Crime Archives - WPTF-AM

Officer fatally shot in a North Carolina supermarket, suspect in custody, police say

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say a police officer has been fatally shot in a North Carolina supermarket and a suspect has been taken into custody. Police announced the officer’s death at a Monday afternoon news conference. They say the officer was responding to a call about an armed person when he was shot shortly before midday at a Food Lion store in Greensboro. Police identified the officer killed as Michael Horan and said he was sworn in with the Greensboro Police Department in early 2018. Assistant Police Chief Milford J. Harris called Horan an excellent officer and said at the news conference that Horan had an outsta… Continue Reading

Veteran Daniel Penny is acquitted in NYC subway chokehold case over Jordan Neely’s death

NEW YORK (AP) — A Marine veteran who put an agitated subway rider in a chokehold on a New York subway has been acquitted in the man’s death. A Manhattan jury cleared Daniel Penny on Monday of criminally negligent homicide charges. The verdict came after a more serious manslaughter charge was dismissed because the jury deadlocked on that count. The case arose from Jordan Neely’s May 2023 death and became a prism for differing views about public safety, valor and vigilantism. The 26-year-old Penny gripped Neely around the neck for about six minutes.… Continue Reading

Ammunition used in CEO’s killing had ‘Deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ written on it, AP source says

NEW YORK (AP) — A law enforcement official says a masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies on a Manhattan sidewalk used ammunition emblazoned with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose.” The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke Thursday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The words on the ammunition may have been a reference to strategies insurance companies use to try to avoid paying claims. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference.… Continue Reading

UnitedHealthcare CEO is killed in a ‘targeted shooting’ outside a New York hotel, officials say

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s police commissioner says the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “brazen, targeted attack.” Jessica Tisch made the comments during a news conference Wednesday. The 50-year-old Thompson was set to speak at an investor meeting when he was gunned down around 6:45 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown by a shooter who fled on foot and then a bicycle, according to the New York Police Department. Though officials said the attack appeared to be targeted, they did not yet have a motive for the shooting.… Continue Reading

Prosecutors seek resentencing for Erik and Lyle Menendez in 1989 killings of their parents

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors are recommending that Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced for the 1989 killings of their parents in Beverly Hills. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has announced during a Thursday news conference that his office would recommend the brothers be sentenced to 50 years to life. But he says their ages at the time of the crimes mean they will be eligible for parole immediately. The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors must now seek court approval for resentencing. The brothers admitted to the crime but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent anyone from finding out that Jose Menendez had abused Erik for years.… Continue Reading

Father of teenage suspect in Hedingham mass shooting pleads guilty to gun storage crime

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The father of a teenager accused in a 2022 mass shooting in North Carolina’s capital city that left five people dead has pleaded guilty to storing improperly a handgun that authorities said was found with his son after the shootings. Media outlets report Alan Thompson entered the plea in Wake County court. He received a suspended jail sentence and some probation. Son Austin Thompson is accused of murder and other charges and faces a 2025 trial. He was 15 when the shootings occurred in Raleigh. His older brother was among those killed. The father’s attorney said Alan Thompson saw no warning signs that his son would commit violence.… Continue Reading