Major credit card companies are reclassifying purchases at gun stores and ammunition shops — a change that could pull back the curtain on gun purchases.

Visa, American Express, and Mastercard will start implementing the plan, separating gun and ammunition purchases from other kinds of shopping for the first time. They had previously been classified as general merchandise.

The move comes as gun sales keep climbing.

"The sales have definitely increased over the last several years compared to probably the last five," said Vincent Vasquez, a gun store manager in Arizona.

The FBI reports having done 78,571,988 background checks for gun purchases in the last two years. That's more than in any two-year stretch since record-keeping started in 1998.

Cyndi Starr is among the many buying a firearm for the first time.

"I came to that decision after months of going back and forth," Starr said. "I would never want to ever harm anybody, never, but I've been close enough to certain violent or potentially violent situations that I had that split second where it's like, 'What's my backup?'"

Gun violence prevention activists hope the new classification for credit card purchases will help differentiate people like Starr from those intending to use a gun to harm people, helping banks see and report suspicious activity.

But, of course, not everyone's on board.

Over the weekend, the NRA said the move was about creating a "national registry of gun owners."

The policy is intended only to separately categorize purchases at gun and ammunition stores, not specifically what was purchased. It's a simple label change advocates hope will help curb gun violence.

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A federal judge in New York on Thursday temporarily stopped the state's gun ban inside churches.

Judge John Sinatra of the Western District of New York ruled that a state gun law provision that makes it a felony for anyone to carry a licensed gun inside a church is unconstitutional, Reuters and CNN reported.

The ruling by Sinatra, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Americans could carry guns in public for their self-defense, according to the Associated Press.

The Justice's ruling struck down a state law that required people to demonstrate a clear need before obtaining a concealed carry license, the Associated Press reported.

Earlier this month, another New York judge ruled that the state can't ban people from carrying guns in New York City's subway system, the Associated Press reported.

CNN reported that two church leaders who wanted to carry guns on church property brought the lawsuit to challenge the state's gun law.

The families of the people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have reached a historic $73 million dollar settlement in a decade-long lawsuit against the maker of the AR-15 weapon the gunman used.

“Twenty children were killed and six adults and a subset of families have been working over 10 years to get some accountability by the manufacturer,” said Michael Rodriguez, professor at UCLA School of Public Health. “Guns, even though they're a consumer product, are not monitored or regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In fact, in 2005 Congress provided them immunity from being liable from any civil suits.”

That immunity from the Lawful Commerce Act is why settlements from civil suits against gun manufacturers have been hard to come by in the past, making this settlement a big breakthrough, according to professor of law Carl Tobias at the University of Richmond.

“There was an exception in Connecticut law passed by their legislature, which made Remington come within the exception,” Tobias said.

The exception in the Connecticut statute has to do with how the weapon was advertised.

“They used marketing practices that were directed to try to again provide this persona, almost to sort of elevate this macho image," Rodriguez said. "And there was also some concerns about marketing to people who may sort of be vulnerable potentially with mental health problems.”

“What's interesting is a number of other states have rather similar statutes,” Tobias said.

Tobias says this case sends a message to gun manufacturers and their insurance companies of the importance of responsible marketing practices.

“What it also shows is that in the absence of stronger national and local regulations that there's also other tools like litigation that can that that can make this industry responsible,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez says civil suits are one of the few tools Americans have to hold manufacturers responsible.

 

A mother and veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan said she had to do something she never dreamed of.

While stuck in traffic on Interstate 10 in New Orleans, she said someone tried to get in her car.

So, her training kicked in and she pulled out a gun.

Charise Taylor said the incident happened while her 2-year-old son was in the car.

"You shouldn't have to navigate your own city like a war zone. It's un-American,” Taylor said. “The crime is out of control and it's terrifying. At this point, having to use the same tactics in an American city that you use in Iraq and Afghanistan simply to navigate through the city it's scary and I'm not the only mom feeling this way."

Taylor said she was headed to pick up her husband on Friday.

She said she was stuck in gridlock traffic when a group in a truck motioned to her to get over.

So, she let them. Next thing she knows a man comes up to her passenger door.

"So, as he comes up he's close and he's pretty aggressive trying to get the car door open makes eye contact with me he's still trying to get it open a couple times," Taylor said.

Taylor said she picked up her gun.

“It’s locked and loaded," she recalled saying.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Authorities in Washington say a woman was arrested and charged for allegedly pulling a gun on a convenience store worker after being thrown out of a store for not wearing a mask.

KIRO reported that on Jan. 27, Bellevue police responded to a disturbance at a gas station.

According to the Seattle Times, the employee told police that Angela Marie Nommensen pulled a gun on him after throwing her out for refusing to wear a mask as required by local rules.

The news outlets reported that Nommensen came into the store to get a receipt, but after being told several times to wear a mask, the clerk grabbed her shoulder and coat and escorted her out.

According to the newspaper, when the clerk got back inside the store, surveillance video captured Nommensen pulling a gun and pointing it at him.

She has since been charged with felony harassment, accused of threatening to kill the gas station clerk.

MINNEAPOLIS —

A mostly white jury was seated Friday for the trial of a suburban Minneapolis police officer charged in Daunte Wright's shooting death, and opening statements were scheduled to begin next week.

Kim Potter, 49, is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 shooting of Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, following a traffic stop in the suburb of Brooklyn Center.

Potter, who is white, has said she meant to use her Taser on Wright after he tried to drive away from officers while they were trying to arrest him, but that she drew her handgun by mistake. Her body camera recorded the shooting.

The last two jurors, both alternates, were quickly seated Friday morning. Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday.

Nine of the first 12 jurors seated — the ones who will deliberate if no alternates are needed — are white, with one juror identifying as Black and two as Asian. It's evenly split between men and women. The two alternates are also white.

The jury roughly matches the demographics of Hennepin County, which is about 74% white. Its makeup was closely watched, as legal experts have said that juries that are diverse by race, gender and economic background are necessary to minimize bias in the legal system.

The jury is markedly less diverse than that chosen for the trial last spring of former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin in George Floyd's death. In that case, the 12 who deliberated were split 50-50 between whites and people of color.

Ted Sampsell-Jones, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, said Chauvin's jury was “mostly just luck of the draw.”

He said racial and ethnic diversity matters in terms of the perceived legitimacy of the jury, but attitudes about police and policing are much more important for the case outcome.

“It might be true in general that Black people are more distrustful of police than white people, but it isn’t true as to every individual,” Sampsell-Jones said. “Lots of young white people in Hennepin County are far more progressive and anti-cop than some older Black people, for example.”

Alan Tuerkheimer, a Chicago-based jury consultant, said even a single juror of color can be enough to change the dynamics of deliberations by bringing more depth and another viewpoint to the process.

Attorneys and the judge spent considerable time probing the potential jurors for their views of protests against police brutality, which were frequent in Minneapolis even before George Floyd's death.

Questionnaires asked about attitudes toward police, including whether officers should be second-guessed, whether they should be respected and whether they are trusted.

Juror No. 11, for example, said she “somewhat agreed” that officers should not be second-guessed.

“I think sometimes you just react, and sometimes it might be a wrong reaction, but, you know, mistakes happen,” she said. “People make mistakes.”

She was seated after saying she could set that view aside and consider evidence.

Several jurors strongly disagreed that it's unreasonable to question officers' actions. Juror No. 19, the only Black person on the jury, wondered how Potter could show such a “lapse in judgment” with her experience.

“This is a servitude job, and when you get into this position, you need to understand that it’s a tough job and so you have to maintain that level of professionalism when you get into that position," she said of police officers in general.

Potter, who resigned two days after Wright's death, has told the court she will testify. Body-camera video recorded the shooting, with Potter heard saying, “Taser, Taser, Taser” before she fired, followed by, “I grabbed the wrong (expletive) gun.”

Wright was shot in Brooklyn Center as Chauvin was standing trial 10 miles away for killing Floyd. Wright's death sparked several nights of intense protests in the suburb.

The most serious charge against Potter requires prosecutors to prove recklessness; the lesser only requires them to prove culpable negligence. Minnesota's sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of just over seven years on the first-degree manslaughter count and four years on the second-degree one. Prosecutors have said they would seek a longer sentence.

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio —

A man is expected in Hamilton County court after allegedly giving his 16-year-old son a handgun to use for protection, according to court documents.

The incident happened on Oct. 13 when court documents say Terry Shermon, 52, gave his 16-year-old a handgun to use for protection.

The incident was caught on city cameras, court documents said. Court documents did not state where exactly this took place.

In an interview with police, the son helped confirm the handgun was not for hunting, gun safety or marksmanship practice, court documents said.

Shermon has been charged with improperly furnishing firearms to minor.

In a time when teen violence has the city on edge police chief Eliot Isaac sent a strong message during a recent press briefing.

“When we're talking about juveniles that starts at home. Parents need to be responsible for their kids. If you have 14 and 15-year-olds who are out here committing violent crime that begins at home. There's no way to sugarcoat that,” Isaac said.

Rufus Johnson is a gun instructor and a gun safety advocate who teaches gun safety to children in a classroom at a local school, right in the classroom.

Johnson said a lot of young people say they need guns for protection. He said it never makes sense because someone could end up in jail or dead or both.

“He may have felt his life was in danger or he was bullied (but) a parent should not, I’ll repeat, a parent should not give a child a firearm,” Johnson said.

BLUE ASH — Blue Ash officers executing a search warrant in August 2020 found a semi-automatic rifle and 1,800 rounds of ammunition in the bedroom of Robert "Bo" Weber, a man on parole for a gun-related crime.

Weber's felony conviction made it a crime for him to possess a firearm.

According to a Blue Ash police affidavit, someone admitted purchasing the gun for Weber, but the buyer wasn't charged.

A 2018 General Accounting Office report found people caught lying on federal firearms purchase forms are rarely charged, even though that's a felony.

The I-Team's review of federal cases also found that when so-called 'straw-purchasers' of firearms are charged, it's usually because the gun was used in a violent crime or was part of a larger criminal conspiracy.

Straw-purchasers are often friends or relatives of the people getting the guns, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics surveys of felons charged with gun possession.

The I-Team interviewed the person who told police she bought the rifle for Weber.

WCPO isn't identifying her because she hasn't been charged.

Blue Ash Police Department

Weber, now 28, was convicted of a felony for illegally possessing a firearm. He's serving a two-year prison sentence.

"I think you have to have public officials take this more seriously," said Dr. Daniel W. Webster, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research in Baltimore. "Cracking down and sending a message on illegal straw-purchasers is really central, in my opinion, to ultimately having long-term sustainable reductions in gun violence."

Zoom interview screenshot

The GAO report said there were 112,000 firearms transactions denied in fiscal year 2017 because of false information on federal firearms purchase forms.

That resulted in 12,700 cases investigated by Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agents, according to the GAO report.

The GAO report found, "U.S. Attorney's Offices had prosecuted 12 of these cases as of June 2018."

"Where we can prove the elements beyond a reasonable doubt, we're taking those cases," said Vipal Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio since last March.

Zoom screenshot

Patel, First Assistant U.S. Attorney since April 2016, declined to comment on the Blue Ash case.

"The Blue Ash Police Department considers this a successful resolution to this case," said Blue Ash Police Chief Scott Noel in an email response to the I-Team's questions about the case against Bo Weber and the gun buyer's role in it. "To avoid jeopardizing future cases, I will not discuss specific investigative or tactical techniques used by the Blue Ash Police Department."

The I-Team emailed two requests to the office of Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters requesting comment, but his office has not provided one.

Former United States Attorney Ben Glassman reviewed the Blue Ash police records at the I-Team's request.

Michael Benedic

"The facts that you've shared with me - in my mind - warrant an investigation at the conclusion of which a charging decision should be made," said Glassman who is now a partner with the law firm Squire Patton Boggs. "The point of federal law prohibiting people from owning firearms is to make sure firearms stay out of the wrong hands."

Patel said federal prosecutors have charged individuals with lying on federal firearms forms and will continue to do so if the case warrants it.

"The principle here is to make sure the federal government's resources are expended wisely," Patel said. And "that justice is being served in an appropriate fashion."

Local gun 'straw buyer' cases

In recent years, federal prosecutors have charged several local individuals with lying on firearms purchase forms.

One of the most high-profile cases followed the 2019 mass murder in Dayton's popular Oregon District.

Connor Betts opened fire on dozens of people, killing 9 and wounded 17 before police shot and killed him.

The U.S. Attorney's Office charged Betts' friend, Ethan Kollie, with providing false information on a firearms purchase form.

Kollie bought firearms parts for the semi-automatic rifle Betts used, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In February 2020, a federal judge sentenced Kollie to 32 months in prison. He's scheduled to be released in June 2022.

Paola Suro

Three months after the Dayton mass murder, DEA Task Force Officer Jorge Del Rio was shot and killed during a raid at a Dayton home.

According to a DEA affidavit, Nathan Goddard told investigators he shot Del Rio because he thought the officer broke into his house to rob him.

A federal grand jury indicted Goddard for killing Del Rio and for possession and intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana.

Federal agents found three weapons in the home, including the one used to kill Del Rio, according to federal prosecutors.

Investigators traced the weapons back to a Trenton man, Delano Wells, who purchased the firearms for Arland Mills, also from Trenton.

Mills pleaded guilty to hiring Wells to illegally buy firearms for him.

Wells pleaded guilty to lying on the firearms purchase forms.

Last month, a federal judge sentenced Wells to time served with three years supervised release, the first six months on home detention.

The U.S. Attorney's Office also prosecuted a Columbus man for providing false information on firearms purchase forms he used to buy weapons for a gun smuggling operation.

In nearly all cases the I-Team found where federal prosecutors in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky had charged someone with providing false information when buying a gun, there were additional serious crimes involved later by people who used the straw-purchased guns, including trafficking of guns and drugs, and murder.

However, in 2018, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio charged a man with a felony for giving his father a handgun.

Rodney McMeans, Jr. pleaded guilty to transferring the firearm to his father, Rodney McMeans, who was prohibited from possessing a gun because of his violent criminal history, which included convictions for attempted aggravated murder, kidnapping and rape.

McMeans Sr. was not accused of committing more crimes with the gun his son gave him.

In July 2019, a federal judge sentenced McMeans Jr. to three years probation. His father received a sentence of 37 months in prison.

Cincinnati's crackdown on illegal guns

In Cincinnati, a Gun Crime Task Force is focusing on getting illegal guns off the streets and prosecuting the convicted felons who possessed those firearms in violation of state and federal law.

The task force includes a special unit of Cincinnati officers.

A prosecutor from both the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and the City of Cincinnati Law Department join federal prosecutors on the task force.

So far, the U.S. Attorney's Office has announced criminal charges against 52 individuals.

There have not been charges announced against people who provided those guns to the defendants.

Cincinnati Police Department

"We're focusing the limited resources of the federal government on the where we can have the biggest impact," Patel said.

That means "targeted enforcement," Patel said, not blanket prosecutions of everyone who lied on a federal firearm purchasing form.

"There have been actions, there will be actions" brought against straw gun purchasers, Patel said.

The Cincinnati Police Department is focusing more time, effort and resources into gun-related investigations.

CPD plans to move their Crime Gun Intelligence Center into a new building in October.

It will be the first facility of its kind in Ohio and will help investigators more effectively trace a firearm's history, according to CPD.

A psychology professor is trying to understand real-world implications of potential misperceptions people wielding a gun could have.

“One of the reasons why unarmed people get shot might be that the people who are holding the gun literally misperceive that other person – the victim – as having a gun,” psychology professor Dr. Jessica Witt said.

Dr. Witt is a professor of psychology at Colorado State University. For more than a decade, she’s been researching how the mind can be impacted by holding a gun.

“What happens when you hold a gun?" Dr. Witt said. "What are the implications of holding a gun? How does that change how you see the world?”

To try and answer these questions, Dr. Witt's team collected videos and photos of people in different locations either holding a gun or holding a shoe.

“For each image that you see, you need to decide whether the person in the image is holding a gun or holding a shoe," Dr. Witt said. "If you see them holding a gun, you are to raise your hand and whatever object you’re holding and point to the screen. And if you see a shoe, you are to lower your arm and point to the ground. And what we did that was unique from previous research, was that we systematically manipulated whether the participant was also holding a gun or holding a neutral object.”

A neutral object like a spatula – using motion-tracking technologies. Dr. Witt says the idea is that holding a gun – which she says turns them into shooters – could change their ability to act. She wanted to find how these images look to shooters compared to when they’re holding a spatula.

“One of the metrics we looked at was their accuracy," Dr. Witt said. "And we found that when they saw a gun, they said it was a gun about 98% of the time so they were really good at detecting a gun when it was there. The question was, when they saw a shoe, what did they do? In that case, performance was still pretty high but not as high. So when they were holding a neutral object like a spatula, they said it was a shoe 93% of the time. But when they held a gun and they saw a shoe, that’s when we saw the most errors. So they had the hardest time identifying when the other person was not holding a gun when they also held a gun.”

Dr. Witt says they also found a similar pattern with reaction time. Reaction time took the longest when a participant saw a shoe and was holding a gun.

“So it was as if holding a gun made their visual system make them want to see a gun there and they had to inhibit that response which took time and resulted in slower responses," Dr. Witt said. "And if they didn’t inhibit that it then resulted in more errors.”

Jacob Paulsen is the president of concealedcarry.com. He’s been a firearm instructor for 13 years.

“Concealedcarry.com is a national resource for American gun owners who feel compelled to defend themselves and their loved ones from violent threats,” Paulsen said.

After reading about the study, he agrees the topic is worthy of research.

“It’s believable that someone who’s carrying around a gun might be more likely to infer that when they face a dangerous situation -- that the person that they’re facing might be holding a gun versus some other object," Paulsen said. "That would seem logical on the surface.”

However, in the study, the method was tested on university students. Paulsen says the study should be expanded to gun owners and people in gun-wielding jobs.

“If we want to draw some sort of conclusion based on what law enforcement is likely to find based on some sort of cognitive bias, then it would make sense to conduct the research with law enforcement officers," Paulsen said. "Similarly, if we’re trying to determine if the average concealed carrier out there walking around with a concealed gun whether they are experiencing some sort of cognitive bias, then the research should probably be conducted with that consumer group.”

Dr. Witt says she also wants to expand the study. In fact, she has a grant under review with the National Science Foundation. Her goal is to understand if some people are more protected from these errors and if others are more prone to them. With more data, perhaps training programs and hiring practices could be developed to prevent the errors. As a gun owner himself, Paulsen says training is super important.

“We need to remember that the second amendment of our constitution gives us the right to keep and bear arms as a citizenry," Paulsen said. "However, with all rights comes a certain degree of responsibility so the onus is on us – the gun owners – to seek out and receive as much training as we practically and conceivably can in order to minimize potential risks that also come with gun ownership.”

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SIX HOURS, A VERY UP-AND-DOWN Y.DA WE’RE GNGOI TO SEND IT BACK TO YOU WHILE WE CHECK THIS OUT. TALITHA: THANK YOU, THERE ARE SO MUCH TO UNPACK WITH ALL OF THIS, THE SCHOOL WHERE ALL OF TSHI UNFOLDED, PARENTS ARE FRUSTRATED, ANXIOUS AND ALSO NERVOUS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY FALL IN LINE WITH ALL OF THIS, THEN YOU HAVE THE STUDENTS OF COURSE WHO ARE I’M SURE TRAUMATIZED BY ALL OF THIS AND THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE AS WL,EL BEING SO HEAVY AND SUCH AN EMOTIONAL DAY ACROSS THE BOARD AS WELL. KIMBERLY: THEY HELD A NEWS CONFERENCE THIS AFTERNOON AT 4:30, THE WINSTON CAN DUST WINSTON-SALEM FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS, THE POLICE TO BARB AND ANDY FORSYTH COUNTY SHERIFF AND WE WILL GET DETAILS NOW FROM RACHEL ELLIS. RACHEL GOOD EVENING, WE JUST LEARNED MOMENTS AGO THAT THAT SUSPECT IS NOW IN CUSTODY AND GOING -- I’M GOING TO READ A TWEET THAT THE ORSAY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SHARED, THE SUSPECT FROMHE T SHOOTING WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY WITHOUT INCIDENT, THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING AND WE WILL RELEASE MORE INFORMATION AS APPROPRIATE. OUR CONTINUED PRAYERS ARE FOR FAMILY AND LOVED OSNE OF WILAMLI REYNARD MILLER JUNIOR ARE IN THEIR THOUGHTS NOW. MORE INFORMATION WILL BE RELEASED LATER ON ABOUT THAT SPSUECT, BUT LIKE YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, THE FOCUS, THE FOCAL POINT, WE ARE STILL ON THE VICTIM AND HIS FAMILY TONIGHT AS THEY GRIEVE THE LOS -- WE HEARD FROM MEMBERS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYING THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT -- ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TODAY. THEY SHARED, COMINGO T UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, THE EMOTIONS IN THE ROOM, FINDING -- DESCRIBING WTHA HAPPENED IN THAT SCHOOL TODAY, THE UNIMAGINABLE. WE HEARD FROM SHERRIFF TOWNSEND THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID. >> ONE STUDENT WAS LOCATED WITH A GUNSHOT WOD.UN MEDICAL RESPONDSER BEGAN LIFESAVING MEASURES AND THE INJURED STUDENT SWA TRANSPORTED TO WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER. WHERE HE SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES. RACHEL: THAT MOMENT WHEWEN LEARNED THATHE T VICTIM HAD DIED AGARNED THATHE T VICTIM HAD DIED AIN, JUST TEARS ACROSS THE ROOM, YOU COULD HEAR THE EMOTION COMING OUTF O THOMPSON THIS AFTERNOON. SHERRIFF KIM BRO ALSO SHARING THE EMOTIALON MESSAGE SIMILAR TO THOMPSON, POINTING OUT THAT THE FOCUS REALLY IS ON ETH FAMILY AND IT AISN ONGOING INVESTIGATION, WE KNOW THE SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY AND THERE IS AOT L MORE TO BE DONE. HOW DID SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN INSIDE A SCHOOL BUILDING, SOMETHING THESE LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WANT TO CONTINUE TO PRESS ON IN THIS INVESTIGATION. I DID ASKF ITHEY ARE GOING TO BE CONTINUED SECURITY MEASURES INTO THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS THIS COMMUNITY GRAPPLES WITH WHAT HAPPENED TODAY, AND I WAS TOLD THERE WERE GOING TOE B INCREASED PATROLS AND SECURITY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, UNSURE OF WHAT THAT TIMELINE LOOKS LIKE OR WHAT SPECIFICALLY THAT LOSOK LEIK BUT WE ARE TOLD THAT IS THE CASE AND THERE WILL BE A CRISIS TEAM SENT OUT INTO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THIS IS AN EMOTIONAL TIME FOR EVERYONE IN THIS COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE AT MOUNT TABOR HIGH SCHOOL TOY.DA IT IS SOMETHING A LOT OF US ARE STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, BUT THE LAST THING I WANT TO SAY, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT INSIDE THAT ROOM EMPHASIZED OR VEAND OVER AGAIN IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING AT HOME ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED OR LED TO THE SHOOTING, ANY VIDEOS, PHOTOS, PHONE CALLS, ANYTHING KELI THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT IS PERTINENT TO THIS INVESTIGATION. THEY ARE ASKING YOU TO PLEASE COME FORWARD. NOW, LIVE IN DOWTOWN WINSTOSAN-LEM, RACHEL ELLIS, WXII 12 NEWS. KIMBERLY: I’M SURE THE OFFICERS ARE GETTING A LOT OF INFORMATION, ANDE W WILL LEARN MORE TONIGHT. WE WANT TO HREA FROM MAYOR ALLEN JOINES, HE WAS AT THAT PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY. >> IT’S A SAD DAY FOR THE SCHOOLS, BUT IT IS SET OR FOR THE CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM AND THE COUNTY OF FORSYTH AS WE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING WE SEE ON TV ACROSS THE COUNTRY BUT WE HAVE BEEN SO FORTUNATE HERE WE HAVE NOT HAD TO EXPERIENCE THAT. TODAY WE ARE FACING IT HEAD ON WITH THE DEATH OF A STUDE FNTROM MOUNT TABOR HIGH SCHOOL. TALITHA: GIVING AN UPDATE FROM THE FORSYTH COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE AT THAT PRESS CONFERENCE. WE WANT TO UPDEAT YOU ALL THAT IS SUSPECT HAS BEEN IN CUSTODY. WE HAVE BEEN ON THE AIR SINCE 12:00 NOON TALKING ABOUT THIS AND SIX HOSUR LATER ON THAT WE DO KNOW A SUSPECT WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. I WILL READ THIS DIRECTLY FROM A FORSYTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, EYTH SAID ETH SUSPECT FROM THE SHOOTING AT MOUNT TABOR HIGH SCHOOL WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGNGOI AND WE WILL RELEASE MORE INFORMATION AS APPROPRIATE. OUR CONTINUED PRAYERS FOR THE FAMILY AND LOVED ONES OF WILLIAM CHAVIS RAYNARD MILLER JR. WE DO WANT TO MENTION THAT WE KNOW THAT THE SUSPECT IS ALSO A STUDENT FROM MOUNT TABOR HIGH SCHOOL. TODAY WE WERE STILL WORKING TO GET THOSE ANSWERS, SO UNFORTUNATELY THE VICTIM ALSO FROM MOUNT TABOR HIGH SCHOOLND A WE NOW KNOW THE SUSPECT IS A STUDENT AS WELL. KIMBERLY: AT THIS POINT WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE MOTIVE WAS FOR THE SHOOTING, WE WILL LIKELY FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION IN THE DAY AHEAD AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ALSO ASKING ABOUT SCHOOL AT MOUNT TABOR TOMORROW. WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THAT YET. BUT REMEMBER, THIS IS STILL AN ACTIVE CRIMECENE S ANDHE T OFFICERS ARE THERE. THEY ARE DOING TIRHE INVESTIGATION. IT IS POSSIBLE THERE MAY NOT BE SCHOOLED BUT WE HAVE NO IDEATA THIS POINT. WE WILL LET YOU KNOW THAT INFORMATION AS SOON AS A COMES INTO OUR NEWSROOM. TALIA:THE W TALKED TO SOME PARENTS EARLIER TODAY AS THEY WAITED OUTSIDE THE YA,MC YOU ARE LOOKING ATOM SE VIDEO OF THAT RIGHT HERE. LET’S LISTEN IN AS WE HEAR RE ACTION FROM PARENTS AND WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH JUST TO BE REUNITED WITH THEIR CHILDREN. >> I GOT A CALL, I ACTUALLY GOT A TEXT MESSAGE FROM MY DAUGHTER, SHE SWA LIKE OH MY GOSH, THEY ARE SHOOTING, COME GET ME, PLEASE COME TGE ME,O S I GET READY TO TEXT HER BACK AND THAT SHE CALLS AND SHE IS FRANTIC, SHE’S LIKE MOM, CO GMEET ME, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEAR SCREAMING, PUSHING, I HEAR NO WEIGHT, NO, IT WAS CHAOTIC. I WAS AT MY OFFICE, I SOFTWARE I WAS DOING, I GRABBED MY DAUGHTER, I JUMPED IN THE CAR, I CALLED MY HUSBAND, I WAS FRANTIC. THEOLD ME TO CALM DOWN, SO I GOHERET WITHIN 10 MINUTES. SHE STILL WAS I GUESS IN THE SCOLHO GETTING SHUFFLED AROUND, SHE WAS LITERALLY BYHE T INITIAL ALTERCATION, SHE WAS IN THE CAFETERI FORA, MY UNDERSTANDING THEY WERE RIGHT INSIDE THE CAFETERIA WHEN THE BOYS RAN PAST TH.EM SO I AM JUST THINK BOTH THAT SHE IS HERE AND NOT ONE THAT GOT HIT BECAUSE IT VERY WEL COULLD HAVE BEEN HER. KIMBERLY: HEARINFROMG PARENTS ABOUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE HEARING FROM THEIR CHILDREN IN THE SCENE ABOUT SHOOTING TODAY. WE WANT TO TELL YOU THAT THE SANCTUARY AT CENTENARY UNITED METHODTIS CHURCH IN WINSTON-SALEM WILL BE OPENOR F ABOUT 40 REMO MINUTES UNTIL 7:00 TONIGHT, THIS IS FOR PRAYER ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TODAY. THE ADDRESS IS 646 WEST 5TH STREET IN WINSTON-SALEM AND IN CLEMMONS,HE T YOUTH GROUP AT THE FRIENDS BAPTIST CHURCH IS HOLDING COUNSELORS FOR ANYONE WHO NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE AND EYTH WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL 9:00 TONIGHT. TALIA:TH UNION BAPTIST CHURCH IN WINSTON-SALEM ARE ALSO HOLDING A PRAYER AND ACTION PRAYER GATHERING MOTUN TABOR AND ALL SCHOOLS. THATS I HAPPENING TONIGHT. IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT TO THOSE EARLY HURT, THAT IS STARTING DUST EARLIER, THAT IS STARTING AT ABOUT 7:00. THEY’RE ALSO GOING TO BE PUTTING TOGETHER A ZOOM CALL IF THEY HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THEIR WEBSITE. IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT O,UT THAT IS 301-715-8592. IT IS A PRAYER AND ENCOURAGING WORDS FROM BISHOP MACK D ANYOUTH MINISTER FRANCIS WILL BE SPEAKING. THAT IS CRITICAL, HOW DO WE NOW REACH CHILDREN WHO HAVE ALREADY GONE THROUGH SO MUCH AND HOW DO THEY COPE, HOW DO THEY DEAL WITH THIS, AND HOW DO THEY ALSO ENOP UP FROM IT BECAUSE THAT IS GOING TO BE SO MANY MAJOR TALKING INPOTS TONIGHT WITH CHILDREN. AND EVEN DEFECTIVE HOW DO THEY ENTH GO BACK TO SCHOOL. THROUGH ALL OF THIS, THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH. KIMBERLY: THAT IS THE HARD PART. EIGHT DAYS INTO SCHOOL. FOR MANY OF THESE KIDS, THE FIRST OR SECOND WEEK OHIF GH SCHOOL FOR THEM. WE WANT TO GET RIGHT OUT TO KENNY BECK, HE HAS NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUSPECT TAKEN INTO CUSTODY JUST A SHORT WHILE AGO. KENN Y:KIMBERLY, TO LEAVE THE, A LO--T TALITAH, A LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVES -- SOURCE TELLS ME THE SUSPECT IS UNDER 18 SO THEIR IDENTITY WILL NOT BE RELEASED PUBLICLY. THE SUSPECT WAS EITHER A FRESHMAN OR SOPHOMEOR AT MOUNT TABOR HIGH SCHOOL, AND UNDERCLASSMEN. THE SUSPTEC WAS ARRESTED OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM. MORE DETAILS EXPECTED TO EMERGE AS THE EVENING GOES ON. AS FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE, WE ARE ABOUT A MILE AWAY, THE RAIN CONTINUES TO MECO DOWN OUTSIDE OF THE MOUNT TABOR AREA. SEE IF YOU CAN PAN OVER AND SHOW SOME OF THE HEADLIGHTS. THIS PARKING LOT HAS PICKED UP, IT HAS BEEN MORE ACTIVE HERE IN THE LAST 10 OR 15 MINUTES OR SO THEN IT HAS BEEN INHE T PREVIOUS TWO HOURS. A NUMBER OF PARENTS HAVE MECO THROUGH AND I ASKED LAW ENFORCEMENT EMBERS FROM WINSTON-SALEM PD WHO W OUTAS HERE WHAT FOLKS NEED TO KNOW. THIS CONTINUES TO BA PLE ACE THAT MNTOU TABOR FAMILIES, PARENTS, GUARDIANS CAN COME TO TORENTS, GUARDIANS CAN COME TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE THEY CAN REUNITE WITH THEISONR OR DAUGHTER. THE SOUERC AT TABOR LDTO ME STAFF IS STILL THERE AND A NUMBER OF STUDENTS ARE STILL THERE AND IT IS UNCLEAR HOW LONG IT IS GOING TO TAKE FOR THAT PROCESS TO BIN.EG THE GOOD NEWS AGAIN, WE CAN REPORT, THE SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY AND CHRIS, PAN UP AT THAT. WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE IMAGE HERE AT THE END OF A TRAUMATIC DAY MOM A RAINBOW LESS THAN A MILE FROM MOUNT TABOR HHIG SCHOOL HERE OUTSIDE OF WHITAKER SQUARE, SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY,AR PENTS BEING UNITED WITH THEIR FAMILIES, WITH THREI STUDENTS, THREI LOVED ONES. ITAS H BEEN A DREADFUL DAY OUT HERE BUT MANY OF THE QUESTIONS THATE W HAD AS RECELYNT AS HALF AN HOUR OR 45 MINUTES AGO ARE BEGINNING TO COME INTO FOCUS, LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCE TELLING USHE T SUSPECTS I A JUVENILE, UNDER AGE 18. ISTH PERSON’S IDENTITY WILL NOT BE REAELSED PUBLICLY. THIS PERSON WAS AND UNDERCLASSMEN, SOPHOMORE OR FRESHMAN AT MOUNT TABOR HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY WERE ARRESTED OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM. PARENTS CONTINUE TO COME IN HERE, THIS IS THE MOST ACTIVE I HAVE SEEN THIS PARKING LOT IN ABOUT A COUPLE OF HOURS AS MORE AND MORE PARENTS, PERHSAP SOME WHO WERE UNABLE TO LEAVE WORK EARLIER IN THE DAY, IT IS NOW WELL PAST 6:00. THEY ARE BEGINNING TO START THE PROCESS OF REUNITINGIT WH THEIR CHILDR.EN THIS IS A PROCESS THAT COULD STILL TAKE NYMA MORE HOURS. LIVE IN WINSTON-SALEM, KENNY BECKWX, II 12 NEWS. KIMBERLY: I’M SURE FOR A LOTF O PARENTS, A RELIEF THAT OUR SUSPECT HAS BEEN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY A ONDNE REAYLL ROUGH NIGHT FOR THEM AS A FAMILY, GOING THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED TODAY. SOME OF THESE KIDS HAVE BEEN REUNITED BUT IT IS HAPPENING. TALITHA: I TOUGH TEIM FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, STAFF, ETH COMMUNITY IMPACTED BY TH.IS KIMBERLY: AND THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TWO. WE SAW EMOTION TODAY FROM SHERRIFF BOBBY KIMBROU.GH LISTEN TO THIS. >> I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO HANDLE TT.HA I JUST DON’T. I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I SAW DAN FELT. WHAT SHE SENT TO MET I WAS KIMBROUGH, M BABY. I TOLD HER IAS W GOING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT I COULD TO FIND OUT AND BRING WHOEVER ROSE FOR SPONSOR BOTH FOR THIS --S I RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. KIMBERLY: HES I A TOUGH GUY AND IS SEEING SOMEONE LIKE HIM BREAK DOWN AND TELLS YOU THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION THEY ARE DEALING WITH AND HAVE DEALT WITH ON A DAILY BASIS. TALITHA: ANDE H KNOWS PERSONALLY THE EXPERIENCEF O GRIEF WITHIN HIS FAMILY AND HE SAYS I HAVE NOT CRIED THE WAY I CRIED TODAY AND A VERY LONG TIME AND HE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO STOP CRYING SINCE LEAVING THE HOSPILTA, AT WAKE FOREST BAPTIST MEDICAL CENT

Student dead after shooting at North Carolina high school; suspect apprehended after hourslong search

Updated: 7:01 PM EDT Sep 1, 2021

A student died on Wednesday after being shot at a North Carolina high school, according to authorities. Authorities said the shooter is believed to be a fellow student and has been taken into custody.Winston-Salem police Chief Catrina Thompson, fighting back tears, told a news conference that Mount Tabor High School went into immediate lockdown as emergency responders, sheriff’s deputies and police officers arrived just after noon to search for the suspect, who she said was believed to be a student at the school.The student killed at Mount Tabor High School has been identified as William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, Thompson said. "I haven’t cried in a while, but I've been crying since I left the hospital," said Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr.The campus was placed on a lockdown after the shooting happened at about 12:05 p.m., and deputies with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office confirmed all other students were safe. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the incident, according to the agency’s Charlotte office.Police blocked roads to the school, which has an enrollment of more than 1,500 students, and numerous emergency vehicles were on the scene. Parents frantic for information parked their cars on the sidewalks several blocks from the school as police directed traffic away from campus. Students and parents could be seen walking toward a nearby shopping center.Christopher Johnson said his son told him that he heard the gunshots while in the school gym and students were told to hide because there was an active shooter on campus."It’s scary to know that it actually reached out and touched you this time. My son’s not a victim, but he’s part of this and he’ll probably remember this forever," said Johnson, whose son was still at the school awaiting transportation to a pickup point.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

A student died on Wednesday after being shot at a North Carolina high school, according to authorities.

Authorities said the shooter is believed to be a fellow student and has been taken into custody.

Winston-Salem police Chief Catrina Thompson, fighting back tears, told a news conference that Mount Tabor High School went into immediate lockdown as emergency responders, sheriff’s deputies and police officers arrived just after noon to search for the suspect, who she said was believed to be a student at the school.

The student killed at Mount Tabor High School has been identified as William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, Thompson said.

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The student killed today in the shooting at Mt Tabor HS is William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today and in the difficult days to come.

— cityofwspolice (@cityofwspolice) September 1, 2021

"I haven’t cried in a while, but I've been crying since I left the hospital," said Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr.

The campus was placed on a lockdown after the shooting happened at about 12:05 p.m., and deputies with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office confirmed all other students were safe.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the incident, according to the agency’s Charlotte office.

Police blocked roads to the school, which has an enrollment of more than 1,500 students, and numerous emergency vehicles were on the scene. Parents frantic for information parked their cars on the sidewalks several blocks from the school as police directed traffic away from campus. Students and parents could be seen walking toward a nearby shopping center.

Christopher Johnson said his son told him that he heard the gunshots while in the school gym and students were told to hide because there was an active shooter on campus.

"It’s scary to know that it actually reached out and touched you this time. My son’s not a victim, but he’s part of this and he’ll probably remember this forever," said Johnson, whose son was still at the school awaiting transportation to a pickup point.