SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas woman accused in a crash that critically injured a pedestrian made her first court appearance in the case last week.

Alexandria Rodriguez, 27, Augusta, is charged with aggravated battery, three counts of aggravated endangering a child, and a misdemeanor count of drive while license is suspended or canceled, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just after 6p.m. December 2, police responded to report of an injury accident at the intersection of Lincoln and Rock Road in Wichita, according to police. 

Investigators determined a vehicle driven by Rodriguez was northbound on Rock Road and struck a pedestrian walking east to west in the crosswalk.&nbsp; Police took Rodriguez into custody. EMS transported the female pedestrian to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries. Rodriguez had three children in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

She remains jailed on a $100,000 bond. Her next court date is Dec. 16, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733494691695.png" alt="Rodriguez-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Rodriguez-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas woman accused in a crash that critically injured a pedestrian made her first court appearance in the case last week.Alexandria Rodriguez, 27, Augusta, is charged with aggravated battery, three counts of aggravated endangering a child, and a misdemeanor count of drive while license is suspended or canceled, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Just after 6p.m. December 2, police responded to report of an injury accident at the intersection of Lincoln and Rock Road in Wichita, according to police. Investigators determined a vehicle driven by Rodriguez was northbound on Rock Road and struck a pedestrian walking east to west in the crosswalk.&nbsp; Police took Rodriguez into custody. EMS transported the female pedestrian to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries. Rodriguez had three children in the vehicle at the time of the crash.She remains jailed on a $100,000 bond. Her next court date is Dec. 16, according to the district attorney's office.

Kan. driver, with no license, had children in vehicle and struck pedestrian

JOHNSON COUNTY —Police took one student into custody at Shawnee Mission South High School, 5800 W 107th Street in Overland Park Monday afternoon. 

Police found the student had a firearm at the school, according to a social media report from Overland Park Police.

Another student at the school reported the firearm to an administrator. Officers were then able to take the student into custody and remove the gun. 

The school was placed on lockdown until police arrested the student.&nbsp;

Police released no additional details but offered "appreciation to the student reporting the information to keep other students safe."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733784674534.png" alt="Police on the scene at the school on Monday-photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene at the school on Monday-photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Police took one student into custody at Shawnee Mission South High School, 5800 W 107th Street in Overland Park Monday afternoon. Police found the student had a firearm at the school, according to a social media report from Overland Park Police.Another student at the school reported the firearm to an administrator. Officers were then able to take the student into custody and remove the gun. The school was placed on lockdown until police arrested the student.&nbsp;Police released no additional details but offered "appreciation to the student reporting the information to keep other students safe."

Student arrested for taking gun to Kansas high school

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour brought in $2.2 billion in its nearly two-year run, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time for a second year in a row, Pollstar estimates from data collected across 149 shows.

The new numbers were provided to The Associated Press on Monday, the morning after Swift wrapped the Eras tour with its final show in Vancouver, Canada. Last year, Swift’s landmark tour became the first to cross the billion-dollar mark.

In North America, Swift’s tour earned an estimated $1.04 billion over its run. Globally, that number jumps to an estimated $2.2 billion.

“We are witnessing history in the making. What Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour accomplished in 21 months across five continents before 10 million fans is extraordinary and unprecedented. The tour’s $2.2 billion estimated gross is the highest of all time and nearly doubles the second biggest tour,” said Andy Gensler, editor-in-chief of Pollstar &amp; VenuesNow, in a statement. “It’s also an example of the limits this industry continues to push far past while bringing music, community and peak life experiences to legions across the globe.”

The second biggest tour is Coldplay’s ongoing “Music of the Spheres” run, currently at an estimated $1.14 billion since March 2022, with more dates to come in 2025.

According to Pollstar’s approximations, Coldplay has sold more than 10.3 million tickets; Swift’s tour sold just over 10 million, which means she’s sold the most tickets of any solo performer.

Pollstar data is pulled from box office reports, venue capacity estimates, historical Pollstar venue ticket sales data, and other undefined research, collected from November 2022 to December 2024.

Additional data will become available in Pollstar’s special year-end issue and on Pollstar.com beginning Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733776996717.png" alt="Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour" on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)" />
 <figcaption>Taylor Swift performs during "The Eras Tour" on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour brought in $2.2 billion in its nearly two-year run, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time for a second year in a row, Pollstar estimates from data collected across 149 shows.The new numbers were provided to The Associated Press on Monday, the morning after Swift wrapped the Eras tour with its final show in Vancouver, Canada. Last year, Swift’s landmark tour became the first to cross the billion-dollar mark.In North America, Swift’s tour earned an estimated $1.04 billion over its run. Globally, that number jumps to an estimated $2.2 billion.“We are witnessing history in the making. What Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour accomplished in 21 months across five continents before 10 million fans is extraordinary and unprecedented. The tour’s $2.2 billion estimated gross is the highest of all time and nearly doubles the second biggest tour,” said Andy Gensler, editor-in-chief of Pollstar &amp; VenuesNow, in a statement. “It’s also an example of the limits this industry continues to push far past while bringing music, community and peak life experiences to legions across the globe.”The second biggest tour is Coldplay’s ongoing “Music of the Spheres” run, currently at an estimated $1.14 billion since March 2022, with more dates to come in 2025.According to Pollstar’s approximations, Coldplay has sold more than 10.3 million tickets; Swift’s tour sold just over 10 million, which means she’s sold the most tickets of any solo performer.Pollstar data is pulled from box office reports, venue capacity estimates, historical Pollstar venue ticket sales data, and other undefined research, collected from November 2022 to December 2024.Additional data will become available in Pollstar’s special year-end issue and on Pollstar.com beginning Friday.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour ends by shattering own record

JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man who called 911 to turn himself in after a deadly shooting has entered a plea in the case.

Earlier this month, 24-year-old Dmariea Valentino Avance pleased no contest to second degree murder in the death of&nbsp;21-year-old Markese D. Gleghorn of Lenexa outside a fast-food restaurant, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

Just before 7p.m. Jan. 16, 2024, police responded to the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in the 13330 W. 87th Street Parkway in Lenexa on the report of an armed disturbance.

According to a 911 caller, one person was shot at the location. When officers arrived, they located a man later identified as&nbsp;21-year-old Markese D. Gleghorn of Lenexa inside a vehicle who had been shot. Officers attempted life-saving measures however Geighorn was pronounced deceased at the scene.

A few minutes after this initial call, police received another call from an individual later identified as Avance who said he was involved in the disturbance. Officers responded to an apartment in the 12700 block of W. 88th Circle where they took Avance into custody without incident.

&nbsp;Avance is scheduled for sentencing in February.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705355537122.png" alt="Avance-photo Johnson County" />
 <figcaption>Avance-photo Johnson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man who called 911 to turn himself in after a deadly shooting has entered a plea in the case.Earlier this month, 24-year-old Dmariea Valentino Avance pleased no contest to second degree murder in the death of&nbsp;21-year-old Markese D. Gleghorn of Lenexa outside a fast-food restaurant, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705317718200.png" alt="-Police on the scene of the deadly shooting investigation -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>-Police on the scene of the deadly shooting investigation -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 7p.m. Jan. 16, 2024, police responded to the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in the 13330 W. 87th Street Parkway in Lenexa on the report of an armed disturbance.According to a 911 caller, one person was shot at the location. When officers arrived, they located a man later identified as&nbsp;21-year-old Markese D. Gleghorn of Lenexa inside a vehicle who had been shot. Officers attempted life-saving measures however Geighorn was pronounced deceased at the scene.A few minutes after this initial call, police received another call from an individual later identified as Avance who said he was involved in the disturbance. Officers responded to an apartment in the 12700 block of W. 88th Circle where they took Avance into custody without incident.&nbsp;Avance is scheduled for sentencing in February.

Kan. man who called 911 after deadly shooting enters plea 

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri business groups announced Monday that they have filed a lawsuit to try to stop a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-amendment-ballot-election-f114445b087e77d0cc786d3eeb2eb615">voter-approved law</a>&nbsp;that will raise the state's minimum wage and require employers to give workers paid sick leave.

The powerful Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, restaurant and grocers associations say the law violates a state constitutional requirement that ballot measures only address one issue because it included the minimum wage increase and paid sick leave.

The law increase the state's minimum wage from the current $12.30 an hour to $13.75 in January and $15 in 2026. It gives workers up to seven paid sick days per year starting in May.

Leaders of the minimum-wage campaign said businesses are trying to undo the will of voters.

“Missouri’s working class, in lockstep with allies across the state, went to the ballot box on Nov. 5 to overwhelmingly voice our need for paid sick days and fair wages in a free and fair election,” said Terrence Wise, of the Fight for 15. “It’s sickening to me that corporations are trying to steal our victory away and quiet the will of the voters who made this win possible.”

The business groups asked the Missouri Supreme Court to find&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minimum-wage-missouri-sick-leave-98ac298c0beaa1f294e81de7cb1f81e5">the law</a>&nbsp;unconstitutional.

“While Proposition A is bad policy and will have extreme and detrimental effects on Missouri’s businesses, that is not the basis of this action,” the petition states. “Instead, the election irregularities and the constitutional violations are so significant that the election results must be overturned and Proposition A must be declared invalid.”

Business groups also argue that voters were misled about how much the law will cost local governments and which companies and workers it will apply to.

For example, government employees and workers at businesses that make less than $500,000 a year are exempt from the paid sick leave entitlements. A short summary of the ballot measure provided to voters did not describe all exempt employees.

No hearings have been scheduled yet for the lawsuit.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728643418242.png" alt="&nbsp;Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages, the campaign behind Prop A, gathered over 210,000 signatures to place it on the ballot (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages, the campaign behind Prop A, gathered over 210,000 signatures to place it on the ballot (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri business groups announced Monday that they have filed a lawsuit to try to stop a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-amendment-ballot-election-f114445b087e77d0cc786d3eeb2eb615">voter-approved law</a>&nbsp;that will raise the state's minimum wage and require employers to give workers paid sick leave.The powerful Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, restaurant and grocers associations say the law violates a state constitutional requirement that ballot measures only address one issue because it included the minimum wage increase and paid sick leave.The law increase the state's minimum wage from the current $12.30 an hour to $13.75 in January and $15 in 2026. It gives workers up to seven paid sick days per year starting in May.Leaders of the minimum-wage campaign said businesses are trying to undo the will of voters.“Missouri’s working class, in lockstep with allies across the state, went to the ballot box on Nov. 5 to overwhelmingly voice our need for paid sick days and fair wages in a free and fair election,” said Terrence Wise, of the Fight for 15. “It’s sickening to me that corporations are trying to steal our victory away and quiet the will of the voters who made this win possible.”The business groups asked the Missouri Supreme Court to find&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minimum-wage-missouri-sick-leave-98ac298c0beaa1f294e81de7cb1f81e5">the law</a>&nbsp;unconstitutional.“While Proposition A is bad policy and will have extreme and detrimental effects on Missouri’s businesses, that is not the basis of this action,” the petition states. “Instead, the election irregularities and the constitutional violations are so significant that the election results must be overturned and Proposition A must be declared invalid.”Business groups also argue that voters were misled about how much the law will cost local governments and which companies and workers it will apply to.For example, government employees and workers at businesses that make less than $500,000 a year are exempt from the paid sick leave entitlements. A short summary of the ballot measure provided to voters did not describe all exempt employees.No hearings have been scheduled yet for the lawsuit.

Mo. companies sue to stop law that raises minimum wage,  requires paid sick leave

Police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-suspect-ceo-assassin-shooter-eaee0b7d31b319f42e0cf7f2f7badfb1">arrested a “strong person of interest”</a>&nbsp;Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">UnitedHealthcare’s CEO</a>&nbsp;after a quick-thinking McDonald’s employee in Pennsylvania alerted authorities to a customer who was found with a weapon and writings linking him to the ambush.

The 26-year-old man had a gun believed to be the one used in the killing and writings suggesting his anger with corporate America, police officials said. He was taken into custody after police got a tip that he was eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.

Police identified the suspect as Luigi Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address is in Honolulu, Hawaii, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing.

Baltimore’s Gilman School sends an email about Luigi Mangione’s arrest

In an email to parents and alumni, Gilman headmaster Henry P.A. Smyth said it “recently” learned that Mangione, a 2016 graduate, was arrested in the CEO’s killing.

“We do not have any information other than what is being reported in the news,” Smyth wrote. “This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.”

Mangione earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Pennsylvania

Mangione, a high school valedictorian from a Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday.

He had learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication.

His posts also suggest that he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, the New Jersey shore and other destinations.

Police said the suspect arrested Monday had a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-are-ghost-guns-aab2ded78314603e8e87e92dbe4def3f">ghost gun</a>, a type of weapon that can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace.

The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what’s known as the lower receiver. Some are sold in do-it-yourself kits and the receivers are typically made from metal or polymer.

Altoona police describe how they arrested the suspect

Altoona police say officers were dispatched to a McDonald’s on Monday morning in response to reports of a male matching the description of the man wanted in connection with the United Healthcare CEO’s killing in New York City.

In a news release, police say officers made contact with the man, who was then arrested on unrelated charges. The Altoona Police Department says it’s cooperating with local, state, and federal agencies.

Police are investigating the path the suspect took to Pennsylvania

“This just happened this morning. We’ll be working, backtracking his steps from New York to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” Kenny said.

“And at some point we’ll work out through extradition to bring him back to New York to face charges here, working with the Manhattan district attorney’s office,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

Suspect had a ‘ghost gun,’ police say

“As of right now, the information we’re getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9 mm round,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing.

Suspect had handwritten document that ‘speaks to both his motivation and mindset,’ police commissioner says

The document suggested the suspect had “ill will toward corporate America,” police added.

Police identify the suspect as Luigi Mangione

Mangione, 26, was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address in Honolulu, Hawaii, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing.

26-year-old arrested with weapon ‘consistent with’ the gun used in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Police have arrested a 26-year-old with a weapon “consistent with” the gun used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">Brian Thompson</a>, New York City’s police commissioner says.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">Thompson</a>, 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at Manhattan hotel. Thompson had traveled from Minnesota for the event.

Man questioned in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing had writings critical of the industry, source says

A man being questioned Monday in the killing of UnitedHealthcare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">CEO Brian Thompson</a>&nbsp;had writings that appeared to be critical of the health insurance industry, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The man also had a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing, the official said.

Police apprehended the man after receiving a tip that he had been spotted at a McDonald’s near Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, said the official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Along with the gun, police found a silencer and fake IDs, according to the official.

Along with the gun, police found a silencer, fake IDs and writings apparently critical of the health insurance industry

That’s also according to the law enforcement official.

Police took the man into custody after getting a tip that he’d been spotted at a McDonald’s

That’s according to a law enforcement official.

The NYPD is sending detectives to Pennsylvania to question the person taken into custody

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to address this development at a previously scheduled afternoon news briefing in Manhattan.

What type of rewards are there for information on the police’s suspect?

While still looking to identify the suspect, the FBI has offered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-manhattan-shooting-death-dee5ad726a345a8209ecc0df7e44756e">$50,000 reward</a>&nbsp;for information leading to his arrest and conviction. That’s on top of a $10,000 reward offered by the NYPD.

In the days since the shooting, police turned to the public for help by releasing photos and video

That included footage of the attack, as well as images of someone at a Starbucks beforehand.

Photos taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side showed the person grinning after removing his mask, police said.

NYPD dogs and divers returned to New York’s Central Park today while the dragnet for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">Thompson’s killer</a>&nbsp;stretched into a sixth day.

Investigators have been combing the park since the Wednesday shooting and searching at least one of its ponds for three days, looking for evidence that may have been thrown into it.

Police say the shooter used a 9 mm pistol that resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise. Police said they had not yet found the gun itself.

Ammunition found near Thompson’s body&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-delay-deny-defend-depose-ee73ceb19f361835c654f04a3b88c50c">bore the words</a>&nbsp;“delay,” “deny” and “depose,” mimicking a phrase used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-delay-deny-depose-insurance-online-criticism-2d9c9a1a2a551876e72a11a93fc7624c">insurance industry critics</a>.

Police question man with gun thought to be similar to one used in killing of UnitedHeathcare CEO

A man with a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">CEO Brian Thompson</a>&nbsp;was taken into police custody Monday for questioning in Pennsylvania, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The man is being held in the area of Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

NEW YORK (AP) — Police have arrested a 26-year-old man with a weapon consistent with the gun used to kill the head of the largest U.S. health insurer, New York’s police commissioner said Monday.

The man was taken into custody after police got a tip that he had been spotted at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.

“They also recovered clothing, including a mask consistent with those worn by our wanted individual,” Tisch said. “Also recovered was a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching the ID our suspect used to check into his New York City hostel before the shooting incident."

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny identified the suspect as Luigi Nicholas Mangione, who was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and a last known address in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Mangione had a ghost gun, a type of weapon that can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace, investigators said.

“As of right now the information we’re getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9 mm round,” Kenny said. Altoona, Pennsylvania, is about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City.

Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, Tisch said. Mangione was carrying a firearm and officers found a suppressor, “both consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” the commissioner said.

Police found a three-page document with writings suggesting that Mangione had “ill will toward corporate America,” Kenny said.

The handwritten document “speaks to both his motivation and mindset,” Tisch said.

UnitedHealth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">CEO Brian Thompson</a>, 50, was killed last Wednesday in what police said was a “brazen, targeted” attack as he walked alone to the Hilton from a nearby hotel, where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual investor conference, police said.

The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching the executive from behind and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-shooting-79a9710978fc7adbb23d3fed4ea2f70d">opening fire</a>, Tisch said.

In the days since the shooting, police turned to the public for help by releasing a collection of photos and video — including footage of the attack, as well as images of the suspect at a Starbucks beforehand.

Photos taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side showed the suspect grinning after removing his mask, police said.

Investigators have suggested the gunman may have been a disgruntled employee or client of the insurer.

The gunman concealed his identity with a mask during the shooting yet left a trail of evidence, including a backpack he ditched in Central Park, a cellphone found in a pedestrian plaza and a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that police say he bought at Starbucks minutes before the attack.

Monday’s development came as dogs and divers returned to New York’s Central Park while the dragnet for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">Thompson’s killer</a>&nbsp;stretched into a sixth day.

Investigators have been combing the park since the shooting and have been searching at least one of its ponds for three days.

On Friday, police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-manhattan-shooting-death-48590215ba756741bbaadeeb6255d135">found the backpack</a>&nbsp;that they say the killer discarded as he fled from the crime scene to an uptown bus station, where they believe he left the city on a bus.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-suspect-ceo-assassin-shooter-b5ff640798d799271ddd8db9f3d2a20e">Retracing the gunman’s steps</a>&nbsp;using surveillance video, investigators say the shooter fled into Central Park on a bicycle, emerged from park without his backpack and then ditched the bicycle.

He then walked a couple blocks and got into a taxi, arriving at at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, which is near the northern tip of Manhattan and offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

The FBI announced late Friday that it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, adding to a reward of up to $10,000 that the NYPD has offered. Police say they believe the suspect acted alone.

Late Saturday, police released two additional photos of the suspect that appeared to be from a camera mounted inside a taxi. The first shows him outside the vehicle and the second shows him looking through the partition between the back seat and the front of the cab. In both, his face is partially obscured by a blue mask.

NEW YORK (AP) — A man with a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">CEO Brian Thompson</a>&nbsp;was taken into police custody Monday for questioning in Pennsylvania, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The development came as dogs and divers returned Monday to New York’s Central Park while the dragnet for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254">Thompson’s killer</a>&nbsp;stretched into a sixth day.

Investigators have been combing the park since the Wednesday shooting and have been searching at least one of its ponds for three days, looking for evidence that may have been thrown into it.

On Friday, police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-manhattan-shooting-death-48590215ba756741bbaadeeb6255d135">found a backpack</a>&nbsp;in the park that they say the killer discarded as he fled from the crime scene outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan to an uptown bus station, where they suspect he left the city on a bus.

But they had not yet found the gun or the shooter, nor had they identified him by name.

On Monday, K-9 units sniffed leaf-covered planters between walking paths in Central Park near where police found the shooter’s backpack. Farther along the path that police suspect he took through the park after the shooting, scuba divers geared up and started searching a pond for the third straight day.

Thompson, 50, was killed in what police said was a “brazen, targeted” attack as he walked alone to the Hilton from a nearby hotel, where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual investor conference, police said.

The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching the executive from behind and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-shooting-79a9710978fc7adbb23d3fed4ea2f70d">opening fire</a>, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-suspect-ceo-assassin-shooter-b5ff640798d799271ddd8db9f3d2a20e">Retracing the gunman’s steps</a>&nbsp;using surveillance video, investigators say the shooter fled into Central Park on a bicycle at 60th Street and Center Drive, emerged from park without his backpack at 77th Street and Central Park West and then ditched the bicycle about 7 a.m. near 85th Street.

He then walked a couple blocks and got into a taxi, arriving at 7:30 a.m. at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, which is near the northern tip of Manhattan and offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

🎥 Man with 'ghost gun' arrested in killing of insurance company CEO

Kansas senator delivers irritation of Kansans while questioning U.S. postmaster

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall delivered bleak messages to the nation’s postmaster general about the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service by channeling frustration of Kansans, specifically Dana from El Dorado, Mike from Topeka and Stacy of Marysville.

During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C., the Kansas Republican quizzed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who took the top USPS job in 2020. DeJoy has faced criticism for inconsistent handling of first-class mail, decommissioning high-speed sorting machines, forming bigger regional processing hubs that slowed delivery to rural customers and six postage rate hikes since 2021.

“We asked some folks back home, if you could be in front of the postmaster general, what questions would they ask you,” said Marshall to DeJoy. The senator said Stacy and Mike proposed the same query. “What is justifying the consistent price increases with no change or improvement in delivery time or service?”

DeJoy said mail-delivery service was slipping before he was selected by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors.

“Senator, we had a defective pricing model for 20 years,” DeJoy said. “Mail volume was cut in half and we weren’t allowed to raise our prices to accommodate that.”

The cost of a U.S. first-class stamp was 1 cent in 1863 and didn’t hit the 5-cent plateau for a century. The price of the basic postage stamp hit 50 cents in 2019. Under DeJoy, the cost of a forever stamp surged to 58 cents in 2021, 60 cents in 2022, 63 cents in early 2023, 66 cents in late 2023, 68 cents in early 2024 and 73 cents later in 2024.

The Postal Service’s financial trajectory must be stabilized before delivery metrics substantially improve, DeJoy said. He also said there had to be workplace adjustments.

“I have my people, 640,000 people, that need to learn how to operate like Fed Ex and UPS,” the postmaster said. “That’s the only way we survive.”

Marshall said Dana from El Dorado would have asked the postmaster general why rural mail was no longer delivered in a timely manner. She yearned for days of two- or three-day delivery anywhere in the United States.

DeJoy said the standard USPS delivery time was reset in 2021 at five days, up from the unrealistic goal of three days. The Postal Service was spending $3.5 billion flying mail around the country in an attempt to hit the three-day target, he said.

“We put everything on a truck on a ground service. We’ve taken $1.5 billion out of our transportation budget,” DeJoy said.

Marshall said a poll was sent to about 400,000 Kansans to get a sense of attitudes about mail delivery. More than half of Kansas respondents said their mail service was unreliable. Nearly 70% said they’d personally experienced delays in the past year.

“Certainly you’re not going to call that success?” Marshall said.

DeJoy’s confession: “We have issues in Kansas. I’m working a strategy specifically to enhance the service in Kansas. I recognize it’s there, and we’re going to fix it.”

Marshall said he was convinced DeJoy wanted to make the system better, but urged the postmaster general to explain where resistance to reform was coming from.

“I think there’s a romance with an organization that long ago lost its ability to do the service that everybody expected,” DeJoy said. “That’s the issue here.”

Marshall asled DeJoy to pledge to complete work on a contract so the city of Winchester in Jefferson County could have a post office for the first time since October 2020. The senator sent a letter last summer to DeJoy about Winchester’s lack of a post office. At the hearing, DeJoy said he was uncertain he could make the commitment.

DeJoy said Congress had long burdened the Postal Service with “significant unfunded mandates.” He said members of Congress were loath to embrace his plans for price hikes, shorter post office hours and slower first-class mail delivery. He said U.S. House members had begged him not to saddle their congressional district with unpopular changes.

“It would have been easier for me to build a new postal service than to transition this one, because we’re also delivering 400 million pieces of mail and packages a day,” DeJoy said.

While serving as postmaster general, DeJoy has been accused of conflicts of interest and meddling with mail-in voting to distort outcomes in the 2020 election.

He’s also been lauded for securing passage of a bipartisan Postal Service reform bill, delivering 500 million COVID-19 test kits through the mail and agreeing to change course and move the Postal Service’s fleet to electric vehicles.

Prior to the hearing, Marshall requested followers on Facebook recommend questions for DeJoy. Some asserted DeJoy’s initial assignment from then-President Donald Trump was to undermine the Postal Service so it would be easier to privatize the federal agency.

“Wasn’t DeJoy a Trump appointee specifically to slow down and screw up USPS?” said Timothy Cable. “I’d like you to mention that.”

“Stop with the pandering,” Andrea Pfeifer messaged Marshall. “You knew when he was put in place by Trump, with no experience, that he was put in there to try and destroy the basic functions of the P.O. in order to try and privatize the services and make money for the rich corporate pocket liners.”

Allen Crowder wondered if DeJoy could explain why Postal Service union members were given “so much power to slow down the mail?”

“I am a former postal worker, and have seen the corrupt unions doing their corrupt tricks,” Crowder said.

Mellissa Chestnut, who said she was a Postal Service employee, said it didn’t make sense DeJoy embraced a philosophy of giving Amazon packages preference over regular mail.

“I’d like to know what the plan is to get Amazon under control? Amazon is killing us. Why are we putting Amazon priority over everything else?” she said.

Meanwhile, Mike Smith recommended Marshall and DeJoy talk about allowing local mail to be canceled in the city of origin for delivery the next day. In some instances, letters must be hauled long distances to centralized facilities for processing before transported back to the place of origin.

“From&nbsp;here to Dodge, to Wichita for canceling, then to Dodge, and back to Ashland. That’s government for you,” Smith said.

<h2>Kansas senator delivers irritation of Kansans while questioning U.S. postmaster</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall delivered bleak messages to the nation’s postmaster general about the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service by channeling frustration of Kansans, specifically Dana from El Dorado, Mike from Topeka and Stacy of Marysville.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wv5VZWkDsm0?si=LEGlRK5UjU9oPta4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C., the Kansas Republican quizzed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who took the top USPS job in 2020. DeJoy has faced criticism for inconsistent handling of first-class mail, decommissioning high-speed sorting machines, forming bigger regional processing hubs that slowed delivery to rural customers and six postage rate hikes since 2021.“We asked some folks back home, if you could be in front of the postmaster general, what questions would they ask you,” said Marshall to DeJoy. The senator said Stacy and Mike proposed the same query. “What is justifying the consistent price increases with no change or improvement in delivery time or service?”DeJoy said mail-delivery service was slipping before he was selected by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors.“Senator, we had a defective pricing model for 20 years,” DeJoy said. “Mail volume was cut in half and we weren’t allowed to raise our prices to accommodate that.”The cost of a U.S. first-class stamp was 1 cent in 1863 and didn’t hit the 5-cent plateau for a century. The price of the basic postage stamp hit 50 cents in 2019. Under DeJoy, the cost of a forever stamp surged to 58 cents in 2021, 60 cents in 2022, 63 cents in early 2023, 66 cents in late 2023, 68 cents in early 2024 and 73 cents later in 2024.The Postal Service’s financial trajectory must be stabilized before delivery metrics substantially improve, DeJoy said. He also said there had to be workplace adjustments.“I have my people, 640,000 people, that need to learn how to operate like Fed Ex and UPS,” the postmaster said. “That’s the only way we survive.”<h2>Half Kansans disappointed</h2>Marshall said Dana from El Dorado would have asked the postmaster general why rural mail was no longer delivered in a timely manner. She yearned for days of two- or three-day delivery anywhere in the United States.DeJoy said the standard USPS delivery time was reset in 2021 at five days, up from the unrealistic goal of three days. The Postal Service was spending $3.5 billion flying mail around the country in an attempt to hit the three-day target, he said.“We put everything on a truck on a ground service. We’ve taken $1.5 billion out of our transportation budget,” DeJoy said.Marshall said a poll was sent to about 400,000 Kansans to get a sense of attitudes about mail delivery. More than half of Kansas respondents said their mail service was unreliable. Nearly 70% said they’d personally experienced delays in the past year.“Certainly you’re not going to call that success?” Marshall said.DeJoy’s confession: “We have issues in Kansas. I’m working a strategy specifically to enhance the service in Kansas. I recognize it’s there, and we’re going to fix it.”Marshall said he was convinced DeJoy wanted to make the system better, but urged the postmaster general to explain where resistance to reform was coming from.“I think there’s a romance with an organization that long ago lost its ability to do the service that everybody expected,” DeJoy said. “That’s the issue here.”<h2>What about Winchester?</h2>Marshall asled DeJoy to pledge to complete work on a contract so the city of Winchester in Jefferson County could have a post office for the first time since October 2020. The senator sent a letter last summer to DeJoy about Winchester’s lack of a post office. At the hearing, DeJoy said he was uncertain he could make the commitment.DeJoy said Congress had long burdened the Postal Service with “significant unfunded mandates.” He said members of Congress were loath to embrace his plans for price hikes, shorter post office hours and slower first-class mail delivery. He said U.S. House members had begged him not to saddle their congressional district with unpopular changes.“It would have been easier for me to build a new postal service than to transition this one, because we’re also delivering 400 million pieces of mail and packages a day,” DeJoy said.While serving as postmaster general, DeJoy has been accused of conflicts of interest and meddling with mail-in voting to distort outcomes in the 2020 election.He’s also been lauded for securing passage of a bipartisan Postal Service reform bill, delivering 500 million COVID-19 test kits through the mail and agreeing to change course and move the Postal Service’s fleet to electric vehicles.<h2>Other inquiries, comments</h2>Prior to the hearing, Marshall requested followers on Facebook recommend questions for DeJoy. Some asserted DeJoy’s initial assignment from then-President Donald Trump was to undermine the Postal Service so it would be easier to privatize the federal agency.“Wasn’t DeJoy a Trump appointee specifically to slow down and screw up USPS?” said Timothy Cable. “I’d like you to mention that.”“Stop with the pandering,” Andrea Pfeifer messaged Marshall. “You knew when he was put in place by Trump, with no experience, that he was put in there to try and destroy the basic functions of the P.O. in order to try and privatize the services and make money for the rich corporate pocket liners.”Allen Crowder wondered if DeJoy could explain why Postal Service union members were given “so much power to slow down the mail?”“I am a former postal worker, and have seen the corrupt unions doing their corrupt tricks,” Crowder said.Mellissa Chestnut, who said she was a Postal Service employee, said it didn’t make sense DeJoy embraced a philosophy of giving Amazon packages preference over regular mail.“I’d like to know what the plan is to get Amazon under control? Amazon is killing us. Why are we putting Amazon priority over everything else?” she said.Meanwhile, Mike Smith recommended Marshall and DeJoy talk about allowing local mail to be canceled in the city of origin for delivery the next day. In some instances, letters must be hauled long distances to centralized facilities for processing before transported back to the place of origin.“From&nbsp;here to Dodge, to Wichita for canceling, then to Dodge, and back to Ashland. That’s government for you,” Smith said.

🎥Sen. Marshall affixes stamp of disapproval to USPS mail delivery performance

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement have released the names of two people who died after a 20-hour standoff at a residence south of Eudora as 52-year-old Benjamin Roy Eaton Jr. and 44-year-old Nicole Felice Eaton both of rural Eudora, according to Douglas County sheriff's department spokesman George Diepenbrock.

An investigation revealed that Benjamin R. Eaton Jr., shot and killed Nicole F. Eaton in a home in the 900 block of E. 2300 Road After a standoff with law enforcement that started around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5 and ended around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6. 

Benjamin was found deceased inside the home,&nbsp;according to sheriff's department spokesman George Diepenbrock.

Investigators indicated that Benjamin’s cause of death was found to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident involved two people in a domestic relationship.

Just before 9p.m. Thursday, Sheriff's office dispatchers were called about a woman in distress. Dispatchers reported the woman caller was difficult to hear.

A Eudora Police Department officer responded initially and heard a gunshot when he reached the front door. Law enforcement officers were able to establish phone contact with the man inside who was overtly hostile and threatening to shoot law enforcement officers, as he barricaded himself into the home.

The Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Lawrence Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol utilized drones and other technology to gain access into the residence.

The tools did allow officers to determine the woman was deceased. After several hours of phone communication, law enforcement lost contact with the suspect, and they continued to use technological tools to try to re-establish contact with him or identify his status inside the house to take him into custody on an arrest warrant.

Sheriff Armbrister said as part of the investigation there were concerns about a possible threat of explosives inside the residence, which was part of the reason why officers acted methodically over several hours

.Just before 4:30 p.m. Friday the Kansas Highway Patrol made entry into the residence and found Benjamin deceased.

Detectives and investigators processed the scene Friday evening.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733843022887.png" alt="View of the standoff location in Douglas County-photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>View of the standoff location in Douglas County-photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement have released the names of two people who died after a 20-hour standoff at a residence south of Eudora as 52-year-old Benjamin Roy Eaton Jr. and 44-year-old Nicole Felice Eaton both of rural Eudora, according to Douglas County sheriff's department spokesman George Diepenbrock.An investigation revealed that Benjamin R. Eaton Jr., shot and killed Nicole F. Eaton in a home in the 900 block of E. 2300 Road After a standoff with law enforcement that started around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5 and ended around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6. Benjamin was found deceased inside the home,&nbsp;according to sheriff's department spokesman George Diepenbrock.Investigators indicated that Benjamin’s cause of death was found to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident involved two people in a domestic relationship.Just before 9p.m. Thursday, Sheriff's office dispatchers were called about a woman in distress. Dispatchers reported the woman caller was difficult to hear.A Eudora Police Department officer responded initially and heard a gunshot when he reached the front door. Law enforcement officers were able to establish phone contact with the man inside who was overtly hostile and threatening to shoot law enforcement officers, as he barricaded himself into the home.The Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Lawrence Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol utilized drones and other technology to gain access into the residence.The tools did allow officers to determine the woman was deceased. After several hours of phone communication, law enforcement lost contact with the suspect, and they continued to use technological tools to try to re-establish contact with him or identify his status inside the house to take him into custody on an arrest warrant.Sheriff Armbrister said as part of the investigation there were concerns about a possible threat of explosives inside the residence, which was part of the reason why officers acted methodically over several hours.Just before 4:30 p.m. Friday the Kansas Highway Patrol made entry into the residence and found Benjamin deceased.Detectives and investigators processed the scene Friday evening.

Sheriff IDs two who died after standoff at rural Kansas home

NEW YORK (AP) — A Marine veteran who used a chokehold on an agitated subway rider was acquitted on Monday in a death&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-subway-chokehold-daniel-penny-jordan-neely-4ccbcc2442a39e90d1271907dc4fd35c">that became a prism</a>&nbsp;for differing views about public safety, valor and vigilantism.

A Manhattan jury cleared Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in Jordan Neely’s 2023 death. A more serious&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-nyc-subway-chokehold-death-trial-e7db3b52395aa61a80adbac5cf8ea9b4">manslaughter charge was dismissed</a>&nbsp;earlier in deliberations because the jury deadlocked on that count.

Both charges were felonies and carried the possibility of prison time.

Penny, who had shown little expression during the trial, briefly smiled as the verdict was read. Both applause and anger erupted in the courtroom, and Neely's father and two supporters were told to leave after making various remarks — including vulgarities from one of the supporters. Another person also left, wailing with tears.

Penny’s lawyers said he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-subway-chokehold-death-jordan-neely-fdbfcaf48fa0ae91624663ee70bd568f">protecting himself and other subway passengers</a>&nbsp;from a volatile, mentally ill man who was making alarming remarks and gestures.

The case amplified many American fault lines, among them race, politics, crime, urban life, mental illness and homelessness. Neely was Black. Penny is white.

There were sometimes&nbsp;<a href="https://abc7ny.com/daniel-penny-nassau-county-subway-chokehold-death/13293613/">dueling demonstrations</a>&nbsp;outside the courthouse, and high-profile&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-republicans-subway-chokehold-death-be39b29eef4529bf996c13ec5bcd22ef">Republican politicians portrayed Penny as a hero</a>&nbsp;while prominent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-neely-daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-funeral-1bc99d85bc399c4e22a07039876a24d4">Democrats attended Neely’s funeral</a>.

Penny, 26, served four years in the Marines and went on to study architecture.

Neely, 30, was a sometime subway performer with a tragic life story: His mother was killed and stuffed in a suitcase when he was a teenager.

As a younger man, Neely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.curbed.com/2023/05/jordan-neelys-life-as-a-michael-jackson-impersonator.html">did Michael Jackson tributes</a>&nbsp;— complete with moonwalks — on the city’s streets and subways. But Neely also struggled with mental illness after losing his mother, whose boyfriend was convicted of murdering her.

Hospitalized for depression at age 14, Neely later was diagnosed with schizophrenia that at times made him hallucinate and become paranoid, according to medical records seen at the trial. Neely also used the synthetic cannabinoid K2 and realized it negatively affected his thinking and behavior, according to a 2019 hospital record. The drug was in his system when he died.

Neely told a doctor in 2017 that being homeless, living in poverty and having to “dig through the garbage” for food made him feel so worthless and hopeless that he sometimes thought of killing himself, hospital records show.

About six years later, he boarded a subway under Manhattan on May 1, 2023, hurled his jacket onto the floor, and declared that he was hungry and thirsty and didn’t care if he died or went to jail, witnesses said. Some told 911 operators that he tried to attack people or indicated he’d harm riders, and several testified that they were afraid.

Neely was unarmed, with nothing but a muffin in his pocket, and didn’t touch any passengers on the train. One rider said he made lunging movements that alarmed her enough that she shielded her 5-year-old from him.

Penny, who was on his way from a college class to the gym, came up behind Neely, grabbed his neck, took him to the floor and “put him out,” as he told police at the scene.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-47250fa1d6efb00cb7463ff9b6566edd">Passengers' video</a>&nbsp;showed that at one point during the roughly six-minute hold, Neely tapped an onlooker’s leg and gestured to him. At another juncture, Neely briefly got an arm free. But he went still nearly a minute before Penny released him.

“He’s dying,” an unseen bystander said in the background of one video. “Let him go!”

A witness who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-nyc-subway-chokehold-3f5adc56d065cfdfaae2e0e77974591e">stepped in to hold down Neely’s arms</a>&nbsp;testified that he told Penny to free the man, though Penny’s lawyers noted the witness’ story changed significantly over time.

Penny told detectives shortly after the encounter that Neely threatened to kill people and the chokehold was an attempt to “de-escalate” the situation until police could arrive. The veteran said he held on after the train stopped because he wasn’t sure the doors were open and Neely periodically squirmed.

“I wasn’t trying to injure him. I’m just trying to keep him from hurting anyone else. He’s threatening people. That’s what we learn in the Marine Corps,” Penny told the detectives, who had read him his rights.

However, a Marine Corps combat instructor — who trained Penny —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-manhattan-da-dc33e039f156ae4e4235e1ad36e40c11">testified that the veteran misused</a>&nbsp;a chokehold technique he’d been taught.

Prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-neely-2ac2a4bce3ec74382722e9ac0e694283">said Penny reacted far too forcefully</a>&nbsp;to someone he perceived as a peril, not a person. Prosecutors also argue that any need to protect passengers quickly ebbed when the train doors opened at the next station, seconds after Penny took action.

Although Penny himself told police he’d used “a choke” or “a chokehold,” one of his lawyers, Steven Raiser, cast it as a Marine-taught chokehold “modified as a simple civilian restraint.” The defense lawyers contended that Penny didn’t consistently apply enough pressure to kill Neely, and they brought their own forensic pathologist to the stand to buttress their claim.

Contradicting a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-436b3a5c79e9dbd34b351c4f3a2ac302">city medical examiner’s finding</a>, the defense pathologist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-436b3a5c79e9dbd34b351c4f3a2ac302">said Neely died not from the chokehold</a>&nbsp;but from the combined effects of K2, schizophrenia, his struggle and restraint, and a blood condition that can lead to fatal complications during exertion.

Penny&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-baa405c05dae9b45f5587bb1198c3a3d">did not testify</a>, but several of his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-death-subway-trial-cdd41bc26d2174e54715de7f3567f5ff">relatives, friends</a>&nbsp;and fellow Marines did — describing him as an upstanding, patriotic and empathetic man.

The manslaughter charge would have required proving a defendant recklessly caused another person’s death. Criminally negligent homicide involves engaging in serious “blameworthy conduct” while not perceiving such a risk.

While the criminal trial played out, Neely’s father&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-nyc-subway-chokehold-death-trial-3d9135d106cfc32ac310267569562a36">filed a wrongful death suit</a>&nbsp;against Penny.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733491572265.png" alt="Daniel Penny-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Daniel Penny-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A Marine veteran who used a chokehold on an agitated subway rider was acquitted on Monday in a death&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-subway-chokehold-daniel-penny-jordan-neely-4ccbcc2442a39e90d1271907dc4fd35c">that became a prism</a>&nbsp;for differing views about public safety, valor and vigilantism.A Manhattan jury cleared Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in Jordan Neely’s 2023 death. A more serious&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-nyc-subway-chokehold-death-trial-e7db3b52395aa61a80adbac5cf8ea9b4">manslaughter charge was dismissed</a>&nbsp;earlier in deliberations because the jury deadlocked on that count.Both charges were felonies and carried the possibility of prison time.Penny, who had shown little expression during the trial, briefly smiled as the verdict was read. Both applause and anger erupted in the courtroom, and Neely's father and two supporters were told to leave after making various remarks — including vulgarities from one of the supporters. Another person also left, wailing with tears.Penny’s lawyers said he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-subway-chokehold-death-jordan-neely-fdbfcaf48fa0ae91624663ee70bd568f">protecting himself and other subway passengers</a>&nbsp;from a volatile, mentally ill man who was making alarming remarks and gestures.The case amplified many American fault lines, among them race, politics, crime, urban life, mental illness and homelessness. Neely was Black. Penny is white.There were sometimes&nbsp;<a href="https://abc7ny.com/daniel-penny-nassau-county-subway-chokehold-death/13293613/">dueling demonstrations</a>&nbsp;outside the courthouse, and high-profile&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-republicans-subway-chokehold-death-be39b29eef4529bf996c13ec5bcd22ef">Republican politicians portrayed Penny as a hero</a>&nbsp;while prominent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-neely-daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-funeral-1bc99d85bc399c4e22a07039876a24d4">Democrats attended Neely’s funeral</a>.Penny, 26, served four years in the Marines and went on to study architecture.Neely, 30, was a sometime subway performer with a tragic life story: His mother was killed and stuffed in a suitcase when he was a teenager.As a younger man, Neely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.curbed.com/2023/05/jordan-neelys-life-as-a-michael-jackson-impersonator.html">did Michael Jackson tributes</a>&nbsp;— complete with moonwalks — on the city’s streets and subways. But Neely also struggled with mental illness after losing his mother, whose boyfriend was convicted of murdering her.Hospitalized for depression at age 14, Neely later was diagnosed with schizophrenia that at times made him hallucinate and become paranoid, according to medical records seen at the trial. Neely also used the synthetic cannabinoid K2 and realized it negatively affected his thinking and behavior, according to a 2019 hospital record. The drug was in his system when he died.Neely told a doctor in 2017 that being homeless, living in poverty and having to “dig through the garbage” for food made him feel so worthless and hopeless that he sometimes thought of killing himself, hospital records show.About six years later, he boarded a subway under Manhattan on May 1, 2023, hurled his jacket onto the floor, and declared that he was hungry and thirsty and didn’t care if he died or went to jail, witnesses said. Some told 911 operators that he tried to attack people or indicated he’d harm riders, and several testified that they were afraid.Neely was unarmed, with nothing but a muffin in his pocket, and didn’t touch any passengers on the train. One rider said he made lunging movements that alarmed her enough that she shielded her 5-year-old from him.Penny, who was on his way from a college class to the gym, came up behind Neely, grabbed his neck, took him to the floor and “put him out,” as he told police at the scene.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-47250fa1d6efb00cb7463ff9b6566edd">Passengers' video</a>&nbsp;showed that at one point during the roughly six-minute hold, Neely tapped an onlooker’s leg and gestured to him. At another juncture, Neely briefly got an arm free. But he went still nearly a minute before Penny released him.“He’s dying,” an unseen bystander said in the background of one video. “Let him go!”A witness who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-nyc-subway-chokehold-3f5adc56d065cfdfaae2e0e77974591e">stepped in to hold down Neely’s arms</a>&nbsp;testified that he told Penny to free the man, though Penny’s lawyers noted the witness’ story changed significantly over time.Penny told detectives shortly after the encounter that Neely threatened to kill people and the chokehold was an attempt to “de-escalate” the situation until police could arrive. The veteran said he held on after the train stopped because he wasn’t sure the doors were open and Neely periodically squirmed.“I wasn’t trying to injure him. I’m just trying to keep him from hurting anyone else. He’s threatening people. That’s what we learn in the Marine Corps,” Penny told the detectives, who had read him his rights.However, a Marine Corps combat instructor — who trained Penny —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-manhattan-da-dc33e039f156ae4e4235e1ad36e40c11">testified that the veteran misused</a>&nbsp;a chokehold technique he’d been taught.Prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-neely-2ac2a4bce3ec74382722e9ac0e694283">said Penny reacted far too forcefully</a>&nbsp;to someone he perceived as a peril, not a person. Prosecutors also argue that any need to protect passengers quickly ebbed when the train doors opened at the next station, seconds after Penny took action.Although Penny himself told police he’d used “a choke” or “a chokehold,” one of his lawyers, Steven Raiser, cast it as a Marine-taught chokehold “modified as a simple civilian restraint.” The defense lawyers contended that Penny didn’t consistently apply enough pressure to kill Neely, and they brought their own forensic pathologist to the stand to buttress their claim.Contradicting a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-436b3a5c79e9dbd34b351c4f3a2ac302">city medical examiner’s finding</a>, the defense pathologist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-436b3a5c79e9dbd34b351c4f3a2ac302">said Neely died not from the chokehold</a>&nbsp;but from the combined effects of K2, schizophrenia, his struggle and restraint, and a blood condition that can lead to fatal complications during exertion.Penny&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-subway-chokehold-death-trial-baa405c05dae9b45f5587bb1198c3a3d">did not testify</a>, but several of his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-death-subway-trial-cdd41bc26d2174e54715de7f3567f5ff">relatives, friends</a>&nbsp;and fellow Marines did — describing him as an upstanding, patriotic and empathetic man.The manslaughter charge would have required proving a defendant recklessly caused another person’s death. Criminally negligent homicide involves engaging in serious “blameworthy conduct” while not perceiving such a risk.While the criminal trial played out, Neely’s father&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daniel-penny-nyc-subway-chokehold-death-trial-3d9135d106cfc32ac310267569562a36">filed a wrongful death suit</a>&nbsp;against Penny.