Tag: crime

Blackstone Executive Wesley LePatner Among the Four Victims Killed in Manhattan Shooting

New details have surfaced of one of the four victims in the tragic Manhattan shooting that occurred on Monday evening.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, 27-year-old Shane Tamura from Las Vegas has been identified as the shooter who opened fire on the 33rd floor of the Manhattan building that houses the NFL and Blackstone headquarters.

A new report by Blackstone has revealed that one of its executives was killed in the shooting.

In an announcement, Blackstone wrote, “We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePartner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue.”

Per The New York Post:

A Blackstone executive was among the four people shot and killed by the crazed gunman who shot up a Midtown office building, the company confirmed Tuesday.

Married mom Wesley LePatner, a senior managing director for the financial giant, was shot and killed in the lobby of the ritzy Park Avenue office tower when Shane Tamura opened fire in anger at the NFL, which shares the same building.

“We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePartner, was among those who lost theor lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue,” Blackstone told The Post in a statement.

“She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond.

“She embodied the best of Blackstone. Our prayers are with her husband, children and family.”

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Nightmare in America’s Cities

“Chicago’s Worst Hoods at Night!”

“Chicago Gangs, Alleys and Guns at Night”

“Top 10 US Cities With the Most Dangerous Nighttime Vibe While Walking That I Have Visited”

I picked these titles at random from the popular YouTube channel of Charlie Moore, a former Detroit cop who films his drives through inner city urban areas. The Atlantic characterized these journeys as “hood safaris,” implying that it’s racist to document the unfathomable danger the residents of our most crime-ridden cities face every day, even though Moore himself is black. I challenge anyone to watch just one of these videos and not instead ask: How have we allowed parts of cities like Chicago to become more dangerous than actual war zones?

Although Barack Obama was not in the audience at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on July 23, during a conversation about Fox News contributor Gianno Caldwell’s new book, “The Day My Brother Was Murdered: My Journey Through America’s Violent Crime Crisis,” Caldwell directed a related question to the former president:

You’re from Chicago. You lived there for many, many years. You were president for eight years. How many times did he talk about Chicago and fixing the issues that exist there? We didn’t really hear him talk about that. Why? Why is that the case?

Obama and the Left’s silence on America’s crime crisis infuriates many of the fortunate among us who have never had to mourn a family member or friend lost to a stabbing or drive-by shooting. Just imagine how Caldwell feels. His youngest brother, Christian, was gunned down on Chicago’s South Side on June 24, 2022, when he was only 18 years old. Christian was not the intended victim, and his killers have still not been captured. 

On the same day as Christian’s death, 150 other people were murdered across the country. Caldwell shares the stories of eight of those victims in “The Day My Brother Was Murdered.” During the Q and A session at the Reagan Library, he mentioned the heartbreaking story of Cecelia Thomas:

Baby Cecelia was five months old on June 24. She was in a car with her parents up front — and her baby brother, three years old. They hear a pop. They thought it was fireworks. Baby Cecilia was shot in the head. She was four days away from being six months old.

The system should be working to bring justice to victims like Cecilia and her family. Instead, Caldwell says, it too often seems to be helping the criminals. Is that just an exaggeration? Well, consider the SAFE-T Act in Illinois, which eliminated cash bail throughout the state. Caldwell explained why the law is such welcome news for murderers:

So for doing things like murder, as an example, you may get an ankle monitor bracelet…and they will sit you at home. But the SAFE-T Act … created this new avenue for this ankle monitor bracelet. … The police can not respond to someone being out of range on their ankle monitor bracelet for 72 hours. You’ve killed the witness at that point! It’s insanity!

Not insane enough for you? How about the requirement that, when Chicago police officers witness a crime, they must get approval from their supervisor before chasing suspects on foot or by car? Unfortunately, this insanity is not confined to Chicago. While Caldwell called Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson even worse than his predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, he made clear that L.A.’s Karen Bass is clearly in the running for the worst city leader in America:

If people don’t believe that there is accountability … it is legitimately Gotham City, and in many cities across the nation that’s what we’re experiencing. … Karen Bass doesn’t believe in accountability, apparently. You saw what happened with the ICE protests — I mean, this is insane … This is completely political. They let people run wild and destroy their own neighborhoods. … How do you get justice by destroying your own stuff? You don’t.

And you won’t get justice as long as George Soros-funded prosecutors are in charge. These “terrible people,” as Caldwell described them, “have enabled an ideology” that has failed those who may not have started out as criminals but now see insane laws telling them they can do things like steal up to $950 worth of items without being stopped. When they realize they can get away with such crimes, some escalate to carjacking, robbery, and even murder.

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Cincinnati police chief blames ‘social media’ and ‘journalism’ after brutal mob attack goes viral

Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge became angered that reporters and social media users posted about a brawl that took place in the city over the weekend, which ended with a woman getting knocked out cold after a mob attacked her and another man.

The incident has drawn national attention after the brawl broke out on Friday evening, with five people being charged in the incident so far. Theetge, however, downplayed the brawl, and said, “We had one incident – one incident – late Friday night into Saturday morning that is getting all the attention and undoing the good stuff that happened this weekend.” She then blamed parents for the behavior coming from juveniles in the city.

During her comments at the press conference, she went on to become angry at social media users and journalists for posting the video that went viral. “Another topic I want to cover real quick, social media and journalism and the role it plays in this incident. And yes guys, that’s you. That is you. Social media, the post that we’ve seen does not depict the entire incident.”

“That is one version of what occurred. At times, social media and mainstream media and their commentaries are a misrepresentation of the circumstances surrounding any given event. What that does, that causes us some difficulties in thoroughly investigating the activity and enforcing the law. Because what happens, that social media post and your coverage of it distorts the content of what actually happened and it makes our job more difficult,” she added, but did not elaborate on what the other version of events was.

She added that the incident “was a sudden dispute between individuals following a verbal altercation,” but was not connected to the Cincinnati Music Festival happening at the same time. She also said that alcohol played a “significant part” in the situation.

When asked by reporters if Theetge knew if the victims had gone to the hospital from the fight, she answered, “I don’t know if they went to the hospital after. I know that when the officers who arrived on the scene, based on the body cam footage that I have watched, that all of the victims were still on the scene, and, they appeared to be as well as could possibly be expected.”

In the footage, a man can be seen being thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly in the head and face by a mob. When the woman then tried to intervene, she was attacked by multiple people before getting punched in the face and dropped to the ground out cold with blood running from her mouth.

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Gunman who killed 4 in New York was trying to get to NFL offices and claimed to have CTE: Officials

A gunman who killed four people at a Manhattan office building before killing himself claimed in a note to have a brain disease linked to contact sports and was trying to target the National Football League’s headquarters but took the wrong elevator, officials said Tuesday.

Investigators believe Shane Tamura, a Las Vegas casino worker, was trying to get up to the NFL offices after shooting several people in the skyscraper’s lobby on Monday but entered the wrong elevator bank, Mayor Eric Adams said in interviews.

Four people were killed, including an off-duty New York City police officer, Didarul Islam.

The gunman blamed the NFL

Tamura, who played high school football in California nearly two decades ago but never in the NFL, had a history of mental illness, police said. In a three-page handwritten note found in his wallet, he claimed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy and accused the NFL of concealing the dangers to players’ brains for profit. The degenerative brain disease has been linked to concussions and other repeated head trauma common in contact sports such as football, but it can only be diagnosed after someone has died.

In the note, Tamura repeatedly said he was sorry and asked that his brain be studied for CTE, according to the police department. It also referenced former NFL player Terry Long, who was diagnosed with CTE, and the manner in which Long killed himself in 2005.

The NFL long denied the link between football and CTE, but it acknowledged the connection in 2016 testimony before Congress and has paid more than $1.4 billion to retired players to settle concussion-related claims.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the shooting “an unspeakable act of violence in our building,” saying he was deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded and the officer who gave his life to protect others.

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Vancouver BANS gun-shaped novelty lighters during crime wave

Vancouver’s City Council, led by Mayor Ken Sim, is enacting a “gun grab” not on actual firearms, but on gun-shaped novelty lighters. 

While Vancouver grapples with rising violent crime, tent cities, repeat offenders, and stranger attacks, the council’s focus is on these lighters, which carry a $1,000 fine for possession. This initiative, referred to as “silly novelty barbecuators,” is presented as a solution to violent crime.

This mirrors a past Toronto initiative called “gunplay no way,” a toy gun buy-back amnesty that offered politically correct toys in exchange for toy guns. 

Critics argue that such policies are mere “feel-good optics” and do nothing to address the root causes of illegal firearm problems. 

Politicians, often elected through popularity contests rather than expertise, are accused of lacking topic knowledge and ignoring experts, instead focusing on “silly novelty things that have no credible impact on public safety.”

One panelist, who was shot by a real gun, deemed the Vancouver initiative “madness.” They highlighted the irony of focusing on lighters while illegal border crossings potentially smuggle real guns and drugs into the country. It’s argued that “illegal guns that are the issue and the criminals who are handling that.”

Another panelist living in Vancouver questioned the priorities of the Mayor and Council, especially given that Vancouver is considered the “fentanyl capital of the world.” 

The mayor himself has faced serious threats, including bomb threats and family intimidation from anti-Israel protesters. 

The effectiveness of this Vancouver bylaw was questioned, with doubts about whether it will lead to even “one charge against somebody in Vancouver for having a lighter in the shape of a gun” in a year’s time. 

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Federal Funds For Local Obedience: Immigration Clause Puts Dems In Bind

A little-noticed provision in the “Big Beautiful Bill” forces blue states and cities to make a tough choice: Comply with federal immigration law or lose federal money for criminal justice aid.

President Trump’s signature piece of legislation allocated $3.3 billion to the DOJ, some of which will go toward the Byrne-JAG Grant Program, a federal initiative created in 2005 which provides support for local law enforcement and criminal justice efforts. To access the new funds, which supplement the $499 million already appropriated for the Byrne-JAG program in 2025, localities must comply with a section of federal immigration law that forbids them from restricting communication between their law enforcement entities and the Department of Homeland Security regarding an individual’s immigration status. This provides an incentive for localities to share their information with federal immigration authorities, helping the Trump administration implement its immigration enforcement agenda, but it also runs the risk of misallocating federal support.

This condition poses a dilemma for Democrats: Do they accept the demands of the Trump administration in return for money they need to run their cities and localities? Or do they maintain their longstanding opposition to deportation and turn it down?

Across the country, Democratic Party leaders are competing to be the face of opposition to the Trump administration. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has tried to position himself as one of the leaders of the opposition to President Trump. New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani has called himself “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare” and has stated that “I will not be working with the [Trump] administration on harming the people that I look to represent.”

But sticking with this position means their constituents won’t benefit from the additional funding that other localities will be able to use to lower their local fiscal burden and make their communities safer.

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Police search for suspect in killing of couple hiking with daughters at Arkansas park

Police are searching for a suspect in the deaths of a couple who were attacked on a trail in Arkansas on Saturday while walking with their two daughters, according to investigators.

Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead at Devil’s Den State Park in Washington County in a suspected double homicide, Arkansas State Police (ASP) said. Their daughters, ages 7 and 9, were not injured and are now safely with family members.

Police added that the couple had recently moved to Prairie Grove from out of state.

Investigators asked that anyone who visited the park on Saturday check their cellphone photos and videos or GoPro footage for any images of the suspect.

They also want any individuals who live in the vicinity of the park to notify ASP if they have access to security and game camera footage.

Officials described the suspect as a white man wearing dark shorts, a dark ballcap, sunglasses and fingerless gloves. He was seen driving towards the park exit in a black four-door sedan, believed to be a Mazda, with a license plate that may be covered by electrical or duct tape.

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Money, sex and a Buddhist monk: Head of China’s famed Shaolin Temple under investigation

China’s famed Shaolin Temple announced on Sunday that its abbot is under investigation for suspected embezzlement and “improper relationships” with women, reviving decade-old allegations against the controversial, high-profile monk.

Shi Yongxin, known as “CEO monk” for his entrepreneurial endeavors that transformed the Buddhist monastery into a commercial empire, is suspected of criminal offenses including embezzlement and misappropriation of project funds and temple assets, the temple’s authority said in a statement.

The 59-year-old monk was also accused of seriously violating Buddhist precepts by maintaining “improper relationships” with multiple women over an extended period and fathering at least one child, according to the statement.

Buddhist monks in China have traditionally been expected to take a vow of celibacy.

“(Shi) is currently under joint investigation by multiple departments. Further information will be released to the public in due course,” the statement added.

CNN has not been able to contact Shi.

Established more than 1,500 years ago in the forested mountains of central China, the Shaolin Temple is both a religious and cultural icon, renowned for its age-old tradition of Zen Buddhism and Shaolin kung fu – a distinct form of Chinese martial arts.

Shi, who became the abbot of the Shaolin Temple in 1999 and was a member of China’s rubber-stamp parliament for two decades, has frequently appeared in the media spotlight.

Known as the first Chinese abbot to hold a Master of Business Administration degree, he was often seen globetrotting with an iPhone in hand, meeting world leaders and industry titans – from the late Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, late South African president Nelson Mandela, and Henry Kissinger to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

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Drones, cameras, AI: University of Illinois real time crime center raises privacy concerns

Thousands of cameras. A fleet of drones. Gun shot detection devices. Stationary and vehicle-mounted automatic license plate readers.

A major metropolitan city? No, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Real-Time Information Center furnishes the institution’s Division of Public Safety with a number of technologically sophisticated tools that have some privacy experts alarmed.

The drones, gunshot detection devices, automatic license plate readers, and campus-wide system of roughly 3,000 security cameras are among the tools currently utilized at the campus, which enrolls about 59,000 students.

Social media monitoring programs and “AI-driven video analytics software” are also among the technologies being evaluated for possible future implementation, according to a document sent by Urbana Police Chief Larry Boone.

He sent it to city officials as they deliberate a proposed city ordinance to establish stricter approval, oversight, and transparency requirements for Urbana’s own acquisition and use of the kinds of surveillance tools being used by the university’s Real-Time Information Center.

According to the document, the Real-Time Information Center provides a wide array of services designed to enhance public safety, streamline operations, and support law enforcement agencies.

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How a three-star migrant hotel in Barbican became a living nightmare for locals: Blazing mattresses and a TV hurled from windows… and no fewer than 41 ‘guests’ charged with 90 offences ranging from rape to sexual assault, robbery and bag snatching

Woken by police to be told that his car had been damaged, Ufuoma Odoh wasn’t prepared for the scene that confronted him.

The Volvo XC40, parked on the street around the corner from his London flat, was missing its rear windscreen – smashed by a television hurled out of the window of a nearby hotel room.

In the past, such loutish antics were the preserve of rich, drug-addled rock stars. Today, it’s just part of the day-to-day reality of living alongside one of the many hotels now given over to asylum seekers.

Because, as 49-year-old Mr Odoh discovered, the free board and lodging laid on courtesy of the British taxpayer is absolutely no guarantee of good behaviour.

‘At first, police searched the first two floors of the hotel, discovered no TVs were missing, and closed the case,’ the council worker explained of the incident last month.

‘Then the manager found a TV missing on the fourth floor and called the police, who arrested the person who did it. They took him to the police station and questioned him, but they claimed there was not enough proof as nobody had seen him throw the TV out of the window. I said, “But the manager told you he did it. Is that not enough?” They insisted it wasn’t.’

When Mr Odoh complained to the Home Office about what had happened, he was told that he should take the matter up with his insurers. Rather than make a claim and push up his premiums, he has now shelled out £750 of his own money to make good the damage.

And Mr Odoh is far from alone in counting the cost – financial, emotional and more – of living next to migrant lodgings.

Last weekend, The Mail on Sunday revealed the shocking scale of serious crime committed by asylum seekers living in hotels in communities across Britain.

An audit of court records found that of occupants at 70 hotels – just a third of those used – a remarkable 312 had been charged with 708 criminal offences.

Most shocking of all was the finding that one hotel alone – the three-star Thistle City Barbican in London – had seen 41 migrants listed at the address charged with more than 90 offences in the past year alone. Today, a closer analysis of those crimes paints a worrying picture of the real-life impact of placing asylum seekers – including those who have crossed the Channel in small boats – in the heart of towns and cities.

Charges brought include rape, arson, sexual assault, affray, actual bodily harm, strangulation, robbery, theft and shoplifting. Knife crime and drink and drug offences are commonplace, as are attacks on police officers going about their duties. Those accused of the crimes are all men, with the vast majority aged in their 20s and 30s. Many of those convicted are dealt with by means of suspended or community sentences. In a number of cases warrants have been issued for arrest after defendants failed to attend court hearings.

Financial penalties and costs were also often waived because the defendants were found to have ‘no means’. Given that the London hotel has recently also been identified as a hub for illegal working, some will regard that as a particular irony.

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