Washington, D.C
A ‘divine’ match: Widow of late DC officer meets woman who received his kidney
A month ago, Maya Pinson and her mother sat down with News4 to discuss the duo’s movie premiere. Then, they made viewers aware of Maya’s desperate need for a kidney donor.
None of their family members were a match, and there was no one to donate a kidney to the 21-year-old Penn State senior.
“We had nothing,” Maya’s mother, Minyon Pinson said.
“We were relying on the community, prayers. We were just completely trusting God that somebody was going to come forward,” she said.
That’s when Nadia Bennett, widow of the D.C. officer who was killed after being hit by a car while helping a driver, answered their call.
Weeks later, the two finally met face-to-face. Nadia was ecstatic.
“I’m so grateful that you are recovering, you are doing well, and I’m just happy to know that Terry was your match,” Nadia said when the two first met.
“And it just, everything was just so divine,” she said.
Nadia is the widow of late D.C. police officer Terry Bennett. While helping a driver whose car broke down in the eastbound lanes of I-695 near South Capitol Street, Bennett was struck by a high-speed car, police said in a statement.
Bennett rushed to the hospital. Nadia sat with her husband for 15 days.
“Every day throughout Terry fighting through his injuries, I’m just sitting beside his bedside and I’m like, he did a good thing, he did a good job,” Nadia said.
And when doctors told her that Bennett would not recover, she knew what to do.
“They had to let me know that Terry was an organ donor and immediately, Maya popped up in my mind,” she said.
Nadia remembered seeing Maya’s social media post about her kidney disease. The two turned out to have friends in common.
Nadia coordinated a direct kidney donation to Maya, a miracle the family had prayed for.
“It’s so unexplainable,” Minyon said.
“My heart dropped then because it became real. And I said, Maya, you have a donor, because this is her first surgery,” she said.
Weeks after the transplant, Maya is grateful. The young filmmaker is taking her final Penn State courses online.
“And one of my assignments is to make a PSA about the importance of organ donation. So I’m doing a bunch of research,” Maya said.
Film is one of the hardest industries to break into, but two filmmakers from the DMV are taking the industry by storm in their own way. News4’s Molette Green spoke with the duo about their moviemaking magic and the health crisis one of them is facing.
“It’s really hard for me to put into words. I’m just beaming with joy and so fortunate,” she said.
Nadia told News4 her husband was a hero in life and now in death.
Officer Bennett died at 32 years old. He was a native of Southeast D.C.
To honor Bennett’s life and service, the D.C. Council told News4 they’re declaring July 21, Bennett’s birthday, as Terry Bennett Day.
Nadia, too, honors her late husband, by sporting a custom badge sweatshirt.
“Custom made by the 1st District. It has Terry’s end of watch date and this is his badge,” Nadia said.
On July 21st, Bennett’s birthday, the D.C. Council will honor his life and service as Terry Bennett Day in the District.
Washington, D.C
DC man sentenced to 18 years after 45 rounds killed bystander out to dinner with wife, friends
WASHINGTON D.C. – A man has been sentenced to prison for a deadly shooting that killed an innocent bystander in the nation’s capital.
What we know:
Dearay Wilson, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison for the June 2021 killing of 53-year-old Jeremy Black.
Wilson pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder while armed in D.C. Superior Court.
A judge ordered Wilson to serve 18 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He is also required to register as a gun offender.
What they’re saying:
“This sentencing sends a clear and necessary message: violent crime will not go unanswered,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Dearay Wilson and other shooters indiscriminately fired over 45 rounds into a busy public street, killing Jeremy Black—an innocent man walking with his wife and friends after dinner. Our thoughts remain with his loved ones, and this office remains committed to stopping outrageous killing on the streets of the District.”
The backstory:
According to prosecutors, the shooting happened June 29, 2021, in the 1400 block of R Street Northwest.
Authorities say Wilson and three others drove to the area and opened fire on a group of people outside an apartment building.
Jeremy Black was walking with his wife and two friends after dinner when he was struck in the torso and killed.
Officials say more than 45 rounds were fired during the incident.
What’s next:
Wilson will serve his sentence in federal custody and remain under supervision after his release.
The Source: This article was written using information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Washington, D.C
This internet-famous bagel shop hit DC and the line went around the block
It’s a bagel that has achieved almost rockstar status. PopUp Bagels has taken social media by storm, and you can now get them in D.C.
The grand opening of the new location in Georgetown on Friday was quite the event. A line of bagel fans went out of the store, up Wisconsin Avenue NW and onto M Street. Someone tossed bagels out of the shop’s upper window to those eagerly awaiting below.
So, what makes these bagels different? It’s the way you eat them.
You don’t cut a PopUp bagel. You take the hot bagel, grip it, rip it and dip it into a schmear.
“It’s like chips and dip. You can’t go wrong,” one visitor told News4.
There are going to be 40 pop-up bagel shops around the country by the end of May.
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Washington, D.C
Grandmother speaks out after young boy, friend hit by man on dirt bike in DC
WASHINGTON – A grandmother is speaking out after a man on a dirt bike hit her grandson and sped off, leaving the 10-year-old boy with serious injuries.
D.C. police are hoping surveillance video helps identify the suspect. Now, that grandmother is pleading for the suspect to turn himself in to police.
What happened :
D.C. police are searching for the driver of the dirt bike that hit two children and fled the scene just before 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 4.
Officers responded to the intersection of 14th Street and Chapin Street, Northwest, for the report of a crash.
When they arrived, police found the two boys, both injured by the dirt bike rider as they rode an e-bike in the bike lane.
DC Fire and EMS responded to the scene and took one of the children, who was unconscious, to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
The second injured child was treated on scene for minor injuries.
Police say the dirt bike operator lifted the bike onto its back wheel just before the collision, and then the driver fled the scene, continuing northbound on 14th Street with a large group of ATVs and dirt bikes.
Hoping for justice:
The grandmother of one of the boys who was hit is outraged over the teens illegally riding dirt bikes and ATVs on the streets of D.C.
She says her grandson, 10-year-old Johari Alford and his friend were at a birthday party when they decided to go outside and ride scooters.
That’s when police say the guy crashed into them.
Surveillance video shows a large group illegally riding on the ATVs and dirt bikes.
Officers responded to the scene, finding Johari suffering with serious injuries to his head, spinal cord, arm, and face.
When asked about his condition, Johari’s grandmother, Karyn Alford, said he doesn’t understand what’s going on.
“He’s asking questions. He’s wondering why this is happening to him.
What do you say to the man who hit Johari and his friend and kept on going?
I want to say you need to have a heart. You need to know that you rolled over my grandson like he was a piece of trash and didn’t care you were out there acting like hooligans in the middle of the street where people pay taxes, and my grandson was affected. So you need to turn yourself in,” Karyn Alford said.
Johari’s friend was left with minor injuries and is expected to be ok, but it will take Johari several months to fully recover.
What you can do:
Police are offering a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment.
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