Latest news with #FirearmsandExplosives
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zachary pastor reflects on Louisiana history following Nottoway Plantation fire
ZACHARY, La. (Louisiana First) — The Redwood Baptist Church was first organized in 1857 by slaves, according to the church's pastor. Following the Nottoway fire this month, he reflected on the way slaves are contextualized in Louisiana's history. Pastor Dale Flowers said he never visited Nottoway, which was finished in 1859 in White Castle. He said following the May 15 fire, he noticed online debates on social media about the plantation's legacy. 'Some people were like, 'Hey, pass the marshmallows,'' Flowers said. 'Others were extremely upset.' Support for the plantation began before the embers completely cooled. Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle called the fire a tragedy considering its history in the area. 'The preservation of history is so important,' Daigle said in the fire's aftermath. Nottoway constituted the South's largest existing antebellum mansion, according to its website. The location has been popular for portraits, weddings, fine dining, and tours. 'The event is going to take a toll on Louisiana tourism,' Daigle said. Daigle said at the time recent renovations did not include installing a sprinkler system. 'It's a day we were always afraid of,' Daigle said. The state fire marshal ended its investigation into the fire Tuesday without any conclusions on what caused it. Evidence was sent to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Crime Lab in Georgia to be analyzed. Daigle discussed the controversy already beginning to take shape online, which included whether the fire burning down the structure was a blessing or a curse. 'There's so much controversy with the past,' Daigle said. 'We didn't live in that generation, but the preservation of history, even the uncomfortable parts, is important.' The plantation's owner shared that sentiment in a statement published soon after the fire. William Daniel Dyess, an attorney and preservationist from Natchitoches, did not respond to a Louisiana First News request placed through his law office by publication. In a statement to the New York Post, he dismissed much of the criticism while calling for people to 'move forward.' 'I take this position — we are non-racist people,' Dyess said in the article. 'I am a lawyer and my wife is a judge. We believe in equal opportunity rights for everyone, total equality and fairness. My wife and I had nothing to do with slavery, but we recognize the wrongness of it. We are trying to make this a better place. We don't have any interest in left wing radical stuff. We need to move forward on a positive note here and we are not going to dwell on past racial injustice.' Dyess said he plans to rebuild the mansion. A couple of signs are posted outside the property, including one that suggests construction is already happening. 'Rebuild it,' Flowers said. 'Slaves built that building. Slaves aren't going to build this one.' Flowers said there is a sentiment from many in America to romanticize the Antebellum period. 'Some people are nostalgic about that time,' Flowers said. Flowers said the prioritization of weddings and the positive elements of history are part of the reason so many people have the opposite opinion: that Nottoway displayed a largely incorrect version of its history. People who view the website and click the 'History' tab will be met with a list of named trees on the property. 'I honestly thought, 'I wonder how many people hung from those trees,'' Flowers said. Flowers said a better representation of history can be found at Whitney Plantation. Located in Edgard, Whitney operated from 1752 to 1975, according to its website. Whitney has been open about its purpose, posting in 2020 that it would not hold weddings because of slavery's impact on the property. 'Plantations are sites of immense cruelty and violence,' the Instagram post read. 'We do not allow any event that would overshadow this reality and disrespect the memory of all those who suffered, labored and died here.' A recent trip to Whitney was emotional, Flowers said, but he said his children began to learn about the reality their ancestors experienced. 'It's honestly a hard place to visit,' Flowers said. 'They present it as it is.' Flowers said those slaves who directly ramped up Louisiana's economy in the late 1800s also founded the church he now serves. He said the record is unclear on whether they got permission from their master to organize or secretly did so in a wooded area. 'It was actually organized by slaves,' Flowers said. Flowers said he thinks the original congregation would be proud that the church carries on their legacy. 'The work they started in 1857 is still going on today,' Flowers said. 11-year-old finds message in a bottle from Hawaii on Florida beach Livingston Parish woman arrested, accused of child sex crimes Zachary pastor reflects on Louisiana history following Nottoway Plantation fire New Orleans Saints starting offensive line taking shape during OTAs Haribo recalls sweets in the Netherlands after cannabis detected Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Vehicle used to ram into Greenbrier gun store
GREENBRIER, Tenn. (WKRN) — A vehicle was used to ram into a Robertson County gun store early Thursday morning. Officers were called to the Guns and Leather, located at 2216 Highway 41 South, around 5 a.m. ⏩ Investigators believe a group of suspects used a Kia Soul to back into the glass door at a high rate of speed to gain access to the shop. It is not known if any weapons were taken. In July 2022, a truck was used to crash through the front entrance. It took the family-owned business a few days to reopen. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting with the investigation. A full inventory of firearms will be conducted to determine how many guns were taken. 📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.💻 for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fully automatic gun used in deadly Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia park: Police
Two people were killed and nine others were injured when a barrage of gunfire erupted on Memorial Day in Philadelphia's largest municipal park, one of a series of mass shootings across the nation over the long holiday weekend, authorities said. The Philadelphia shooting unfolded at Fairmount Park around 10:30 p.m. on Monday, the final day of Memorial Day weekend, according to the Philadelphia Police Department. The shooting left a 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman dead, police said. Those wounded included three juveniles ranging from age 15 to 17, authorities said. "As your mayor, I want to affirm to all of Philadelphia today that there are no excuses for this. This is a heinous act of violence that was inhumane, no regard for life," Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said at a news conference on Tuesday. Parker said that from the different caliber shell casings investigators collected at the crime scene, police believe that at least three gunmen opened fire in the incident. No arrests have been announced and detectives were working Tuesday afternoon to identify those responsible for the shooting, authorities said. "This was wartime ammunition that was just opened on Philadelphians and those who were here in our city," an emotional Parker said. MORE: 11-year-old boy accidentally shot to death by sibling inside of their home Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said at Tuesday's news conference that numerous shots were fired in the incident and that investigators suspect at least one of the firearms used in the shooting was equipped with a switch, a device converts some semiautomatic handguns into fully-automatic weapons. "I talked to my SWAT team. We're pretty confident, but we don't have the weapon in hand, that a switch was involved," Bethel said. "You cannot fire that many levels of bullets with such speed and time without having some type of switch on it." Bethel said it remains unclear if any of the victims were targets of the shooting. Mayor Parker said Philadelphia police are working with the FBI, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals to bring the perpetrators to justice. "We will not be held hostage by anyone who decides that they want to get assault-like, war-like weaponry, guns with switches," Parker said. Fairmount Park, which spans 2,052 acres and is divided by the Schuylkill River, was busy throughout the day Monday and into the evening, with families and members of the community attending Memorial Day get-togethers and barbecues, Bethel said. He said Park Rangers contacted police around 8:15 p.m., expressing concerns about the number of people in the park, prompting officers to begin clearing out the park. Bethel said it was unclear how many people were in the park when the shooting broke out. MORE: Torture charges filed against 3 family members accused of abusing 6 children The Philadelphia shooting came amid a violent holiday weekend across the country. Between Friday evening and Monday night, at least five mass shootings occurred throughout the nation, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a website that tracks U.S. shootings. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as at least four people wounded or killed in a single event, not including the shooters. At least six people were wounded in a shooting Saturday night in Colorado Springs, Colorado, police said. A 25-year-old man was arrested and charged with attempted murder in the Colorado Springs shooting and police said they were investigating whether others were involved. In Little River, South Carolina, a suburb of Myrtle Beach, 11 people were injured when gunfire broke out on a docked charter boat, according to the Horry County Police Department. Ten of the victims suffered gunshot wounds and one suffered a non-gunfire-related injury. Police said the shooting occurred as the result of an altercation during a private Memorial Day weekend gathering. No arrests in the Little River shooting have been announced. MORE: 11-year-old boy accidentally shot to death by sibling inside of their home In Jackson, Tennessee, seven people, including juveniles, were wounded in a mass shooting that erupted at the city's Kate Campbell Park around 8:41 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Jackson Police Department. No arrests had been announced as of Tuesday afternoon. "Our City of Jackson parks are designed to be a place of community. They are places we ALL can visit, and enjoy being outdoors playing, staying fit, having a picnic, or just relaxing. They should be a refuge for our children and families, safe from any suggestion of harm," Jackson police Chief Thom Corley said in a letter to his community he released on Monday. "When that atmosphere is disrupted by the acts of one or more people who disregard the safety of the rest of us, I become upset and discouraged. I'm sure many of you feel the same." Corley added, "When those acts injure children, the most precious asset to our community, I, like many of you, get very angered. I can also assure you, each Officer and staff member of the Jackson Police Department is determined to seek justice for the victims and their families, and we will prosecute fully, those responsible." Fully automatic gun used in deadly Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia park: Police originally appeared on
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
2 dead, 9 injured in Memorial Day shooting in Philadelphia: Police
Two people were killed and nine others were injured in a shooting at Philadelphia's Fairmount Park on Memorial Day, authorities said. A male and female adult victim were pronounced dead, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said at a media briefing early on May 27. The other nine victims are in stable condition. Three of the injured are juveniles between 15 and 17 years old, Bethel said. Bethel said witnesses reported hearing gunshots at the park around 10:27 p.m. local time on May 26. Officials have not recovered any weapons, and no arrests have been made. A large number of adults were present at the park when the shooting occurred, Bethel said. "They were packing up as this incident unfolded," Bethel said. Officers will review social media posts as part of their investigation, he added. Bethel said officials believe the weapon used may have been modified using a switch. "It's pretty rapid fire so we're pretty confident that there probably was a switch on this gun," Bethel said. A switch is a device that converts a semi-automatic Glock pistol to function as a machine gun, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Memorial Day shooting: South Carolina shooting leaves at least 11 hospitalized in Horry County Fairmount Park spans about 2,000 acres in northern Philadelphia, according to Visit Philadelphia. The area is generally popular outside of holidays like Memorial Day, Bethel said. "It's not uncommon for us to have large groups of individuals surge into the park," Bethel said. "We deal with those on a regular basis." Bethel also added that the area was not well lit at the time of the shooting. Bethel also emphasized the gravity of the holiday during which the shooting occurred. "This is significant," Bethel said. "It's Memorial Day — a day where we honor those who gave their lives in war. So we understand the significance of this event and we will make sure to provide an update later today." Memorial Day, traditionally observed on the last Monday of May, is a federal holiday in the United States dedicated to honoring military personnel who have died in the line of duty. This story has been updated with additional information. Contributing: Reuters Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at (This story was updated to include video.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fairmount Park, Philadelphia shooting: 2 dead, 9 injured
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Final Destination…': Box truck explosion in Illinois caught on camera, leaves homes damaged and Internet shaken
A quiet street in Addison, Illinois, in the United States turned into a scene of chaos on Sunday when a box truck suddenly exploded while driving by, sending debris flying and startling the neighbourhood. The blast was so powerful that pieces of the truck, along with scattered clothing and broken furniture, were left strewn across the area. Fortunately, the driver survived the accident. CBS News reported that the truck had been rented by a man who was using it to move his personal belongings. Authorities, including local police, the bomb squad, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), later traced the cause of the explosion to a propane tank leak inside the vehicle. The dramatic moment was captured on a nearby home security camera and has since gone viral on social media, racking up millions of views. The impact of the blast was significant — four homes were damaged, and one was deemed temporarily unsafe to live in. One of the truck's walls was hurled straight into a house, smashing into a load-bearing wall and pushing it inward by several feet. Addison Fire Protection District Chief Brock Herion said the homeowners 'kind of described it as an earthquake, and then a tree falling on their house'. A truck explosion in Chicago was captured by a home security camera The driver survived and police said the cause may have been a propane tank leak — Dexerto (@Dexerto) May 26, 2025 Online, the footage left viewers stunned. One person tweeted, 'yea I'm not driving my car for the rest of the year,' while another wrote, 'Sheeesh. I'd never go near a propane tank ever again.' A third user shared, 'Ive seen a real propane tank leak explode before and it was like a bomb went off it was a house one street across from me and it was so bad my windows shook from like a football fields length away.' A fourth individual wrote, 'Final Destination promo is getting more and more insane,' while a fifth user wrote, 'ever since final destination bloodlines came out, things have been getting a lil bit too real.'
