Author: CNN Newsource

By Gail Paschall-Brown

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — Orlando police released on Tuesday surveillance and bodycam footage showing the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of Benjamin Hale, 46, who charged at officers with scissors on Aug. 22 at 3:40 a.m. near West Amelia Street and Chatham Avenue.

The incident occurred after police responded to a disturbance between two roommates, although Hale was not involved in the initial dispute.

The video shows officers repeatedly commanding Hale to drop the weapon, which was later identified as a pair of scissors.

Roy Bedard, a former law enforcement officer who provides training in the public safety sector, reviewed the footage and noted, “There’s a lot of things happening there, first of all, the element of surprise.”

Bedard explained that Hale did not rush the officers but walked towards them, taking two to three steps before the shot was fired.

“He doesn’t rush the officers, but he does walk towards the officers, and I had to go through slow motion a few times to see he takes two to three steps towards the officers when the shot is fired,” Bedard said.

When asked if a Taser could have been used instead of a gun, Bedard said, “With the benefit of hindsight perhaps,” but added that a Taser against a weapon is not a good tactical choice.

He further explained, “We’re uncertain about what he’s going to do. We don’t know where he came from. We saw him bolt up to the door. He quickly turned around, still with the scissors in his hand, and refused to comply with officers’ orders. The best solution for that is to address that deadly threat with deadly force.”

Benjamin Hale died at the scene.

Orlando police stated that the officers had no prior contact with Hale and that it appeared he had been sleeping in Luminary Green Park near downtown Orlando.

The two officers involved in the shooting were not injured.

As with all officer-involved shootings, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.

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By Nick Catlin

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    ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KOAT) — The FBI returned a historical map to the Mexican government after being reported stolen for more than a decade.

The map titled “Villa de Santa Fe” was presented and handed over to Mexico after it was recovered. The map was reported stolen in 2011. Justin Garris, special agent in charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, took part in the ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

“On behalf of the FBI, it is my honor to return this historical artifact to the people of Mexico,” Garris said. “The FBI is committed to returning stolen art and other objects of cultural and historical significance to the communities to which they belong.”

The ceremony also included research scholars who offered insights into the map’s historical value.

The map is also connected to the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, a historical route that stretched from Mexico City to the San Juan Pueblo. The roadway was used from the late 1500s to the 1880s and was designated a National Historic Trail in 2000.

The planning map was initially named “La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís,” which translates to the royal town of the holy faith of Saint Francis of Assisi.

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By Lindsay Weber, Carolina Estrada

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    VACAVILLE, California (KCRA) — A parked vehicle rolled down a hill, crashing into a Vacaville apartment building and rupturing the gas and water lines on Tuesday afternoon, according to the police department.

Just before 5 p.m., officers responded to the 700 block of Markham Avenue for the report of a vehicle that had crashed into an apartment building.

Noel Manangu, who was inside the apartment when the truck hit it, said his wife was hit by debris and suffered minor injuries.

“My wife screaming, ‘sweetheart, there’s something going on now. There is a truck came through in the kitchen,'” Manangu recounted. “I start screaming to everybody, get out in the house, because I’m thinking about the gas.”

Manangu said his son was also inside the apartment.

“All our stuff [is] damaged,” said Manangu.

Because the gas and water lines were damaged in the crash, officials said eight apartment units were evacuated. Immediately after the crash, when gas was leaking, the surrounding buildings were also told to shelter in place.

The police department said it’s believed that the truck was parked at an adjacent apartment building, which is up on a hill. It then rolled down, colliding with the structure.

Roads in the area were shut down as the police department waited for a tow truck to pull the truck from the building.

Vacaville police said the residents of the apartment building should be able to re-enter the building soon, except for the resident of the apartment that was struck. The affected gas and water lines have been shut off.

Manangu and his family are staying at a hotel tonight.

KCRA 3 reached out to the property management, but so far, there has been no response.

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By James Stratton

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    NEW BERLIN, Wisconsin (WISN) — Police in New Berlin are asking for the public’s help finding Joseph Levenhagen, a Milwaukee man they say is a serial burglar and wanted for burglarizing multiple homes across six cities in three counties.

“He knows the methods that we’re going to take to try to locate him,” New Berlin police Capt. Brad Polczynski said. “It’s possible that he has people in the area who are helping him out. I can’t say for certain. I think just the amount of times he’s been through this, you know, he’s seasoned and this is a career thing for him.”

A search warrant shows Brookfield and New Berlin police officers were tracking Levenhagen on April 2, using a court-approved GPS monitor on his mother’s car.

Police say Levenhagen led them on a chase and ran away after crashing his mother’s car near 12th and Finn in Milwaukee.

“He was just able to slip through,” Polczynski said. “It’s extremely frustrating.”

Polczynski said Levenhagen is wanted for four burglaries in New Berlin, three in Brookfield and others in West Allis and Whitefish Bay. Court records show he’s also wanted for not showing up to court for 2023 burglaries in Wauwatosa and Mequon.

Police have searched multiple homes for him, spoken to family members and looked for other cars he may be driving, but have had no luck.

“We really want to hold him accountable for his actions,” Polczynski said.

Police ask anyone to call New Berlin police at 262-782-6640 if someone may know where he is. Or, submit a tip to Waukesha County Crimestoppers.

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By Steve Large

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KMAX, KOVR) — Sacramento police are releasing dozens of reserve officers from duty, even as the department faces staffing problems.

Sacramento police reserve officer Joseph Wagstaff showed the uniform and equipment that he will have to turn in after nearly 50 years of service, 31 as a full-time sworn officer, 17 as a reserve.

“I have to turn my gear in, and all my equipment and my badge,” Wagstaff said. “We were released immediately, with a phone call from a captain. Do not come back to work.”

Wagstaff is one of 41 reserve Sacramento police — retired officers, hired back for part-time work, who got the call they are being released from duty.

Sacramento police issued a statement reading in part, “At this time, we are still working with City Human Resources to determine how the work previously performed by retired annuitants will be addressed, and we do not yet have details on what the impact will be to staffing.”

The reserves are being released after an audit by CalPers, the California Public Employee Retirement System, showed the city of Sacramento violated specific CalPers codes on when retired employees may be hired back.

“It should have been something that the city and CalPers can work together on with a real simple settlement moving forward, instead were put in a position where we ended up letting go of the vast majority of reserves that work for the city,” said Dustin Smith, Sacramento Police Officer’s Association president.

Smith said having 41 fewer officers will affect cold case investigations, processing arrests at the jail, and staffing at big events like the California International Marathon, Aftershock, and ‘Run to Feed the Hungry.’

“So, you have this wonderful charitable event, that you’re not going to have 41 people to do traffic control, to do different security projects, throughout that event. And I don’t know how we staff an event like that anymore,” Smith said.

“Who was asleep at the switch,” Wagstaff said. “Because it looks like somebody was.”

Those 41 reserve officers are being asked to turn their badges in by Sept. 30. The impact on services is yet to be determined.

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By Jason Burger

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    NORMAN, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Norman City Councilwoman Bree Montoya announced her resignation at the scheduled City Council meeting Tuesday.

This comes after she posted an apology on her official social media pages Sunday night, following a political argument in Facebook comments months ago where she suggested another person end their life. KOCO 5 has chosen not to share screenshots of those comments.

Montoya announced her resignation at the start of the meeting, and she left the building right after.

“I have served the community since 2008, and I am ready to pursue other opportunities. That being said, I am resigning immediate from Council Ward 3. Thank you, Ward 3. It’s been an honor to serve,” Montoya said at the meeting.

The screenshots of the exchange were shared multiple times on social media.

“I want to apologize for comments I made from my personal Facebook account a few months ago. There are no words to express how awful, inappropriate, and unacceptable my comments were. An exchange between an individual and myself got way out of hand, and in a moment of personal distress, I was completely out of line,” she said in a social media post. “I was immediately disgusted with myself and knew I had crossed an unimaginable line. I sent a direct apology soon after.”

Montoya represents Ward 3. She won her reelection bid for her seat earlier this year.

“I know better, but in that moment I failed. I know to reject the ugliness of certain emotions, and instead reach for kindness and compassion. But in that moment, I let personal distress overtake me. Since the incident, I have sought help to heal old wounds, learned from it, and am working daily to become a better person. To those I’ve hurt and are disappointed in me, I am truly sorry. I humbly ask your forgiveness,” she said.

Montoya resigned on her own, and she was not forced to do so by the city. The city sent KOCO 5 a statement.

“City Council members are not considered traditional employees of the city of Norman. As elected officials, they enjoy the same First Amendment protections as any other citizen. Therefore, city staff cannot take disciplinary action against council members for exercising those rights,” the city said.

KOCO 5 reached out to Montoya but did not hear back.

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