Southwest
Rodeo star's son Levi Wright dies after Utah river accident: report
Saddle bronc champion Spencer Wright’s 3-year-old son has died nearly two weeks after he fell off his toy tractor and into a Utah river, drowning and losing oxygen to his brain, a family friend said.
The toddler was airlifted to Beaver Valley Hospital after the accident in Beaver Creek on May 21, Fox News Digital previously reported.
He remained in critical condition there until the family made the decision to take the boy off life support on Sunday, family friend Mindy Sue Clark told People magazine.
“I cannot even begin to explain how hard the last two weeks have been,” Clark, who told Fox News Digital that she is the boy’s mother’s best friend, wrote in a Facebook post Monday. “From the moment my phone rang the night of his accident, to last night receiving the message that he had to go.”
RODEO STAR SPENCER WRIGHT’S FAMILY HOPES TO WEAN CRITICALLY INJURED 3-YEAR-OLD OFF BREATHING TUBE
Levi Wright with his father, saddle bronc riding champion Spencer Wright. (Kallie Wright/Facebook)
The boy’s mother, Kallie Wright, wrote in a separate Facebook post Sunday that their family had to “face [their] biggest fear” after “several sleepless nights, lots of research, multiple conversations with the world’s best neurologists [and] millions of prayers.”
“Levi showed us just enough to buy us time for all this,” she wrote. “We prayed those things were him defying the odds and proving to us that he wanted to stay here, but we see now he wanted to give us time to find peace with letting him go.”
WIFE OF RODEO STAR SPENCER WRIGHT SHARES TRAGIC UPDATE ON THREE-YEAR-OLD SON LEVI AFTER RIVER ACCIDENT
Levi, 3, is with his mother. (Kallie Wright/Facebook)
The toddler was swept up by the river in the moments that his mother took to run inside – when she came outside to find her son’s tractor alongside the river and the boy missing, she contacted authorities and amassed a search party.
The 3-year-old’s mother dialed 911 on May 21 when she saw Levi’s toy tractor overturned by the river with no sight of the boy. (Kallie Wright/Facebook)
In the initial days afterward, Levi’s prognosis was not good, with Clark writing that “his sweet little brain was without oxygen too long” and that the family “[felt] strongly that his spirit [was] no longer with us.”
Levi’s mother wrote shortly after his hospitalization that their family “feared [Levi’s] soul is no longer with us.” (Kallie Wright/Facebook)
The boy began to show promising signs of brain function last week, briefly opening his eyes and showing a reaction to his sister’s voice on an EEG, according to earlier Facebook posts. The family had hoped to wean the boy off his breathing tube pending further promising results.
But the toddler’s mother wrote in her post yesterday that she would soon “climb into bed with [her] baby and hold him as he falls asleep for the last time on Earth,” saying she found “comfort in knowing he will be restored to the perfect little boy he was.”
RODEO STAR SPENCER WRIGHT’S 3-YEAR-OLD SON HOSPITALIZED AFTER FALLING INTO UTAH RIVER ON TOY TRACTOR
Despite the tragic outcome, both Clark and Levi’s mother were in awe of the community response to the boy’s situation.
“I don’t want to focus on the bad or sad, even though it feels like someone ripped my heart out and squeezed it right in front of me. I want to focus on the many miracles we all got to bear witness to in those 12 days,” Clark wrote in her post, referring to the time between the boy’s accident and his death on Sunday.
“Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people surrounded our best little buddy, lifted him up in prayer and threw their loving arms around Levi and his family,” she said.
Spencer Wright competes during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, March 5, 2014, in Houston. (Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Before his death, his mother wrote in her post, Levi “brought out humanity across the nation… dropped so many to their knees and reminded them what truly matters in this world.”
The toddler’s father, 33-year-old Spencer Wright, is ranked No. 40 in the world in saddle bronc riding. He and his three brothers made history in 2014 when all four qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Wright ultimately won the championship.
The family was the subject of the book “The Last Cowboys” and has been featured on an episode of “60 Minutes.”
Spencer Wright, 33, is ranked No. 40 in the world in saddle bronc riding. (Stacie Scott/The Deseret News via AP)
Earlier this year, Wright won the Rio Grande Livestock Show and Rodeo in Mercedes, Texas.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor
A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.
Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.
He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.
At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota.
She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.
“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.
On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.
“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”
“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888
Los Angeles, Ca
Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA
The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach
A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
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