Latest news with #KSDK
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Miami Herald
9-year-old with cerebral palsy dies in shooting on mom's birthday, MO family says
A 9-year-old boy was killed in a drive-by shooting that also left his older brother and father injured, according to Missouri police and family members. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is now searching for the accused shooter following the May 24 shooting on Bircher Boulevard near Ruskin Avenue, an area along Interstate 70. Richard Neal Jr. said his family was fired upon as they were celebrating the birthday of Johnisha Hillard, the mother of their children. (Warning: Explicit language in the Facebook links.) 'It was random, we didn't do anything to them,' Neal told KMOV. 'We got on the highway to put gas in the car, never seen the car, don't know the occupants of the car, I passed them up, next thing you know, he got behind me, slowed all the way down, he sped all the way up on my bumper and got beside us and just started firing off shots.' Hillard said in a Facebook post there was 'blood everywhere' as she recalled the cries from her children. Neal, who was reportedly shot in the leg, began driving to the hospital after two of his children in the back seat had also been shot. His 10-year-old son, Richard Neal III, was shot in the chest and was listed in critical but stable condition at a St. Louis hospital, according to KSDK and a police news briefing streamed by KTVI. Jordan Neal, Hillard and Richard Neal Jr.'s 9-year-old son who was born with cerebral palsy, died from his injuries. 'It was my birthday… and now it's my son's death day,' Hillard told KSDK. 'Horrible. I will never enjoy another birthday. Because now I have to celebrate the life and the passing of my son, Jordan.' Police have not identified the shooter, and a motive is unclear. Jordan was born premature, weighing just 1 pound, 2 ounces, his family told KSDK. After battling through surgeries all of his life, he 'fought for three hours' in the hospital before dying. At 9 years old, Jordan was set to go to school for the first time later this year, having already picked out his Spider-Man backpack, according to his father. 'He faced every challenge with a bright spirit and a smile that could light up any room,' the family said in a GoFundMe. 'He had already overcome so much, and losing him has left a hole in our hearts that can never be filled.' Anyone who has information about the shooting has been asked to contact police at 314-444-5371. 'You're heartless and you're a coward because you didn't have to shoot and kill anybody. They did nothing to you,' Pamela Neal, Jordan's grandmother, said in an interview with KMOV.
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Miami Herald
3-year-old was suffocated at day care and lay dead for hours, Missouri mom says
A 3-year-old boy died in a Missouri day care when a worker applied weight to his body to make him sleep, according to a lawsuit filed by the child's mother. The body of Conrad David Wade Ashcraft remained on the floor of Poppy's Playhouse in Park Hills 'for hours' Friday, May 16, legal representation for Tara Williams said in the wrongful death lawsuit. Lacey Hardie, Conrad's aunt, described the incident as 'a horrific, callous, negligent, and senseless act that never should have happened,' KMOV reported. Hardie said her nephew was a nonverbal boy who had autism, according to KSDK. No charges have been announced as of May 21. Poppy's Playhouse has not publicly commented on the fatal incident. McClatchy News attempted to reach out to the day care May 21, but calls were not answered. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Childhood is conducting an investigation, KMOV reported, as is the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department, which called the death a 'heartbreaking event.' 'We understand the community's grief and concern,' the City of Park Hills said in a statement. 'The city has full confidence in the independent investigation and believes that accountability is essential, regardless of the circumstances.' The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Park Hills Police Department, but the investigation was turned over to the sheriff's office because Poppy's Playhouse is owned by Park Hills Councilwoman Spring Gray. Gray resigned from her city council position, Park Hills Mayor Stacey Easter said May 20. The lawsuit did not name the worker who Williams has accused of killing her son. 'Defendant, through the use of lower extremities, applied weight and pressure to (the victim's) chest and/or abdomen, while he was laying down, in order to subdue (the victim) in an effort to force him to sleep,' according to the lawsuit filed against Poppy's Playhouse. Conrad was suffocated, Williams said in the lawsuit, which accuses Poppy's Playhouse of failure to 'properly train and supervise its employees to insure safe interaction between staff and children.' It was Williams who found her son's lifeless body when she came to pick up her son nearly four hours after his nap time began, Hardie told KSDK. Williams is seeking compensation for the 'suffering' and 'aggravating circumstances' of her son's death, the lawsuit states. According to an obituary, Conrad enjoyed swimming, spending time with his family, as well as the TV series 'Cocomelon' and movie franchises 'Toy Story' and 'Cars.' 'He was a beautiful child. He enjoyed being free and living his sweet little life,' Hardie told KTVI. Park Hills is about a 65-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.
CNBC
17-05-2025
- Climate
- CNBC
At least 16 killed, dozens injured as suspected tornadoes hit Missouri and Kentucky
At least 16 people were killed when severe weather, including possible tornadoes, swept through parts of Missouri and Kentucky from Friday into Saturday morning, authorities said. Nine were dead in Laurel County, Kentucky, said Sheriff John Root, with "numerous severe injuries." He said a tornado touched down late Friday night and that the search for survivors continued. Five were killed in St. Louis, and two others in Scott County, in southeastern Missouri, according to officials. Speaking at an evening news conference, St. Louis officials said over 5,000 homes may have been affected by the afternoon's outbreak of severe weather. A spokesperson for both St. Louis Children's Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital said the facilities have received at least 35 patients in total, with the children's facility getting 15 and Barnes-Jewish seeing at least 20, possibly 30 who were injured as a result of the severe weather. The spokesperson said all but two patients at the children's facility were expected to be released Friday night; one was reported earlier to be in critical condition. Some of those at Barnes-Jewish were to be released, while others were said to be in serious condition, the spokesperson said. At the late news conference, Mayor Cara Spencer announced that the number of fatalities has risen from four to five. She had said earlier that two of the dead were killed in North City, where a vortex was reported. A northern swath of the city from Forest Park to the northern boundary was subject of a curfew through 6 a.m., the mayor said. Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said severe weather hit about 20 square blocks of the city. St. Louis police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said search-and-rescue operations were still underway with the help of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and surrounding county first responders. "It's all hands on deck to rescue as many people as we can and save lives," he told NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis. Search crews will find much darkness in the city, with more than 40,000 utility customers in the St. Louis region without power Friday night, according to utility tracker Missouri has more than 97,000 customers in the dark, according to the site. The tornado was reported after 2:30 p.m. in the city near Forest Park and moving east toward Granite City, Illinois, said National Weather Service meteorologist Marshall Pfahler. Its force level is unlikely to be known until Saturday when weather service spotters are able to get to the scene and measure damage, tracks and other elements of the vortex, he said. The weather service office that covers St. Louis later said on X, "Damage reports and radar imagery suggest a tornado likely occurred across parts St Louis this afternoon. We will have a survey team on the ground tomorrow to confirm and assign a rating." KSDK reported that two tornadoes may have touched down in the region on Friday. The National Weather Service said it was working to confirm the second twister. The station reported that a man was rescued from the rubble of a home after an hourslong operation. The residence was most likely smashed by a tornado or the severe weather's associated potent winds in the area Friday, the station said. "Considering the building collapsed on him, he's doing great," a fire official said after the man was pulled out. The man had sought shelter in the home and ended up stuck inside, possibly in a pantry, KSDK said. Coverage from the region included imagery of a decimated Harlem Tap Room, a historic bar on the city's north side that has been at the same location for roughly 80 years. A witness who was in the bar told KSDK that a fellow patron's warning and the establishment's flickering lights preceded his move and that of others there to the rear of the building, which he said likely saved lives. St. Louis city officials and police asked the public to stay put on Friday as they respond to the storm's effects. Utility Spire energy, which serves 1.7 million customers in the region, said there is "severe damage" to homes. Video of the damage showed toppled brick walls and downed tree limbs and power lines in the region. The nearby city of Clayton said its City Hall is closed as it coordinates a response to the severe weather. In Scott County, Sheriff Derick Wheetley said in a social media post that two people died in a "devastating tornado" there. "The tornado moved from the eastern part of the county, leaving behind a trail of destruction, with multiple homes completely lost and areas left unrecognizable," he said. The worst of the weather seemed to have passed St. Louis late in the afternoon, although federal forecasters said a dry night could be followed by the return of thunderstorms on Saturday. The vortexes were products of a fast-moving low pressure system headed east-northeast from its location over parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri, a region under tornado watch until 10 p.m. The cool, winter-like storm is clashing with a heat wave to the southwest, producing unstable air and eruptions of thunderstorm activity. Severe weather, including 11 unconfirmed tornadoes, was reported Thursday in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois, according to the weather service and NBC News forecasters. A Beyoncé concert at Chicago's open-air Soldier Field on Thursday was delayed because of the weather. Spectator video showed a ferocious downpour ahead of the show.
Forbes
16-05-2025
- Climate
- Forbes
St. Louis Tornadoes Highlight Weather Service's Life-Saving Mission
St. Louis, Missouri from Landsat 5. Media outlets confirmed that, as of the time of writing, two tornadoes touched down in the St. Louis metropolitan area Friday afternoon. According to the NBC affiliate KSDK website, 'Meteorologists confirmed that a tornado touched down in Clayton at around 2:45 p.m. and another touched down northeast of Des Arc at around 3 p.m.' St. Louis and portions of the region were under a tornado warning until 3:15 local time. With the National Weather Service facing understaffing, reduction in services, and low morale, this storm system is a vivid reminder of their life-saving mission. St. Louis was under a tornado warning until 3:15 pm local time. As damage reports and pictures start to shed light on the situation, startling images from a webcam in the St. Louis Arch and personal phones signaled the dire conditions facing one of the nation's most populated cities. According to the Weather Channel, radar signatures indicate that the tornado may have been EF2 to EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, but we will not confirm such estimates until a tornado survey is conducted by the National Weather Service. (Original Caption) St. Louis: The Saint Louis riverfront looking west and taken from East St. Louis, ... More Illinois. (Frames 11, 12, and 13 color) include from left: The Pet Milk offices, the Gateway Arch; Stouffer's Riverfront Inn; the Old Cathedral; Busch Memorial Stadium and the Gateway Towers Building. The boats in the foreground from left: Delta Queen, an excursion boat that travels the Mississippi river Huck Finn, an excursion boat for the St. Louis area and the Becky Thacher, a restaurant and museum. The National Weather Service will be involved in the post-storm assessment, and they provided warning of storm potential Friday morning before the storms too. At 6:29 am local time, NWS forecasters wrote, "Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop along or just ahead of a cold front this afternoon. Hail in excess of 2 inches in diameter and damaging winds in excess of 80 mph are the primary threats. A few tornadoes are also possible. If tornadoes do develop, they could be strong." The Storm Prediction Center also had the area under a Moderate Risk (4 out of 5). Forecasters expected storms in the St. Louis region on Friday May 16th. Even as I write this on Friday evening, the region just to the east and south of St. Louis are dealing with tornadic storms. How do I know? I am looking at National Weather Service Doppler radar images and analyzing data that comes from their weather forecast models too. A cold front sprawled across the region is serving as a trigger for the storms, and conditions (moisture, instability, and shear) are optimal for large hail or tornadoes. Tornadic storms on Friday evening jut south of St. Louis, Missouri. Throughout this discussion, I have mentioned the role of the National Weather Service. My mind was racing with worst-case scenarios if they didn't exist. The greater St. Louis region has a population of roughly 2.8 million people. Like many urban areas, that population is densely populated. The layers of warning from the National Weather Service (severe weather outlooks, tornado watches, and Doppler radar-indicated tornado warnings) probably saved lives as a tornado moved through the region. Surface weather map for the evening of May 16, 2025. To be clear, lives in rural spaces matter equally to those in urban spaces. I make this point because there is often an urban bias in how weather hazards are covered. My point here is that a city like St. Louis and a large tornado are a particularly bad mix given the sheer number of people, infrastructure, and the density. On top of that, this storm happened as the Friday rush hour was likely beginning. Additionally, we are constantly swatting down the myth that tornadoes do not strike large cities. There is plenty of evidence to refute that claim and as researchers at Northern Illinois University remind us, the urban 'footprint' continues to grow, which means a larger bullseye. People survey damage after a severe storm moved through Friday, May 16, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP ... More Photo/Jeff Roberson) The National Weather Service is struggling to fill over 150 vacancies, and they cannot hire anyone. NBC News reported that approximately 40% of the nation's forecast offices are facing some type of shortage. A colleague made a great point today. We must not forget what the 'S' in NWS stands for - Service. Whether you are in a rural community or a big city, their service is unwavering when they have the appropriate resources. No your app can't replace them. Your app depends on their service too. Part of Centennial Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri, collapsed on Friday, May 16, 2025 when ... More severe storms, including a possible tornado, swept through the city. (AP Photo/Michael Phillis)
Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Miami Herald
24-year-old mom found shot to death in car on Mother's Day, Missouri cops say
A 24-year-old mother was discovered dead in a vehicle following a Mother's Day shooting in Missouri, authorities say. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said officers were dispatched to a residential area Sunday, May 11, for a report of a shooting. When they arrived, officers found a woman who had been shot multiple times in a vehicle, police said. The woman, identified as 24-year-old Jorre Hadley, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Hadley, the oldest of eight siblings, had returned home to help raise her brothers and sisters after the 2021 death of their mother, according to KTVI. 'My little brother called me and my little brother was screaming on the phone. When I had pulled up, it was just a crime scene. My little brother and they were crying,' her sister Janiya Hadley told KTVI. 'My nephew and sister were in the back of the police car. They wouldn't let me see them.' The shooting scene was about a 6-mile drive from the mother's St. Louis home, police said. It was less than a mile from Unfailing Love Christian Church, where Jorre Hadley attended a Mother's Day service earlier in the day with her son, KSDK reported. 'Earlier in the service we did a memorial service for people whose mothers had been deceased. She came up. She was visibly upset at that time and heavily crying but as the service went on, she was joyful,' Janese Jones-Barney, the first lady of the church, told KSDK. 'Her son was interacting with other kids that were in the service.' An investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 314-444-5371.
