes out of camera view, then removes an empty 30-round magazine from his gun. In total, he fires four shots in the bar, there's a 20-second break, before another gunshot is heard. He looks at his girlfriend again, then leaves. Cashaw later said he had the girlfriend's cell phone on him. Police found 21 9-mm bullet casings outside and seven inside. A witness told police that Cashaw said he lost $10,000 at the Horseshoe that night. Police learned he was staying with a Pepe's employee in Hobart and arrested him there. Cashaw said he and his girlfriend had a two-year 'tumultuous' relationship. He was 'mad' he lost $7,000 that night and took it out on her, he said. After 'several minutes' of beating her, he was 'calm' just before Reyna came outside. When the girlfriend ran, he started shooting, 'knowing he was hitting others.' He admitted shooting Olivares in the head, who was already on the ground before he left. The girlfriend and man who survived were both in serious, but stable condition. The man was shot twice in the neck and stomach, according to court records. Records show Cashaw has a pending January 2022 case for cheating at gaming, resisting law enforcement and misdemeanor criminal recklessness. In court documents, a gaming officer accused him of nearly running him over as he left. Cashaw had swiped $900 back from the baccarat table at Ameristar in East Chicago, according to court records. mcolias@
Chicago Tribune
01-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Man charged in fatal Hammond bar massacre
Caprice Cashaw randomly pulled in front of a Hammond bar just after he lost at least $7,000 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond. He was 'mad' and took it out on his girlfriend — beating her while driving back from the casino. He pulled in front of the Portside Pub, 1516 Indianapolis Blvd., to keep assaulting her. Four people in the bar stepped outside to help her. When she tried to run, he opened fire, killing two people — a new bartender and longtime female patron — and wounded three others, including his girlfriend. Cashaw, 31, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. He is in custody, being held without bond. In a Facebook post, Portside Pub said they were 'devastated and heartbroken.' Hammond Police were called March 30 to the scene. They found bartender Paul Olivares, 25, of Whiting, unresponsive, shot in the head. Nearby, patron Lorraine Reyna, 59, of Whiting was lying partially outside, motionless in the doorway, and she was shot multiple times. Their deaths were ruled homicides. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. 'Paul and Lorrie both had hearts of gold and truly loved people,' according to the bar's Facebook post. 'They were great people who were so kind to everyone and with their big hearts they would never hesitate to help someone.' 'Lorrie was known for a long time for her generosity and the way she always made you feel like a friend. Both will never be forgotten,' it said. 'They taught us a lot about how to conduct ourselves in this world.' Inside the bar, Cashaw's girlfriend was lying face down, still breathing. She had been shot 10 times, court records show. Another man was on his hands and knees, shot multiple times. Another woman was shot in the leg, hiding in a walk-in cooler. The bar's footage, without audio, showed a dark Chrysler 300 pull up and park just north of the bar's entrance around 3:44 a.m. A man — whom Cashaw said was him — got out and beat the girlfriend. She tried to run, but he forced her back inside the vehicle. Just then, Reyna appeared to hear what was happening outside. She went to look, then went back in the bar, 'distressed,' according to the affidavit. All four — her, Olivares, the other man and woman later wounded — went outside where Cashaw's girlfriend was screaming for help. 'What's going on, Olivares said, according to other security footage. 'Get inside the bar,' Olivares said. The other man and woman went inside and closed the door. Open the door, Olivares is heard saying over and over. Cashaw appears to open fire, shooting Olivares. He shoots Reyna in the back, records show. The affidavit stated he fired around 20 rounds outside. The girlfriend ran and collapsed halfway inside. Cashaw fired into the bar with a semi-automatic gun. In the footage inside the bar, the other wounded man is seen clutching his stomach. The other woman is holding her leg. Sparks appear to hit bar stools from the bullets. Cashaw walks past the girlfriend — he later told police he thought she was dead — and goes out of camera view, then removes an empty 30-round magazine from his gun. In total, he fires four shots in the bar, there's a 20-second break, before another gunshot is heard. He looks at his girlfriend again, then leaves. Cashaw later said he had the girlfriend's cell phone on him. Police found 21 9-mm bullet casings outside and seven inside. A witness told police that Cashaw said he lost $10,000 at the Horseshoe that night. Police learned he was staying with a Pepe's employee in Hobart and arrested him there. Cashaw said he and his girlfriend had a two-year 'tumultuous' relationship. He was 'mad' he lost $7,000 that night and took it out on her, he said. After 'several minutes' of beating her, he was 'calm' just before Reyna came outside. When the girlfriend ran, he started shooting, 'knowing he was hitting others.' He admitted shooting Olivares in the head, who was already on the ground before he left. The girlfriend and man who survived were both in serious, but stable condition. The man was shot twice in the neck and stomach, according to court records. Records show Cashaw has a pending January 2022 case for cheating at gaming, resisting law enforcement and misdemeanor criminal recklessness. In court documents, a gaming officer accused him of nearly running her over as he left.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Horrors and hope: Awareness of Selma brutality led to voting rights laws 60 years ago
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – As a teen raised in the Rust Belt in the 1960s, Alan Cashaw wasn't blind to the fact that racism existed. But he also knew freedom in Johnstown. 'There was never a question over whether I could vote when I turned 18. My mom even worked at the election polls,' Cashaw said. 'Even then, there was never a place in Johnstown where I couldn't walk in and order something to eat. I wasn't being turned away at the lunch counter at Woolworth's.' That's one reason he was filled with shock and heartache in 1965 as televised images showed Black men and women being denied the same rights – and assaulted on 'Bloody Sunday' in the Deep South. 'I'd come home from school ... and watch Walter Cronkite on my TV and see stories about people being attacked ... see children have high-powered water hoses turned on them,' he said. And 60 years ago this week, much of that attention focused on Selma, Alabama. Cashaw was among millions watching when news broke that a man named Jimmy Lee Jackson was fatally beaten by an Alabama Highway Patrol officer during a voting rights demonstration Feb. 18, 1965. Just weeks later, on March 7, 1965, a crowd of 600 was attacked with tear gas and billy clubs. It became known as 'Bloody Sunday.' But millions across the nation also watched as Selma's Black community persevered, responding to the violence with a peaceful, songful march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to usher in change. 'Local' issue Today, 'Selma' is remembered as a watershed moment for civil rights – and a national event that drew some of the movement's biggest names of the era. It didn't start out that way, said Samuel Black, the director of African American Programs at the Sen. John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. 'It started with the people in the small town of Selma,' Black said. 'The whole movement started as a local demonstration – as most do.' In this case, most of Selma's 23,000 residents were Black, he said. But their rights to vote were being denied in large numbers by local leaders within a state operating under the heavy hand of then-Gov. George Wallace. 'When they started (protesting), they weren't intending to march anywhere – there was no plan to go to Montgomery,' Black said. It started as an effort by Selma residents, including members of the Dexter Avenue Memorial Church and Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, to raise awareness through signs and small public demonstrations, he said. But the mass arrests and brutal attacks they faced only raised more awareness about the Jim Crow-era edicts that still prevailed in Alabama. 'A lot of people in the South ... it was all they knew,' said Cashaw, whose father moved to Johnstown from a segregated Georgia in 1938. 'Rights were being violated' The Selma to Montgomery march was organized in the aftermath of the landmark passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination by race. But as history often shows, laws are only effective if they are enforced, Black said. And in states such as Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, the people in power were doing whatever it took to keep Black people from being able to cast ballots. Under Wallace, staunch opposition efforts often derailed voter registration drives – in doing so, limiting Black registration to 2% statewide, figures show. 'People like Amelia Boynton (Robinson) recognized their constitutional rights were being violated,' Black said. 'Their ability to move up in society – whether it meant running for local office or obtaining a job for the city or the county – voting was key to it.' The group started with neighborhood demonstrations and organized voter registration drives in January 1965. After one Southern Christian Leadership Conference member was jailed for his voter registration work, a group of 600 protesters planned a walk from a local church to the county jail Feb. 18, 1965. But they were met by a wall of state law enforcement officers and Marion County police, who attacked the group and chased them from the scene, reports at the time show. One activist, a local church leader named Jimmie Lee Jackson, was shot and beaten and died at a hospital a week later. 'Nowhere to hide'When a smaller group – an estimated 300 people – drew up the courage to protest Jackson's attack in a March 7 demonstration, they were met by Alabama Highway Patrol officers and a vigilante band on horseback, according to National Park Service accounts. State lawmen ordered the group to disperse. Then they fired gas canisters and attacked them with clubs – with Boynton Robinson among those attacked, records show. Because this was a small town, there was nowhere to hide, Black said. Some were followed back to their homes or neighborhood and assaulted, he said. 'In small-town America, everyone knows where everyone else lives,' Black said. 'The people of Selma were standing up for themselves ... even though they had nowhere to hide.' 'Broadcast' peaceOrganizers quickly decided they needed to turn to outside support. Some of the nation's most prominent civil rights leaders responded, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Some of the era's biggest stars – including singer Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett – joined the effort. Belafonte and others took turns leading the march in song. 'It was very strategic,' said Black, noting that the most prominent marchers were placed out front to protect fellow marchers. 'They understood you couldn't respond with violence. They wanted to respond to the conscience of America – and the best way to do that was to broadcast it for everyone to see,' he said. Across the nation, Americans watched as the group sang hymns and freedom songs along the nearly 55-mile march to Montgomery. Campsites were arranged to allow people to rest each night. Vehicles traveled along the route to provide temporary refuge from the sun and rain. TV cameras followed every groundbreaking step, Black said. 'The whole point was to invite the nation in to see what an effort it took just to get voting rights in Alabama,' Cashaw said. 'Through peace, it shined a light on the brutality they were facing.' This time, the group completed the journey. By March 25, the group arrived at Montgomery – delivering a call for change to Wallace's doorstep. 'By the time Dr. King delivered his speech, 'How Long, Not Long,' there was a crowd of 25,000 people,' Cashaw said. 'It was being (broadcast) to everyone's TV sets.' Laws 'protect us all'That August, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law, which expressly banned voter discrimination by race – and expanded protections by banning literacy tests and other methods previously used to limit voting. Johnson signed the law in the same room President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation 100 years earlier. Voter registration numbers surged across the south among Blacks, more than doubling in Alabama from 1964 to 1966. Selma residents ousted the county's segregationist sheriff at the ballot box soon after. Voters elected five Black residents to city council by 1972, newspaper archives show. 'The people of Selma deserve more credit,' Black said, 'for turning a local issue into a national movement.' Cashaw noted the Voting Rights Act – which he said still finds itself under attack today – is among a list of Civil Rights laws that benefit Americans of every age, color and creed. 'It wasn't just where people could go to school or allowing everyone the (same) right to vote,' Cashaw said. 'During that period, equal employment rights rose up from that. You can't be denied a job because you are pregnant. Or with housing, your landlord can't refuse to provide access to water ... no matter what you look like,' he added. 'These laws protect everyone from discrimination,' he said. 'They protect us all.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local organizations' leaders scramble to assess how federal funding freeze could have impacted region
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Leaders of local organizations were still scrambling Wednesday to determine how any potential pause on federal grants and loans could impact the region, a day after a federal funding freeze was blocked by a judge's order and on the day the memo ordering the freeze was rescinded. 'It's a good possibility all of this will give us some serious issues,' said Flood City Youth Fitness Academy's executive director, Oscar Cashaw. The community center in downtown Johnstown has a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant that provides federal funding for academic, artistic and cultural enrichment opportunities for students. At FCYFA, that includes science, technology, engineering and mathematics classes, tutoring and related programs, Cashaw said. FCYFA also is provided a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant for an after-school food program for about 150 youths that visit the academy daily, as well as federal dollars for employee programs. Cashaw said the back-and-forth on the freeze was a 'ball of confusion,' but despite the complex situation, he intends to do what he can to keep the center open. He credited the support of local nonprofits, the 1889 Foundation, the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, Lee Initiatives and the United Way of the Southern Alleghenies. The funding uncertainty was created by a memo issued Monday by the Office of Management and Budget and little clarity from White House officials following the announcement. Federal agencies were instructed to 'temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders' to 'complete a comprehensive analysis' of all programs. The goal, according to the memo, was to advance priorities that focus on creating a stronger country, boosting energy and manufacturing, ending alleged ''wokeness' and the weaponization of government,' efficiency in government and related endeavors. Officials in President Donald Trump's administration had said programs providing direct assistance to citizens, such as Medicare, Social Security, student loans and food stamps, would not be affected. The Office of Management and Budget rescinded the memo Wednesday, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to social media shortly afterward to say Trump's executive orders on federal funding reviews remain in effect. 'This is not a rescission of the federal funding freeze,' she wrote on X. 'It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court's injunction. The President's (executive orders) on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.' The freeze was put on hold Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan minutes before it was scheduled to take effect, due to a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups that receive federal funding. Attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia also filed suit in an attempt to permanently stop the administration from cutting off federal funding. 'Volatile day' One of the many areas that could be impacted by a funding freeze is education, including regional Head Start programs. In Cambria County, those early childhood education programs are operated by the Community Action Partnership of Cambria County. There are 13 classrooms serving 335 children, CAPCC Executive Director Josh Yoder said. When news broke about the funding freeze memo, Yoder said, CAPCC management met to formulate a plan that could have meant closing classrooms and furloughing employees. 'We were looking at the possibility of having to lay off 85 people throughout the agency,' Yoder said. That would have been a significant impact on an agency that has 126 total employees. 'Yesterday was a pretty volatile day in our world,' Yoder said. Michael Dadey, Greater Johnstown School District's assistant to the superintendent, said the matter has 'caused uncertainty for school districts across the nation.' Greater Johnstown's operating budget is significantly supplemented by federal funding due to low local tax revenue. 'This is a very fluid situation,' Dadey said. 'Greater Johnstown plans to stay informed as details evolve and maintain close communication with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to understand potential impacts on their funding and operations to the school districts.' Uncertainty Karen Struble Myers, president and CEO of the United Way of the Southern Alleghenies, said there was a lot of uncertainty about what any freeze would mean and what programs and offerings it would impact. She said that federal dollars often flow down through state agencies before being distributed on the local level and that how the process would be affected by a freeze is unclear. The United Way, for example, has U.S. Department of Agriculture funding that pays for a local food resource coordinator, nutritional education, and supplemental assistance to groups such as FCYFA and the Cambria County Backpack Project. The four-year grant was provided in 2022, and Struble Myers was concerned that a freeze could be detrimental to the program and translate to missing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars, she said. 'With smaller nonprofits, losing a federal source of funding is the difference between serving people and shuttering,' Struble Myers said. She said she was concerned about how a potential freeze could affect 'basics' for people. 'All of the things you need to be a healthy community could be affected,' she said. She said the local United Way manages emergency food and shelter funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. Those dollars are then provided to United Way partner agencies including the Next Step Center, the Women's Help Center, Catholic Charities and more. 'I'm concerned we're weaponizing poverty and equity,' Struble Myers said. 'I really think there is a far-reaching impact on basic needs.' 'Domino effect' Officials in Cambria and Somerset counties were also unclear on potential impacts to their operations. 'Cambria County is working to take appropriate steps to pull down funds to ensure that services continue until the federal grant freeze is resolved,' Cambria County President Commissioner Scott Hunt said. 'Cambria County is currently identifying programs where the freeze may possibly impact county operations. We remain optimistic that the federal funds that impact county operations will be reviewed and restored.' Potentially affected services included a DNA grant for the Cambria County District Attorney's Office, domestic relations and social service agencies. Hunt said the county was 'awaiting further clarification from the administration regarding the potential impact of the freeze,' but he remained confident operations would be unaffected. Somerset County Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes said a freeze could bring 'everything to a screeching halt.' She said that in reviewing the county's budget for 2023-24, there were 19 different line items that could be affected – that's more than $16 million in federal funding. In addition to social services such as Children & Youth Services, a freeze would likely affect efforts to expand U.S. Route 219, Tokar-Ickes said. Expansion of broadband internet service in Somerset County was another potentially affected area, she added. 'The domino effect of that simple OMB order ... was really earthshaking,' Tokar-Ickes said.
