Mother of Columbia teen robbed and killed in June speaks out after teen suspect pleads not guilty following adult certification

KMIZ on February 27, 2026

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police suspect a Columbia teen who was charged as an adult with murder Friday could have fired a gun into the victim’s vehicle, according to a probable cause statement.

Rodney Moore Jr., 16, is charged with second-degree felony murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action in the death of 18-year-old Zarian Simpson in June 2025.

“All of the range of punishment that an adult offender would face would be available for that juvenile offender now and they will be treated on that case as an adult moving forward,” said Boone County Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Buchanan.

Faith Mejia, Simpson’s mother, recalled the moment the judge decided to certify Moore as an adult.

“I’m hearing his family ask for a hug and it hurt a lot because I don’t get to hug mine,” Mejia said.

Officers were sent to the Eastgate Apartments at Old 63 and Broadway on June 15 when police found Simpson with a gunshot wound and he was treated at the scene.

Simpson later died at an area hospital. He had graduated from Hickman High School a month before. Mejia said Simpson was also enrolled at Moberly Area Community College to start classes in the fall.

“We were going to attend classes together because we both were enrolled,” Mejia said.

Court documents state Boone County Joint Communications received a 911 call just before 8 p.m. from Simpson, reporting he had been hit in the face with a gun and his bag was stolen. Prosecutors wrote in new court documents that Moore had allegedly pistol-whipped Simpson.

Mejia said Simpson was a hard worker, taking on three different jobs while in school. She said he like to show off the rewards of his work and was known by many to often carry large amounts of money on him at times. She believes this played a role in the actions of Moore and the other three defendants on June 15th.

“My baby lost his life for nothing,” Mejia said. “He didn’t even have his money on him, they got nothing.”

Police said Simpson told dispatchers he was following the suspects in his car when shots were heard and he stopped responding.

Mejia said she raised her kids to always stand up for themselves and each other, but following her son’s death she said her perspective has shifted.

“I regret teaching my kids to fight everything out,” Mejia said. “Because people don’t fight with their hands no more, just the reality of it.”

Around the same time Simpson stopped responding to dispatchers, BCJC reported getting multiple reports of shots being fired on Sunrise Drive. Court documents state a caller said a purple Camaro ran into his deck and that the man inside the car, Simpson, was wounded.

Police said another witness saw a man in all black clothing run away and put a gun in his pants after the shots. Police believe the person in black clothing was Moore, according to the probable cause statement filed in his case. They placed Moore at the murder scene in part by location data in the Life360 cellphone app.

Mejia said she wants to see more awareness from parents in the community about what their kids are doing, who they are involved with and what they are involved in.

“These kids have guns, real guns and they don’t understand that used the wrong way, or used in the wrong situation, that can be your life or somebody else’s in an instant,” Mejia said.

She said parents who feel they have lost control should look into available resources for help.

“Don’t just let them go out there because they don’t know what they’re doing. They’re going to fall in the hands of someone like Steven Paden, who will have them out here robbing and killing people,” Mejia said. “Then you’ll have to watch your child sit in front of a judge and be certified as an adult for a murder.”

Steven Paden IV, 34, was charged with robbery in the first degree, armed criminal action and second-degree murder in the death of Simpson in June.

Two juveniles were taken into custody with Paden for their roles. Moore’s probable cause statement says Paden is in a relationship with the mother of those two juveniles.

Paden is set to go to trial in June.

Moore pleaded not guilty through is lawyer Friday afternoon. He is being held without bond.

A hearing on a motion to reduce Moore’s bond will be held next week.

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Rev. Jesse Jackson funeral services, celebration of life continues Friday at Rainbow PUSH headquarters

CNN Newsource on February 27, 2026

By Lauren Victory, Adam Harrington, Elyssa Kaufman

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — The celebration of life for Reverend Jesse Jackson continues with another visitation on Friday morning.

Mourners lined up early Friday morning to pay their respects for a second day at Rainbow PUSH Headquarters. Supporters will have 12 hours to say their goodbyes.

A suburban woman brought her three grandchildren to experience this historic moment as they go through school.

“I thought it was very important that they come to experience this,” Lazane Tyker said. “When I’m long gone, they will always remember this, that they were here and participated.”

Jackson’s family shook thousands of hands inside Rainbow Push headquarters on Thursday as a line of supporters stretched down the block.

Reverend Jackson’s casket is heading back to his East Coast roots after today’s visitation for services in South Carolina and Washington D.C.

His remains will then return to Chicago for “The People’s Celebration” next Friday. A private service is scheduled for March 7th.

Resting in power at Rainbow PUSH

Founded in the early 1970s as Operation PUSH, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition grew from a local organizing effort into a national platform for civil rights, economic justice, and political mobilization. From the very building where Jackson will lie in repose, he led voter registration drives, advocated for corporate accountability, and pushed for greater access to education and employment opportunities.

It was also from Rainbow PUSH that Jackson helped expand the idea of a rainbow coalition — uniting people across race, class, and political lines around shared economic interests.

Jackson’s political campaigns in 1984 and 1988 were organized through the PUSH network, proving that a civil rights organization could also become a national political force.

For many in Chicago, weekly gatherings at Rainbow PUSH became a forum where local concerns met national attention.

“For generations, children and adults will hear the words, ‘Keep hope alive,’ hear the words, ‘I am somebody,'” said the Rev. Michael Pfleger of Chicago’s St. Sabina Church. “He took the phrase keep hope alive and made it tangible.”

For decades, Rainbow PUSH Headquarters amplified Rev. Jackson’svoice. It now becomes a place for reflection for a movement that stretched far beyond the walls of the physical building.

Honors for Rev. Jackson planned for South Carolina and Washington, D.C.

The Jackson family said they shared him with the world and in return, the world became a part of their extended family. This is evident too in what will unfold over the next week.

After a couple of days here in Chicago, there will be services held for Jackson in South Carolina and Washington, D.C. before his funeral will take place back in Chicago at the end of next week.

The Jackson family wanted to make sure their patriarch, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, returned to his roots on the East Coast.

Jackson played football at Sterling High School in Greenville, and famously protested library segregation with a group known as the Greenville Eight.

Jackson’s loved ones made a formal request to South Carolina lawmakers that he lie in repose at the state capitol in Columbia. That request was granted Monday, March 2, with a private, then public service — including a wreath-laying — planned at the statehouse rotunda.

A church service is scheduled for that evening in West Columbia, South Carolina.

Details have not yet been released on how Rev. Jackson will be honored in Washington, D.C.

Rev. Jesse Jackson funeral and celebration of life services schedule Thursday, Feb. 26 and Friday, Feb. 27: Lying in State at Rainbow PUSH Coalition, 930 E. 50th St., Chicago, 10 a.m. Sunday, March 1 – Thursday, March 5: Travel dates for formal services in South Carolina and Washington, D.C. Monday, March 2 – Jackson will lie in repose at the South Carolina Statehouse. Following a small private family ceremony inside the Statehouse, the visitation will be open to the public from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 6: The People’s Celebration at House of Hope, 752 E. 114th St., Chicago Doors Open: 9 a.m., service: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7: Private Homegoing Celebration at Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Limited capacity. A spokesperson for the Jackson family said they will share additional details and information for public registration to attend services soon. They will also share a livestream of the services for the public.

The family asks that all flowers and condolence cards be sent to:

Leak & Sons Funeral Home

7838 S. Cottage Grove Ave.

Chicago, IL 60619

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Parkville sisters who lived through segregation share their story of faith and legacy

CNN Newsource on February 27, 2026

By Rae Daniel

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    KANSAS CITY (KSHB) — Inside the Washington Chapel CME church, Dr. Cora Douglass Thompson sits down at the piano and begins to play, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing.’

“My mother insisted that all three of us had piano lessons,” Dr. Thompson said. “All three of us.”

Dr. Cora, and her sisters Lucille H. Douglass and Alcorama Pearl Spencer sat down with me, sharing fond memories, like their mother’s gingerbread.

“You could be outside playing and you get a whiff of that and you knew, mama was making gingerbread,” Dr. Cora said. “She’d make two. One for the church and one for home.”

The sisters were born in the 1940s, during a time when segregation was a shared experience for the Black community.

“There are only three streets that connect to what was the segregated black community,” Ms. Lucille said.

“The white elite, leaders of Parkville told my dad, ‘stop telling these N’s how to vote,” Dr. Cora said. “That’s one of the big things I remember. Everybody came to my dad asking them how to vote, everybody.”

“The meetings that were being held in the Black community, were about getting indoor toilets in our school,” Ms. Alcorama said. “We had to walk over to the hillside, quite a ways.”

Their legacy, intertwined in Parkville’s history, including Banneker Elementary, the historic African American schoolhouse, where their mother taught.

“Cora and I were a part of the last class when they closed the Banneker school,” Ms. Lucille said. She said it closed after Brown V. Board of Education, when the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional.

Ms. Alcorama remembers when school was integrated. She was a freshman at Park Hill High School. She shared that she was frightened a little, but the superintendent had a conversation with her dad before she started. She was grateful for what was said to her father that day. She said while there weren’t any families protesting outside the school that she remembers, she does remember some incidents of bullying and sports teams still being segregated.

They also talked about the historic church they grew up in was Washington Chapel C.M.E., which was built in 1907 by former slaves and college students.

“We stand on their shoulders,” Ms. Lucille said.

Today, these sisters make sure that history is never forgotten, through events, education and conversation.

“We are benefiting from their hard work and the vision God gave them,” Ms. Alcorama said. “And this church on this hill will be, known and people will be worshiping here for another 100 years.”

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Mother of girl killed in Fremont plant explosion sues Horizon Biofuels over deadly blast

CNN Newsource on February 27, 2026

By KMTV Staff

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    FREMONT, Neb. (KMTV) — A mother whose daughter was killed in a plant explosion in Fremont has filed a lawsuit against Horizon Biofuels.

The explosion occurred in July 2025, killing sisters Hayven and Fayeah, ages 12 and 8, along with their father, Dylan Danielson, who had brought the girls to work with him.

Lauren Baker, Hayven’s mother, alleges in the lawsuit that dust caused the explosion — dust the company should have prevented from accumulating — and that Horizon Biofuels failed to ensure equipment worked properly despite prior complaints.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed to us last fall that it had previously issued citations at the facility.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMTV verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Anaheim police shot and killed man in mental health crisis, family says

CNN Newsource on February 27, 2026

By Leo Stallworth

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    ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) — The family of a man fatally shot by Anaheim police in September has filed a claim against the city, alleging officers used unnecessary deadly force while he was suffering a mental health episode.

Attorneys for the family of Rudy Martinez said the Anaheim resident was in clear distress when police encountered him.

“We believe in fact the shooting was murder and we are demanding justice,” Jamal Tooson, an attorney for Martinez’s family, said at a press conference Thursday.

Martinez was armed with a shovel and used it to hit the officer’s patrol vehicle, body-camera footage shows. Police said Martinez advanced toward the officer in an “aggressive and threatening manner” before the shooting.

Tooson said the situation warranted a response from mental health counselors or advocates instead of police.

“They sent the Anaheim Police Department who shot and killed him within seconds of arrival,” Tooson said.

The claim filed is a precursor to a lawsuit.

Attorneys say they’ve viewed body-camera footage of the shooting, and it raises serious questions about how police handled the situation.

Bodycam footage from the responding officer shows Martinez hitting the patrol car with a shovel.

“At this point, the officer didn’t put the patrol car in reverse,” Tooson said when describing what was seen in the video.

“The officer didn’t consider grabbing non-lethal force, but he grabbed his gun,” Tooson added. “When he got out of the car, Rudy walked toward him with the shovel. The officer shot and killed him and left him to die on the street.”

Anaheim officials said the response took place near a school that was in session.

“Our officer responded to a call next to an elementary school in session where, without provocation, he immediately faced a threat to life and safety,” city spokesperson Mike Lyster said. “We recognize the importance of mental health intervention. Sadly, there was no time to bring in resources and to do so without putting the lives of mental health workers at risk.”

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Man accused of poisoning Southern California couple by spraying bug spray on food

CNN Newsource on February 27, 2026

By Leanne Suter

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    SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (KABC) — A Santa Clarita, California, couple is speaking out after their roommate allegedly poisoned them, leading to a standoff with deputies on Tuesday. They say it comes after being tormented by the man for months.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office – Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, deputies responded to a home on Tuesday after receiving reports of alleged poisoning.

A couple called sheriff’s deputies after reviewing surveillance video and discovering that a roommate was spraying their food with what appeared to be Raid bug spray. They made the discovery after numerous illnesses and emergency room visits with chest and stomach pain.

Billy Sonhopper and her husband, David, say 42-year-old Timothy Bradbury has been tormenting them for months, but it wasn’t until they saw the surveillance video that they realized their lives were in danger.

The video shows the suspect, later identified as Bradbury, wearing a gas mask and spraying what appears to be a blue can of Raid on groceries and produce in their shared kitchen, including inside the pantry.

David Sonhopper said at his latest ER visit, he was told he has liver damage, and medical professionals said, based on his blood work, they thought it could be poisoning.

That’s what led the couple to check the cameras the landlord has installed in the home.

“On the video we found that, besides all the other things that he’s done in the year that we’ve lived here, that he was spraying something — we weren’t sure if it was rat poison, wasp spray,” David Sonhopper said.

“He was spraying stuff all over our groceries — our fruit, our vegetables, our coffee pot that we use every morning, and our whole pantry full of our chips and cereal, all of our canned goods and spices. Everything. He sprayed it all over everything,” Billy Sonhopper said.

The couple said that, on top of the recent incident, Bradbury has also thrown away their food and cut up their clothes.

“He set our house on fire. He’s poisoned our stuff. He’s destroyed our property. I’ve had to get a new car because he destroyed my old one,” David Sonhopper said.

They noted that they had called law enforcement in the past, but never had much evidence until they discovered the new surveillance video.

When deputies responded to the home on Tuesday, they attempted to make contact with Bradbury, but he retreated inside and refused to come out, deputies said.

Deputies learned that Bradbury suffers from a mental health disability and called a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Mental Evaluation Team to the scene.

After two hours of negotiations, Bradbury exited the home voluntarily and was detained, the sheriff’s department said. He was placed under arrest for willful poisoning of food, drink, medicine or water with the intent to cause injury.

Video from the scene shows gloved deputies going in and out of the home. At one point, an investigator is seen removing a blue can of Raid that looks just like the one in the surveillance video.

The couple says the owner of the home has been trying to evict Bradbury. Given the shocking video, they say they’re terrified of what could happen next.

“It’s been hell living with him the past year. It’s been horrible,” David Sonhopper said after Bradbury’s arrest. “With her health issues, we were extremely concerned. And we’re just tired. We’ve been living with so much stress.”

“We don’t want to be in fear anymore. We’re tired of it. We just want to be safe.” Billy Sonhopper said.

The couple added that they hope the suspect gets the mental health support he needs.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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FTC and 11 states reach $100 million settlement with Walmart over driver pay deception

CNN Newsource on February 27, 2026

By Adam Roberts

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    ARKANSAS (KHBS, KHOG) — Walmart has agreed to pay $100 million to settle allegations from the Federal Trade Commission and 11 states over what it told delivery drivers about their pay, according to a news release from the FTC.

The FTC’s complaint alleged that Walmart deceived both drivers and consumers about the amount of tips drivers would receive.

It also claimed Walmart deceived drivers about the amount of base pay and tips in batched orders, and misrepresented the incentive pay they could receive.

Walmart sent a statement to 40/29 News, which read:

“We value the hard work and dedication of the drivers who deliver great service and products to our customers. We have issued payments to impacted drivers and continue to make additional payments as appropriate. We are continuously improving procedures to ensure fairness and transparency for drivers.”

In addition to paying $100 million, Walmart is now required to create an earnings verification program for drivers.

The company is also banned from misrepresenting driver pay and other information. It also isn’t allowed to modify its payment offers in most circumstances.

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Construction gears up on South Academy Boulevard upgrades in Colorado Springs

KRDO on February 27, 2026

Scott Harrison

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — While El Paso County is wrapping up its improvements on South Academy Boulevard between Interstate 25 and Milton E. Proby Parkway, a similar project is intensifying on the city’s side of the corridor between the parkway and Fountain Boulevard.

The city’s project resumed last month after a year-long break to focus on reducing impacts to drivers, neighbors, and business owners.

Crews are making upgrades to driver safety, traffic flow, pedestrian access, and drainage; much of the infrastructure here dates back to the 1960s.

The latest changes came this week, as crews made lane closures to prepare for a traffic configuration change.

That work included removing old lane markings and applying temporary striping.

But what’s really eye-catching are the long trenches the crews are digging in the street, mostly on the east side of Academy.

That’s where new drainage pipes are going in.

This phase of the project also has the eastbound ramp to Milton E. Proby Parkway closed until the end of May.

The final step will be repaving this stretch, known by drivers to be one of the bumpiest in town.

Officials originally planned to finish the project this summer, but the new completion date is the summer of 2028.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” said David Aquino, who lives nearby. “It should be OK, but in the mornings it’s kinda hard driving down south or up north, because you have one lane, two lanes open only.”

Shawn Visiko is another neighbor.

“I don’t like it, per se,” he said of the project. “But it does need to be done because of how bad the roads are. And now, hopefully, in the near future, it’ll be done, and it’ll be smooth.”

This project, and the previous work done on South Academy between Bijou Street and Airport Road, cost $100 million.

It’s financed by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) and some federal funds.

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Kansas City man charged after allegedly stealing bus, leading police on a chase across I-29

CNN Newsource on February 27, 2026

By Chloe Godding

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A Kansas City man has been charged after he allegedly stole a bus, causing thousands in damages before he was caught.

Preston R. Reiff was charged with stealing, first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and first-degree property damage in connection with the bus theft, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced Thursday.

Officers with the Kansas City Police Department responded to a Greyhound bus station on Tuesday on reports of a Greyhound/Jefferson bus being stolen moments before. Upon arrival, an employee and witness told police that the suspect took the bus from the station’s back lot around 10:20 p.m., according to court documents.

On his way out, the suspect immediately struck a wall, rammed an automatic gate and struck multiple signs. GPS tracking allowed officers to quickly locate the stolen bus, which was traveling north on Interstate 29 near Northwest 56th Street.

Officers attempted a traffic stop using lights and sirens, but the suspect did not stop, according to court documents. Platte County authorities continued the pursuit, deploying stop sticks near I-29 and Northwest Tiffany Springs Parkway.

The suspect pulled over after both front tires were hit. He was then taken into custody.

Field sobriety tests indicated that Reiff was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In an interview with police, he said he was not under the care of a doctor or taking any medications.

When asked about what happened, Reiff said he did not want to discuss it and asked for an attorney, according to court documents.

Damages to property included approximately $15,000 to the wall at the station, $40,000 to the gate and $500 for every damaged sign. The bus itself is originally valued at $600,000; damage to it is still being assessed.

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Omaha women’s basketball players help driver trapped in sinkhole

CNN Newsource on February 27, 2026

By Madison Perales & Jake Anderson

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Two Mavericks helped get one of the drivers out of a sinkhole after a road collapsed in Omaha.

Jordan Sarnoff, University of Nebraska Omaha’s assistant athletic director, said two women’s basketball players were bystanders to the sinkhole on 67th and Pacific streets.

Video captures moment when road ‘collapses’ leaving two vehicles stuck

In a post on social media, Sarnoff said he was proud of “Olivia Borsutzki and Esra Kurban for stepping up in a critical moment.”

Sarnoff said they “didn’t hesitate.”

Video shows people helping one of the drivers out of their vehicle.

Sarnoff confirmed to KETV that Borsutzki helped the driver of the red Jeep, Jonathan Inman, out of the sinkhole.

Inman told KETV that he’s grateful to the nearby drivers who came running to help.

“I couldn’t pull myself out because there was nothing to step on, just based on the height of it. So thankfully, those bystanders were there to help pull me out,” Inman said.

When officers arrived, the drivers were out of their vehicles, authorities said. No one was injured.

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