Year: 2017

ABC News(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- Families of the Charleston church shooting victims -- and the grandfather of the convicted killer -- spoke out in court Monday as Dylann Roof pleaded guilty to all state charges against him.As Roof's grandfather Joe Roof, a longtime real estate lawyer in Columbia, South Carolina, addressed the court for the first time, he said, "Dylann is not all bad."His grandson, who is white, has already been […]

US Navy(WASHINGTON) -- The Navy has decided that an instructor will not face criminal charges in the death of Navy SEAL trainee James Derek Lovelace, 21, who drowned during a pool training exercise last May. The unit commander determined that Lovelace's death was not the result of a crime."The commanding officer of the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command has determined that the 6 May 2016 death of Seaman James […]

ABC News(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- Nearly two years after Dylann Roof opened fire at a Bible study at a Charleston, South Carolina, church, killing nine black parishioners, the convicted killer pleaded guilty Monday in state court.Roof, who turned 23 last week, has already been convicted of hate crimes in a federal case and has been sentenced to death for the murders at the predominantly black Emanuel AME Church in June 2015.As […]

iStock/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) — Chicago police are searching for a gunman who they say shot and killed a Cook County, Illinois, criminal court judge Monday morning outside his Chicago home on the city's South Side.First Deputy Superintendent of Police Kevin Navarro Monday morning called Judge Raymond Myles' death "another senseless act of violence."Chicago police Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples said the shooting happened shortly before 5 a.m. A woman, described by Staples […]

AbleStock.com/Thinkstock(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- One California family is taking a deep breath after dealing with an unwanted visitor at their home in Pollock Pines.Homeowner Mark Dolph told ABC station KXTV that he was making dinner when he heard a commotion. Deciding to check out the source of the disturbance, he saw the family's felines running scared and soon encountered a much larger cat: a mountain lion.Armed with only a piñata bat, […]

iStock/Thinkstock(FORT COLLINS, Colo.) — A video of a Colorado police officer appearing to slam a woman onto the ground has sparked backlash after it was posted on social media this weekend.The video shows a woman identified by police as Michaella Surat, 22, apparently being thrown onto the sidewalk by a Fort Collins Police officer during an altercation.Fort Collins Police Services Chief John Hutto said the incident would be "thoroughly investigated," […]

The Tennessee Department of Corrections(ONLY, Tenn.) — A group of Tennessee prison inmates assaulted three correctional officers and held one of them hostage on Sunday, authorities said.The incident took place after 16 inmates caused a disturbance at the Turney Center Industrial Complex in Only, Tennessee, located about 60 miles west of Nashville, authorities said.Two of the officers were removed from the unit immediately, while a third was held hostage "for […]

Creatas/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Passover is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the emancipation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. It typically falls in early- to mid-April, coinciding with the 15th to the 22nd of the Jewish month of Nissan, based on the lunar calendar.How is it celebrated?People who observe Passover will attend a Seder, a dinner where the story of the Exodus from Egypt is recounted. Seder means ‘order’ […]

iStock/Thinkstock(CHINO, Calif.) — An SUV crashed into a crowd of pedestrians Sunday at a church parking lot in California, killing two women, authorities said.Police in Chino, California, said the driver, an elderly man, struck a group of several women after he reversed out of a parking space at fast speed, according to ABC affiliate KABC.The vehicle then continued and hit a building next to a church, according to ABC affiliate […]