Category: CNN Regional

By Doug Myers

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    TEXAS (KTVT) — Zola, a 23‑year‑old western lowland gorilla known for his playful breakdancing videos and fondness for Whitney Houston songs, died this week at the Dallas Zoo after a sudden decline in health.

Zoo officials said he was enjoyed for his playful personality and love of water and became an internet star for his spinning and splashing videos.

Symptoms and veterinary care detailed According to zoo officials, he had been showing symptoms of lethargy, reduced appetite, and discomfort late last week. Veterinary teams provided fluids, antibiotics, supportive care, and diagnostics, including imaging and lab work.

On Wednesday, Zola underwent further procedures but was unable to breathe on his own afterward, zoo officials said.

“With his comfort as our priority, we made the difficult decision to let him go peacefully,” the zoo said in a news release.

A full necropsy is underway to determine the cause of his decline.

Troop’s move temporarily on hold Zola’s bachelor troop of gorillas had been preparing for a move to the San Antonio Zoo, but those plans are now temporarily on hold following his death. The remaining troop members are being closely monitored and supported.

“The move is temporarily on hold for now as we process this heartbreaking loss,” the zoo said. “The other boys in the troop are being closely monitored and supported, and are holding together well. We will resume plans for their move when the time is right.”

Zoo staff ask for community support Zoo officials asked to keep the zoo’s animal care staff in “your thoughts as they navigate this difficult loss.”

“Zola will be deeply missed by many,” the zoo said.

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By Elyssa Kaufman

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A man was found shot to death inside a vehicle in Auburn Gresham on Chicago’s South Side on Friday night.

Chicago police said the victim, a 37-year-old man, was found dead with two gunshot wounds to the chest inside a car in the 8800 block of South Lowe just after 10 p.m.

Police said the man was taken to Christ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators believe the victim was shot by multiple men who fled the scene on foot.

No arrests have been made.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

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By Jennifer McLogan

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Six men accused of trafficking catastrophic amounts of drugs to New York City and Long Island were arrested in a major narcotics takedown, authorities said.

Federal, state and local officials said enough fentanyl to kill the entire population of Suffolk County was seized in the drug bust that was announced Friday.

“The 21st century drug trade” Mexican cartels ran the drug pipeline — with fentanyl, synthetic opioids, heroin and cocaine — through the Bronx and Long Island’s east end, law enforcement officials said.

The suspects were arrested in West Islip, Bay Shore, Wyandanch, Lindenhurst and the Bronx, according to authorities.

“The takedown with significant, not just because this operation spanned from the Bronx to Suffolk County, but because law enforcement recovered enough fentanyl to kill the entire 1.5 million population of Suffolk County,” District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Cash, guns, ammunition and pill pressing machines were also confiscated.

“This is the 21st century drug trade, where counterfeit pills can be sold over social media, paid for with cash apps, and delivered straight to your doorstep,” Frank Tarentino, with the Drug Enforcement Administration, said.

“Not out of the woods yet” Thousands have died on Long Island since the beginning of the opioid crisis, but last year saw a drop in lethal overdoses. Declines can be traced to increased prevention and education programs, Narcan availability, and collaborative efforts between social services and law enforcement.

Carole Trottere, who lost her son, Alex, to accidental fentanyl poisoning in Suffolk County in 2018, knows the scourge of the opioid crisis and the tragedy in its wake.

“There are hundreds of parents right here on Long Island who are suffering heartbreak like I am,” Trottere said. “We are not out of the woods yet. We cannot afford to take out foot off the gas.”

Since her son’s death, she has been on a mission to raise awareness and stop the drug trade.

“These people, I don’t call them drug dealers anymore, they are death dealers,” she said. “It’s frightening to think of that kind of mass amounts of drugs.”

Without these drug takedowns, she says, the consequences would be chilling.

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By Dan Raby

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — An inmate in a Georgia state prison has been convicted of leading what authorities say was a multi-million-dollar drug trafficking and money laundering operation while in custody.

Jarvis Matthews, 46, was already serving a life sentence without parole on murder and felony charges at the Calhoun State Prison.

Prosecutors say Matthews used contraband cellphones to direct his fiancée, girlfriends, nephew, and two adult sons to distribute drugs and launder money around metro Atlanta.

The investigation into Matthews began in 2022, when FBI agents identified a social media account they say was used by Matthews for drug deals. Authorities say the undercover agents bought two kilograms of methamphetamine through Matthew’s son, Charvis Harris, who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute.

The FBI wire-tapped Matthews’ phone and installed a camera in one of the houses they say he was using to sell drugs, allowing agents to apprehend his customers.

“Matthews audaciously used contraband cell phones to run a drug trafficking operation from his state prison cell,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Now, as a result of a diligent federal investigation and close coordination with state and local partners, this convicted murderer faces a substantial sentence in federal prison on top of his state sentence.”

A jury found Matthews guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl, five counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“Jarvis Matthews used the confines of a prison cell to orchestrate a multi-million-dollar drug trafficking and money laundering operation, exploiting his family and the prison system to further his criminal enterprise,” said Paul Brown, special agent in charge of the FBI Atlanta’s branch.

With his conviction, the Morgan man faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in federal prison, which will run consecutively to the state prison sentence he is serving.

His sentencing hearing will take place at a later date.

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By Penny Kmitt

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — A man accused of choking his female Uber driver with a wire and stealing her car in Boston was ordered held without bail Friday.

Christopher Dawkins, 24, of Dorchester, was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on several charges, including carjacking, strangulation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and larceny of a motor vehicle. He hid behind a wall during the hearing as he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Boston Police said the Uber driver picked up Dawkins in Cambridge Thursday evening and, a short time later, just after 6:30 p.m., he attacked her when she stopped the car at the intersection of Massachusetts and Columbus avenues in the South End.

“She said that he pulled a wire around her neck and stole her car. She came out screaming and yelling and called the police,” said witness Stergios Sanxaridis, who was working at nearby New York Pizza at that moment. He told WBZ-TV that the woman ran into the shop begging them to call 911 for her.

The driver was taken to the hospital, but she did not appear to be seriously hurt.

“It seemed like she had a mark on her neck,” Sanxaridis said. “It’s very traumatizing.”

Police said the driver’s phone was still in her car, so they were able to track it to Stanwood Street and Blue Hill Avenue. Officers stopped the car and arrested Dawkins. He is due back in court November 13. The Uber driver was granted a restraining order against Dawkins.

Uber says it has banned Dawkins’s account.

“What this driver experienced is terrifying,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We’ve been in contact with the driver to check on their wellbeing and are thankful to law enforcement for their quick action. We are standing by to assist however we can in their investigation.”

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By Brett Rains

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    FORT SMITH, Ark. (KHBS, KHOG) — Dr. Timothy Maryanov, a Fort Smith neurosurgeon who, according to his independent practice website, specializes in pain management, was arrested Monday night on two felony counts of aggravated assault on a family or household member involving a firearm, according to police and court records.

During a preliminary court hearing Thursday, Maryanov pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released from the Sebastian County Detention Center that afternoon on a $5,000 bond. He is scheduled to return to court in January.

According to police reports, two people inside a residence told officers that after a physical and verbal altercation, Maryanov pointed a gun at himself and then at them. One person told police that Maryanov was on new medication and woke up angry, and an officer reported that he smelled of alcohol. Police recovered a loaded 9mm handgun from inside the home, the report stated.

Online state records indicate Maryanov’s medical license remains valid. 40/29 News has reached out to the Arkansas Medical Board and the Department of Health to ask whether they are aware of the arrest; as of Thursday night, neither agency had responded. Maryanov has not responded to calls or text messages seeking comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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