Who was the Chattanooga shooter? Colorado shooter James Holmes is found guilty on all counts. And Autumn Veatch tells her heroic tale.
It’s Friday, and here are five things to know for your New Day.
CHATTANOOGA SHOOTING
Who was he?: We know quite a bit so far about Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez. The 24-year-old man was a MMA fighter, a top student and a devout Muslim. But what drove him to go on a shooting rampage yesterday at two military centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that lead to the deaths of four Marines? The FBI is leading the investigation, charged with determining if this was an act of terrorism or a “simple, criminal act.”
COLORADO MOVIE THEATER SHOOTING TRIAL
Not over: James Holmes has been found guilty, but his case isn’t over yet. The jurors who convicted him on all of the 165 counts must now decide if he should die for what he did. The trial’s penalty phase begins Monday and is expected to last a month. Holmes showed no emotion yesterday as the verdicts were read, but family members of the victims — 12 dead and 70 wounded — let out audible sighs.
PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR
Heroic tale: Autumn Veatch told her story yesterday, nearly a week after the small plane she was in with her step-grandparents crashed into a mountain in Washington state. Autumn described the total loss of visibility before the plane crashed, the intense heat of the ensuing fire and the screams of her grandparents. She tried to save them, but just couldn’t pull them out of the wreckage. It took her a couple of days to hike out of the rugged North Cascades Mountains. She suffered injuries — none life-threatening — and has a new outlook on life: “I have never loved being alive more.”
MH17 ANNIVERSARY
One year: The wait for answers continues for the families of the 298 victims of the air disaster. Talk of creating an international criminal tribunal to handle the case is apparently being scuttled by Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a conversation yesterday with the Dutch prime minister, reportedly said it was too early to have a tribunal since the investigation into the incident hasn’t been finished yet. A source told CNN earlier this week that the Dutch transportation safety board, in a yet-to-be-released draft report, blames pro-Russian rebels for shooting down the plane.
ERIC GARNER ANNIVERSARY
A year later: On July 17 of last year, New York police confronted an African-American man on the street who was allegedly illegally selling cigarettes. What happened next, captured on cell phone video, would spur protests and demonstrations for months and added to the growing conversation about race relations and how police treat black men. Eric Garner’s death and subsequent protests triggered reforms in how police go about their business, particularly in minority communities. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the anniversary of his death was on his mind, as it was with many New Yorkers, but also said “I think the important thing is to stay focused on the work of reform.”