Author: CNN Newsource

By Taylor Hemness

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    KANSAS (KSHB) — A Kansas family is hoping that someone can come forward with new evidence in the case of a shooting that resulted in the death of a husband and father.

In January, I told you about the family of Patrick Leroy Lenning. On a Saturday in July of 2021, Lenning went with his adult daughter to Kansas City, Kansas, to help her complete the purchase of a car.

They met the seller in the parking lot of the Community America Credit Union on State Avenue. While there, gunfire broke out in a nearby sporting goods store after an altercation inside.

One of the people involved, fleeing from the gunfire, drove his car into the credit union parking lot. He crashed into another car, which hit Patrick. He died at the hospital that day.

Last week, I sat down with his daughter for the first time. She says her memory still bears the scars of what happened to her dad.

“I just remember it so clearly, everything that happened,” Samantha Lenning-Watson told me. “Hearing the gunshots, our reaction to it, and then seeing the car coming. And then, I remember everything that I said, everything that I said to him (the driver) when he got out of the car.”

I’ve been working with this family for more than a year as they’ve waited for answers. I first interviewed Lenning’s widow Patricia, in late 2024.

The family got one answer in January, more than four years after the fact, when the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office charged Angelo Hill in Lenning’s murder, as well as criminal discharge of a firearm, and aggravated assault.

Authorities allege that Hill was the man firing shots in the nearby store.

Hill is already in prison in another state, serving a sentence on a separate conviction.

But so far, no one else has been charged with a crime, including the driver who hit and killed Lenning. Samantha told me that she basically held that man at the scene until police arrived.

“I would eventually like to see the security footage of what happened inside the store that day,” Lenning-Watson said. “I was outside the store that day, so I don’t know what happened in the store before it led out to the shooting in the parking lot.”

Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department Cold Case Unit Det. Lily Szewc has played a key role in the investigation into Lenning’s death.

I asked about the case and the likelihood of more charges being filed, including against that driver.

“It was a complex case in the fact that there were so many different things that happened, or chain of events, that might lead you in one direction, when you should be going in a different one,” Szewc told me. “We are charging based on what we have links to, and right now, that person (the driver who hit Lenning) is not being charged, and I won’t say never. It could change, but right now it does not appear that that’s happening.”

Lenning’s widow and daughter tell me that they’re thankful for the work that has been done, but feel that more is possible.

“I am very antsy again right now,” Patricia Lenning said. “I am not sleeping again at night. I’ve lost a lot of motivation. I move forward, but then I go backwards again. I want to be more clearly informed when things are happening, and my life not be on hold. I keep looking for case numbers, and that’s causing even more anxiety.”

“I want to know what happens now with Mr. Hill,” Lenning’s widow told me.

“If anybody has a tip for what really went down that day, if you have any connection to the individuals that were there that day, now is your time to come forward and speak,” Lenning-Watson said.

I’ve asked the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office for an interview on this case, but they’ve declined.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Lenning family met with Wyandotte County D.A. Mark Dupree to get more clarity on the charges that his office has, and has not, filed.

After that meeting, Patricia Lenning told me that she feels better about the state of the case, and that Dupree intends to bring Angelo Hill back to Wyandotte County to face trial.

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 Penelope Lopez

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    FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (WTVD) — Brendan Webster, a U.S. Army Department of Defense engineer, remains hospitalized after he and his dog were attacked by two Rottweilers in his Fayetteville neighborhood.

He said quick-thinking neighbors likely saved his life.

Webster is recovering at Womack Army Medical Center from injuries he suffered in Wednesday morning’s attack.

“After looking at the damage done to my leg, I just got lucky. We got away with just that,” Webster said, becoming emotional. “It could have been so much worse about those two neighbors there.”

The other dogs had him pinned down, and they’re biting them. And so I kind of jumped on my dog and embraced him and was punching the dogs off him again. – Brendan Webster Webster said the attack happened while he was walking his 2-year-old German shepherd, Luke.

“I was walking my purebred good boy Luke up the street, and in the distance, I see two Rottweilers, and kind of a little alarming,” Webster said. “So me and Luke go ahead and cross the street well ahead of time, you know, stay out of danger.”

Within seconds, he said, the dogs charged.

“The other dogs had him pinned down, and they’re biting them,” Webster said of his dog. “And so I kind of jumped on my dog and embraced him and was punching the dogs off him again.”

Webster suffered multiple puncture wounds and severe damage to his leg. The injuries have temporarily left him in a wheelchair.

“I have a couple of a lot of puncture wounds, and then they tore my flesh and turned it inside out,” he said. “So I have to some staples in my calf right now where everything was pulled and pulled out.”

Dash camera video captured neighbors rushing to help as the attack unfolded.

Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Hubbard said he was driving his children to school when he saw Webster bleeding in the street.

“I can definitely see there were some puncture wounds on his leg, blood down his lower leg,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard, who has 17 years of military experience, said he turned his vehicle around and used his uniform belt to restrain one of the dogs.

“I made a little noose out of it, and then Dog’s head went in and set it up, and then I just held the dog out like that for, you know, half hour, 45 minutes,” he said.

Webster said he was grateful for the neighbors who intervened.

“Thank you. There’s, I couldn’t have done anything except sit there and, and take the beating we were getting. Crawled up in a little ball with my dog,” he said, his voice breaking. “So there’s nothing I could have done without them.”

Luke also received stitches and is recovering, Webster said. The two are hoping to be reunited soon.

Authorities said one of the Rottweilers has been returned to its owner, while the other remains with animal control.

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 Eyewitness News

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    NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — A second man has been arrested for his alleged role in a snowball fight that injured two NYPD officers in Washington Square Park during the blizzard.

Police arrested 18-year-old Eric Wilson, Jr. of Harlem on Wednesday morning and charged him with obstructing governmental administration and harassment.

Previously, a 27-year-old man was charged and released in the snowball fight.

The 27-year-old, Gusmane Coulibaly, was arrested earlier last month for harassing people in a Bronx subway station for money they purportedly owed him as part of an ongoing stunt for his YouTube channel.

Coulibaly’s prior arrest in the Bronx was the result of pranks he was filming in the subway.

In a YouTube video, posted under the name “Diaperman,” Coulibaly pretended that strangers owed him money, and set out on a five-borough tour to “see which borough has the most crash outs.”

His efforts resulted in his arrest in the Bronx, where he was placed in handcuffs after harassing one person in the subway station mezzanine.

In a video, Coulibaly is seen asking a victim, “When you gonna pay up the money?” To which the victim insisted it was a case of mistake identity.

“What do you mean you don’t know me? What’s funny?” he continued in the video.

When he allegedly threatened the man, saying “If I get mad I’m going to have to run your pockets,” two plainclothes police officers moved in and took him into custody.

As for Coulibaly’s most recent arrest, he was arraigned in night court on Thursday on obstructing governmental administration and harassment charges, prosecutors said.

During the arraignment, prosecutors said they can’t yet prove he caused the officer’s injuries, and he was not charged with assaulting a police officer, but the investigation continues. Coulibaly pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor harassment and obstruction charges.

The judge released the 27-year-old on supervised release following the brief arraignment.

At least four people were identified from cellphone video after the melee in Washington Square Park.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has insisted he saw no evidence of a crime and that no one should face charges, and, reiterated that the incident was “a snowball fight that got out of hand” and declined to comment further on lesser charges being prosecuted.

Meanwhile, an impassioned NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told officers at an NYPD promotions ceremony that she “certainly will not tolerate any attacks on my cops. period.”

“Don’t allow the loudest voices in the room to erode the pride you have in wearing the uniform and in protecting this city,” she said, without elaborating who she considers to be the loudest voices.

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 WABC Staff

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    NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — A second person is facing charges after a 37-year-old homeless man was set on fire outside of Penn Station in New York City.

47-year old-Damon Johnson of Brooklyn and 33-year-old Lyla Najjar of Queens were arrested in connection with the arson attack.

The victim was sleeping or lying in an old taxiway when two men and a woman approached him just before 9 p.m. on Monday.

“You look up above the escalator, there’s a gentleman on fire, flames completely engulfed, he’s running back and forth trying to get it out, people are trying to pat him down,” said witness Sam Stalone.

Surveillance video also shows Amtrak police rushing up an escalator in the rotunda area to try to assist the victim.

“Everyone was just completely shocked, they didn’t know what happened, nobody knew what was going on, then the firefighters came,” Stalone said.

The fire was quickly put out by bystanders and first responders, but the victim suffered second degree burns to his arm and back. He was taken to the hospital.

Johnson was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the crime.

Johnson was caught on camera crouching and leaning over the victim for some time before walking away.

Police believe he set the victim’s jacket on fire.

Johnson is charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment. He pleaded not guilty and was held without bail.

Johnson has about 131 prior arrests dating back to 1995 in the Bronx. He is on parole for a 2018 robbery, when he slashed a student’s face and took taking cash from his pockets. That victim required more than 100 stitches.

Lyla Najjar was arrested Wednesday. She was charged with assault.

Najjar has five prior arrests.

Detectives are still investigating the crime.

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 Sadie Buggle

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    VERO BEACH, Fla. (KRDO) — A former Colorado doctor wanted for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in Grand Junction is now recovering in a Florida hospital after being shot multiple times by law enforcement in Florida, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office says.

Deputies say 72-year-old Thomas Steffens was arrested in Vero Beach after he opened fire on U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement during a traffic stop connected to a warrant out of Colorado.

Steffens, a former neurosurgeon, was wanted following an investigation by the Grand Junction Police Department into a reported sexual assault on Jan. 28. During the investigation, detectives developed probable cause that a man had sexually assaulted a woman after drugging her with prescription medication. Steffens was identified as the suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, police said.

On Monday, just over a month after the initial report, detectives with the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force received information that Steffens was traveling by bus to the Treasure Coast of Florida. They were also informed he had repeatedly made statements indicating he would not be taken into custody alive.

According to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Task Force members located the vehicle Steffen was riding in near Vero Beach, and attempted to pull the driver of the car over. Steffens, who was in the passenger seat, refused multiple commands to get out of the vehicle.

Steffens then opened fire on the five Task Force members while still inside the car. The Task Force members immediately returned fire, hitting Steffens multiple times.

The sheriff’s office said he was taken to a hospital. Despite being struck by gunfire multiple times, he’s expected to survive. During the shootout, one U.S. Marshal was also shot in the leg, who was treated for his injuries and released.

Steffens faces multiple charges out of Colorado, including two charges of sexual assault, third-degree assault, and second-degree assault – strangulation. He’s now also facing attempted murder charges related to the shooting in Florida.

Officials with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office say Steffens was issued a medical license in Colorado in 1982. He worked as a neurosurgeon at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Grand Junction until last year, when his license was restricted.

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 Rosemary Garcia

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    EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Each year, El Paso Inc. honors a person or group that embodies El Paso’s spirit, generosity and values. The 2025 Community Spirit Award went to Ray and Lilia Tullius, the founders of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless.

Today, the Opportunity Center is the largest provider of services to the unhoused within the El Paso community.

“We want to help everybody. It’s a challenge because we can’t. Sometimes we can’t,” Lilia explained.

For more than three decades, they have been committed to improving the lives of El Paso’s homeless population. Both Ray and Lilia were once homeless, so they sought to create a shelter that was inclusive and offered a wide variety of resources.

“We’re a little bit older than when we started. We look at some of the pictures, and I had hair, and she had dark hair. And, but we made it all work,” Ray said.

The couple began with an empty warehouse.

“And so, it’s come a long way from where it was before,” they said.

Now, their shelter spans over 10 different facilities across El Paso.

“I see the finger of God in this, in this work because it’s started to come together without us really knowing a lot about what to do and how to how to make it work,” Ray explained.

The shelter now takes in over 400 people every single night. The shelter assists thousands of people every single year.

The generosity and dedication of Ray and Lilia continues to be on full display.

Ray is still heavily involved in leadership, and Lilia continues to lead programs for women. They visit the facilities every week.

“I hope that we can retire someday. I don’t think so. No. We will stay in here as long. Retirement is not in our schedules,” they both explained.

John Martin, the shelter’s current deputy director, has been an employee for nearly 13 years. He has witnessed Ray and Lilia’s dedication firsthand.

“Ray is such an incredible man, and I think you even saw, he’s very humble. He truly, he said he does things because he knows it’s the right thing to do.”

Ray and Lilia feel humbled to receive this award that honors their service and generosity.

“I don’t think I have done anything to deserve it. I don’t think I, I’ve done, I think we did what we had to do. It’s something that everybody should do,” Lilia explained.

El Paso Inc. will celebrate Ray and Lilia Tullius during a luncheon. It’s happening on Tuesday, March 3rd at Hotel Paso Del Norte.

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.