news
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Watch: Alleged Gunman Held in Brazen Gas Station Shooting Death of Texas Sheriff’s Deputy
A man was being held Saturday by law-enforcement authorities in Houston after he allegedly shot and killed a Harris County sheriff’s deputy as the officer refueled his police cruiser at a gas station Friday night, according to CNN. Deputy Darren Goforth, who had 10 years’ service with the sheriff’s office, was shot multiple times from…
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Black Man Held for Months Over $5 Grocery Theft Found Dead in Jail
A 24-year-old black man was found dead in a Virginia jail cell after he was held without bail for four months over an alleged theft of $5 worth of groceries, reports The Guardian. Jamycheal Mitchell, who reportedly suffered from mental illness and may have starved himself to death, was discovered in his cell last week…
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NC Cop Who Shot Unarmed Jonathan Ferrell Will Not Be Retried After Mistrial
North Carolina state prosecutors said Friday that they will not retry a white police officer who shot and killed unarmed Jonathan Ferrell. Prosecutors made the decision after talking with jurors following a mistrial, saying they would not be able to win a conviction, according to the New York Daily News. A jury deadlocked 8-4 last…
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Watch: Ohio Cop Pulls Over Black Man for Making Direct Eye Contact
Looks like there’s another item that can be added to The Root’s ongoing list of things you can’t do while black: making direct, uninterrupted eye contact with a police officer. An Ohio police officer admitted on camera that he stopped John Felton, a black man, “because you made direct eye contact with me, and you…
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Savannah State University Student Dead in Campus Shooting
Students and faculty at Savannah State University are saddened and stunned after a Thursday-night campus shooting in Georgia left one student dead. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, junior Christopher Starks, 22, was shot during an altercation inside the school’s Student Union building. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The…
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Ohio Police Chief Won’t Apologize for Wearing Confederate-Flag Vest
An Ohio police chief isn’t really addressing the controversy that has unfolded since he was seen in photos wearing a Confederate-flag vest while vacationing in South Dakota, WKYC reports. Port Clinton Police Chief Robert Hickman said that he doesn’t “look at the Confederate flag as a racist symbol,” with some residents defending him, saying he…
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Va. Shooter Had Wig, Extra License Plates and a Gun in Crashed Rental Car: Report
Vester Lee Flanagan II died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday afternoon after callously killing two Virginia TV journalists during a live broadcast. However, court documents detailing exactly what Flanagan had in a crashed rental car before he shot himself seem to suggest the killer may not have intended to take his own life but,…
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Report: Former NBA Star Darryl ‘Chocolate Thunder’ Dawkins Dead at 58
Darryl Dawkins, the former NBA player known for his monstrous backboard-breaking dunks, has died at age 58, WFMZ reports. According to the news station, in 1975 Dawkins became the first player ever drafted to the NBA directly from high school. Affectionately nicknamed Chocolate Thunder by Stevie Wonder, the 6-foot-11-inch center played for several teams over…
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Mich. Man Allegedly Robbed Bank to Pay for Daughter’s Chemo
A Michigan man who robbed a local credit union reportedly did so in a desperate attempt to help pay for his daughter’s chemotherapy, according to authorities, ABC News reports. Brian Randolph, 23, is accused of entering the Vibe Credit Union in South Lyon earlier this month and passing a note demanding money. The note said…
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George Zimmerman Says ‘Pansy’ Va. Shooter Committed a ‘Hate Crime,’ Calls Obama an ‘Ignorant Baboon’
This guy. On Wednesday the nation was left reeling after a gunman, identified as Vester Lee Flanagan II, who also went by the name Bryce Williams, fatally shot two WDBJ7 employees—reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward—during a live broadcast. Turns out that George Zimmerman, best known for gunning down unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin,…