National News
Empire State Building Shooting
According to CNN, the Empire State Building was the scene of a shootout between disgruntled former apparel designer Jeffrey Johnson, 58, and two police officers on Friday morning, Aug. 24.
Johnson was killed in the firefight outside the Empire State Building after he shot and killed a coworker inside. The CNN article says that he had been causing confrontation since he had been laid off from his job as a designer of women’s accessories at Hazan Import last year. In the wake of the shootout, officers fired a total of 16 rounds. Nine bystanders in the area were inadvertently wounded, but all of them survived.
“The bystanders were not hit directly by police, but rather the officers struck flowerpots and other objects around, so their bullets fragmented and, in essence, that’s what caused the wounds,” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said to CNN reporters.
The slain victim was identified as Steven Ercolino by the president of State University of New York at Oneonta, where he was a 1992 graduate.
Former Marine Released from Hospital
Following a special hearing on Thursday, Aug. 23, Circuit Judge W. Allan Sharret declared that an order granted to federal authorities for Brandon Raub’s arrest and detainment was invalid. Raub, a 26-year-old retired Marine, pro-liberty activist and Virginia resident, was seized by the FBI, Secret Service agents and local authorities over some Facebook posts that were allegedly “terrorist in nature.”
According to a Washington Times article, Michael Campbell, a social worker who swiftly evaluated Raub, determined that Raub involuntarily admitted to the alleged crime. A magistrate, Michael S. Znotens, ordered his detention at John Randolph Hospital the following day. He was later ordered by Special Justice Walter Douglass Stoke to remain for 30 days at the Veterans Hospital in Salem, Va.
Political activists and military veterans all over have come to Raub’s defense.
“I think it’s disgusting. This guy posted some conspiracy theory-esque posts and intimidated the Feds. So I think he either was targeted for terror suspicion anyway or he hit close to home with his accusations.
Either way, I have been expecting this for some time, since DHS [Department of Homeland Security] put out that memorandum last year saying that right-wing leaning veterans that vocally dissent should be considered terror suspects,” libertarian activist and veteran Tristan Tucker said.
Neil Armstrong Dead at 82
Neil Armstrong, the man who captured the attention of the earth when he became the first man to step on the moon in 1969, died at the age of 82 on Saturday, Aug. 25, following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures, according to his family.
Armstrong commanded what is considered one of the most daring scientific expeditions of the 20th century when the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon July 20, 1969.
As he stepped on the moon, Armstrong said these famous words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
He and Buzz Aldrin spent nearly three hours scouring the moon’s surface, taking photographs, collecting samples and conducting experiments.
According to an ABC News article, Armstrong avoided the spotlight and stayed quiet later in life. He made occasional public appearances, but rarely mentioned the moon.