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California man who drove while friend fatally shot sleeping homeless woman with pellet gun sobs as he is sentenced

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California man who drove while friend fatally shot sleeping homeless woman with pellet gun sobs as he is sentenced


A California man who was behind the wheel as his friend fatally shot a sleeping homeless grandmother with a pellet gun while they went “hobo hunting” sobbed as he learned his fate Friday.

Ryan Hopkins, 19, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon for driving his friend William Innes, who shot 68-year-old Annette Pershal while she slept outside a coffee shop in May, NBC San Diego reported.

“I want to take a second to say I’m sorry to all you guys and the pain you have to go through,” a tearful Hopkins told Pershal’s family in the courtroom. “I’m sorry we’re all here today.”

Hopkins received a suspended three-year prison term, which could be imposed if he violates his terms of probation after serving six months in jail.

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Hopkins’ defense attorney told the court Innes shot Pershal with the pellet gun while his client was trying to connect to the car’s Bluetooth, hearing his friend say, “Watch this” before opening fire on the sleeping grandmother.

The prosecution argued that Hopkins pleading guilty meant he was well aware of the crime. YouTube/NBC 7 San Diego
Hopkins pleaded guilty of driving the car to go “hobo hunting,” in the murder of a homeless woman. San Diego District Attorney’s Office

“Shooting at someone who is sleeping on the ground in a helpless, vulnerable state?” Hopkins attorney Vikas Bajaj asked the court, adding his accomplice’s actions were “disgusting.”

Bajaj said Hopkins didn’t know Innes’ intentions when he got in the car, despite the alleged shooter texting in a group chat that included his client, he was going “hobo hunting,” according to the outlet.

The prosecution said Hopkins pleading guilty meant he was well aware of the damage he caused.

“He drove himself and his codefendant across the street, stopped right before Ms. Pershal who was shot, suffering, and they watched 15 to 20 seconds to see if they hit their target,” the prosecution argued.

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Annette Pershal (L) was shot multiple times with a pellet gun by William Innes. Brandy Nazworth

Pershal’s daughter Brandy Nazworth said her mother was a beloved figure in the neighborhood, with many residents referring to her as “Granny Annie.”

“To find out someone had shot her with a pellet gun … you don’t even treat animals like that,” Nazworth told the Union-Tribune. “She was a person, not just a thing to be used for target practice.”

Officers found an unconscious Pershal in the early morning of May 8 after being shot six to eight times with the pellet gun.

Pershal was a beloved figure in the neighborhood, with many residents referring to her as “Granny Annie.” Family Handout

The grandmother was struck in the head, leg, and torso with pellets.

One pellet ended up rupturing her aorta.

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Pershal was quickly rushed to the hospital with doctors calling her injuries “non-survivable,” according to authorities.

She was pronounced dead on May 11

William Innes has been charged with first-degree murder for shooting and killing Pershal with the pellet gun. San Diego District Attorney’s Office

Police arrested both Hopkins and Innes on Aug. 3.

“This was a callous, conscious disregard for life,” Deputy District Attorney Roza Egiazarian said in May.

Innes has been charged with first-degree murder and remains in custody without bail, according to NBC San Diego.

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He is waiting for his trial readiness hearing later this month.



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California

What's in store for California's new water year? Experts say 'extremes are getting more extreme'

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What's in store for California's new water year? Experts say 'extremes are getting more extreme'


LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Extreme weather and our changing climate means that forecasting has become even more important.

To help you become more climate-ready, ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations have teamed up to help you navigate this new reality.

What’s in store for California’s water year?

The state’s water year begins October 12 and ends September 30 of next year.

Typically, fall rain starts in October then the bulk of California’s rain falls from December to February. April is when we see peak snowpack. So what will this year look like? Climate experts are warning to be ready for some extremes.

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“What we’re seeing in the forecast right now is that we’re likely off to another late start to the wet season,” said Dr. Michael Anderson, who serves as the official State Climatologist for California. “Meaning, the dry conditions continuing and certainly still seeing the above-normal temperatures.”

High pressure is also in the mix, meaning rainfall could be delayed this year.

“That can happen as high pressure kind of keeps things, pushing storms to the north and we’re seeing that right now with almost all the [precipitation] activity hitting the very southern end of Alaska and northern British Columbia,” said Anderson.

But when it arrives, forecasters are urging people to be ready seeing as to we could see more extreme rain events during dry seasons.

“The one constant we are seeing is that extremes are getting more extreme,” said Jason Ince with the California Department of Water Resources. “Our droughts are getting longer and hotter, our big storms are getting stronger since warmer air can hold more moisture.”

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Forecasters are also on the lookout for Santa Ana and Diablo wind events this fall and the potential for decaying tropical systems to cause thunderstorms, which are both concerning for fire crews.

“We end up with some pretty good [precipitation] events sometimes with some thunderstorms, but those thunderstorms, if they’re dry can be fire starters which can be a problem,” said Anderson.

Our water demand is the highest from May to August but remember, this September started out dangerously hot in California so were still on the tail end of this season. Well finish this water year end of September. To learn more on the new water year, click here.

Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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New California law will force companies to admit you don't own digital content

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New California law will force companies to admit you don't own digital content


California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2426, a new law that requires digital marketplaces to make clearer to customers when they are only purchasing a license to access media. The law will not apply to cases of permanent offline downloads, only to the all-too-common situation of buying digital copies of video games, music, movies, TV shows or ebooks from an online storefront. spotted the development, which could see marketplaces facing fines for false advertising in the state if they don’t use clear language to explain the limitations of what access entails. In other words, you won’t be seeing language like “buy” or “purchase” once the law takes effect in 2025.

The move to digital storefronts has raised new parallel concerns about ownership and preservation for media in the modern age. Ubisoft’s move to after the game’s servers shuttered is one of the most recent examples of how customers can suddenly lose access to media they felt they owned. The new California law won’t stop situations like The Crew‘s disappearance from happening, and it won’t stop those losses from hurting. But it does make clearer that ownership is a pretty rare and intangible thing for digital media.

Governor Newsom is having a busy week. He also signed the state’s “” bill yesterday and last week signed two bills with protections against , both living and deceased.



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Letters to the Editor: Prop. 36 is a sensible response to theft and addiction in California

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Letters to the Editor: Prop. 36 is a sensible response to theft and addiction in California


To the editor: I was disappointed to read The Times’ editorial opposing Proposition 36, a ballot measure that would reclassify some misdemeanors as felonies and would also create a new category of crime called a “treatment-mandated felony.”

For full disclosure, I am the assistant CEO of the California District Attorneys Assn., which is one of the sponsors of Proposition 36.

Proposition 36 is a measured approach to the horrible situation we find ourselves in. It makes smart and surgical modifications to Proposition 47, a well-intended but problematic measure passed 10 years ago. I hope your readers take a look at the editorial by the San Jose Mercury News saying that Proposition 36 is a “smart response” to crime, addiction and homelessness.

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A recent highly respected poll found that 71% of likely California voters were in favor of the ballot measure. Among these are people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl and are tired of going to CVS and seeing socks and razors under lock and key.

Contrary to rhetoric of Proposition 36 opponents, nobody wants to go back to the days of disparately locking up brown and Black people. The goal is to make us more safe and help those living with addiction, mental illness and homelessness.

Proposition 36 will not solve the problem, but it will be one small step in the right direction.

Jonathan Raven, Davis, Calif.

..

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To the editor: The choices we make have consequences. When people make poor choices, like committing a third misdemeanor theft, those people should receive negative consequences.

California politicians have created policies and a culture that have resulted in a lack of appropriate negative consequences for people who make poor choices. Instead, those consequences land on society.

Unhoused people who break the law and refuse help are allowed to go on destroying themselves and our communities, while consequences such as fires and hazardous waste plague the rest of us. Thieves who steal everything from detergent to copper wiring go largely unpunished, while the rest of us wait for the keys to store cabinets and walk on unsafe, dark sidewalks.

The editorial board’s opposition to Proposition 36 shows its disconnect from reality. A kindergartner learns that choices have consequences. We Angelenos have learned what happens when our leaders and law enforcement officials fail to hold people accountable for their actions.

Progressive leniency has resulted in the filthy city we have today. We must hold everyone accountable to the same legal standards and consequences. Don’t steal the pizza.

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Victoria Mordecai, San Marino



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