Today is Wednesday June 03, 2026
Advertisement
Advertisement

THis is it

Category: ABC National News

Back to the Category List

Trump to visit Walter Reed Tuesday for 3rd time since returning to office

U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House following a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump is expected to visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday for his "annual dental and medical evaluations," as announced by the White House earlier this month. A White House official confirmed Tuesday's visit to ABC News. 

The White House said the appointment will consist of "routine annual dental and medical assessments." The visit will be Trump's third scheduled medical appointment at Walter Reed in 13 months.

Trump will soon celebrate his 80th birthday.

The president underwent a physical examination at Walter Reed in April 2025. In a memo detailing the findings of the physical, Trump's physician – U.S. Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella – concluded that Trump was in "excellent health" and "fully fit" to serve as president. 

The president also visited the dentist in Florida in January and in May.

"President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible president in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health," a White House spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.

Trump has frequently been photographed with bruises on his hand, which he attributed to frequent aspirin intake during an interview with The Wall Street Journal published in January. In  December 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the bruising on Trump's hand was caused by frequent handshakes.

A rash also appeared on the right side of Trump's neck earlier this year, which the White House said was due to a "preventative skin cream treatment" that he was using for "one week," causing redness that was "expected to last for a few weeks."

Trump told the WSJ that he received a CT scan last October, though he initially referred to the test seemingly incorrectly as as an MRI exam. Barbabella said the CT scan was done "to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues" and showed no abnormalities.

Last summer, Trump was diagnosed with a chronic venous insufficiency after appearing with swollen ankles and legs. This is a "benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70," Leavitt said at the time.

Over the past year, Trump appears to have fallen asleep during events, though he has denied experiencing any difficulty staying awake. During a Cabinet meeting in January, Trump said the press simply caught him "in a blink" and that he closed his eyes because the event was boring. 

Trump has made a point to repeatedly proclaim "perfect" health and mental sharpness. On Friday, Trump again said he took multiple cognitive tests that he "aced." The president has also frequently demanded that his opponents take cognitive tests. 

Earlier this month, Trump said he feels the same as he did 50 years ago, though he noted that "someday, there'll be a day when that won't happen."

ABC News' Meg Mistry, Karen Travers and Mariam Khan contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Evacuation zone shrinks after ‘worst-case scenario’ of Southern California chemical tank explosion averted, officials say

An emergency hazmat incident at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, has prompted evacuations in the area, May 22, 2026. (KABC)

(LOS ANGELES) -- The evacuation zone around a failing chemical tank in Southern California is shrinking after officials said the "worst-case scenario" of a catastrophic explosion has been averted.

The temperature inside the tank is now a steady 92 degrees with the big stream of water turned off, Orange County officials said Tuesday. Once the Methyl methacrylate cools and turns into a solid, the threat of a release goes away, Orange County Fire Department Capt. Wayhowe Huang said at a press conference Tuesday.

No chemical has leaked out, and there is nothing in the air, Huang said.

Things are looking good enough that they were able to turn off one of the master hose streams pouring water on the tank. They will still use the onsite sprinklers. But no need anymore for that big stream of water that we have seen for days, Huang said.

About 16,000 people remain under evacuation orders, Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said during a press briefing Monday evening. That's down from 50,000 in the city of Garden Grove and several surrounding communities at the height of the crisis when officials thought they faced only two options: an explosion or a chemical spill.

"The most catastrophic and worst-case scenario was mitigated and resolved," Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Interim Chief TJ McGovern said during the evening press briefing.

Officials said earlier Monday the crisis is not fully averted, but if an explosion or leak were to occur, it would be significantly smaller than the initial worst-case scenario.

The tank is located at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.

Earlier Monday, local authorities said the temperature was declining within the chemical tank, located at an aerospace facility, eliminating concerns of an explosion, local authorities said on Monday morning.

"We are happy to report that the threat of a BLEVE [Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion] is now off the table," McGovern said during an update. "That threat has been eliminated."

Since the temperature inside the tank has decreased, it has allowed the chemical inside to solidify, but it is unclear how much, according to McGovern.

The situation began unfolding on Thursday, a chemical tank filled with toxic chemicals at GKN Aerospace, a manufacturing company that builds engines and landing gear for both commercial and military aircraft, was showing signs of overheating, which could cause it to overheat or spill, officials said.

The 34,000-gallon tank contained methyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used in plastic manufacturing, according to the OCFA. The chemical is primarily a respiratory irritant. Short-term exposure can cause skin and eye irritation, as well as breathing problems, according to the EPA.

The "unprecedented" situation caused officials to order about 50,000 people in the vicinity to evacuate in case a leak sent toxic fumes wafting through the neighborhood or caused an explosion could result in a dangerous fireball.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency in Orange County in response to the incident.

Authorities said a crack in the tank, discovered by firefighters late Saturday, relieved some of the pressure within the tank, Covey said.

While officials were confident that the crack wouldn't lead to any chemical leaks, they continued to monitor air quality in the region.

Any areas outside of the roughly 10-square-mile evacuation zone "are currently considered completely safe and day-to-day activities can continue as normal," the OCFA said in an update Sunday afternoon.

Within the zone are schools, hospitals, nursing homes, fire and law enforcement stations and critical infrastructure. Multiple roads were also closed in the area.

"We appreciate your support and the patience while we work through this incident together," Covey said.

In a statement on Monday, GKN noted that its technical specialists worked with OCFA "to assess the storage tank more closely" on Sunday evening.

"The team safely and successfully removed external insulation material from the tank in order to help advance efforts to cool its contents," the company said.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, the top prosecutor in Garden Grove, has launched a criminal probe into the ongoing chemical tank incident at GKN Aerospace, ordering the company not to destroy or manipulate any records, his office said.

The probe seeks to determine how a major military and commercial aircraft gear manufacturer could have allowed such a toxic failure to occur, according to the district attorney.

"This is an incredibly volatile situation with extraordinary efforts being made by first responders to prevent a potentially catastrophic disaster," Spitzer said in a statement on Monday.

Spitzer has also established an anonymous tip line and online reporting form, calling on anyone with information to come forward -- including current and former employees of the company who might offer insight into the quality control and safety at the site.

"Given the very real risk to human life as a result of this event, it is crucial that anyone who has information about this incident or the industrial operations of GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. come forward and report it so that it can be thoroughly investigated by law enforcement," he said.

GKN declined to comment specifically on the district attorney's investigation, but pointed to its Monday statement.

"We are continuing to work around the clock with the OCFA, the EPA and all relevant federal, state and local agencies to mitigate the ongoing risk of a leak. We remain extremely thankful for their dedication and hard work," the company said.

"We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible."

ABC News' Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, Jaclyn Lee, Alex Stone, Jenna Harrison, Connor Burton and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Woman killed by patio umbrella while dining at South Carolina restaurant: Coroner

(SUMMERTON, S.C.) A woman died after being struck by a patio umbrella during strong winds at a lakeside South Carolina restaurant over Memorial Day weekend, officials said. The incident occurred Saturday evening at a restaurant along Lake Marion in Summerton, authorities said. The woman and her husband were dining on the restaurant's patio "when a sudden strong wind blew an umbrella from a table," striking the woman in the head and neck area, the Clarendon County Coroner's Office said in a statement. First responders found the woman unresponsive with lacerations to her head and neck area, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the coroner's office. The victim is a woman from Huger, South Carolina, the coroner's office said. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. The death is being investigated as an accident, the coroner's office said. The restaurant, Driftwood Grill Home of the Lazy Gator, confirmed the incident occurred at its restaurant during a "sudden severe weather event at Lake Marion." "This has deeply affected many people in our community, including guests, staff, first responders, and everyone involved," the restaurant said in a statement Sunday on social media. "Out of respect for the family and those impacted, we ask for continued prayers, compassion, and privacy during this incredibly difficult time." The restaurant said it held a support session on Monday with authorities, chaplains and others for those impacted by the "tragic" incident. "This has impacted many people -- including staff members, guests, first responders, families, and community members -- and we are grateful for the continued support, prayers, understanding, and encouragement being shown throughout the area," the statement said. ABC News' Jason Volack contributed to this report.

19 injured in crowd stampede at South Carolina motorcycle festival

At least 19 people were injured when a stampede broke out, May 24, 2026, at the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, according to police. (Horry County Fire Rescue)

(ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C.) --At least 19 people were injured early Sunday in a crowd stampede at an annual motorcycle festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, authorities said.

The incident at the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival occurred just after 1 a.m. local time near a stage at the event. Police suspect it was started by an individual who suddenly began running through the crowd, officials said.

"At no time were there any confirmed fights, weapons, or direct threats to public safety. The situation appears to have been triggered when an individual began running, causing a brief chain reaction within the crowd that lasted only seconds," Atlantic Beach Interim Town Manager Titus Leaks said in a statement.

Leaks said that police officers assigned to crowd control at the event in Atlantic Beach, about 17 miles north of Myrtle Beach, quickly calmed the panicked crowd and restored order.

In an earlier online statement, Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR) referred to the stampede as a "mass casualty incident."

HCFR reported that 19 people were evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries and three people were hospitalized.

Leaks said that once the situation was stabilized, the event resumed normal operations.

"First and foremost, we want to express our sincere concern for anyone who was injured or impacted," Leaks said. "Any situation where individuals are harmed is taken seriously, and our thoughts are with those affected as they recover. The safety and well-being of our residents and visitors remains our highest priority."

The Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival has been held every Memorial Day weekend for the past 40 years, attracting visitors and motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country, officials said.

Last year's event was marred by several high-profile incidents, including a party boat shooting in Little River and multiple fights that sent several people to the hospital, according to ABC affiliate station WCIV in Charleston, South Carolina.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Evacuation orders issued in California city over chemical tank: ‘It fails or it blows up’

An emergency hazmat incident at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, has prompted evacuations in the area, May 22, 2026. (KABC)

(CALIFORNIA) -- An "emergency hazmat incident" in California has prompted evacuations, with officials warning that a chemical tank at an aerospace facility is in "crisis" and will either fail or explode.

Firefighters initially responded to a leak at an aerospace manufacturing company in Garden Grove on Thursday, for vapor releasing from a 34,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. 

Officials updated Friday that there is no active gas leak or plume, but that the tank is "actively in crisis" and unable to be secured. Damage to a valve on the tank has "created additional operational challenges," city officials said.

"There are literally two options left remaining: one, the tank fails and spills a total of about 6- to 7,000 gallons of very bad chemicals into the parking lot in that area. Or two, the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up, affecting the tanks that are around them that have fuel or the chemicals in them as well," Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said in a video update Friday.

"Most importantly, right now, there is no active gas leak, no plume in the area. We are setting up these evacuations in preparation for these two options -- it fails or it blows up," he said.

Authorities have issued evacuation orders for the surrounding area. Over a dozen schools have temporarily closed, and those adjacent to the evacuation area are canceling outdoor activities "out of an abundance of caution," the Garden Grove Unified School District said.

Methyl methacrylate is an industrial chemical used in plastics and manufacturing.

ABC News has reached out to the aerospace manufacturing company, GKN Aerospace, for comment.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the incident, his office said.

The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said it is "closely monitoring the incident in Garden Grove and has deployed personnel to work alongside local partners."

"Please heed all orders from local authorities -- evacuation orders have expanded," it said Friday.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Family of Indiana woman who died after Tim Hortons altercation to view full video of incident

A still from a video released by the Fort Wayne Police Department of an incident at a Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on May 13, 2026. (Fort Wayne Police Department)

(FORT WAYNE, Ind.) -- The family of a 75-year-old woman who died following a physical altercation with an employee at a Tim Hortons in Indiana will be able to see the full, unredacted surveillance footage of the incident, officials confirmed on Friday.

The full video will not be released to the public at this time, the Fort Wayne Mayor's Office told ABC News.

"The Grayson family will be able to see the entire video," a spokesperson for the mayor's office said in a statement. "There are no plans to show additional video to the public/media beyond what was shared earlier this week."

The incident occurred on May 13 in Fort Wayne, police said. The customer, Anita Grayson, entered the Tim Hortons that morning to "address an issue" with a drive-thru order, at which point she got into a physical altercation with the store's 20-year-old shift lead, according to the Fort Wayne Police Department.

Police said the shift lead intervened when Grayson "began berating a 17-year-old female employee" by stepping between the two and repeatedly telling Grayson to leave. When Grayson appeared to move toward the teen, the shift lead "placed her hands" on Grayson, who police said then "forcefully shoved the shift lead backward" and struck her in the nose. The two continued to struggle, with police saying Grayson scratched the shift lead's face, knocked off her glasses and pulled her to the ground by the hair, pulling out a chunk.

An officer responding to the location found Grayson unresponsive, and paramedics arrived and attempted life-saving measures, police said. She was transported from the scene and later pronounced dead by medical personnel, police said.

Fort Wayne police released surveillance footage of the incident on Tuesday due to what it called "significant public concern and misinformation" in the wake of Grayson's death, citing a "poor-quality video circulating publicly." 

The three-minute video released by police showed the physical altercation and moments of Grayson then walking around and sitting, though not the entire aftermath or emergency response. The video has no sound.

Grayson's family has called for the release of the full video.

"I need it to be released publicly because the world is waiting for what happened to her," Grayson's daughter, Tawnda Grayson, said during a press conference outside of the Tim Hortons location on Friday. 

Carlton Lynch, a pastor in Michigan and former community activist in Fort Wayne who spoke alongside Grayson's family members at the press conference, said they had been informed Friday that the "mayor and the city police have agreed to allow the family to see the entire video."

"We don't know the extent of what took place in that restaurant," he said.

The family continued to urge police to release the full video to the public. 

"I need it to be released publicly, because the world is waiting for what happened to her," Tawnda Grayson said.

"My whole entire family loved our mom, that was the matriarch of our family," she said. "So what's been taken from us is irreplaceable."

Tawnda Grayson told ABC Fort Wayne affiliate WPTA her mother had congestive heart failure and was wearing a heart monitor a week before the altercation.

The cause and manner of death remain pending, police said Tuesday.

The Allen County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing the case.

"At this time, no decision regarding this matter will be made until the Prosecutor's Office has received and reviewed all evidence related to the investigation, including the complete report from the Allen County Coroner's Office," the Allen County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The coroner's findings may not be available for another four to eight weeks, the office noted.

Tim Hortons offered its condolences to Grayson's family.

"The health and safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority and the local franchisee has been cooperating fully with the police," the company said in a statement. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Telecom company executives hit with $20M fraud charges in New York in first case of self-reporting

In this photo illustration, the Telekom Malaysia company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Piotr Swat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Senior personnel at a telecommunications company orchestrated a "calculated embezzlement scheme" to divert millions of dollars into their own pockets, federal prosecutors in New York charged in the first case of its kind that involved self-reporting by the company that allowed the corporation to avoid criminal charges.

Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof and Khanh Thuong Nguyen allegedly misappropriated more than $20 million from Telekom Malaysia's U.S. subsidiary using false statements, forged records, fictitious transactions and corporate and individual impersonations to deceive counterparties, suppliers, auditors and supervisors, the indictment said.

Lockman, 48, of Dublin, California, Yusof, 44, of Livermore, California, and Nguyen, 48, of Manassas, Virginia, are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. All three were taken into custody last month and were released on bond. They have not yet entered pleas.

Their parent company, Telekom Malaysia Berhad, reported the alleged fraud to the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan last month and the company has been cooperating with the ongoing investigation, prosecutors said.

It's the first prosecution to result from a self-reporting program U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton announced earlier this year. Telekom Malaysia received a conditional declination of charges against the company provided it cooperates, pays restitution and agrees to report any future criminal conduct for the next three years.

"Today’s fraud charges come within weeks of receiving a self-report from the company,” Clayton said in a statement announcing the charges. “As alleged, Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof, and Khanh Thuong Nguyen perpetrated a sprawling fraud to steal over $20 million. The defendants deceived counterparties, suppliers, auditors, and their own supervisors. As a result of the fact that the conduct was reported to this Office and quickly investigated, the defendants will now be held to account for fraudulently lining their own pockets.”

According to the indictment, the defendants first schemed to sell Telekom. Malaysia's broadband capacity without authorization and divert the proceeds to their own accounts. Then, they allegedly impersonated one of Telekom Malaysia's suppliers and intercepted payments the company made to that supplier.

They also allegedly impersonated employees and interns and captured their salaries. The fourth component of the fraud involved reimbursements for fabricated work expenses, officials said.

As one example, the indictment said the trio collaborated to request reimbursement for expenses incurred for a work trip to Las Vegas in December 2025. In fact, no such trip occurred. According to the indictment, when the parent company requested pictures from the trip, the defendants hastily organized a trip to Las Vegas and photographed scenes with Christmas trees to make it appear as though photographs had been taken in December.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Army cuts dozens of medical training courses amid funding woes

Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, maneuver toward an objective during a Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise as part of Ivy Mass at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado, on May 17, 2026. (Pfc. Jacob Cruz/US Army)

(WASHINGTON) -- The Army has canceled dozens of medical training courses as the service moves to manage a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall that is rippling across the force, according to multiple U.S. officials and internal documents reviewed by ABC News.

At least 34 medical-related courses have been canceled during the second half of the Pentagon’s fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to the documents. 

The cuts come from the Army Medical Center of Excellence, the service’s hub for its medical training, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Those cuts come as commanders are being told to closely scrutinize their spending as the service faces ballooning operational costs, including those related to the war in Iran and skyrocketing fuel costs. 

Many of the canceled medical training programs are tied to frontline combat casualty care. An internal memorandum describing the reductions cites "funding shortfalls and limited resources."

Other cuts include leadership and certification courses for senior medical officers, including training for officers preparing to command helicopter medical evacuation units. The service also canceled courses related to animal care, behavioral science, food safety inspections and operating in radioactive environments, according to internal service plans.

"The Army has issued guidance to subordinate commands – for the remainder of this fiscal year, to make tough and sound resource decisions that optimize and prioritize resources toward their most critical requirements, to include major training and readiness events," Col. Marty Meiners, a service spokesperson, said in a statement. 

The cuts are part of a broader financial squeeze that has forced Army planners to slash training across the force while commanders reshuffle money. ABC News previously reported that Army planners had begun canceling training events as the service confronted a projected $4 billion to $6 billion funding shortfall.

The medical course cuts are in addition to what was previously reported, and the cancellations offer the most detailed account of specific training events getting axed until at least October, when the new fiscal year starts. 

Last week, Gen. Chris LaNeve, who is serving as the Army’s top officer in an acting capacity, disputed ABC News’ earlier reporting during testimony before lawmakers.

"We haven't canceled anything," LaNeve said, while acknowledging the Army is in a funding pinch.

LaNeve seemingly conceded to lawmakers that some training cuts were planned, which he framed as typical toward the end of the fiscal year. Yet the service was only halfway through the fiscal year when those plans were being made, documents show. The Army did not make LaNeve available for comment.

Military spending does start to draw more scrutiny from commanders toward the end of the summer as money for the fiscal year dries up, but any belt-tightening is traditionally at the margins, multiple current and former U.S. officials explained. 

The service’s III Armored Corps, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, which includes some 70,000 soldiers and made up of much of the Army’s tank and other heavily armored units, recently had much of its training funds diverted, while an internal memorandum warned that its helicopter units expected to deploy to Europe next year will be at “a lower state of readiness,” as pilot training had to effectively be frozen outside of the bare minimum military requirements to fly. 

All of the Army's major formations are being directed to make cuts, officials explained. The full scope of training and other events being canceled is likely much more significant.

Just to keep its helicopters flying at that minimum level required, $26.6 million was siphoned from the corps’ ground combat training units, an amount of money just slightly higher than cost estimations to keep flying time at a minimum, internal documents show, which directs commanders to scratch any training of scale. Flyovers for public events were also canceled. 

The shortfall stems from a combination of rising costs and increasingly demanding volume of operations, according to two U.S. officials, with one describing it as "a perfect storm."

Those costs include the Army’s support to the Department of Homeland Security during its 76-day shutdown, which involved border construction projects and assistance missions along the southern border. The Army is expected to eventually recoup nearly $2 billion tied to those DHS missions. 

Additionally, rising fuel costs have forced commanders to heavily scrutinize travel, as soldiers mostly use commercial travel to fly to different courses and training events. 

The service is also absorbing expenses tied to the conflict with Iran, as well as the expanding National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., which is projected to cost about $1.1 billion this year, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. One U.S. official said the mission is set to roughly double in size, expected to grow to roughly 5,000 troops over the summer.

The financial strain comes as the Pentagon is seeking a $1.5 trillion budget next year, 50% above current funding levels. The sticker shock has drawn fierce blowback from Democrats on Capitol Hill. But the record-setting request does not account for the costs of the Iran war, which Defense Department officials estimate has already topped $29 billion as of last week. Those expenses are largely tied to munitions and do not include the potentially massive bill for rebuilding bases damaged in Iranian strikes.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are now bracing for the Pentagon to send Congress a supplemental funding request to cover the mounting war-related costs.

On Thursday, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s chief of naval operations, warned lawmakers that the service may soon face similar tradeoffs unless Congress approves supplemental funding on top of the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion budget request, which was finalized before the Iran conflict escalated.

"The [fiscal 2026] budget didn't bake in [Operation] Epic Fury," Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee. "You see a large Navy force in the Middle East. So we're burning bright … but it does come at cost, and it comes at operational costs."

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Father charged with manslaughter after 1-year-old found dead in vehicle, strapped in car seat: Authorities

Logan Keith Chewning is seen in a booking photo. (Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office)

(BROOKWOOD, Ala.) -- An Alabama man has been charged with manslaughter after his 1-year-old child was found dead in a vehicle, still strapped into a car seat, after the father had allegedly been drinking throughout the day while the infant was in his sole care, authorities said.

Multiple agencies responded to a home in Brookwood, in Tuscaloosa County, Wednesday evening after the child's family reported that the infant was found dead in the vehicle, authorities said.

"Initial investigation shows that the child was in the vehicle for an extended [amount] of time," Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said in a statement, noting that the temperatures that afternoon were in the mid-90s.  

The child, whose name was not released, had been in the "sole care of its father all day," Kennedy said.

The father, identified by the sheriff's office as 30-year-old Logan Keith Chewning, allegedly admitted to drinking at different points throughout the day and leaving the residence at one point to buy more alcohol, authorities said.

"The father reported that he believed that the child had been sleeping in its crib but must have been left behind in the vehicle," Kennedy said.

Chewning was charged with manslaughter following consultation with the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office, the sheriff's office said.

He is being held in jail, with a bond to be set by a judge at a later date. It is unclear if he has an attorney at this time.

The child's exact cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, authorities said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

ICE agent charged with assault will surrender to Minnesota authorities, attorney says

An ICE patch and badge are seen on a Department of Homeland Security agent. (Jim Watson - Pool/Getty Images)

(MINNEAPOLIS) -- Gregory Morgan Jr., the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged by Minnesota prosecutors with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly brandishing a firearm at a motorist, will turn himself in to authorities Thursday, his attorney told ABC News. 

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced the charges in April, claiming in the complaint that Morgan was ending his shift on February 5 and was driving back to the Whipple Federal Building when a motorist allegedly cut him off as Morgan was trying to pass. Morgan then produced a firearm and pointed it at the motorists, the complaint said.

Morgan's attorney, Ryan Pacyga, said in part that the complaint contains “inaccurate and incomplete information” and that Morgan did not initiate the encounter.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment, nor did they respond to a similar request when the charges against Morgan were announced.

Morgan, of Temple Hills, Maryland, is charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon related to the encounter, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity announced in a news conference on April 16.

Moriarity said at the time that Morgan was driving "illegally" on the shoulder, "appearing to bypass shoulder traffic."

The complainant told police that they did not know the person driving the other car was an ICE agent until investigators told them, according to the prosecutor's complaint.

"There were no markings on Defendant's vehicle that would identify it as law enforcement and the vehicle was not displaying or using lights or sirens," according to the complaint. "Defendant continued to travel on the shoulder but rather than continue to drive past the victims, he pulled alongside their vehicle, rolled down his window, and pointed a black handgun directly at Victim 1 and Victim 2."

"Victim 1 had a clear view of Defendant's appearance, saw that Defendant was wearing a black t-shirt, saw that the gun was pointed directly at their heads, saw that the gun was a Glock or Sig Sauer handgun with what appeared to be a red-dot sight, and noted that Defendant 2 yelled something indiscernible," according to the complaint. 

The alleged victims then called police to report what had happened, according to the complaint. Investigators interviewed Morgan, his supervisor and his partner a day later.

"[Morgan] stated that Victim 1 swerved over in front of him and cut him off. Defendant claimed that he feared for his safety and the safety of others so, in response, he pulled alongside Victim 1's vehicle, rolled down his window, drew his firearm, and yelled 'Police Stop,'" the complaint said.

"[Morgan] stated he was trying to get Victim 1 to 'back up.' Defendant acknowledged that his firearm was a Glock 19 with a laser light, which Defendant had holstered on his right hip at the time of the interview. Defendant stated that after he pulled the gun on Victim 1 and Victim 2 he got in front of their vehicle and drove to the Whipple Building," the complaint further said.

Investigators also said they received cellphone footage from the complainant and reviewed traffic camera footage from the road on which they were traveling. 

“The allegations against Gregory Morgan arise from a brief, frightening, and highly stressful roadway encounter that happened in a matter of seconds during congested rush-hour traffic. An encounter that Mr. Morgan did not initiate. It came on the heels of many days of fear that both citizens as well as law enforcement were experiencing during operations in our Twin Cities metro area,” Pacyga said in a statement to ABC News Thursday.

The statement further said that the incident "did not arise from any planned criminal conduct. It developed suddenly during an alarming traffic interaction, initiated by the other driver."

"Law enforcement had been enduring threats to their safety by some members of the community, in neighborhoods and on the roads. This situation presented a perceived danger and Mr. Morgan reacted in real time. These are precisely the kinds of situations where perspective, perception, stress, and split-second decision-making matter,” Pacyga's statement said.

The incident occurred during a contentious period in Minneapolis when the city was the focal point of an immigration enforcement surge and after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal law enforcement. During that time questions arose about whether ICE agents could be prosecuted by state or local authorities.

ABC News' Jack Date and Luke Barr contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Police investigating intruder reported at Harvard, MIT dorms

Dunster House on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) -- Police at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are investigating reports of a man who entered campus buildings without authorization on Tuesday. In one case, a student at Harvard reported being assaulted, according to police records. 

Harvard police responded to a report of an assault and battery at around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday to find Cambridge Police at Lowell House, the residence hall where the incident occurred, according to Harvard police records. 

The victim told police a suspect entered the building by following another individual without authorization, according to Harvard police records. 

"As the victim was entering their residence, the suspect approached from behind, covered the victim's mouth, and attempted to force them into the room," according to a Harvard police log. 

The suspect fled the building after several nearby individuals saw the altercation, the victim told police. 

Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect. 

MIT Police issued a similar campus warning, describing a similar incident at an MIT residence hall. 

A suspect followed another individual into the building at around 5:45 p.m. and followed the individual to the fifth floor before fleeing the area, according to an MIT police log.

MIT police did not find the suspect, according to the police log.

Surveillance footage showed the man leaving the building at about 6 p.m., according to MIT police. 

The MIT alert said the individual "matched the description of a person who was the subject of a Harvard University Police Department alert earlier this evening," according to WCVB. 

Both universities urged students and staff to report any suspicious activity. 

MIT police described the suspect as a 5-foot-9-inch white man with a thin build. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark-colored shorts, according to WCVB.

Harvard police said the incident is being "actively investigated" in a statement Thursday.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Criminal case against former assistant principal over shooting of teacher by student dismissed

Abigail Zwerner shares a moment with her mother Julie Zwerner after a verdict was reached in her lawsuit against the assistant principal, Ebony Parker, of Richneck Elementary School during proceedings at Newport News Circuit Court on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Newport News, Virginia. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) -- A Virginia judge has granted a defense motion to dismiss the criminal charges against a former assistant principal stemming from the 2023 shooting of a teacher by a 6-year-old student.

Ebony Parker was charged with eight counts of felony child abuse with disregard for life in connection with the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News -- one count for each bullet that was unspent in the gun, according to the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.

"The court is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime," Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Robinson said Thursday, following two days of testimony in the criminal trial.

"What happened that day was awful, that's agreed upon by all," the judge later said.

Parker had her head bent over and appeared to be sobbing after the judge dismissed the case.

Prosecutors in the criminal trial alleged that Parker failed to respond and follow school protocol after several staffers raised concerns that the student, identified in the trial as JT, had a gun. The Commonwealth rested on Wednesday after two days of calling witnesses.

Defense attorney Curtis Rogers argued before the judge Thursday morning that Parker may have had a "lapse of judgment" that day, but she didn't act criminally and there was "no willful admission on her part to put these children in harm."

"Nobody acted as if there was an actual firearm. Not following school policy doesn't result in a criminal allegation," Rogers said. "There are acts that should have been done, definitely in hindsight."

Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Josh Jenkins argued that Parker knew of the danger in the school that day.

"There were multiple warnings she received from multiple people that there was an armed student," he said.

"Just the mere fact that a possible weapon is on campus should have triggered the response defined in the crisis management plan, yet it did not," he said.

Parker pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The dismissal of the criminal trial comes after a jury in a civil trial found that Parker acted with gross negligence in the shooting and awarded the injured teacher, Abby Zwerner, $10 million in damages.

Zwerner's attorneys said Thursday's decision by the judge means Newport News can no longer use the criminal charges against Parker to "deny insurance coverage" in her civil case.

"One of the many obstacles the City of Newport News placed in Abby Zwerner's path to justice was their argument they could deny insurance coverage in our civil case because of possible criminal conduct," Zwerner's attorneys said in a joint statement Thursday. "Today that is no longer an excuse that the City can hide behind."

"This was always the Commonwealth's criminal case -- not Abby's civil case. Abby complied with the subpoena requiring her testimony once again, despite the emotional toll of repeatedly reliving this tragedy," the statement continued. "From the beginning, our focus has remained on obtaining justice in civil court for the preventable failures that led to Abby being shot. A Newport News jury has already spoken, returning a $10 million verdict in Abby's favor."

Zwerner, the first witness in the trial, testified that she had told Parker prior to the shooting in her classroom that JT "seemed to be off" that day and "in a violent mood." She said another staffer, reading specialist Amy Kovac, alerted her that JT told other students he had brought a gun to school, and that Kovac reported that to the administration.

Zwerner said that in hindsight, she could have separated JT from the other students and confirmed that she was responsible for the safety of her students. Though she said her understanding that a crisis or emergency needed to be brought to the attention of the administration, and that she trusted her colleagues.

The bullet went through Zwerner's left hand, which she had lifted, and then into her chest. She was initially hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Zwerner and Parker both resigned following the shooting.  

The student brought the gun from home, police said. His mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to two years in state prison after pleading guilty to child neglect in connection with the shooting. She also pleaded guilty to using marijuana while in possession of a firearm and making a false statement about her drug use during the purchase of the firearm used in the shooting and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.

She was released from state custody on May 13 and transitioned to community supervision, according to online Virginia Department of Corrections records.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Woman dies after falling into NYC manhole

Town cars and taxis are viewed in the Financial District in the early hours of the morning on June 4, 2015 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- A 56-year-old Westchester County woman plunged to her death after stepping out of her car into an open manhole in Midtown Manhattan on Monday, sources told ABC News.

The woman, identified as Donike Gocaj of Briarcliff Manor, New York, parked her car at West 52 Street and Fifth Avenue just before 11:20 p.m. Monday, the sources said. 

She stepped out of her Mercedes-Benz SUV and into an uncovered manhole, falling about 10 feet, sources said. 

The woman was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, sources said. 

No construction was ongoing, and the manhole cover was discovered about 15 feet away from the opening, according to sources.

Con Edison said it is "actively investigating" the incident.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole. We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual's family, and safety remains our top priority," Con Edison said in a statement Tuesday. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former Hartford police officer charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of Stevie Jones

Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public via Getty Images)

(HARTFORD, Conn.) -- Former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano was charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection to the February 27, 2026 fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones.

The charge and evidence supporting it was laid out in the Connecticut state inspector general's report, which was released on Monday, and comes after Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam announced in March that he had terminated Magnano amid a probe into the incident after viewing the police body camera footage. The body camera footage has not been released publicly.

ABC News has reached out to the Hartford Police Department and Magnano's attorney for comment.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

What to know about a midair collision between two Navy jets at an Idaho air show

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — After the two Navy jets collided in midair, the planes sandwiched together, all four crew members were able to eject and deploy their parachutes, floating down to safety as the aircraft careened into a field, exploding into a fireball.

The collision happened Sunday during the “Gunfighter Skies” air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base about 57 miles (92 kilometers) southwest of Boise.

Here are some things to know about the crash.
Just one crew member was injured

Only one of the four crew members on the two planes was injured and was being treated at a hospital, Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Monday. The injury was not life-threatening.

The fact that all four were able to safely eject and make it to the ground without landing in the wreckage is “truly remarkable,” said Billie Flynn, a former F-35 senior test pilot and demonstration expert.

“It is astonishing considering the way the airplanes impacted each other — incomprehensible even,” Flynn said.

The two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers were from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington. Each held two crew members.

The EA-18G Growler, measuring 60.2 feet (18.5 meters) long, made its first flight in August 2006 and was the first newly designed electronic warfare aircraft produced in more than 35 years, according to the Navy. Its “baptism of fire” was in 2011 in Libya, according to the Navy, and since then it’s been used worldwide.
The planes appeared sandwiched together before the crash

Videos taken by spectators show one of the jets was slightly behind the other before impact, and the two aircraft then appeared to become sandwiched together, with the belly of one jet just behind and to the side of the top of the other jet.

The jets then twisted and rocked together, pointing straight up for a moment before turning downward and falling to the ground. The subsequent impact resulted in a fireball, black smoke rising into the sky.

The crew members ejected in quick succession with their parachutes opening as the jets began to pivot toward the ground.
The cause of the crash is not yet known

Videos of the collision suggest human error is to blame, Flynn said.

Before colliding, Flynn said the video shows they were trying to line up closely — wing tip to wing tip — but failed to safely rejoin in formation, a routine maneuver.

“This is clearly a pilot error,” Flynn said.

Officials have not yet released any information about what may have contributed to the crash. The incident is under investigation, Umayam said, and efforts to recover the damaged aircraft are underway.

“Our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our personnel, as well as security of the aircraft during the recovery,” Umayam wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
Air shows are inherently dangerous

Pilots who perform at air shows are among the best, but there is little room for error, said aviation safety expert John Cox, who is CEO of Safety Operating Systems.

“Air show flying is demanding. It has very little tolerance,” Cox said. “The people who do it are very good and it’s a small margin for error. I’m glad everybody was able to get out.”

The air show industry has been working to improve safety for years at the roughly 200 events held each year in the U.S. The last fatal crashes at an air show came in 2024 when two people were killed in separate accidents at different events.

This year’s Gunfighter Skies event was the first at the base since 2018, when a hang glider pilot died in a crash during an air show performance.

In 2003, a Thunderbirds aircraft crashed while attempting a maneuver. The pilot, who was not hurt, was able to steer the plane away from the crowd and eject less than a second before it hit the ground.

John Cudahy, president and CEO of the International Council of Air Shows, said that there used to be an average of 3.8 deaths a year at a U.S. air show from 1991 to 2006. That number has been steadily improving and since 2017 there have only been an average of 1.1 deaths per year even including a crash in Dallas in 2022 that killed six when two vintage planes collided. There were no air show deaths in 2025 or 2023, and a spectator hasn’t been killed at an air show in the U.S. since 1952.

Back to the Category List


Trump to visit Walter Reed Tuesday for 3rd time since returning to office

Posted/updated on: May 26, 2026 at 1:15 pm
U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House following a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump is expected to visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday for his "annual dental and medical evaluations," as announced by the White House earlier this month. A White House official confirmed Tuesday's visit to ABC News. 

The White House said the appointment will consist of "routine annual dental and medical assessments." The visit will be Trump's third scheduled medical appointment at Walter Reed in 13 months.

Trump will soon celebrate his 80th birthday.

The president underwent a physical examination at Walter Reed in April 2025. In a memo detailing the findings of the physical, Trump's physician – U.S. Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella – concluded that Trump was in "excellent health" and "fully fit" to serve as president. 

The president also visited the dentist in Florida in January and in May.

"President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible president in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health," a White House spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.

Trump has frequently been photographed with bruises on his hand, which he attributed to frequent aspirin intake during an interview with The Wall Street Journal published in January. In  December 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the bruising on Trump's hand was caused by frequent handshakes.

A rash also appeared on the right side of Trump's neck earlier this year, which the White House said was due to a "preventative skin cream treatment" that he was using for "one week," causing redness that was "expected to last for a few weeks."

Trump told the WSJ that he received a CT scan last October, though he initially referred to the test seemingly incorrectly as as an MRI exam. Barbabella said the CT scan was done "to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues" and showed no abnormalities.

Last summer, Trump was diagnosed with a chronic venous insufficiency after appearing with swollen ankles and legs. This is a "benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70," Leavitt said at the time.

Over the past year, Trump appears to have fallen asleep during events, though he has denied experiencing any difficulty staying awake. During a Cabinet meeting in January, Trump said the press simply caught him "in a blink" and that he closed his eyes because the event was boring. 

Trump has made a point to repeatedly proclaim "perfect" health and mental sharpness. On Friday, Trump again said he took multiple cognitive tests that he "aced." The president has also frequently demanded that his opponents take cognitive tests. 

Earlier this month, Trump said he feels the same as he did 50 years ago, though he noted that "someday, there'll be a day when that won't happen."

ABC News' Meg Mistry, Karen Travers and Mariam Khan contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Evacuation zone shrinks after ‘worst-case scenario’ of Southern California chemical tank explosion averted, officials say

Posted/updated on: May 28, 2026 at 2:57 am
An emergency hazmat incident at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, has prompted evacuations in the area, May 22, 2026. (KABC)

(LOS ANGELES) -- The evacuation zone around a failing chemical tank in Southern California is shrinking after officials said the "worst-case scenario" of a catastrophic explosion has been averted.

The temperature inside the tank is now a steady 92 degrees with the big stream of water turned off, Orange County officials said Tuesday. Once the Methyl methacrylate cools and turns into a solid, the threat of a release goes away, Orange County Fire Department Capt. Wayhowe Huang said at a press conference Tuesday.

No chemical has leaked out, and there is nothing in the air, Huang said.

Things are looking good enough that they were able to turn off one of the master hose streams pouring water on the tank. They will still use the onsite sprinklers. But no need anymore for that big stream of water that we have seen for days, Huang said.

About 16,000 people remain under evacuation orders, Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said during a press briefing Monday evening. That's down from 50,000 in the city of Garden Grove and several surrounding communities at the height of the crisis when officials thought they faced only two options: an explosion or a chemical spill.

"The most catastrophic and worst-case scenario was mitigated and resolved," Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Interim Chief TJ McGovern said during the evening press briefing.

Officials said earlier Monday the crisis is not fully averted, but if an explosion or leak were to occur, it would be significantly smaller than the initial worst-case scenario.

The tank is located at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.

Earlier Monday, local authorities said the temperature was declining within the chemical tank, located at an aerospace facility, eliminating concerns of an explosion, local authorities said on Monday morning.

"We are happy to report that the threat of a BLEVE [Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion] is now off the table," McGovern said during an update. "That threat has been eliminated."

Since the temperature inside the tank has decreased, it has allowed the chemical inside to solidify, but it is unclear how much, according to McGovern.

The situation began unfolding on Thursday, a chemical tank filled with toxic chemicals at GKN Aerospace, a manufacturing company that builds engines and landing gear for both commercial and military aircraft, was showing signs of overheating, which could cause it to overheat or spill, officials said.

The 34,000-gallon tank contained methyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used in plastic manufacturing, according to the OCFA. The chemical is primarily a respiratory irritant. Short-term exposure can cause skin and eye irritation, as well as breathing problems, according to the EPA.

The "unprecedented" situation caused officials to order about 50,000 people in the vicinity to evacuate in case a leak sent toxic fumes wafting through the neighborhood or caused an explosion could result in a dangerous fireball.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency in Orange County in response to the incident.

Authorities said a crack in the tank, discovered by firefighters late Saturday, relieved some of the pressure within the tank, Covey said.

While officials were confident that the crack wouldn't lead to any chemical leaks, they continued to monitor air quality in the region.

Any areas outside of the roughly 10-square-mile evacuation zone "are currently considered completely safe and day-to-day activities can continue as normal," the OCFA said in an update Sunday afternoon.

Within the zone are schools, hospitals, nursing homes, fire and law enforcement stations and critical infrastructure. Multiple roads were also closed in the area.

"We appreciate your support and the patience while we work through this incident together," Covey said.

In a statement on Monday, GKN noted that its technical specialists worked with OCFA "to assess the storage tank more closely" on Sunday evening.

"The team safely and successfully removed external insulation material from the tank in order to help advance efforts to cool its contents," the company said.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, the top prosecutor in Garden Grove, has launched a criminal probe into the ongoing chemical tank incident at GKN Aerospace, ordering the company not to destroy or manipulate any records, his office said.

The probe seeks to determine how a major military and commercial aircraft gear manufacturer could have allowed such a toxic failure to occur, according to the district attorney.

"This is an incredibly volatile situation with extraordinary efforts being made by first responders to prevent a potentially catastrophic disaster," Spitzer said in a statement on Monday.

Spitzer has also established an anonymous tip line and online reporting form, calling on anyone with information to come forward -- including current and former employees of the company who might offer insight into the quality control and safety at the site.

"Given the very real risk to human life as a result of this event, it is crucial that anyone who has information about this incident or the industrial operations of GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. come forward and report it so that it can be thoroughly investigated by law enforcement," he said.

GKN declined to comment specifically on the district attorney's investigation, but pointed to its Monday statement.

"We are continuing to work around the clock with the OCFA, the EPA and all relevant federal, state and local agencies to mitigate the ongoing risk of a leak. We remain extremely thankful for their dedication and hard work," the company said.

"We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible."

ABC News' Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, Jaclyn Lee, Alex Stone, Jenna Harrison, Connor Burton and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Woman killed by patio umbrella while dining at South Carolina restaurant: Coroner

Posted/updated on: May 26, 2026 at 1:15 pm
(SUMMERTON, S.C.) A woman died after being struck by a patio umbrella during strong winds at a lakeside South Carolina restaurant over Memorial Day weekend, officials said. The incident occurred Saturday evening at a restaurant along Lake Marion in Summerton, authorities said. The woman and her husband were dining on the restaurant's patio "when a sudden strong wind blew an umbrella from a table," striking the woman in the head and neck area, the Clarendon County Coroner's Office said in a statement. First responders found the woman unresponsive with lacerations to her head and neck area, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the coroner's office. The victim is a woman from Huger, South Carolina, the coroner's office said. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. The death is being investigated as an accident, the coroner's office said. The restaurant, Driftwood Grill Home of the Lazy Gator, confirmed the incident occurred at its restaurant during a "sudden severe weather event at Lake Marion." "This has deeply affected many people in our community, including guests, staff, first responders, and everyone involved," the restaurant said in a statement Sunday on social media. "Out of respect for the family and those impacted, we ask for continued prayers, compassion, and privacy during this incredibly difficult time." The restaurant said it held a support session on Monday with authorities, chaplains and others for those impacted by the "tragic" incident. "This has impacted many people -- including staff members, guests, first responders, families, and community members -- and we are grateful for the continued support, prayers, understanding, and encouragement being shown throughout the area," the statement said. ABC News' Jason Volack contributed to this report.

19 injured in crowd stampede at South Carolina motorcycle festival

Posted/updated on: May 24, 2026 at 10:44 pm
At least 19 people were injured when a stampede broke out, May 24, 2026, at the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, according to police. (Horry County Fire Rescue)

(ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C.) --At least 19 people were injured early Sunday in a crowd stampede at an annual motorcycle festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, authorities said.

The incident at the Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival occurred just after 1 a.m. local time near a stage at the event. Police suspect it was started by an individual who suddenly began running through the crowd, officials said.

"At no time were there any confirmed fights, weapons, or direct threats to public safety. The situation appears to have been triggered when an individual began running, causing a brief chain reaction within the crowd that lasted only seconds," Atlantic Beach Interim Town Manager Titus Leaks said in a statement.

Leaks said that police officers assigned to crowd control at the event in Atlantic Beach, about 17 miles north of Myrtle Beach, quickly calmed the panicked crowd and restored order.

In an earlier online statement, Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR) referred to the stampede as a "mass casualty incident."

HCFR reported that 19 people were evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries and three people were hospitalized.

Leaks said that once the situation was stabilized, the event resumed normal operations.

"First and foremost, we want to express our sincere concern for anyone who was injured or impacted," Leaks said. "Any situation where individuals are harmed is taken seriously, and our thoughts are with those affected as they recover. The safety and well-being of our residents and visitors remains our highest priority."

The Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival has been held every Memorial Day weekend for the past 40 years, attracting visitors and motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country, officials said.

Last year's event was marred by several high-profile incidents, including a party boat shooting in Little River and multiple fights that sent several people to the hospital, according to ABC affiliate station WCIV in Charleston, South Carolina.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Evacuation orders issued in California city over chemical tank: ‘It fails or it blows up’

Posted/updated on: May 23, 2026 at 3:17 am
An emergency hazmat incident at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, has prompted evacuations in the area, May 22, 2026. (KABC)

(CALIFORNIA) -- An "emergency hazmat incident" in California has prompted evacuations, with officials warning that a chemical tank at an aerospace facility is in "crisis" and will either fail or explode.

Firefighters initially responded to a leak at an aerospace manufacturing company in Garden Grove on Thursday, for vapor releasing from a 34,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. 

Officials updated Friday that there is no active gas leak or plume, but that the tank is "actively in crisis" and unable to be secured. Damage to a valve on the tank has "created additional operational challenges," city officials said.

"There are literally two options left remaining: one, the tank fails and spills a total of about 6- to 7,000 gallons of very bad chemicals into the parking lot in that area. Or two, the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up, affecting the tanks that are around them that have fuel or the chemicals in them as well," Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said in a video update Friday.

"Most importantly, right now, there is no active gas leak, no plume in the area. We are setting up these evacuations in preparation for these two options -- it fails or it blows up," he said.

Authorities have issued evacuation orders for the surrounding area. Over a dozen schools have temporarily closed, and those adjacent to the evacuation area are canceling outdoor activities "out of an abundance of caution," the Garden Grove Unified School District said.

Methyl methacrylate is an industrial chemical used in plastics and manufacturing.

ABC News has reached out to the aerospace manufacturing company, GKN Aerospace, for comment.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the incident, his office said.

The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said it is "closely monitoring the incident in Garden Grove and has deployed personnel to work alongside local partners."

"Please heed all orders from local authorities -- evacuation orders have expanded," it said Friday.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Family of Indiana woman who died after Tim Hortons altercation to view full video of incident

Posted/updated on: May 23, 2026 at 3:17 am
A still from a video released by the Fort Wayne Police Department of an incident at a Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on May 13, 2026. (Fort Wayne Police Department)

(FORT WAYNE, Ind.) -- The family of a 75-year-old woman who died following a physical altercation with an employee at a Tim Hortons in Indiana will be able to see the full, unredacted surveillance footage of the incident, officials confirmed on Friday.

The full video will not be released to the public at this time, the Fort Wayne Mayor's Office told ABC News.

"The Grayson family will be able to see the entire video," a spokesperson for the mayor's office said in a statement. "There are no plans to show additional video to the public/media beyond what was shared earlier this week."

The incident occurred on May 13 in Fort Wayne, police said. The customer, Anita Grayson, entered the Tim Hortons that morning to "address an issue" with a drive-thru order, at which point she got into a physical altercation with the store's 20-year-old shift lead, according to the Fort Wayne Police Department.

Police said the shift lead intervened when Grayson "began berating a 17-year-old female employee" by stepping between the two and repeatedly telling Grayson to leave. When Grayson appeared to move toward the teen, the shift lead "placed her hands" on Grayson, who police said then "forcefully shoved the shift lead backward" and struck her in the nose. The two continued to struggle, with police saying Grayson scratched the shift lead's face, knocked off her glasses and pulled her to the ground by the hair, pulling out a chunk.

An officer responding to the location found Grayson unresponsive, and paramedics arrived and attempted life-saving measures, police said. She was transported from the scene and later pronounced dead by medical personnel, police said.

Fort Wayne police released surveillance footage of the incident on Tuesday due to what it called "significant public concern and misinformation" in the wake of Grayson's death, citing a "poor-quality video circulating publicly." 

The three-minute video released by police showed the physical altercation and moments of Grayson then walking around and sitting, though not the entire aftermath or emergency response. The video has no sound.

Grayson's family has called for the release of the full video.

"I need it to be released publicly because the world is waiting for what happened to her," Grayson's daughter, Tawnda Grayson, said during a press conference outside of the Tim Hortons location on Friday. 

Carlton Lynch, a pastor in Michigan and former community activist in Fort Wayne who spoke alongside Grayson's family members at the press conference, said they had been informed Friday that the "mayor and the city police have agreed to allow the family to see the entire video."

"We don't know the extent of what took place in that restaurant," he said.

The family continued to urge police to release the full video to the public. 

"I need it to be released publicly, because the world is waiting for what happened to her," Tawnda Grayson said.

"My whole entire family loved our mom, that was the matriarch of our family," she said. "So what's been taken from us is irreplaceable."

Tawnda Grayson told ABC Fort Wayne affiliate WPTA her mother had congestive heart failure and was wearing a heart monitor a week before the altercation.

The cause and manner of death remain pending, police said Tuesday.

The Allen County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing the case.

"At this time, no decision regarding this matter will be made until the Prosecutor's Office has received and reviewed all evidence related to the investigation, including the complete report from the Allen County Coroner's Office," the Allen County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The coroner's findings may not be available for another four to eight weeks, the office noted.

Tim Hortons offered its condolences to Grayson's family.

"The health and safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority and the local franchisee has been cooperating fully with the police," the company said in a statement. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Telecom company executives hit with $20M fraud charges in New York in first case of self-reporting

Posted/updated on: May 24, 2026 at 5:17 am
In this photo illustration, the Telekom Malaysia company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Piotr Swat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Senior personnel at a telecommunications company orchestrated a "calculated embezzlement scheme" to divert millions of dollars into their own pockets, federal prosecutors in New York charged in the first case of its kind that involved self-reporting by the company that allowed the corporation to avoid criminal charges.

Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof and Khanh Thuong Nguyen allegedly misappropriated more than $20 million from Telekom Malaysia's U.S. subsidiary using false statements, forged records, fictitious transactions and corporate and individual impersonations to deceive counterparties, suppliers, auditors and supervisors, the indictment said.

Lockman, 48, of Dublin, California, Yusof, 44, of Livermore, California, and Nguyen, 48, of Manassas, Virginia, are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. All three were taken into custody last month and were released on bond. They have not yet entered pleas.

Their parent company, Telekom Malaysia Berhad, reported the alleged fraud to the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan last month and the company has been cooperating with the ongoing investigation, prosecutors said.

It's the first prosecution to result from a self-reporting program U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton announced earlier this year. Telekom Malaysia received a conditional declination of charges against the company provided it cooperates, pays restitution and agrees to report any future criminal conduct for the next three years.

"Today’s fraud charges come within weeks of receiving a self-report from the company,” Clayton said in a statement announcing the charges. “As alleged, Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof, and Khanh Thuong Nguyen perpetrated a sprawling fraud to steal over $20 million. The defendants deceived counterparties, suppliers, auditors, and their own supervisors. As a result of the fact that the conduct was reported to this Office and quickly investigated, the defendants will now be held to account for fraudulently lining their own pockets.”

According to the indictment, the defendants first schemed to sell Telekom. Malaysia's broadband capacity without authorization and divert the proceeds to their own accounts. Then, they allegedly impersonated one of Telekom Malaysia's suppliers and intercepted payments the company made to that supplier.

They also allegedly impersonated employees and interns and captured their salaries. The fourth component of the fraud involved reimbursements for fabricated work expenses, officials said.

As one example, the indictment said the trio collaborated to request reimbursement for expenses incurred for a work trip to Las Vegas in December 2025. In fact, no such trip occurred. According to the indictment, when the parent company requested pictures from the trip, the defendants hastily organized a trip to Las Vegas and photographed scenes with Christmas trees to make it appear as though photographs had been taken in December.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Army cuts dozens of medical training courses amid funding woes

Posted/updated on: May 24, 2026 at 5:17 am
Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, maneuver toward an objective during a Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise as part of Ivy Mass at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado, on May 17, 2026. (Pfc. Jacob Cruz/US Army)

(WASHINGTON) -- The Army has canceled dozens of medical training courses as the service moves to manage a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall that is rippling across the force, according to multiple U.S. officials and internal documents reviewed by ABC News.

At least 34 medical-related courses have been canceled during the second half of the Pentagon’s fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to the documents. 

The cuts come from the Army Medical Center of Excellence, the service’s hub for its medical training, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Those cuts come as commanders are being told to closely scrutinize their spending as the service faces ballooning operational costs, including those related to the war in Iran and skyrocketing fuel costs. 

Many of the canceled medical training programs are tied to frontline combat casualty care. An internal memorandum describing the reductions cites "funding shortfalls and limited resources."

Other cuts include leadership and certification courses for senior medical officers, including training for officers preparing to command helicopter medical evacuation units. The service also canceled courses related to animal care, behavioral science, food safety inspections and operating in radioactive environments, according to internal service plans.

"The Army has issued guidance to subordinate commands – for the remainder of this fiscal year, to make tough and sound resource decisions that optimize and prioritize resources toward their most critical requirements, to include major training and readiness events," Col. Marty Meiners, a service spokesperson, said in a statement. 

The cuts are part of a broader financial squeeze that has forced Army planners to slash training across the force while commanders reshuffle money. ABC News previously reported that Army planners had begun canceling training events as the service confronted a projected $4 billion to $6 billion funding shortfall.

The medical course cuts are in addition to what was previously reported, and the cancellations offer the most detailed account of specific training events getting axed until at least October, when the new fiscal year starts. 

Last week, Gen. Chris LaNeve, who is serving as the Army’s top officer in an acting capacity, disputed ABC News’ earlier reporting during testimony before lawmakers.

"We haven't canceled anything," LaNeve said, while acknowledging the Army is in a funding pinch.

LaNeve seemingly conceded to lawmakers that some training cuts were planned, which he framed as typical toward the end of the fiscal year. Yet the service was only halfway through the fiscal year when those plans were being made, documents show. The Army did not make LaNeve available for comment.

Military spending does start to draw more scrutiny from commanders toward the end of the summer as money for the fiscal year dries up, but any belt-tightening is traditionally at the margins, multiple current and former U.S. officials explained. 

The service’s III Armored Corps, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, which includes some 70,000 soldiers and made up of much of the Army’s tank and other heavily armored units, recently had much of its training funds diverted, while an internal memorandum warned that its helicopter units expected to deploy to Europe next year will be at “a lower state of readiness,” as pilot training had to effectively be frozen outside of the bare minimum military requirements to fly. 

All of the Army's major formations are being directed to make cuts, officials explained. The full scope of training and other events being canceled is likely much more significant.

Just to keep its helicopters flying at that minimum level required, $26.6 million was siphoned from the corps’ ground combat training units, an amount of money just slightly higher than cost estimations to keep flying time at a minimum, internal documents show, which directs commanders to scratch any training of scale. Flyovers for public events were also canceled. 

The shortfall stems from a combination of rising costs and increasingly demanding volume of operations, according to two U.S. officials, with one describing it as "a perfect storm."

Those costs include the Army’s support to the Department of Homeland Security during its 76-day shutdown, which involved border construction projects and assistance missions along the southern border. The Army is expected to eventually recoup nearly $2 billion tied to those DHS missions. 

Additionally, rising fuel costs have forced commanders to heavily scrutinize travel, as soldiers mostly use commercial travel to fly to different courses and training events. 

The service is also absorbing expenses tied to the conflict with Iran, as well as the expanding National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., which is projected to cost about $1.1 billion this year, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. One U.S. official said the mission is set to roughly double in size, expected to grow to roughly 5,000 troops over the summer.

The financial strain comes as the Pentagon is seeking a $1.5 trillion budget next year, 50% above current funding levels. The sticker shock has drawn fierce blowback from Democrats on Capitol Hill. But the record-setting request does not account for the costs of the Iran war, which Defense Department officials estimate has already topped $29 billion as of last week. Those expenses are largely tied to munitions and do not include the potentially massive bill for rebuilding bases damaged in Iranian strikes.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are now bracing for the Pentagon to send Congress a supplemental funding request to cover the mounting war-related costs.

On Thursday, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s chief of naval operations, warned lawmakers that the service may soon face similar tradeoffs unless Congress approves supplemental funding on top of the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion budget request, which was finalized before the Iran conflict escalated.

"The [fiscal 2026] budget didn't bake in [Operation] Epic Fury," Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee. "You see a large Navy force in the Middle East. So we're burning bright … but it does come at cost, and it comes at operational costs."

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Father charged with manslaughter after 1-year-old found dead in vehicle, strapped in car seat: Authorities

Posted/updated on: May 21, 2026 at 4:01 pm
Logan Keith Chewning is seen in a booking photo. (Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office)

(BROOKWOOD, Ala.) -- An Alabama man has been charged with manslaughter after his 1-year-old child was found dead in a vehicle, still strapped into a car seat, after the father had allegedly been drinking throughout the day while the infant was in his sole care, authorities said.

Multiple agencies responded to a home in Brookwood, in Tuscaloosa County, Wednesday evening after the child's family reported that the infant was found dead in the vehicle, authorities said.

"Initial investigation shows that the child was in the vehicle for an extended [amount] of time," Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said in a statement, noting that the temperatures that afternoon were in the mid-90s.  

The child, whose name was not released, had been in the "sole care of its father all day," Kennedy said.

The father, identified by the sheriff's office as 30-year-old Logan Keith Chewning, allegedly admitted to drinking at different points throughout the day and leaving the residence at one point to buy more alcohol, authorities said.

"The father reported that he believed that the child had been sleeping in its crib but must have been left behind in the vehicle," Kennedy said.

Chewning was charged with manslaughter following consultation with the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office, the sheriff's office said.

He is being held in jail, with a bond to be set by a judge at a later date. It is unclear if he has an attorney at this time.

The child's exact cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, authorities said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

ICE agent charged with assault will surrender to Minnesota authorities, attorney says

Posted/updated on: May 21, 2026 at 4:01 pm
An ICE patch and badge are seen on a Department of Homeland Security agent. (Jim Watson - Pool/Getty Images)

(MINNEAPOLIS) -- Gregory Morgan Jr., the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged by Minnesota prosecutors with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly brandishing a firearm at a motorist, will turn himself in to authorities Thursday, his attorney told ABC News. 

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced the charges in April, claiming in the complaint that Morgan was ending his shift on February 5 and was driving back to the Whipple Federal Building when a motorist allegedly cut him off as Morgan was trying to pass. Morgan then produced a firearm and pointed it at the motorists, the complaint said.

Morgan's attorney, Ryan Pacyga, said in part that the complaint contains “inaccurate and incomplete information” and that Morgan did not initiate the encounter.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment, nor did they respond to a similar request when the charges against Morgan were announced.

Morgan, of Temple Hills, Maryland, is charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon related to the encounter, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity announced in a news conference on April 16.

Moriarity said at the time that Morgan was driving "illegally" on the shoulder, "appearing to bypass shoulder traffic."

The complainant told police that they did not know the person driving the other car was an ICE agent until investigators told them, according to the prosecutor's complaint.

"There were no markings on Defendant's vehicle that would identify it as law enforcement and the vehicle was not displaying or using lights or sirens," according to the complaint. "Defendant continued to travel on the shoulder but rather than continue to drive past the victims, he pulled alongside their vehicle, rolled down his window, and pointed a black handgun directly at Victim 1 and Victim 2."

"Victim 1 had a clear view of Defendant's appearance, saw that Defendant was wearing a black t-shirt, saw that the gun was pointed directly at their heads, saw that the gun was a Glock or Sig Sauer handgun with what appeared to be a red-dot sight, and noted that Defendant 2 yelled something indiscernible," according to the complaint. 

The alleged victims then called police to report what had happened, according to the complaint. Investigators interviewed Morgan, his supervisor and his partner a day later.

"[Morgan] stated that Victim 1 swerved over in front of him and cut him off. Defendant claimed that he feared for his safety and the safety of others so, in response, he pulled alongside Victim 1's vehicle, rolled down his window, drew his firearm, and yelled 'Police Stop,'" the complaint said.

"[Morgan] stated he was trying to get Victim 1 to 'back up.' Defendant acknowledged that his firearm was a Glock 19 with a laser light, which Defendant had holstered on his right hip at the time of the interview. Defendant stated that after he pulled the gun on Victim 1 and Victim 2 he got in front of their vehicle and drove to the Whipple Building," the complaint further said.

Investigators also said they received cellphone footage from the complainant and reviewed traffic camera footage from the road on which they were traveling. 

“The allegations against Gregory Morgan arise from a brief, frightening, and highly stressful roadway encounter that happened in a matter of seconds during congested rush-hour traffic. An encounter that Mr. Morgan did not initiate. It came on the heels of many days of fear that both citizens as well as law enforcement were experiencing during operations in our Twin Cities metro area,” Pacyga said in a statement to ABC News Thursday.

The statement further said that the incident "did not arise from any planned criminal conduct. It developed suddenly during an alarming traffic interaction, initiated by the other driver."

"Law enforcement had been enduring threats to their safety by some members of the community, in neighborhoods and on the roads. This situation presented a perceived danger and Mr. Morgan reacted in real time. These are precisely the kinds of situations where perspective, perception, stress, and split-second decision-making matter,” Pacyga's statement said.

The incident occurred during a contentious period in Minneapolis when the city was the focal point of an immigration enforcement surge and after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal law enforcement. During that time questions arose about whether ICE agents could be prosecuted by state or local authorities.

ABC News' Jack Date and Luke Barr contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Police investigating intruder reported at Harvard, MIT dorms

Posted/updated on: May 21, 2026 at 4:01 pm
Dunster House on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Mel Musto/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) -- Police at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are investigating reports of a man who entered campus buildings without authorization on Tuesday. In one case, a student at Harvard reported being assaulted, according to police records. 

Harvard police responded to a report of an assault and battery at around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday to find Cambridge Police at Lowell House, the residence hall where the incident occurred, according to Harvard police records. 

The victim told police a suspect entered the building by following another individual without authorization, according to Harvard police records. 

"As the victim was entering their residence, the suspect approached from behind, covered the victim's mouth, and attempted to force them into the room," according to a Harvard police log. 

The suspect fled the building after several nearby individuals saw the altercation, the victim told police. 

Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect. 

MIT Police issued a similar campus warning, describing a similar incident at an MIT residence hall. 

A suspect followed another individual into the building at around 5:45 p.m. and followed the individual to the fifth floor before fleeing the area, according to an MIT police log.

MIT police did not find the suspect, according to the police log.

Surveillance footage showed the man leaving the building at about 6 p.m., according to MIT police. 

The MIT alert said the individual "matched the description of a person who was the subject of a Harvard University Police Department alert earlier this evening," according to WCVB. 

Both universities urged students and staff to report any suspicious activity. 

MIT police described the suspect as a 5-foot-9-inch white man with a thin build. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark-colored shorts, according to WCVB.

Harvard police said the incident is being "actively investigated" in a statement Thursday.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Criminal case against former assistant principal over shooting of teacher by student dismissed

Posted/updated on: May 21, 2026 at 4:01 pm
Abigail Zwerner shares a moment with her mother Julie Zwerner after a verdict was reached in her lawsuit against the assistant principal, Ebony Parker, of Richneck Elementary School during proceedings at Newport News Circuit Court on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Newport News, Virginia. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) -- A Virginia judge has granted a defense motion to dismiss the criminal charges against a former assistant principal stemming from the 2023 shooting of a teacher by a 6-year-old student.

Ebony Parker was charged with eight counts of felony child abuse with disregard for life in connection with the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News -- one count for each bullet that was unspent in the gun, according to the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.

"The court is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime," Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Robinson said Thursday, following two days of testimony in the criminal trial.

"What happened that day was awful, that's agreed upon by all," the judge later said.

Parker had her head bent over and appeared to be sobbing after the judge dismissed the case.

Prosecutors in the criminal trial alleged that Parker failed to respond and follow school protocol after several staffers raised concerns that the student, identified in the trial as JT, had a gun. The Commonwealth rested on Wednesday after two days of calling witnesses.

Defense attorney Curtis Rogers argued before the judge Thursday morning that Parker may have had a "lapse of judgment" that day, but she didn't act criminally and there was "no willful admission on her part to put these children in harm."

"Nobody acted as if there was an actual firearm. Not following school policy doesn't result in a criminal allegation," Rogers said. "There are acts that should have been done, definitely in hindsight."

Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Josh Jenkins argued that Parker knew of the danger in the school that day.

"There were multiple warnings she received from multiple people that there was an armed student," he said.

"Just the mere fact that a possible weapon is on campus should have triggered the response defined in the crisis management plan, yet it did not," he said.

Parker pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The dismissal of the criminal trial comes after a jury in a civil trial found that Parker acted with gross negligence in the shooting and awarded the injured teacher, Abby Zwerner, $10 million in damages.

Zwerner's attorneys said Thursday's decision by the judge means Newport News can no longer use the criminal charges against Parker to "deny insurance coverage" in her civil case.

"One of the many obstacles the City of Newport News placed in Abby Zwerner's path to justice was their argument they could deny insurance coverage in our civil case because of possible criminal conduct," Zwerner's attorneys said in a joint statement Thursday. "Today that is no longer an excuse that the City can hide behind."

"This was always the Commonwealth's criminal case -- not Abby's civil case. Abby complied with the subpoena requiring her testimony once again, despite the emotional toll of repeatedly reliving this tragedy," the statement continued. "From the beginning, our focus has remained on obtaining justice in civil court for the preventable failures that led to Abby being shot. A Newport News jury has already spoken, returning a $10 million verdict in Abby's favor."

Zwerner, the first witness in the trial, testified that she had told Parker prior to the shooting in her classroom that JT "seemed to be off" that day and "in a violent mood." She said another staffer, reading specialist Amy Kovac, alerted her that JT told other students he had brought a gun to school, and that Kovac reported that to the administration.

Zwerner said that in hindsight, she could have separated JT from the other students and confirmed that she was responsible for the safety of her students. Though she said her understanding that a crisis or emergency needed to be brought to the attention of the administration, and that she trusted her colleagues.

The bullet went through Zwerner's left hand, which she had lifted, and then into her chest. She was initially hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Zwerner and Parker both resigned following the shooting.  

The student brought the gun from home, police said. His mother, Deja Taylor, was sentenced to two years in state prison after pleading guilty to child neglect in connection with the shooting. She also pleaded guilty to using marijuana while in possession of a firearm and making a false statement about her drug use during the purchase of the firearm used in the shooting and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.

She was released from state custody on May 13 and transitioned to community supervision, according to online Virginia Department of Corrections records.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Woman dies after falling into NYC manhole

Posted/updated on: May 19, 2026 at 10:05 pm
Town cars and taxis are viewed in the Financial District in the early hours of the morning on June 4, 2015 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- A 56-year-old Westchester County woman plunged to her death after stepping out of her car into an open manhole in Midtown Manhattan on Monday, sources told ABC News.

The woman, identified as Donike Gocaj of Briarcliff Manor, New York, parked her car at West 52 Street and Fifth Avenue just before 11:20 p.m. Monday, the sources said. 

She stepped out of her Mercedes-Benz SUV and into an uncovered manhole, falling about 10 feet, sources said. 

The woman was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, sources said. 

No construction was ongoing, and the manhole cover was discovered about 15 feet away from the opening, according to sources.

Con Edison said it is "actively investigating" the incident.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the public has died after falling into an open manhole. We are actively investigating how this occurred. Our thoughts are with the individual's family, and safety remains our top priority," Con Edison said in a statement Tuesday. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former Hartford police officer charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of Stevie Jones

Posted/updated on: May 18, 2026 at 3:38 pm
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public via Getty Images)

(HARTFORD, Conn.) -- Former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano was charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection to the February 27, 2026 fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones.

The charge and evidence supporting it was laid out in the Connecticut state inspector general's report, which was released on Monday, and comes after Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam announced in March that he had terminated Magnano amid a probe into the incident after viewing the police body camera footage. The body camera footage has not been released publicly.

ABC News has reached out to the Hartford Police Department and Magnano's attorney for comment.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

What to know about a midair collision between two Navy jets at an Idaho air show

Posted/updated on: May 18, 2026 at 2:31 pm

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — After the two Navy jets collided in midair, the planes sandwiched together, all four crew members were able to eject and deploy their parachutes, floating down to safety as the aircraft careened into a field, exploding into a fireball.

The collision happened Sunday during the “Gunfighter Skies” air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base about 57 miles (92 kilometers) southwest of Boise.

Here are some things to know about the crash.
Just one crew member was injured

Only one of the four crew members on the two planes was injured and was being treated at a hospital, Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Monday. The injury was not life-threatening.

The fact that all four were able to safely eject and make it to the ground without landing in the wreckage is “truly remarkable,” said Billie Flynn, a former F-35 senior test pilot and demonstration expert.

“It is astonishing considering the way the airplanes impacted each other — incomprehensible even,” Flynn said.

The two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers were from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington. Each held two crew members.

The EA-18G Growler, measuring 60.2 feet (18.5 meters) long, made its first flight in August 2006 and was the first newly designed electronic warfare aircraft produced in more than 35 years, according to the Navy. Its “baptism of fire” was in 2011 in Libya, according to the Navy, and since then it’s been used worldwide.
The planes appeared sandwiched together before the crash

Videos taken by spectators show one of the jets was slightly behind the other before impact, and the two aircraft then appeared to become sandwiched together, with the belly of one jet just behind and to the side of the top of the other jet.

The jets then twisted and rocked together, pointing straight up for a moment before turning downward and falling to the ground. The subsequent impact resulted in a fireball, black smoke rising into the sky.

The crew members ejected in quick succession with their parachutes opening as the jets began to pivot toward the ground.
The cause of the crash is not yet known

Videos of the collision suggest human error is to blame, Flynn said.

Before colliding, Flynn said the video shows they were trying to line up closely — wing tip to wing tip — but failed to safely rejoin in formation, a routine maneuver.

“This is clearly a pilot error,” Flynn said.

Officials have not yet released any information about what may have contributed to the crash. The incident is under investigation, Umayam said, and efforts to recover the damaged aircraft are underway.

“Our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our personnel, as well as security of the aircraft during the recovery,” Umayam wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
Air shows are inherently dangerous

Pilots who perform at air shows are among the best, but there is little room for error, said aviation safety expert John Cox, who is CEO of Safety Operating Systems.

“Air show flying is demanding. It has very little tolerance,” Cox said. “The people who do it are very good and it’s a small margin for error. I’m glad everybody was able to get out.”

The air show industry has been working to improve safety for years at the roughly 200 events held each year in the U.S. The last fatal crashes at an air show came in 2024 when two people were killed in separate accidents at different events.

This year’s Gunfighter Skies event was the first at the base since 2018, when a hang glider pilot died in a crash during an air show performance.

In 2003, a Thunderbirds aircraft crashed while attempting a maneuver. The pilot, who was not hurt, was able to steer the plane away from the crowd and eject less than a second before it hit the ground.

John Cudahy, president and CEO of the International Council of Air Shows, said that there used to be an average of 3.8 deaths a year at a U.S. air show from 1991 to 2006. That number has been steadily improving and since 2017 there have only been an average of 1.1 deaths per year even including a crash in Dallas in 2022 that killed six when two vintage planes collided. There were no air show deaths in 2025 or 2023, and a spectator hasn’t been killed at an air show in the U.S. since 1952.

Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement