Washington, D.C
13 states plus Washington D.C. join Utah in lawsuit against TikTok
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s getting some backup in its lawsuit against TikTok.
Attorney generals from 13 other states and Washington D.C. are joining a Utah lawsuit alleging that TikTok violated consumer protection laws. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok promotes compulsive use and exposes young people to mental and physical risk.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes says today marks a win for children and families.
“Today is a win for children and families in America,” he said in a press release. He said that TikTok’s aggressive actions “endanger and exploit minors for financial gain.”
The Utah Division of Consumer Protections is a pioneering force behind this lawsuit. It was launched a year ago this week.
In December 2023, the Utah Attorney General’s Office successfully compelled TikTok to comply with the Division’s subpoenas.
Reyes said in a press release that these subpoenas led to “evidence that the social media giant built a revenue stream from the exploitation of minors on its platform.”
“We are unwavering in our mission to protect our youth from the harmful influence of online platforms that exploit their vulnerability,” said Utah Department of Commerce Executive Director Margaret Busse in a press release.
The Division will participate in a hearing on Thursday, Oct. 10. That will determine whether or not the public can see redactions in its complaint over TikTok LIVE.
KSL NewsRadio’s Emma Keddington contributed to this report.
Washington, D.C
5-year-old boy found naked and unconscious died living in squalor
A 5-year-old boy who died over the weekend was found naked and unconscious in squalid conditions inside a Northwest D.C. apartment, according to court documents.
Police and paramedics were called to a third-floor apartment at Connecticut Avenue and Albemarle Street before 10 a.m. Sunday. Paramedics tried to revive the boy, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A detective noticed an apparent contusion above his right eye and a possible abrasion on his neck, court documents say.
A witness told police the boy’s father, Deandre Pettus, admitted punching his son before calling 911, court documents say. The same witness told police Pettus said “he had been punching the decedent about his body … and that he was lying when he told first responders that the decedent had run into a wall and fallen.” The witness also mentioned to police “seeing Deandre Pettus punch the decedent on prior occasions.”
In court documents, a detective wrote, “Through the entirety of the apartment, unsanitary conditions exist with large amounts of garbage, clothing and assorted property strewn about in every room.”
“Soiled dishes were observed stacked in the sink, on the counters and on the stove. This room, like others, has garbage and debris all over the floor.”
“Our condolences go out to the family of the 5-year-old, whether it’s the mother whether it’s the grandmother,” Chief of Police Pamela Smith said. “This young man was a student at one of our schools, and so this is certainly a tragedy that doesn’t just impact his family, but it impacts those who have relationships with him in our community.”
The little boy attended Murch Elementary School in Northwest.
So far, the medical examiner has ruled the child’s death as undetermined.
Pettus is charged with cruelty to children. He was released Monday on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from children.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not ask for a hold or GPS monitoring.
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Washington, D.C
3 dead in 24 hours as violent week begins in DC
WASHINGTON – A violent start to the week in Washington, D.C., has left at least three people dead as police investigate multiple shootings in just 24 hours. Despite a 31% decrease in homicides citywide, a wave of gunfire since Monday morning has claimed several lives.
The latest incident occurred around 1 a.m. Tuesday on Edgewood Street in northeast D.C where a victim was critically injured. FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick reported up to 20 evidence markers at the scene near Edgewood Commons apartment building.
READ MORE: Back-to-back fatal shootings in DC leave two men dead
Monday began with a homicide at 10 a.m. on Eastern Avenue, near the Prince George’s County line. Minutes later, another man was shot and killed in the 4100 block of Southern Avenue, also near the county line in the Fort Davis area.
Police identified both victims as adults and stated that the shootings do not appear to be connected or random. These fatalities mark the 151st and 152nd homicides in D.C. this year.
READ MORE: Man killed in broad daylight shooting in northeast DC
Gunfire continued into the night, with a fatal shooting around 9 p.m. on T Street, across from McKinley Tech High School, marking the 153rd homicide of the year.
Two additional shootings were reported Monday night in southeast Washington, but there is no word yet on any victims.
D.C. police are expected to release the identities of the three men killed later Tuesday.
Washington, D.C
Questions emerge about events leading up to deadly house fire in Southeast DC
Four calls in four days to the same house on 23rd Street Southeast: a domestic fight, broken windows and small fires suspected of being deliberately set.
One call came just two hours before the raging blaze that trapped and ultimately overcame the home’s three occupants as they slept early Sunday morning.
At a press conference, questions emerged about how the fatal fire could have happened, given that police were already looking for the suspect in the earlier incidents, 56-year-old Robert Simpson.
Court documents in the case indicate 34-year-old victim Jessica Cunningham told officers called to the home Oct. 2 that she and Simpson were fighting over relationship issues.
At one point they had both lived in the home, along with 64-year-old victim Ronald McKinnon and his mother, 84-year-old Marion McKinnon, who also died from the fire.
Documents indicate the repeated targeting of the red brick home in the days and hours before the fatal fire left the occupants terrified of Simpson.
Cunningham managed to make a 911 call as she was trapped Sunday morning, screaming for help, saying, “He came back, the house is on fire!”
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith was asked why officers did not maintain a presence at the house to ensure the victim’s safety.
“It’s my understanding that based on what we know at this point that the officers remained in that area for well over an hour,” she said.
Adding to the layers of tragedy, News4 has learned Cunningham lost her two little daughters, ages 1-year-old and 6-months-old, in a house fire in Tennessee back in 2016. The fire was later determined to have been deliberately set by the children’s grandmother.
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