Tag: arizona

Arizona gun shop at center of plot to assassinate Colombian presidential candidate

The gun used by a teenager to shoot a Colombian presidential candidate was ‘acquired’ through an Arizona gun shop, law enforcement source has revealed Monday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told El Tiempo newspaper that Juan Sebastían Rodríguez Casallas, 14, shot Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay with a 9mm Glock what was bought on August 6, 2020.

The source also said that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was also able to confirm that the weapon has been purchased at AJI Sporting Goods in Mesa.

In addition, the law enforcement agent told the outlet that the ATF was able to identify the name of the purchase, Charles Joe Anderson.

‘It is a model of Austrian origin, unusual in actions of this type within the country, which has activated protocols to track its arrival in the hands of the hitman,’ the official said.

Colombian National Police director, General Carlos Triana, said during a press conference Monday also confirmed that the weapon was legally purchased in Arizona and said investigators were looking into how the gun made its way to Colombia.

An ATF spokesperson told DailyMail.com that it could not confirm or deny the report.

AJI Sporting Goods owner, Jeff Serdy, told DailyMail.com that he had not been contacted by federal officials from Colombia and the United States as of Monday.

Serdy confirmed that Anderson acquired the weapon via a ‘transfer’ and that his gun shop received a $30 fee. 

‘For the record all state and federal laws were very strictly followed during this transaction,’ Serdy said. 

The gun was purchased from another store, whose name Serdy was unable to share. 

A 2024 Colombian National Police report showed that at least 3,954 guns that seized were made in the United States. Another 805 were manufactured in Italy and 414 were made in Germany.

Video footage showed Senator Uribe Turbay, who is planning to run in the 2026 presidential elections, addressing a crowd of about 250 residents Saturday afternoon in Fontibon, a neighborhood in the Colombia capital city of Bogotá.

Rodríguez Casallas could be seen standing several feet away from Uribe Turbay, who was starting to make his point about how his administration would combat mental illness, when he shot the lawmaker in the back of the head and fired about five more shots.

A surveillance video showed the teen shooter racing out of the park and running down a street as Uribe Turbay’s bodyguards chased after him.

A second video showed Rodríguez Casallas hobbling towards a gated residential complex and then turning around to aim his gun at the guards.

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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs VETOES Bill That Would Prevent China From Buying Land Near U.S. Military Bases

Arizona’s Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed a bill that would prevent the Chinese Communist Party from buying land near strategic assets such as military bases. Whose side is this woman on?

It really seems like Democrats are hell bent on doing everything they can to weaken the United States and threaten our national security.

They can’t even agree that China shouldn’t be able to buy American land near our defense infrastructure? What the heck is going on here?

FOX News reports:

Dem governor ripped as ‘total disgrace’ after vetoing bill limiting Chinese land ownership near military bases

Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is up for reelection next year, garnered backlash Tuesday after vetoing a bill aimed at preventing China from buying up land next to strategic assets, such as military bases.

Arizona state Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp said the “politically motivated veto” was “utterly insane,” blaming Hobbs for being “an obstructionist against safeguarding our citizens from threats.”

However, Hobbs said the bill, S.B. 1109, was “ineffective at counter-espionage” and did not “directly protect” American military assets in the state…

“Governor Hobbs’s veto of SB 1109 hangs an ‘Open for the CCP’ sign on Arizona’s front door, allowing Communist China to buy up American land near critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant, and Taiwan Semiconductor’s growing fabrication footprint,” said Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats.

Is anyone going to look into this?

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Army surveillance balloons spotted over Tucson raise privacy concerns from advocates

The U.S. Army and a private company are flying high-altitude surveillance balloons over the Tucson area, raising concerns among privacy advocates. 

Multiple high-altitude balloons have been spotted over the Tucson and Sierra Vista area for more than a week, with one balloon in particular staying over the area longer than any of the others. That balloon, with the registration number N257TH, has made headlines in the past. 

The balloon is owned by South Dakota aerospace company Aerostar, and in 2023 was mistaken for a Chinese spy balloon. The balloon is actually part of Aerostar’s “Thunderhead” balloon system, which has been doing multiple tests with the military and other contractors across the nation and around the globe. 

“It is a technology that should not and constitutionally cannot be applied to the American people,” Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union, told the Arizona Mirror. “Even testing for eventual overseas use in legitimate combat theaters raises a lot of questions about what kind of data is being collected.”

Aerostar would not answer specific questions about what type of testing was being done. The company referred additional questions to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Army, neither of which responded to multiple requests for comment. 

Aerostar confirmed that the flights were not connected to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol or Department of Homeland Security programs, “however high-altitude balloons would be ideal for that type of mission,” Aerostar Culture and Communications Director Anastasia Quanbeck said in an email to the Mirror. 

“By leveraging directional wind patterns at high altitudes, Aerostar’s Thunderhead Balloon Systems offer groundbreaking capabilities for navigation and persistence over areas of interest,” she said. “Aerostar Thunderhead Balloon Systems are capable of supporting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, as well as extending communications across wide distances, environmental monitoring, earth observation, and scientific research.” 

Quanbeck said she was not able to discuss the work the company does with the DOD or the Army. 

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Two Teenagers Found Shot Dead in Arizona National Forest

Sheriff’s officials in Arizona are investigating the deaths of two high school students found in a national forest outside Phoenix after they failed to return from a Memorial Day camping trip.

Both had died from gunshot wounds, according to KNXV-TV, which cited the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

And both were being mourned by their families and their school community.

Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, was described by her mother in a message to KNXV-TV as “a bright light in this world who loved every single person she met and had an unusual ability to make every person she met feel special and loved. She was a friend to many and a beloved daughter. She lived life in a big way and was always up for an adventure.”

The other teen has been identified by family and friends as 17-year-old Evan Clark.

In an interview with KSAZ-TV, a co-worker of Clark’s called the deaths a “tragedy.”

“You just cherish all the memories and the laughs,” the co-worker said.  “His life was cut very short, and so was Pandora’s. They were very young, and it was just so sudden and a tragedy that you wouldn’t even imagine.”

A classmate of Clark’s told the station “it doesn’t really feel real.”

“I was just in class with him, not even a week ago,” the classmate said.

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22 More People, Entities Charged in Arizona Medicaid Fraud Scheme

An Arizona grand jury has indicted 22 individuals and entities linked to a massive Medicaid fraud scheme involving sober living homes.

The charges include money laundering, theft, conspiracy, fraudulent schemes, patient referral fraud, and forgery, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Tuesday.

These indictments are part of an ongoing investigation into a $2.7 billion fraud that exploited Arizona’s health care system, particularly targeting Native Americans seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

According to the charge document, the 20 individuals indicted are associated with a church and a mental health organization called Happy House Behavioral Health. Prosecutors allege that Happy House was paid over $60 million for services that were either never rendered or only partially completed. Some of the billing, they say, was for clients who were deceased or incarcerated.

Prosecutors also allege that sober living facilities referred clients to Happy House, which in turn received funds from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the state’s Medicaid agency. Happy House then allegedly paid the referring sober homes for those client placements, an arrangement at the center of the fraudulent scheme charges.

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Mesa High School student barred from wearing military stole at graduation

A graduation controversy is unfolding at Arizona’s largest school district, Mesa Public Schools. School leaders won’t allow a senior at Mesa High School who is enlisted in the National Guard to wear a military stole at graduation on Thursday.

Daniela Rascon-Rivas earned the stole when she enlisted in the Arizona National Guard. “It would show my classmates that I am enlisted in the Army and that I am fighting for them, keeping our country safe from foreign and domestic enemies,” she says.

Rascon-Rivas says a Mesa High School administrator brought her down to the office last week to explain the district policy against wearing the stole at graduation. “I was disheartened. I was disappointed,” she says. “I felt betrayed.”

Mesa High sent Arizona’s Family a statement, reading in part, “Mesa High absolutely encourages families to bring their student’s stoles for photos and celebrations after the event.”

“I see no point in wearing it afterward,” Rascon-Rivas says. “The point of me wearing these stoles and cords is so that my classmates can see what I have accomplished and the accolades I have collected.”

Her father is also expressing disappointment. “When I got notice that she cannot wear the stole, that broke my heart,” says Jose Rascon.

Rascon-Rivas started a petition that’s gotten the attention of school board member Rachel Walden. “You get that one shot where you go up and grab your diploma and you do the handshake for the photo,” Walden says. “If she has her National Guard stole on, that’s going to make the night more meaningful for her. I think there’s no reason she shouldn’t be able to do that.”

Walden thinks the superintendent should step in and order the school administration to allow the military stoles on Thursday. “If they have to pull rank, then that’s what needs to be done,” she says. “Then we can address it permanently going forward by writing it into policy, if my colleagues on the board agree with that, we can pass a vote to update our policy.”

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Far Left Arizona Gov Katie Hobbs Vetoes Bill Requiring Public Schools to Include Instruction on the Gulf of America

Democrat Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a Republican bill on Tuesday that would require public high schools to adhere to President Trump’s “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” executive order by including geography and instruction on the Gulf of America.

HB 2700 would add geography education in the State Board of Education’s high school social studies academic standards and require academic standards for geography to include instruction on the Gulf of America.

The far-left Democrat Governor doesn’t want students to have a comprehensive education on geography and current events, though.

Hobbs provided no reason for her veto in a letter to Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro, but did take a personal jab at Republicans in the state legislature for what she perceives as a refusal to “work together.”

Hobbs sent the following letter to Montenegro on Tuesday:

Speaker Montenegro,

Today, I vetoed House Bill 2700. Arizonans want us to work together to lower costs, secure the border, create jobs, and protect publie education. Instead of joining with me to do that, this Legislature has chosen to attempt to dictate how teachers refer to geographic features. I encourage you to refocus your time and energy on solving real problems for Arizonans.

In total, Hobbs reportedly vetoed 48 bills on Monday and Tuesday, and she is now five vetoes short of setting a new record.

It can be recalled that Hobbs broke the record for the most bills vetoed in a single session of the state legislature during her first year in office in 2023. Leftwing outlets dubbed her the “Veto Queen,” celebrating her stand against Republicans who represent a majority of Arizona. This is her only accomplishment as governor.

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Border Patrol Agent Reports Witnessing UFOs in Arizona

Government officials have reported seeing a wide range of UAP along Arizona’s border with Mexico. In an interview that aired on May 10, News Nation’s Ross Coulthart sat down with whistleblower Bob Thompson to discuss these sightings and their implications for national security.

“I’ve seen orbs, I’ve seen strange lights that were bright and hovering… A lot of stuff at night,” Thompson stated. As a US Border Patrol agent, he has access to highly sensitive equipment including infrared sensors and night-vision goggles. “[These UAP] were not showing visible forms of propulsion, even with goggles,” he said.

Thompson shared that once, while sitting in a vehicle with his supervisor, he saw two strange objects suddenly appear in the night sky. His sightings mirror other ones reported by both military and commercial pilots, many of whom have raised concerns about potential collisions.

“Could it be something the military is testing? It’s a distinct possibility,” Thompson admitted, acknowledging that his area of patrol is close to top-secret government sites, such as the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range. There have also been instances of Mexican cartels using drones to transport drugs into the US. However, Thompson claimed the objects he’s seen do not resemble drones. According to him, the crafts “were cigar-shaped and triangles.”

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A law that helped convert Indigenous people is now used to get churches near—and on—school grounds

Earlier this year, a small school district just north of Tucson made an unusual decision: It would allow the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a complex on public school district grounds where students could be released from class to worship.

But the project quickly unraveled. A few weeks later, the Vail Unified School District reversed course, saying the church canceled the contract after local media reports and secular groups criticized the plan. Still, the construction of religious buildings near schools for the temporary release of students to practice their faith has become a growing concern of church-state separation advocates, who argue it violates legal requirements that keep public schools secular.

In Arizona and several other states, ‘release time’ for religious instruction is not only legal—it’s common.

State law allows students to be excused from school during the day to participate in religious instruction off campus. In the case of LDS students, these classes often include lifestyle lessons. They are typically held in buildings just outside campus boundaries, sometimes only a few hundred feet away.

Religious conservatives have pushed to expand release-time programs nationwide, arguing there is no need to separate religion from daily education. Here, such programs are only growing more popular.

Arizona’s history with religious release time

More than a dozen states currently require school districts to adopt release-time policies.

Most recently, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, signed a bill in February mandating school districts create a release-time policy after two districts rescinded theirs. Previously, Ohio law didn’t require districts to offer the program. The new law, known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, also bans discussions of sexuality or gender identity before fourth grade.

The Guardian reported that the Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom, designated an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has helped draft model legislation for states to expand release-time programs. This gives parents more authority over their children’s ‘moral and religious’ upbringing, often limiting exposure to diverse communities and families.

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Man Killed in Road Rage Incident Brought Back to Life and Speaks to His Killer in Court via AI-Powered Video

A Chandler, Arizona courtroom recently witnessed the use of artificial intelligence to resurrect the voice of a deceased man, Christopher Pelkey, during the sentencing of his killer, Gabriel Horcasitas.

Pelkey, shot dead in a 2021 road rage incident, was digitally recreated using AI to deliver a scripted “impact statement” written by his sister, Stacey Wales.

Horcasitas, 50, was sentenced to 10.5 years for manslaughter after shooting Pelkey, 37, when the latter approached his car in a heated confrontation.

“To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me: it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances,” according to the AI-generated video, featuring a digitally aged photograph of Pelkey.

“In another life, we probably could have been friends. I believe in forgiveness and God, who forgives. I always have, and still do,” the video said, which moved the judge, who openly praised the AI technology, to hand down a sentence a full year longer than prosecutors requested.

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