Month: July 2023

The Ohio man accused of raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl – who then sought an abortion in Indiana – was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison.  One year after the young girl’s out-of-state abortion made national headlines, Gerson Fuentes, 28, pleaded to one count of rape of a child under 10 and one count of rape in Franklin County Court on Wednesday. Fuentes originally pleaded not guilty after being arrested last July.

Franklin County Prosecutor Dan Meyer said at the hearing that prosecutors and defense recommended a combined sentence of life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Fuentes will also be a lifetime registered sex offender upon release. Judge Julie Lynch sentenced Fuentes to the recommended sentence “without comment,” per the child’s family’s wishes.

The story gained national attention when the victim was taken across state lines because of questions about whether she could legally obtain an abortion in Ohio. The young girl’s abortion was sought shortly after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned national protection of abortion rights. Medical records indicated that the child underwent an abortion in Indiana on June 30, 2022. By July 2, Columbus police were at the Indianapolis hospital to investigate the girl’s pregnancy, prosecutor Daniel Lenert said at the hearing.

Police say that Fuentes confessed to raping the girl twice when she was 9 years old, and DNA evidence confirmed that Fuentes was responsible.  Fuentes may be subject to deportation, as he is not a U.S. citizen.

Editorial credit: Photoguru73 / Shutterstock.com

At least three people were killed and eight others were injured in a shooting late Monday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Fort Worth Police Department said its officers were dispatched to Horne Street on the west side of the city in response to a report of a shooting; upon arrival, the officers found “multiple” gunshot victims in a parking lots

Police have identified a total of 11 victims — 10 adults and one child. Three of them have died while eight others remain hospitalized in unknown conditions. The shooting happened in the city’s Como neighborhood in Fort Worth, with police saying that the shooting occurred hours after the end of the neighborhood’s annual July 4th ComoFest.  The neighborhood is described as a small, predominantly Black community with a high level of crime, including rival gangs in the area. Sources would not say if they believe the shooting was gang related but said the incident began as an argument and escalated quickly. Several of the victims will not cooperate with authorities, and they are asking the public tocome forward with more details about what happened that night.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker posted on social media: “I am devastated by the news of a mass shooting in Fort Worth last night. My heart breaks for the victims, their loved ones, and the entire Como community that works to build positivity and celebration in their community and our city.”  Mayor Parker said those with information about the incident, or if they have personal videos from the shooting or events leading up to the shootings, are urged to contact the Fort Worth Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 817-392-4330, or the Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-8477.

Editorial credit: Fer Gregory / Shutterstock.com

At least five people were killed and two minor children were injured by gunfire in a Philadelphia neighborhood, when a man wearing body armor opened fire on Monday.  Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle M. Outlaw told reporters during a press conference that the crime scene encompasses a two-by-four-block area, and at least 50 shots were fired in the incident, with multiple vehicles struck.

Outlaw said the suspect, described as a Black man in his 40s, was taken into custody after being cornered by police in an alley. He was wearing a bulletproof vest that contained multiple magazines and was armed with an AR-style rifle, a handgun and a scanner. A motive was under investigation. As the suspect was firing his weapon, a second person “acquired a gun somehow” and returned fire, Outlaw said, adding they don’t know this person’s connection to the shooter. That second person was also taken into custody.

All six gunshot victims were either on the street or in vehicles when they were struck, Outlaw said, again adding that “at this point we don’t see a connection to any of the victims and the shooter.” Police identified the deceased victims Tuesday as Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Ralph Moralis, 59; Daujan Brown, 15; and Joseph Wamah, Jr., 31. They had all been shot multiple times. The injured parties were both boys aged 2 years old and 13 years old, who were stable at a hospital.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney tweeted: “Horrified by the reports of a shooting in Southwest Philadelphia. My heart is with the loved ones and families of everyone involved, and I send my prayers to the victims.”

Editorial credit: DuskyJay / Shutterstock.com

At least two people were killed, and approximately 30 were injured, in a mass shooting at a Baltimore block party in the early hours of Sunday. Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley said: “Our hearts and prayers are going out to the families, sending out to the families and friends of these victims as well as the community in our entire city.”

Police confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the two people killed at the party, in the city’s Brooklyn Homes neighborhood, were adults, but neither has yet been identified, adding that at least 30 others had been injured, three of them critically. Half of the injured victims are under 18.

Police first received calls about the shooting around 12:30 a.m. Sunday; nineteen people were transferred to the emergency department of MedStar Harbor Hospital. Debra Schindler, regional director of media and public relations at MedStar Health, said in a statement that the victims were “suffering varying degrees of injury from gunshot wounds,” adding, “multiple critically injured patients were evaluated and triaged simultaneously by clinical staff, while hospital security managed the throng of family members that gathered in and outside of the emergency department.” The University of Maryland Medical Center said in a statement that 12 patients were in their trauma center, and four more were being treated in the pediatric emergency department.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said during a news conference: “This was a reckless, cowardly act that happened here. I want those who are responsible to hear me, hear me very clearly,” Scott continued. “We will not stop until we find you, and we will find you. I hope, every single breath that you take that you think about the lives that you took, and you think about the lives that you impacted here tonight.” Scott called on citizens to come forward with any information they have: “Somebody out there knows who did this … We need you to say something. We need you to treat this as if someone had taken the life of your son, your daughter, your father, your brother. We need you to do that and step up and do the right thing.”

Editorial credit: Pixel Doc / Shutterstock.com

Seven people were shot and two others were trampled after a gunfight involving multiple patrons erupted early Sunday inside a Wichita, Kansas, nightclub. Police confirmed that the two people who suffered traumatic injuries, a 30-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man, were trampled in the mass scramble to escape the gunfire.

Lt. Aaron Moses, executive officer of the Wichita Police Department, said at a news conference on Sunday that at least four guns were fired during the shootout that erupted at 12:58 a.m. inside the City Nightz nightclub in the Old Town section of Wichita,  Moses said an individual suspected of being one of the gunmen who opened fire inside the nightclub was taken into custody, and investigators are working to identify others involved in the shooting. A motive for the shooting is under investigation.

Authorities said that there has been an increased police presence in the Old Town area due to previous problems, including a shooting in May that killed a 19-year-old woman. Detective Chris Merceau of the Wichita Police Department said on Sunday that police have responded to 12 incidents associated with City Nightz in the past year, including investigating aggravated battery cases and a May 21 drive-by shooting. Lt. Moses said that officers were on patrol outside City Nightz when “they heard a disturbance and screams from inside the business and then a large number of people exited the business … trough that chaos … we ended up identifying, at this point, seven shooting victims and two traumatic injury victims. We believe all of the injuries occurred inside the business.”

Lt. Moses said that at least four guns were seized from inside the nightclub and police were analyzing them to determine if any of them were used in the shooting. He said the shooting victims included two women and five men ranging in age from 21 to 34; five were taken to hospitals by ambulance, with one of those listed in critical condition, while the others are expected to survive non-life-threatening injuries.

Editorial credit: EVA CARRE / Shutterstock.com