Tag: mass shootings

Tennessee Federal Judge Orders FBI To Turn Over Nashville Mass Shooter’s Manifesto

A federal judge in Tennessee ruled that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) surrender documents, which include the ‘manifesto’ of transgender school shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who killed three adults and three nine-year old children at the Covenant Christian School in Nashville in March 2023. 

The police shot Hale inside the school after she had murdered Mike Hill, 61, Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and three 9-year-olds, Hallie Scruggs, Evelyn Dieckhaus and William Kinney.

At the time of the shooting in March 2023, Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake had told reporters that officers had recovered a “manifesto” from Hale’s car as well as other documents, including a hand-drawn map of the school, and said Hale’s manifesto would be released. It was never released.

Federal authorities had resisted releasing Hale’s manifesto, citing potential interference with enforcement proceedings. The Tennessee Star newspaper’s parent company took legal action against the FBI after denying its request for public records release laws in Tennessee under the Freedom of Information Act. 

“The public has an urgent right to know why this tragedy happened,” the newspaper’s lawyers said in the federal complaint at that time.

The parent company of the Tennessee Star, a local newspaper, sued the FBI after the bureau denied its public records request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Then the tide turned. 

“It has been long enough, and the public has an urgent right to know why this tragedy happened, how future events may be prevented, and what policies should be in place to address this and other similar tragedies,” lawyers for the newspaper wrote in a federal complaint. “[The] FBI has no right to retain a monopoly on this information,” the court ruled. 

The FBI sought to have the complaint dismissed, but Judge Aleta Trauger of the Middle District of Tennessee said the bureau had failed to support its position “with sufficient clarity or detail” and ordered it to submit the manifesto to the court, so she could review the materials.

“The FBI is ORDERED to produce ex parte all documents that are potentially responsive to the defendants’ Freedom of Information Act request for in camera review, with the exception that, based on the plaintiffs’ concessions in this litigation, the FBI need not produce any documents that could not reasonably be construed to bear on Audrey Hale’s motives,” Trauger wrote.

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US Intelligence Says It Knew ISIS-K Was Planning Terror Attack On Moscow

The initial reports that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Moscow appeared rumor at first, and has still been subject of widespread scrutiny and debate, however, US media and government officials are saying that the Islamic State (or ISIS-K) statement is authentic. “A branch of the Islamic State claimed responsibility on Friday for the attack in Moscow that killed at least 40 people and injured about 100 others, and U.S. officials confirmed the claim shortly afterward,” The New York Times writes late in the day. 

What’s more is that US intelligence knew there was to be an imminent attack on Moscow: “The United States collected intelligence in March that Islamic State-Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, the branch of the group based in Afghanistan, had been planning an attack on Moscow, according to officials. ISIS members have been active in Russia, one U.S. official said,” according to more from NYT.

The Kremlin had earlier in the day demanded answers of Washington explaining why the US Embassy in Moscow issued an alert earlier this month for all US nationals to avoid public venues and be extra vigilant. We previously reported on that early March embassy notification here. NY Times continues, citing US officials: “After a period of relative quiet, the Islamic State has been trying to increase its external attacks, according to U.S. counterterrorism officials. Most of those plots in Europe have been thwarted, prompting assessments that the group had diminished capabilities.”

Importantly, Russian state media and sources have been slow to report the ISIS-K claims, nor have state officials identified any culprits or group at this late hour. Russian media in general has not reflected Western press reports concerning the claims that ISIS-K was behind it, likely pending a deeper and ongoing investigation. It is possible that some of the gunmen may still be at large.

Speculation continues to run rampant, and there’s as yet been little that’s confirmed from Russian security services and authorities.

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40 Dead, Over 100 Injured in Mass Shooting at Moscow Concert Venue, FSB Says

At least three people in camouflage opened fire at the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow on Friday, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

More than 100 people were injured in the shooting, while the concert hall caught fire, according to the correspondent.

“At least three people in camouflage burst into the ground floor of Crocus City Hall and opened fire with automatic weapons. There are definitely wounded,” the correspondent said. “After that [the gunmen] threw a grenade or an incendiary bomb, which started a fire.”

“People in the hall laid down on the ground to avoid the fire, laying there for about 15-20 minutes, after which they began to crawl out. Many managed to get out,” the correspondent said.

Law enforcement has arrived and are working at the scene. Local authorities said that “all forces and means have been directed to the scene of the incident,” and that “information about victims is being confirmed.”

The Emergencies Ministry said about a hundred people have been evacuated from the venue’s basement.

Moscow Region governor Andrei Vorobyov is on route to the scene of the emergency, and an operational headquarters has been created. Moscow Mayor has ordered authorities to provide “all necessary assistance,” and expressed “condolences to the relatives of the victims.”

The Russian Health Ministry told Sputnik that over 50 ambulances has been sent to Krasnogorsk to provide medical care to victims. This number has since been increased to 70.

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No, Imprisoning a School Shooter’s Parents Isn’t Justice

A jury on Thursday convicted a Michigan man of four counts of involuntary manslaughter for failing to stop his son from killing four of his peers in November 2021, putting an end to a closely watched prosecution that broke new ground in its attempt to punish the parents of a child who committed a school shooting.

James Crumbley faces up to 60 years in prison, as does his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, who was found guilty of the same charges last month. Prosecutors posited the two bore responsibility for allegedly ignoring signs that their son, Ethan Crumbley, was depressed, and for gifting him the gun he ultimately used to execute Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling, and Hana St. Juliana at Oxford High School.

It may be hard to find sympathy for the Crumbleys, who have, unsurprisingly, been a magnet for backlash. It’s plausible they were negligent parents. But it can simultaneously be true that punishing them criminally for that sets a very troubling precedent, no matter how much you dislike them.

The prosecution’s argument hinged on a few key points: Ethan Crumbley had mental health issues, which the government said his parents did not do enough to address—a point they emphasized more during Jennifer Crumbley’s proceeding. During James Crumbley’s trial, the government zeroed in on the gun he purchased for his son as an early Christmas present: He was allegedly careless, prosecutors said, with how he stored the weapon, creating a perfect storm that cleared the way for Ethan to carry out that shooting about two and a half years ago.

But, no matter how ruinous their parenting, the case against the Crumbleys in some sense hinged on what the government wanted the law to say—not on what it actually said. As I wrote last month:

Despite the fraught subject matter, and the absolute tragedy of those deaths, Michigan law still appeared inept to apply to the Crumbley parents. Michigan lawmakers have had the opportunity to pass “child access prevention” legislation authorizing criminal charges against adults “who intentionally or carelessly give minors unsupervised access to guns,” noted Reason‘s Jacob Sullum in 2021, but they have on multiple occasions rejected the idea. And while the state has since enacted a “secure storage” law pertaining to safely securing firearms, it was not on the books at the time of the murders.

It may shock some consciences that the Crumbleys enjoyed going to the gun range as a family activity. I can understand the queasy gut reaction—it’s not my idea of a good time, either. But how someone feels about guns generally or politically shouldn’t factor into whether or not a parent is criminally responsible for their child’s actions.

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Joe Biden Thinks He Can Rewrite the Constitution After Urging Congress to Ban “Assault Weapons” in Wake of Chiefs Super Bowl Parade Shooting

In a recent statement following a devastating shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade, President Joe Biden has called on Congress to enact stricter gun control measures.

Kansas City was struck by violence on Wednesday when a shooter opened fire amidst the festivities, resulting in at least 29 individuals receiving medical attention.

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves confirmed 22 people were shot, with one succumbing to her injuries. Hospitals told CNN that 19 of the 29 patients are being treated for gunshot wounds.

Three individuals have been detained in relation to the shooting incident.

Joe Biden quickly seized the opportunity to politicize the tragic event.

In a statement, Biden urged Congress to ban “assault weapons, to limit high-capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, keep guns out of the hands of those who have no business owning them or handling them.”

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Houston PD Criticized For Agonizing Over Church Shooter’s Correct Pronouns

The Houston Police Department received criticism for agonizing over the culprit’s correct pronouns after an attempted mass shooting inside Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church.

Authorities identified the shooter as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, who previously used the name Jeffrey Escalante Moreno.

Moreno, who it was initially suspected could have been transgender, was accompanied by a 7-year-old child for whom she was the biological mother.

The child and another 57-year-old man were the only people injured in the shooting, which was quickly stopped by armed off-duty police officers who killed the suspect.

During a press conference, Houston PD announced, “She’d utilized both male and female names, but through all of our investigation to this point, talking with individuals, interviews, documents, Houston Police Department reports she has been identified this entire time as female – she her – and so we are identifying her as Genesse Moreno – hispanic female.”

Elon Musk responded, accusing the police of having “Seriously messed up priorities.”

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Shooter at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church Stopped by Good Guy with Gun

A shooter at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, was reportedly stopped by a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy working security at the church Sunday morning.

Update: Around 4 p.m. Central Time ABC News reported that Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez “corrected an earlier statement claiming it was a sheriff’s deputy that fired the shot.” Gonzalez now says the shooter was stopped when “other agencies fired.”

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez responded to news of the shooting with an X post saying, “It is believed that a possible shooter is down, shot by one of our deputy’s on-scene. I’m enroute to the scene.”

Click2Houston reported the shooter allegedly opened fire in the church lobby. The outlet noted that witnesses indicated “the shooter was possibly a female.”

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Disturbing ‘Columbine’ Inspired Plot Uncovered in Student’s Manifesto at Chippewa Falls School District — Targets Included Christians, Jocks, and Preppy Girls — School District Silent for Over Three Months

A disturbing plot inspired by the infamous Columbine High School massacre, which resulted in 13 deaths and 20 others being injured before turning their guns on themselves and committing suicide, was uncovered at Chippewa Middle School.

An exclusive report, obtained by Steven Crowder’s Louder with Crowder’s MugClub Undercover unit, which previously disclosed the manifesto of Nashville school transgender shooter Audrey Hale, reveals that the school district did not disclose information for more than three months regarding a student’s manifesto that described a “terrorist” threat against their peers.”

The threat targeted specific groups, including Christians, “jocks,” and “preppy” girls.

The discovery was made possible through the vigilance of school administration and the utilization of the “Aristotle alert system,” a digital monitoring tool designed to flag concerning content typed into school Chromebooks.

The investigation began at approximately 12:30 PM when Officer Downey was alerted by Dean of Students, Corey Hahn, about multiple Aristotle alerts linked to a single user’s account. These alerts were triggered by searches for content ranging from the Columbine High School massacre to instructions on manufacturing explosives.

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Mom’s Manslaughter Conviction for Her Son’s School Shooting Sets a Dangerous Precedent

A jury on Tuesday convicted a Michigan woman on four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the mass shooting her son executed at Oxford High School in November 2021. But while the defendant, Jennifer Crumbley, and her husband, James Crumbley, have been the subject of widespread scorn, her novel prosecution and his upcoming trial have raised questions about how far the state can reach to hold parents accountable for the actions of their children and what kind of precedent that sets.

Here, the prosecution posited the Crumbleys bore criminal responsibility for the murders committed by their son, Ethan, because they allegedly disregarded signs he was depressed and gifted him a gun for Christmas. But the evidence presented at trial painted a more complicated narrative. In some sense, the overall case seemed to hinge on what prosecutors wished the law said, not on what it actually says.

James Crumbley’s trial is set for March; Jennifer Crumbley’s sentencing will take place in April. They both face up to 60 years in prison.

Core to the state’s case during Jennifer Crumbley’s proceeding was the notion that Ethan had shown himself to be emotionally disturbed, and, instead of intervening, she left him to his own devices. Much was made of her extramarital affair and her devotion to her equestrian hobby; prosecutors wanted the jury to believe, one assumes, that she was more interested in riding horses and having sex with a man who wasn’t her husband than she was in parenting her child.

But while she very well may have been a flawed parent—few serious people would argue adultery is a stand-up choice—testimony at trial made it far from clear that her son’s murderous streak was predictable, much less that she “willfully disregard[ed]” it and could have prevented it via “ordinary care,” the standard required by Michigan statute. 

The state said Ethan told his mom via text that their house might be haunted; she testified he thought he was joking. More damning was a journal entry furnished by prosecutors where Ethan drew pictures of guns and wrote that “my parents won’t listen to me about help or a therapist.” Jennifer Crumbley, however, countered she was surprised to hear that, as she claims Ethan had not told her about a desire for therapy, and that she did not read his diary entries.

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Biden Capitalizes On Uvalde Massacre Report With Ludicrous Gun-Control Plan

Almost two years after a shooter murdered 21 people at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the Department of Justice released a 575-page report on Thursday. The document confirmed what we already knew from Texas’ report last July. The police made serious mistakes and shouldn’t have waited outside the classroom. There is one big difference between the two reports. The Justice Department report starts its executive summary by emphasizing that the attack used “an AR-15 style assault rifle.”

But what can we do when the police don’t save the day?

Mass Murderers Pick Soft Targets

With guns being banned at the Uvalde school, there was little prospect of teachers or staff fighting back. Had the school allowed guns, the shooter might not have attacked at all. After reading the Nashville Covenant School murderer’s manifesto last year, Nashville Police Chief John Drake revealed: “There was another location that was mentioned, but because of a threat assessment by the suspect of too much security, they decided not to.”

The killer considered two public schools but passed on them because “the security was too great to do what she wanted to do,” according to Nashville City Council member Robert Swope.

Twenty states already allow teachers to carry concealed handguns. In Utah and New Hampshire, any teacher with a concealed handgun permit can carry. In other states, it is up to school boards or superintendents to decide. And there have been no shootings in schools with armed teachers.

The reports focus on the failure of police. It is understandable that police are fearful of running toward an attacker. Teachers in the classroom, however, have no choice but to defend their lives and the lives of their students.

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