Author: CNN Newsource

By Pat Reavy

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSL) — Salt Lake police have arrested a man and accused him of hindering an investigation into a shootout at a funeral that claimed the lives of two men and injured six others.

Ryan Daniel Toutai, 32, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday for investigation of obstruction of justice.

On Jan. 7, police responded to a report of a shooting with multiple victims in the parking lot of a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 660 N. Redwood Road just after 7:30 p.m. Sione Vatuvei, 38, of Glendale, and Vaea Tulikihihifo, 46, were killed. Six other men were taken to local hospitals with “what appear to be non-life-threatening injuries,” according to police.

Investigators believe there was an exchange of gunfire after two individuals who are known to each other got into a dispute. As of Wednesday, no one has been arrested and accused of directly being responsible for the killings. Police say their investigation has been hampered because witnesses are refusing to talk.

“Multiple expended cartridge casings and a handgun were recovered from the scene, along with a blue L.A. Dodgers baseball hat. Multiple witnesses were interviewed and cellphone video footage from the funeral services was obtained and reviewed,” according to a police booking affidavit.

Toutai was one of those interviewed at the Salt Lake City Police Department on the night of the shooting and was seen in cellphone video collected by detectives wearing a Dodgers hat.

“He stated that he was inside that church and was just stepping outside into the parking lot when he heard gunshots. Ryan said he observed one of the victims on the ground, but did not see who was shooting or see anyone with a firearm. Ryan denied being involved with the altercation or having any knowledge of what happened. Ryan denied having a firearm or seeing anyone with a firearm that day,” the affidavit states.

Toutai allegedly claimed he did not go near the area where the shooters were. Police noted, however, that Toutai “closely matched the description of one of the shooters given by multiple witnesses and was identified as being involved in the altercation in the parking lot. Police have received numerous tips that Ryan was involved with the shooting and had a confrontation with another male that was in the parking lot.”

When detectives searched Toutai’s phone, they found a video “of Ryan handling the firearm recovered at the scene, about a month before the shooting. Additional videos were obtained from the phone documenting Ryan driving a car with another male, shortly before the funeral. The male in the passenger seat was identified as one of the other males involved in the altercation, who had shown up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound,” according to the affidavit.

“The cellphone videos also show Ryan at the church parking lot minutes later, where he walks toward the church with the other male, and a third male involved, who was also shot during the altercation.”

On Tuesday, detectives interviewed Toutai again and he again claimed he was walking out of the church when the shots were fired, the affidavit states.

“Ryan was confronted with the evidence of his involvement by detectives and was informed that he could be charged with obstruction of justice if he gave false statements. Ryan continued to deny any knowledge of the firearm and could not explain how his hat ended up in the location of the altercation, where he stated he did not go,” police said.

Toutai also maintained that he took a rideshare to the funeral, even though video was recovered of him driving one of the cars found in the church parking lot, according to the affidavit.

Investigators say Toutai “has reported involvement” with a street gang with a long history in Salt Lake City, “and was at the event dressed in gang colors and attire.”

“This is the first arrest made in this investigation. Detectives are actively investigating this case but have been hindered by a lack of cooperation from multiple people. Anyone with information should call 801-799-3000 or submit a tip using this link: submit an anonymous tip,” Salt Lake police announced Wednesday.

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

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 Pat Reavy

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    SANDY (KSL) — A licensed massage therapist already facing charges accusing him of sexually abusing two clients has now been charged with sexually abusing a third woman.

Corey Brent Christensen, 45, of Riverton, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. Last February, he was charged with object rape, a first-degree felony, and five counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.

According to his new charging documents, a woman went to a spa on March 8, 2024 to receive a massage from Christensen. She was lying face down on a table when Christensen inappropriately touched her in several places, the charges allege.

Last year, Christensen was charged with numerous counts of sexually assaulting two women. A pretrial conference in that case is scheduled for Feb. 23.

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 Adam Harrington

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that they have charged a registered nurse to giving counterfeit Ozempic to patients in Chicago.

Sharon Charitine Sackman, 52, was charged with distributing the counterfeit drugs to three people in Chicago in 2023, according to a criminal complaint filed Dec. 5 in U.S. District Court.

The drugs were labeled as Ozempic, but were not manufactured by Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk, and did not even contain semaglutide, the active ingredient in the weight loss drug, prosecutors said.

Meanwhile, prosecutors Sackman was a registered professional nurse, but did not have a license to prescribe, administer, dispense, or sell Ozempic.

Sackman, who now lives in Playa de Carmen, Mexico, was charged with one count of distributing misbranded drugs and three counts of dispensing counterfeit drugs, prosecutors said. Each count could result in a year in federal prison upon conviction.

Sackman was arraigned on Tuesday of this week in U.S. District Court in Chicago, and pleaded not guilty, prosecutors said. She is to return to court for a status hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally on Feb. 3.

Ozempic is a weight-loss injection drug that suppresses users’ appetites, helping them lose weight. It is designed for adults with Type 2 diabetes and helps adults lower blood sugar, and it also has been shown to reduce heart and kidney problems.

Mary Cunningham contributed to this report.

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 Noah Kim , Erin Holly

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    VIRGINIA BEACH (WTKR) — A Virginia Beach mother has filed a $150 million lawsuit alleging that a “makeshift prison” in a classroom contributed to the death of her 11-year-old son, who had special needs, at Pembroke Elementary School in Virginia Beach in November 2024, according to a complaint obtained by News 3 on Wednesday.

This lawsuit, which names the mother Julie Xirau as the plaintiff, ties the death of her son, Joshua Sikes, on Nov. 3 to an incident at his classroom on Oct. 31.

Sikes was enrolled at Pembroke where he received services from Southeastern Cooperative Educational Program (SECEP). SECEP and four of its employees — Theresa Renvyle, Carole Parker, Nicole Smrz, and Katherine Wynne — were named in the lawsuit. The four employees were assigned to Sikes’ classroom at the time.

The complaint states Wynne used “unauthorized restraint devices and furniture” to confine Sikes. Renvyle and Smrz helped construct the “makeshift prison” in an attempt to restrict his movement in the classroom. Corresponding evidence shows classroom furniture strapped together to create the confined space.

Prior to the Oct. 31 incident, the lawsuit alleges Sikes would come home bruised and injured, which was not explained by the defendants. Parker later told investigators that Sikes had been injured when Renvyle and Smrz pinned him between the walls of the “makeshift prison,” the complaint states.

The complaint states there is no padding on the walls or floor within the constricted space; the corresponding photos — which were submitted as evidence — corroborate this claim.

It is directly alleged in the complaint that the defendants “did not want to calm” Sikes when they put him in the confined space on Oct. 31. It goes on to say the defendants wanted Sikes “to continue to feel scared, agitated, and frightened” as a reason to have him removed permanently from the classroom.

Sikes spent hours in the “makeshift prison” on Oct. 31, according to the complaint. He would repeatedly strike his head on the floor during this time. The defendants later told Sikes’ mother that he was misbehaving and needed to be picked up; she was never told about the injuries his head suffered while in the space.

The lawsuit furthers alleges Sikes was “increasingly lethargic and withdrawn” the following day on Nov. 1. Xirau took him to the emergency room on Nov. 2 after seeing his condition worsen. She at this point alleges was still unaware of her child’s head trauma.

It is also stated in the lawsuit that Sikes had “limited verbal skills,” which did not allow him to properly communicate his injuries.

The complaint states Sikes was discharged from the emergency room after being told to make an appointment with a pediatric neurologist; however, the appointment couldn’t be made because Sikes died in his sleep on Nov. 3.

Xirau later notified SECEP officials about Sikes’ death, which prompted the four defendants to text each other.

Sikes received assistance based on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). The defendants were aware of Sikes’ IEP and BIP, as well as how his medical conditions affected the educational support he received.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in Norfolk Circuit Court.

News 3 reached out to SECEP for a response to this lawsuit. We’ll update this story when we hear back.

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 Austin Turner, Laurie Perez, Dean Fioresi

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Registration for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics ticket draw opened on Wednesday, and many Southern California residents could have a chance to secure their tickets early.

According to LA28, those who register for the draw and are selected will receive an email later, providing them with a randomized time slot to purchase their tickets.

There were some initial hiccups to the process when registration opened at 7 a.m., although they were quickly ironed out and wait times decreased, SVP of Games Delivery Revenue LA28 Allison Katz-Mayfield said.

“The excitement around this morning was just so high,” she said.

Registration is open until March 18, and registering early doesn’t alter your chances of snagging tickets..

Anyone across the globe can register, although local LA-area residents with billing postal codes in LA, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside or Orange counties will also be entered into a draw for a local presale, which runs from April 2-6. To receive eligibility for the presale, entrants must register by March 18.

Oklahoma City-area residents can also register for canoe slalom and softball events, as they’ll be held there.

Local presale registration does not guarantee a time slot.

A group of hundreds of Olympic and Paralympic athletes helped promote the registration window’s launch at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday, including legends like Apolo Ohno, Bart Conner, Nadia Comaneci and Janet Evans.

“With ticket registration opening tomorrow, the LA28 fan experience officially begins and believe me, this is just the start,” Evans, who is now LA28’s Chief Athlete Officer, said at the event.

Organizers said that roughly one million tickets will be just $28, while a third of all tickets will be under $100.

“From the beginning, we’ve been clear about something else: access to these games belong to everyone,” said Casey Wasserman, Chairman of LA 2028 and the CEO of the Wasserman sports and entertainment agency. “These games have to be affordable and inclusive.”

The schedule for the 2028 Summer Olympics events can be found here. Ticket sales for the 2028 Paralympic Games will begin in 2027.

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 Kaylee Olivas

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    EUCLID, Ohio (WEWS) — Northeast Ohio veterans are mourning one of their own after a call to Euclid police for domestic violence ended in gunfire Sunday night.

The shooting happened at a home in the 1400 block of East 219th Street just before 10:30 p.m. Sunday, after a woman called 911 to report being assaulted.

According to Euclid Police, when officers arrived at the house, the caller was outside the home and had visible injuries. She told police that her 3-year-old child was inside with a man who had access to several guns.

Euclid Police said the man, now identified as 37-year-old Robert Riddlebarger, refused to come out when ordered, and officers then went inside the home to get the child.

“During the encounter, officers were confronted by a male suspect, who was armed with a loaded rifle,” Euclid Police said in a news release. “An officer discharged their firearm, striking the suspect.”

After the shooting, officers rendered first aid until EMS arrived and took Riddlebarger to a nearby hospital, where he later died, police said.

Body camera footage of the shooting was released on Tuesday.

The video the department released appears to be several clips edited together and is redacted with blurs, bleeps and a freeze-frame when it appears the suspect is shot.

RELATED: Body camera footage shows man confronting Euclid police with rifle prior to being fatally shot by officer

“I feel so bad for the officers involved here. Not only does our heart break for Robbie and his family and his, you know, his girl that’s all beat up, and she’s not just beat up, she has broken stuff going on, and now he’s got a 3-year-old daughter that won’t have her daddy. But like the officers involved, you know, we don’t fault them. They did what they’re supposed to do. You can’t raise a weapon at the officers,” Abigail Edwards told me Tuesday night.

Edwards said she has known and been friends with Riddlebarger for eight years.

The pair met through Cincinnati Patriots, an organization for veterans.

“He came from hours away and made that effort to come be in the community. He was, you know, struggling with isolation and just feeling a little bit lost and needing buddies like we all do. I was really proud of him for making that effort to drive hours in, and with time, he started bringing his family,” Edwards told me.

Edwards said Riddlebarger was a combat engineer, jumpmaster, paratrooper and ranger.

“He served with the Twenty-seventh Engineer Battalion, which is located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home of the Airborne Rangers and Special Operations Forces,” she added.

He also studied with the 57th Sapper Company “Rough Terrain” and jumped with the Nevada Red Horse Squadron as a sapper, which is an elite military combat engineer specializing in mobility, counter mobility, and survivability.

According to Edwards, Riddlebarger was deployed to combat zones in Afghanistan, the Congo, and Haiti.

Edwards said he helped with disaster relief as well.

Since leaving the service, Edwards told me Riddlebarger faced challenges, which she thinks may have amplified Sunday night’s incident.

“I know he struggled with his anger and PTSD,” she said. “He was inebriated to the maximum, drunk on alcohol, and he takes psych meds, which you’re not supposed to drink on them because it makes you black out. I also know that Robbie has had previous engagements with the police and in other cities where they swatted his house, took weapons, so he had this predisposition in his head that they were out to get him.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, U.S. military veterans are a known high-risk group for adverse psychiatric outcomes, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders, and suicide.

Edwards believes that, as a result, his decision-making skills were skewed.

“What I think is that in that moment when they showed up, he knew he’d screwed up bad beating up [his baby mama]. He knew he’d screwed up bad. He knew the police were there because he’d done wrong, and he knew they were there and they were going to take his daughter,” she said. “When he held that rifle up, it wasn’t necessarily to hurt the officers in his brain. He was defending his daughter. Not at all making excuses, just rationalizing what I think happened in his sick mind at that time.”

Edwards described Riddlebarger as “not a bad guy. He was a sick guy.”

“We’re all kind of crazy. You gotta be kind of crazy to have these jobs, but that’s what makes it beautiful. At the same time, you’re taught to be tough and resilient. I’m going to always miss him. He was a true friend. I mean, he’d do anything for you. You want Robbie on your team. One thing I know for certain is that Robbie’s made it into heaven. He was a God-fearing man, and he may have gotten a talking to from God when he got there, but I know he made it there to heaven, and the angels are helping his soul right now with the Lord,” Edwards said.

While she knows Riddlebarger was seen at least once a month by a psychiatrist, she wishes he had reached out for more help.

She now hopes his story will serve as a tale of caution to other veterans.

“For the vets, please use the VA resources. Please. It’s not being coward, it’s being brave to heal,” Edwards said.

The Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System provides comprehensive health care services in 18 locations.

Those services include access to same-day emergency mental health care, cutting-edge PTSD treatments and more.

Veterans can make an appointment or register for care HERE.

Additionally, VA offers 24/7 confidential crisis support for Veterans and their loved ones.

You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect.

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.