Midwest
Biden frees radical left-wing killer convicted in FBI agents' murders during last hours as president
Shortly before leaving office Monday, former President Biden commuted the life sentence of Leonard Peltier, a far-left activist convicted in the 1975 murders of two FBI special agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, who were gunned down in a shootout in South Dakota.
Peltier’s most recent bid for parole failed in July. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both denied clemency requests for him, but he had supporters among other prominent Democrats, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
The move outraged the FBI Agents Association and came days after outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray sent a letter to Biden urging him not to free the killer.
“The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) is outraged by President Biden’s decision to commute the sentence of Leonard Peltier, a convicted cop killer responsible for the brutal murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams,” FBIAA President Natalie Bara told Fox News Digital. “This last-second, disgraceful act by then-President Biden, which does not change Peltier’s guilt but does release him from prison, is cowardly and lacks accountability. It is a cruel betrayal to the families and colleagues of these fallen Agents and is a slap in the face of law enforcement.”
DOJ PANEL DENIES PAROLE FOR FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST CONVICTED IN SLAYINGS OF 2 FBI AGENTS
Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement leader, is led to a waiting helicopter. After a prolonged legal battle, Peltier was ordered deported by Canadian Justice Minister Ron Basford to face charges of murdering two FBI agents. (Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)
On Jan. 10, Wray implored Biden not to do it.
“I hope these letters are unnecessary, and that you are not considering a pardon or commutation,” Wray wrote. “But on behalf of the FBI family, and out of an abundance of caution, I want to make sure our position is clear: Peltier is a remorseless killer, who brutally murdered two of our own – Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. Granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and would be an affront to the rule of law.”
Peltier, now 80 and in poor health, is serving two consecutive life sentences for the slayings, plus another seven years for an armed escape attempt. He repeatedly failed to appeal his case. His supporters feared he would die in prison and looked to President Biden to set him free.
“For nearly 50 years, no fewer than 22 federal judges, multiple parole boards, and six presidential administrations have evaluated the evidence and considered Peltier’s arguments,” Wray wrote. “Each has reached the same conclusion: Peltier’s claims are meritless and his convictions and sentence must stand.”
Biden overruled him.
PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE
FBI Special Agents Ronald Williams, left, and Jack Coler in their official FBI portraits. Both men were executed at point-blank range on June 26, 1975, after being injured in a shootout. Leonard Peltier was convicted of killing them. (FBI)
It’s the latest in a string of pardons, commutations and sweetheart plea deals Biden has given to convicted murderers on his way out of office. He took 37 out of 40 federal inmates off of death row, and his attorney general, Merrick Garland, took the death penalty off the table for a brutal MS-13 leader responsible for seven murders. Two victims, teen high school girls, were massacred with machetes and baseball bats.
He also gave last-minute preemptive pardons to his family members and allies, including his siblings, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley and members of the January 6 Committee. He had previously pardoned his son, Hunter.
Read FBI Director Wray’s letter to Biden on Leonard Peltier:
Haaland praised Peltier’s commutation.
“I am beyond words about the commutation of Leonard Peltier,” she wrote on X. “His release from prison signifies a measure of justice that has long evaded so many Native Americans for so many decades.”
TEEN MS-13 VICTIM’S FATHER SLAMS LAST-MINUTE BIDEN DOJ PLEA DEAL
On June 26, 1975, Williams and Coler were looking for a group of armed robbery suspects in the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Although Peltier wasn’t one of them, he was traveling in a vehicle that caught the agents’ attention.
The agents weren’t aware that Peltier was also the subject of an arrest warrant for the attempted murder of an off-duty police officer in Wisconsin.
Former President Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 15, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
According to court documents, Williams warned Coler over the radio that someone in the vehicle was about to start shooting at them. Gunfire erupted. Both agents were wounded. According to the FBI, both agents were executed with point-blank gunshots to the head from Peltier’s AR-15.
Coler, originally from Bakersfield, California, had been an LAPD officer before joining the FBI in 1971. Williams was also a California native, from Glendale. He joined the FBI in 1972.
“The pardon of Leonard Peltier is not an act of justice but an abandonment of it,” said Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent who lost two colleagues of her own to line-of-duty violence.
“I myself lost my dearest friend and colleague, FBI Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger, and Special Agent Daniel Alfin when they were murdered February 2, 2021, executing a search warrant to stop a child predator,” she told Fox News Digital. “The crushing heartbreak of losing mighty warriors who selflessly protect others is indescribable.”
A 1985 prison portrait of American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in 1976 of the murders of FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler. (MPI/Getty Images)
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Four men were arrested in their deaths, but only Peltier was convicted, according to the FBI. The government dropped charges against James Eagle, the robbery suspect Williams and Coler were looking for at the start of the shootout. Two other men, Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler, were acquitted at trial in 1976.
After his release from federal prison, he is expected to be placed on house arrest.
“Agents Coler and Williams gave their lives in service to this nation, and their families continue to bear the heavy burden of that sacrifice,” Bara said. “The loss of these heroes is felt as deeply today within the FBI family as it was in 1975. Leonard Peltier has never expressed remorse for his actions. Special Agents Coler and Williams were stolen from their families, robbed of the chance to share precious time and milestones with their loved ones. Leonard Peltier should not have been granted a mercy he so cruelly denied to the Coler and Williams families.”
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Detroit, MI
Police investigation at Monica and Clarita streets in Detroit
Watch CBS News
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee residents react to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s legacy before trade goes through
MILWAUKEE — Fans in Milwaukee are waking up to the news that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded, ending a 13-year run with the Bucks that included a championship in 2021.
The news of the trade broke late last night, and fans have mixed emotions about the move.
Before the trade happened, TMJ4 spoke with fans in Milwaukee about what they wanted to see happen.
Some fans were focused on what the Bucks could get in return.
Alonna Johnson
“If he gets traded, we get like some valuable pieces for him at least. I don’t want Bam Adebayo. I want Tyler Herro because he’s from Milwaukee so you know he’s a hooper they can keep bound,” Khorey said.
Others acknowledged Antetokounmpo’s impact even without following the sport closely.
Alonna Johnson
“I’m not a basketball fan myself but I know who Giannis is. And that says someone whose background is theater. We got a championship from him,” Halana said.
A mural created in honor of Antetokounmpo’s achievements on and off the court now stands as a reminder of his legacy in the city.
For those who predicted Antetokounmpo could be traded — they were correct.
Alonna Johnson
“I don’t like to see him get traded. I don’t like that. But the franchise is not big enough. Giannis needs to move in another direction,” Scheila said.
Not everyone was ready to accept the change.
Alonna Johnson
“Not saying that there’s anything wrong with anybody else, but Giannis is like the Bucks. So I would prefer if he didn’t because it’s just going to be weird. And then it’s like, who can follow in those big old footsteps,” Nariah said.
We’ll continue to bring you updates on the trade on-air and online.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Minneapolis, MN
3 injured in north Minneapolis shooting, no arrests made
Three people are injured after a shooting in north Minneapolis on Monday night.
The Minneapolis Police Department says that just before 8:20 p.m., officers responded to the report of a shooting on the 1600 block of Girard Avenue North.
Authorities found a man with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds outside a vehicle and a woman in the vehicle with at least one non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Both were brought to the hospital for their injuries.
Police were notified that a third person was injured and found a man hiding in a shed on the 1500 block of Girard Avenue North, who was also brought to the hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
MPD is working to determine what led up to the shooting and how the three people are connected to each other.
No arrests have been made at this time.
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