Author: CNN Newsource

By Charlie De Mar, Todd Feurer, Desiree Evans

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    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — One person was killed on Thursday afternoon after FBI agents opened fire on an SUV in the Homan Square neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.

The shooting happened around 3 p.m. in the 3700 block of West Lexington Street. A Chicago Fire Department spokesperson confirmed one person was killed in the shooting.

Officials have not said if the man fired shots at agents, but sources said he was wanted in connection to a bank robbery.

After the shooting, several FBI agents in helmets and protective vests approached a Cadillac SUV with rifles drawn. Agents later pulled a person who appeared to be dead out of the driver’s seat.

The vehicle had been struck by dozens of bullets, and was left heavily damaged.

“The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division,” an FBI spokesperson said in a statement.

People who live nearby said they heard at least 15 shots.

“This is everyday life. I mean, you can’t explain something that happened that you don’t even know about, but however it’s going, all we can do is watch and try and avoid it,” Felica Fort said.

One person who said he has lived in Homan Square for more than two decades, and asked to remain anonymous, said he witnessed the shooting from his balcony. He described a shootout between the man in the SUV and FBI agents.

“He came up through the sunroof and started spraying bullets, and they sprayed back at him,” the man said. “I’m diving on the floor when the shots took place.”

A man who said he was the brother of the man shot by the FBI identified him as a 25-year-old named Abdul. He said his brother was just visiting a relative near Lexington Street and Independence Boulevard.

“For him to just be sitting in the car and them to shoot him, they wanted him dead,” he said. “We know he did not shoot. He would never shoot at the police, because, I mean, that’s death. That’s suicide by cop. He’s not stupid.”

The FBI declined to immediately provide any further information on Thursday afternoon.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By J.D. Miles

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    DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — A wife and mother of three was planning a girls’ trip out of the country, but suddenly found herself alone and facing 12 years in a third-world prison.

In that prison, Sabrina Underwood says she had to endure hellish conditions and pay for protection just to stay alive. That woman is the daughter of a retired Dallas Police officer and is finally free thanks to her parents’ determined efforts to save her.

“It was only supposed to be a week,” said Underwood. “I told my kids it’s my first vacation by myself. It was supposed to be something quick, simple and fun.”

As a working mother of three, Underwood needed a break. So she planned the girls’ trip in late December to visit a friend who had moved to Panama.

She brought a suitcase that she says she was still packed after a road trip with her husband from Texas to Tennessee the day before. A suitcase with something inside that would turn her trip to Panama into a nightmare.

“When they opened the suitcase, on the top of it, I was like, ‘No, my medication is on the bottom, you gotta look in here,'” Underwood said. “And he stopped me, and he put his hand in and pulled out the gun, and my jaw dropped.”

Authorities at the airport in Panama found a handgun that Underwood’s husband received from his military deployment and had placed in the bag on their road trip.

“It was crazy,” she said. “It was surreal. I was losing my mind. I was texting, crying, shaking. In one second, my whole life was destroyed.”

The 34-year-old was soon in a Panamanian prison facing a 12-year sentence, accused of trying to smuggle the gun into the country.

“There’s a lot of conspiracy theories,” said Underwood. “I am not trying to sell the gun in Panama. I’m not an international criminal.”

Photos of the prison show a row of cells that other prisoners could enter, feces on walls, roaches everywhere and buckets that were used for showers.

“You couldn’t have blankets or pillows,” said Underwood. “Roaches crawling on you when you tried to sleep. It was very bad.”

Underwood says she was immediately targeted by other prisoners and relied on her cellmate for protection.

“People would steal from me,” she said. “And there was a Panamanian woman that, when I was getting out of the shower, assaulted me. There were stabbings. I witnessed a couple of stabbings.”

Underwood’s father Paul Inman, is a retired Dallas police officer who spent the last five months desperately trying to get her released.

“They were able to buy a phone from a guard, and that’s the way we were able to keep in touch with her,” said Inman. “And that right there kept me sane because I knew she was safe.”

After nearly a month, Underwood was eventually able to get out of the prison and was placed under house arrest in Panama while awaiting trial.

But the thought of being away from her three kids for 12 years was unimaginable for Underwood, who contemplated suicide.

“I had a plan for that,” she said. “I wouldn’t put my kids through that.”

Fortunately for the 34-year-old, it turned out to be just that, and last week she was released from prison without explanation and returned to the U.S. to the welcoming arms of her family.

” was ready to kiss the ground,” said Underwood. “I bleed red, white and blue. Now, I know America is not perfect, but I am so happy to be here, so happy to see my kids be able to play with them, hold them, walk outside, it’s a blessing.”

Underwood says it was the determination of her parents, not politicians, who made it happen.

“I know my parents,” she said. “I know my dad. They are strong-willed people and they don’t give up.”

Despite her ordeal and the loss of her job over it, Underwood still finds ways to smile at the memory and plans to use her experience to help others.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Dawn White

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    FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — A Fort Worth firefighter battling stage 4 cancer is taking on another fight: The mission to get his wife a lifesaving organ transplant.

Jennifer Brook said that her husband, Todd Brook, being determined is an understatement.

In sickness and in health “Here’s this firefighter from Fort Worth, and he’s persistent,” Jennifer Brook said. “He actually asked me out five times before I said yes.”

Jennifer Brook said yes to a date in 2010, and the couple married in 2024. The feeling of those blissful days is quite different now.

“I try not to cry,” Jennifer Brook said.

She does cry, but not in front of her husband.

“I’m afraid if I start crying, I won’t be able to stop crying, so I try not to cry. It’s just a lot. It’s a lot to try to have faith,” Jennifer Brook said.

She prays after what doctors told her husband in October 2025.

“We got the diagnosis that Todd has stage four pancreatic cancer,” Jennifer Brook said. “They gave him three to six months to live.”

CBS News Texas first met the couple earlier this month during a story about workers’ compensation cancer claims.

Todd Brook believes he got the cancer from exposure to carcinogens in his 30 years working as a firefighter. Testing showed no genetic predisposition for getting the disease.

“He hasn’t eaten a meal since April 24,” Jennifer Brook said.

The cancer continues to weaken his body but not his spirit.

“He’s lost over 30 pounds just May 1,” Jennifer Brook said.

Holding onto hope for each other The Brooks got another blow when doctors told Jennifer she’d need a kidney transplant due to polycystic kidney disease. Her husband was going to be her donor.

“With the diagnosis of cancer, I got kicked out of the pool,” Todd Brook said.

Jennifer Brook will go on dialysis if she doesn’t get a kidney transplant. The average lifespan for someone on dialysis is five years.

Todd Brook fights for his own life every day but sheds tears for his wife.

“She is 100% the most important thing in my life, and not being able to be there for her is killing me now,” he said.

Jennifer Brook cries her own tears for her husband.

“I know that either God needs to heal him very, very soon because I don’t want to see him suffer,” Jennifer Brook said.

The couple remains optimistic about each other’s healing as they fight their own health battles together.

You can see if you’re a match to donate a kidney to Jennifer through UT Southwestern’s living donor program.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Dan Snyder

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Students, teachers and lawmakers in Philadelphia continue to push back on the school board’s decision to pass a plan last month that would see 17 schools close.

The facilities plan was not on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, but it is still top of mind for so many across the city.

City lawmakers, teachers, students and supporters gathered outside district headquarters Thursday with one demand: Come back to the negotiating table.

A handful of city councilmembers participated in the rally, joined by more than a dozen students from Lankenau Environmental Science Magnet High School. That’s one of the schools on the chopping block.

“I came out today to show that you never give up when there’s a fight, and Lankenau is worth fighting for, so I think we should continue on with it,” Lankenau ninth grader Aasiyah Rivea said.

“We still have hope,” ninth grader Habib Traore said. “Everybody here really thinks that Lankenau won’t close, so I want to support that.”

Thursday marked the board’s first meeting since a very heated April 30 vote on the facilities plan – a $3 billion plan that would close 17 schools and renovate another 169.

The vote and process leading up to it led to a major rift between board members and some lawmakers, who said the district did not address their questions or those from the community. Now, councilmembers are calling on the board to come back to the table and fix a plan they call unacceptable. And they warned – they’re not going away.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Tom Dougherty, Joe Holden, Tom Ignudo

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A caregiver is accused of shooting and killing her boyfriend and later taking a Lyft to dispose of his body in a suitcase and trash bags in Kensington last week, prosecutors in Philadelphia said Thursday.

Investigators said Liza Ridley fatally shot 53-year-old Vincent Good multiple times in the head at least two weeks ago in their home in Mayfair and then enlisted the help of her older sister, her daughter and her boyfriend to dismember his body and dispose of it.

Ridley is charged with murder, abuse of corpse and related offenses, Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope said.

Ridley’s older sister, 55-year-old Bernadette Ridley, is being charged with abuse of corpse, tampering and related offenses.

Ridley’s daughter, 32-year-old Liza Robinson, and her boyfriend, 33-year-old Gnaeus Daniels, are charged with tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice, the ADA said.

Good’s body was found in a suitcase and two trash bags last week in the 600 block of East Hilton Street in Kensington, police said.

Investigators said police responded to a call shortly before 9:30 a.m. last Friday after someone looking for scrap material found Good’s body inside a suitcase. Homicide detectives also found additional human remains in two large trash bags.

Good’s body was dumped in the alleyway last Thursday when Liza Ridley took a Lyft from her home in Mayfair to Kensington, according to prosecutors. Robinson used her own account to order a Lyft for her mother to dump Good’s body, Pope said.

Ridley placed the suitcase in the back of the Lyft vehicle, and the driver “immediately smelled a horrible smell,” Pope said.

The driver asked Ridley about it and she responded with, “Oh, I’m sorry, it was dirty old clothes,” Pope said. The driver didn’t respond, Pope said, and dropped Ridley off on East Hilton Street, where the body was discarded.

Pope said the driver took a picture of Ridley and later provided it to investigators after seeing news coverage Friday and contacting detectives to say she had information about who dumped the body.

“That Lyft driver had the wisdom to take a photograph of that passenger based upon the suspicious indications that the Lyft driver was observing,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said.

Krasner said police were able to crack the case because “two Philadelphians who really had nothing direct to do with this case cared enough to speak up when they saw something that did not look right.”

A search warrant was executed Wednesday at Ridley’s home in the 5700 block of Leonard Street, where Good also lived, prosecutors said.

Investigators observed the property was “very, very clean,” and Robinson and Daniels admitted to removing the mattress Good had previously been on, Pope said.

Prosecutors said it’s unclear how long Good has been dead, but it was “at least two weeks” prior to the day his body was found. His body will be taken to a forensics lab next week to determine when he was killed and how his body was dismembered, Pope said.

Good was a partial amputee with one of his hands amputated above the wrist and his left leg amputated below the knee, Pope said. Ridley and her conspirators dismembered his body after she killed him, according to the ADA.

Ridley allegedly confessed to the murder Thursday, Pope said.

Investigators are still working on determining a motive for Good’s murder. They said Ridley was paid to be his caregiver, and he was receiving Social Security benefits.

Ridley reported to her employer Tuesday that Good had left Pennsylvania to live with his brother in Florida and that her services were no longer needed, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said they are looking into whether financial factors played into Good’s murder.

“The motive is under investigation,” Krasner said. “It is not clear at this time.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Mike Darnay

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    SHARPSBURG, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A man died Thursday following a crash in Sharpsburg that involved a pickup truck and a dump truck.

Allegheny County Police said that the department’s Homicide Unit and Collision Reconstruction Unit were called to the area of 18th Street and Main Street in Sharpsburg following a two-vehicle crash that happened just before 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Police said that when first responders arrived at the scene of the crash that involved a pickup truck and a dump truck, they found a man who was subsequently taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man who died as Zygmunt Olszewski, 76, of Sharpsburg.

Investigators with the Allegheny County Police said that the early information appears to show that the man who was driving the pickup truck had a medical emergency and went through the intersection, hitting a telephone pole.

The pickup truck was then hit by the dump truck, police said.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Lisa Rozner

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — The family of a 14-year-old boy who died while subway surfing last week wants to prevent another family from going through the same heartbreak.

They spoke exclusively to CBS News New York’s Lisa Rozner.

“It was just too late” Chiquita Butler is still in shock after learning that her son Akhi was found unconscious on the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge around 6 p.m. Friday. Police said he died after subway surfing on the J train.

“I remember him texting my sister minutes before it happened with a picture saying he saw a dog on the train that looks just like his dog,” said Andre Dwayne, Akhi’s uncle. “One minute, I hear he’s doing good in school, and the next minute, I’m hearing that we got to go to Bellevue.”

Police said the eighth grader was with an 18-year-old, who is still in critical condition at the hospital. The family said they don’t know the teen and fear that Akhi was peer pressured into subway surfing.

“I wish the community would have spoke up, like if they saw him doing this before,” Dwayne said.

“It was just too late, you know,” Butler said.

His family said they don’t know if Akhi had gone subway surfing before or if this was the first time.

Combatting subway surfing The MTA has run ads on the dangers of subway surfing and installed barriers between cars to prevent people from climbing on top.

“A sensor would be a good idea to put on top of the train, to stop the train, to let people know that something is on top of the trains,” Dwayne said.

The NYPD utilizes drones to stop surfers, and said Wednesday that so far this year, it saved 83 people from the tops of trains. According to the NYPD, most of them had subway keys, either stolen from conductors or somehow purchased online.

“We want answers. No answer will bring him back, but maybe it’ll start something in the right direction to make all of this stop,” Dwayne said.

“Stop the subway surfing so no one, no more children can get hurt like this,” Butler said.

“He was a helper” There is a growing memorial at the Crown Heights building where Akhi grew up.

“He had compassion. He would help. He was a helper,” Butler said. “Helped the elderly people in the neighborhood. Carried their groceries upstairs to the apartment … He was athletic. He brought joy to the community, his laughter.”

She added, “I am truly gonna miss him so much.”

Akhi leaves behind two younger siblings, ages 3 and 5. The family is still making funeral arrangements.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Katie Houlis

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — A Queens man is facing charges after he allegedly helped to steal over $100,000 worth of Pokémon cards during two armed robberies in New York City earlier this year.

Andy David Palacios Ortiz, 28, is accused of planning both robberies, recruiting a getaway driver and participating in the robberies himself.

Pokémon cards stolen According to authorities, a collectible trading card store in Queens was robbed at gunpoint by multiple masked individuals on Jan. 9. The suspects stole Pokémon cards and cash.

Five days later, on Jan. 14, a Pokémon trading card store in Lower Manhattan was also robbed at gunpoint by multiple masked individuals. Pokémon cards and cash were also stolen in that incident.

In the second robbery, authorities said the suspects used a hammer to break a glass display case containing some of the store’s most valuable Pokémon cards.

Authorities said the cards and merchandise stolen in both robberies totaled over $100,000.

Suspect arrested Officials say surveillance video shows Palacios Ortiz inside the Lower Manhattan store two days before the robbery. He can allegedly be seen taking photos or videos of items inside the glass display case.

“These alleged robberies were not simply thefts targeting collectibles—they were violent crimes that left victims fearing for their safety,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo said in a statement, in part.

“Gun violence is a threat to the safety and security of our neighborhoods, and Palacios now stands charged with serious federal crimes,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement, in part. “Would-be perpetrators should know: you cannot commit robberies against New Yorkers and get away with it.”

Palacios Ortiz is also accused of selling some of the stolen Pokémon cards for thousands of dollars.

He has been charged with Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Tammy Mutasa

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    WORCESTER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Neighborhoods around Doherty High School in Worcester, Massachusetts were on alert after a black bear was seen roaming around on Thursday morning.

You could say the suspect in the chase really put his climbing skills on full display. A black bear was caught on camera scaling a retaining wall near Doherty High School, as Environmental Police followed close behind.

Parents picking up their kids from school spotted the bear meandering nearby. The busy bear trekked through town trying to find its way and half a mile away, it came face to face with Gail Barrell in her backyard.

“My heart was racing,” said Barrell. “I was terrified, so he looked at me and kept going on, but I ran up to the house screaming.”

“We’ve been here 22 years and never saw a bear,” said Phil Barrell.

Moments earlier, the bear galloped across the backyard of a rest home before it climbed a tree then hopped a fence.

MassWildlife experts say it’s mating season, a time when young bears have just been dispersed from their momma bears, so newly independent cubs could be roaming around.

Eventually, Environmental Police say the bear safely made its way to the woods leaving those who had a wild encounter with it still stunned.

“I’m very cautious coming outside now,” said Gail Barrell.

On Thursday night, the bear made a surprise return, crossing a street in front of a WBZ-TV crew.

Experts say there are lots of bears just west of Worcester and several times a year a bear ends up further into the city than it plans too.

If a bear is in a very populated area, contact the Environmental Police Radio Room at 1 (800) 632-8075 or the nearest MassWildlife District Office to report the sighting and get advice.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Mike Sullivan

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    BROOKLINE, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A fire ripped through a building on Route 9 in Brookline, Massachusetts, igniting compressed air tanks at a scuba diving shop on the first floor. Brookline Fire says one employee suffered minor burn injuries, and a firefighter got a laceration while attacking the fire.

“We got everybody from the upstairs apartments out quick as well,” said Mike Williams, an employee at East Coast Divers. “We banged on the door and got everybody out from upstairs. There were only two people upstairs as far as I know.”

Brookline Fire Chief John Sullivan says there were five residents who were in town when the fire happened, with another two residents away. All of these people have now been displaced. A relative told WBZ that her sister and her girlfriend were the two who were away, but that her cat was staying inside.

“We did manage to save the cat from the second floor. He wasn’t happy, but we got him back to his owner,” said Chief Sullivan.

The chief went on to say that the fire started in the back area of the shop, but the exact cause is still under investigation. The flames caused the explosion of multiple compressed air cannisters. The air inside is only partly oxygen. Had they been full oxygen tanks the damage could have been worse.

“Oxygen is very flammable. Obviously, there is oxygen in air, but the quantity is 23%,” said Chief Sullivan.

Massachusetts State Representative Tommy Vitolo said the fire came right after the city voted for a budget override that in part helped to keep the fire department fully funded.

“We tend to only remember the importance of our emergency responders for days like today,” Vitolo said. “Fortunately, Brookline was thinking about our emergency response earlier in May when we voted to raise our taxes in an override to maintain services.”

The fire could not have come at a worse time for East Coast Divers. The shop is heading into their most lucrative time of the year.

“This is the start of our season. Our season is only like three months long, so we try to do as much as we can in the short period we have,” says Williams.

A customer for the dive shop has started an online fundraiser to help support the local business. Just hours after the fire hit, they already raised more than $2,000.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.