Virginia
Suspect who fired flare gun at officers in Virginia neighbourhood presumed dead: US police
The suspect who fired at the officers as they were trying to execute a search warrant in Arlington, Virginia is believed to be dead, said the local police, on Tuesday (Dec 5). The statement comes a day after a house in the US county exploded when it was surrounded by officers.
Suspect identified
The suspect who is believed to have fired the flare gun was identified as James Yoo, 56, by the Arlington County police chief, Andy Penn, on Tuesday.
The 56-year-old, according to the police, is the owner of the duplex and the person who is believed to have fired a “flare-type gun” from inside the house more than 30 times.
The police were called around 4:45 pm (local time) on Monday after reports of a man firing a flare gun from inside the house located on the 800 block of North Burlington Street. It was after failed attempts to establish contact with Yoo, that police obtained a search warrant.
Around 8:30 pm (local time), as officers were attempting to execute the search warrant and tried to enter the home, multiple gunshots were fired from within the house, said Penn. Subsequently, the house exploded, the police chief added.
The officers in the vicinity escaped with minor injuries but no one was taken to the hospital. The police also evacuated nearby residents around 7:00 pm (local time), including people who lived in the other part of the duplex.
The fire was brought under control around 10:30 pm (local time), according to media reports. Nate Hiner, a spokesperson for the Arlington Fire Department, said that the fire officials do not know the cause of the explosion.
Yet to identify human remains
Penn said that investigators have not yet identified human remains found inside the home but “all factors point to that it’s this individual,” referring to Yoo.
Arlington County police spokesperson Ashley Savage said it was unclear what happened to the suspect who was inside the building during the blast. She also said that the police did not find any evidence that others were in the duplex but could not rule out the possibility.
Images and videos of the incident show the moment the house burst into flames while police vehicles could be seen outside a brick house. The explosion was heard kilometres away and around 10 houses were damaged in the blast.
Carla Rodriguez of South Arlington, according to the Guardian, said that the blast was heard more than two miles (3.2 kilometres) away and she came to the scene. “I actually thought a plane exploded,” said Rodriguez.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said federal agents and fire investigators were at the scene and assisting local authorities. A White House spokesperson, on Tuesday, also said that they are monitoring developments.
‘Concerning social media posts’
Media reports citing officials investigating the incident said Yoo had allegedly made “concerning social media posts” which included publicly posting grievances against multiple people in his life, including his neighbours and a former co-worker on LinkedIn.
According to the Associated Press, the 56-year-old also filed four lawsuits between 2018 and 2022 against his ex-wife, younger sister, a moving company, and the New York Supreme Court. All the cases were dismissed.
Yoo also repeatedly contacted the FBI “over a number of years,” through phone calls, online tips, and letters to file complaints, said Washington Field Office Assistant Director David Sundberg, as per USA Today.
(With inputs from agencies)
Virginia
Connor Shellenberger’s goal in double OT lifts Virginia lacrosse to Final Four
TOWSON, Md. — With a trip to the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament’s Final Four in the balance, Connor Shellenberger delivered another signature moment during a storied career that has put him on the short list of the greatest players to wear a Virginia uniform.
The sixth-seeded Cavaliers’ all-time leader in points scored 2:20 into double overtime to secure a thrilling 11-10 win over third-seeded Johns Hopkins on Sunday afternoon in the NCAA quarterfinals at Towson’s Johnny Unitas Stadium. Shellenberger’s 31st goal of the year sent Virginia to the national semifinals for the third time in four years and for the 26th time in program history.
Virginia
Five takeaways from UVA baseball’s sweep of Virginia Tech
The Virginia Cavaliers baseball team ended the regular season with a bang, taking all three from the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Thursday and Friday night were relatively smooth sailing, as the ‘Hoos led almost the entire way en route to 7-3 and 13-3 victories. Saturday night was more of a classic. UVA found themselves down 7-0, just to do exactly what they do best.
The Cavaliers stormed back to tie it in the seventh before eventually, Harrison Didawick launched his 22nd bomb of the season, walking it off in the thirteenth. Virginia saved the best for last in their 17th comeback victory of the season.
UVA finishes the year 40-14 and 18-12 in ACC play. Here is what we are taking away from the weekend:
Virginia dominates the Commonwealth Clash
The Commonwealth Clash is a year-long battle between ‘Hoos and Hokies where every men’s and women’s sport is weighted equally. As a result of baseball’s series win over the Hokies, UVA will finish on top 15-7 this season, marking their second consecutive title and tied for the largest margin in the competition.
Getting smoked in football practically every season is demoralizing; any Virginia fan would be lying if they said otherwise. Still, there is something to be said about a well-rounded athletics department and how it keeps the fanbase engaged fall through spring.
Evan Blanco and Joe Savino have their best starts
Turning the attention back to baseball specifically, Virginia’s current number one and number two starters ended the year with their best performances to date in orange and blue.
Blanco went 7.1 innings, surrendering two runs (both unearned) and five hits. While only a pair of strikeouts is nothing to write home about, Blanco’s ability to induce weak contact early in counts allowed him to go deep into this game. Quite frankly, he did not get ahead in counts as much as he typically does. But from a results perspective, this is huge. Blanco finishes the regular season with a 6-3 record and a 3.79 earned run average.
Joe Savino followed that up with a quality start of his own. He allowed two runs in five frames, with four hits and four free passes. Again, not the sharpest command, but something you will take every time against a quality Virginia Tech lineup. Damage control is the name of the game with this staff.
Don’t take Harrison Didawick’s season for granted
I feel like Jake Gelof made us all numb to the significance of explosive home run hitters. Let’s not allow that to happen.
In addition to making his mark in front of over 5,000 in the season finale, Didawick has provided pop in the middle of the lineup throughout the year. He is getting on base at a clip of .425 with a total of 22 long balls. Virginia is a program that’s known for quality at bats and high batting averages. But they broke their team single-season home run record a while ago, in large part because of Didawick.
Eric Becker’s bat is too powerful to keep out of the lineup
When you think Virginia baseball and first years, Henry Ford is most likely the first name to pop into your head and for good reason. Keep Eric Becker in the front of your mind as well, though.
Becker reached base five times on seven trips this weekend, including his eighth bomb of the year. The only reason he is not getting more at bats is his shaky defense at third base.
However, his bat is too good to ignore. Jacob Ference and Ethan Anderson have the DH/catcher platoon locked up and you can’t stick him at first because that’s Ford’s spot. Becker will continue to make most starts at third with Luke Hanson spelling him in situations that require a more sure handed fielder.
It’s postseason time!
Well, on that note, we turn the page to the next chapter, the conference tournament.
A quick reminder of the weird ACC format:
- The top 12 teams participate, divided into four pools of three.
- It is round robin in each pool. If all three teams go 1-1, the highest seeded team wins the pool.
- From there, the semifinals are set and it is single elimination.
The Cavaliers earned the conference’s fourth overall seed and will be the top ranked team in their pool, which also includes #5 Florida State and #9 Georgia Tech. Virginia is scheduled to play against the Yellow Jackets on Wednesday and the Seminoles on Friday, both at 11 a.m.
The good news is that if Georgia Tech beats Florida State on Tuesday and UVA wins on Wednesday, the ‘Hoos automatically advance to the semis and Friday’s game is essentially meaningless.
As far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned, the sweep puts Virginia in good position to host a regional as one of the nation’s top 16 teams.
Virginia
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