Connect with us

Northeast

NY DA Bragg probes police gunshot in Columbia University anti-Israel agitator response

Published

on

NY DA Bragg probes police gunshot in Columbia University anti-Israel agitator response

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office announced last night an investigation into a tactical NYPD officer as prosecutors move forward with charges against dozens of anti-Israel agitators who police arrested in the barricaded building Tuesday.

At a news briefing on the matter Friday morning, NYPD brass stood by their initial finding that the discharge was accidental.

The unnamed NYPD sergeant moved the gun from his dominant right hand to his left hand to try and open a locked metal door after breaking the window next to it – and “unintentionally” discharged the weapon, police said. The bullet went through the glass into the unlit room. Police recovered it on the floor.

“At no time were any police officers, members of the public or any protesters in danger,” officials said. “This was purely unintentional.”

NYPD OFFICER ACCIDENTALLY FIRED GUN WHILE REMOVING ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BUILDING

Advertisement

Demonstrators barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Police said about 30% of the people arrested inside the Columbia University building had no affiliation with the school. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

Additionally, the NYPD typically doesn’t release bodycam on accidental discharge and leadership said they have no plan to do so on this incident.

Police arrested 282 people Tuesday night in crackdowns at Columbia University and the City College of New York. Of those, 74 faced misdemeanor or more serious charges and another 16 had outstanding warrants, prosecutors said. About half of the arrestees had no affiliation with either school.

On Tuesday, Columbia University leaders asked the NYPD to help clear out a group of anti-Israel agitators who broke into the Hamilton Hall building and barricaded themselves inside.

During the operation, the NYPD said an emergency services unit officer drew a firearm to use the attached flashlight and accidentally fired a round into a door frame. No one was hurt.

Advertisement

COLUMBIA STUDENTS WHO WITNESSED ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS’ BUILDING TAKEOVER SPEAKS OUT: ‘WE FEEL ALONE’

WATCH: Body camera footage shows NYPD breach Hamilton Hall at Columbia University

“The round did not strike any persons and did not cause any injuries,” an NYPD spokesperson said Thursday night. “At no time was anyone except police personnel, in sight or sound of this accidental discharge. An immediate investigation was conducted, and the NYPD determined this incident to be an accidental discharge.”

Police said they sent bodycam of the incident to the DA’s office.

WHERE IS SHAFIK? COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT KEEPS LOW PROFILE, FIGHTS TO KEEP JOB AMID CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM

Advertisement

New York Police Department officers detain dozens of anti-Israel agitators at Columbia University after they barricaded themselves at the Hamilton Hall building in New York, United States on April 30, 2024.  (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Also on Thursday night, Bragg’s office told The City, a local news site, that its police accountability unit was reviewing the incident. 

Police arrested more than 100 people at Columbia during the raid, including 46 inside Hamilton Hall who were arraigned on criminal trespassing and related charges.

NYPD officer approached Hamilton Hall at Columbia University Tuesday night to breach the building, which had been overtaken by anti-Israel protesters.  (NYPD)

Advertisement

Bodycam video shows officers had to move heavy furniture that had been ziptied to gather, cut steel chains and take other measures to make their way through the barricade before they encountered the occupiers holed up in a classroom.

All of the suspects were released on their own recognizance – without having to post bond – under New York’s bail reform law, authorities said.

Fox News’ CB Cotton contributed to this report.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Massachusetts

Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

Published

on

Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.

The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.

The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.

For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.

The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.

The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.

Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.

That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!

Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox
Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

New Hampshire

Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast

Published

on

Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast


play

It may be March, but winter in New Hampshire is far from over. Just one week after a blizzard tore through the state with heavy snow and high winds, the state is getting another round of snowfall.

The state will get three to five inches during the evening and night of Tuesday, March 3, says the National Weather Service (NWS) of Gray, Maine. While the accumulation will not be significant, the snowfall may cause dangerous road conditions and a layer of ice on the ground in certain parts of the state.

Advertisement

Here’s what to know before tonight’s snow in New Hampshire, including snow totals and timing.

When will it snow in NH tonight?

According to the NWS, it will start snowing in New Hampshire during mid-afternoon or early evening and continue through the night. Specifically, snow will arrive to the southern part of the state around 2-3 p.m., spreading northwards through the rest of New Hampshire by 5 p.m.

Rain or freezing rain will mix in later this evening across southern New Hampshire, creating a wintry mix. All precipitation should move out of the state by midnight.

Due to the timing of today’s snowfall, the Tuesday evening commute will be affected, with the NWS warning to slow down and exercise caution while driving.

Advertisement

How much snow will NH get tonight?

New Hampshire will get one to four inches of snow tonight, with one to two inches in northern New Hampshire, two to three inches in southern New Hampshire and three to four inches in the center of the state, with the possibility for five inches in localized areas.

In the Seacoast specifically, Portsmouth, Rye, Hampton and York are expected to get between two to three inches of snow, while Dover, Exeter and Rochester may get up to four.

Advertisement

The wintry mix may also cause a light glaze of ice across southern New Hampshire.

NH weather watches and warnings

The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for the state of New Hampshire, in effect from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 through 4 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4.

Sign up for weather SMS alerts



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

New Jersey

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program

Published

on

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program


A former mayor in Burlington County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to DUI and child endangerment charges after a 2025 traffic stop, according to prosecutors.

Lumberton Township committee member Gina LaPlaca, 46, was indicted last spring on child abuse charges after county prosecutors said she was observed driving drunk with her young child in the car, while serving as the township mayor. 

Police arrested her at her home after reviewing video from a witness showing her swerving out of her lane and nearly hitting a utility pole. Lumberton police discovered her blood alcohol concentration was .30%, over three times the legal limit of .08%.

On Monday, LaPlaca was sentenced to three years in a diversionary program for first-time offenders after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and a fourth-degree child abuse charge. As part of the plea deal, LaPlaca will avoid jail time as long as she abides by the terms of the program.

Advertisement

Under the terms of the Pretrial Intervention or PTI program, she must attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and comply with any requirements set by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Judge Craig A. Ambrose also ordered LaPlaca to have an ignition lock device on her car that will prevent it from starting up if the driver has consumed alcohol. She said in court she had already installed one in October 2025, the county prosecutor’s office said.

If LaPlaca violates the terms of the PTI program, she could be prosecuted for the child abuse charge.  

LaPlaca completed an intensive treatment program in May 2025 and said in a statement that she is “fully committed to my recovery” and is doing the “daily, intentional work” that comes with it. She apologized to Lumberton residents while acknowledging a private struggle with alcohol addiction that was no longer private.

“The weight of my actions is something I carry deeply,” she said in a statement shared on social media. “What I did was wrong. It was dangerous. It was inexcusable. I drove while intoxicated with my child in the car — a choice that could have caused irreversible harm. That reality is something I will live with, and learn from, for the rest of my life.”

Advertisement

LaPlaca served as mayor through 2025 but remains on the township committee. Terrance Benson was sworn in as mayor of Lumberton this year.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending