EDGEWATER, Fla. – Three people died on Monday after a hostage situation turned into a double homicide-suicide at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Edgewater, police said.
Edgewater police said an armed suspect, identified as 49-year-old Quinton Francis Hunter, took a woman hostage in the 500 block of North Ridgewood Avenue near New Smyrna Beach.
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Police said they were informed at approximately 7 pm that a man had been shot at Bridge the Gap — a nonprofit organization — and a woman was being held hostage. Authorities identified the two as Ian Greenfield, 59, and Erica Hoffman, 33.
“It appears from the timeline we have that he had already shot Mr. Greenfield and he’d already fired several other shots before he went live. But he made no comment. He wouldn’t communicate with us. It was just heavy breathing,” police said at a news briefing Tuesday morning.
A hostage situation Monday at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Edgewater ended with three people dead, police said.
Others at the meeting ran away and were not injured, according to police. Police said about 20 people escaped the meeting as the hostage situation continued. During the update, Edgewater police said the shooting is believed to be domestic in nature.
Police said the suspect was the ex-boyfriend of Hoffman and they believed she had “formed a new relationship” with Greenfield.
“Mr. Greenfield and Miss Hoffman create some kind of relationship — they didn’t put a label on it right now — but there was a new friendship and we’re working on the details to see if that was the entire motive of Mr. Hunter.. .jealousy. But I don’t know that yet. There’s still a lot of investigating we have to do,” Edgewater police said at a news conference.
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Police attempted to negotiate with the hostage-taker but were unsuccessful. A SWAT team later entered the building and found three people dead, including the suspect, police said.
According to investigators, Greenfield and Hoffman were found with apparent gunshot wounds and lacerations. Hunter appeared to have shot and killed himself, investigators said.
An armed suspect took a woman hostage in Edgewater Monday evening, leading to road closures and three deaths, according to the Edgewater Police Department.
An investigation is ongoing.
North Ridgewood Avenue was closed in both directions for hours during the standoff.
According to the Narcotics Anonymous website, “NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem.”
The organization issued the following statement after the shooting Monday night:
This is the back side of the building where a deadly standoff took place late last night in Edgewater.
The viability of a tunnel stretching nearly 12 kilometers from Bald Hills to Kedron and costing at least $9.5 billion is being investigated.
Key points:
A study has found congestion in the city’s north-west is costing $312 million per year
The $10 million study was funded by the federal government
Two tunnels and a bus network were costed as a part of the study
The six-lane tunnel, which would connect with the Airport Link, was part of the outcome of a $10 million federally-funded study undertaken over two years by Brisbane City Council.
It found northern Brisbane’s annual congestion and public transport crowding was costing $312 million per year.
That would rise to $538.5 million by 2031 and $859 million by 2041.
The study found significant community opposition towards any surface road or rail development through the North West Transport Corridor, which had been reserved by the state government since the 1980s.
The North West Transport Corridor runs from Everton Park to Carseldine and is owned by the Queensland Government.(Supplied: Brisbane City Council)
Stretching from Carseldine to Alderley and including the Chermside Hills Reserve, the land was a “significant biodiversity corridor” likely to contain a number of observed threatened species, the study.
The North West Transport Network study investigated several underground alternatives, including a motorway and heavy rail option, as well as complementary above-ground bus and active transport solutions.
Bus network, another tunnel costed
Brisbane Civic Cabinet Chair for Infrastructure Andrew Wines said all levels of government needed to work together on transport solutions for Brisbane’s north.
“This study demonstrates that doing nothing isn’t an option,” Mr Wines said.
“Brisbane is the fastest growing capital city in the country and our northern neighbors in Moreton Bay are also growing quickly.
The study also assessed building a complementary Bus Rapid Transport system along Gympie Road from the Northern Busway at Kedron to Aspley at a cost of between $758 million and $1.1 billion.
A longer-term option of extending the underground motorway with an 11 kilometer tunnel from McDowall to Toowong by 2041 was also considered.
That tunnel was cost at between $7.8 billion and $11.5 billion.
Brisbane City Council Labor leader Jared Cassidy said Brisbane’s LNP council had announced a multi-billion dollar proposal “without saying when it will be funded”.
“It’s a bit rich for [Brisbane Mayor] Adrian Schrinner to put forward a multi-billion dollar proposal when his administration can’t even complete their own projects,” Mr Cassidy said.
“If this LNP administration can’t finish the North Brisbane Bikeway – how can it propose a multi-billion dollar plan for this North West motorway?
He said it was a proposal for a tolled tunnel.
“This is a backflip from the LNP,” he said.
“It is there in black and white – that the North West motorway will have tolled options considered.
“This plan is meant to be a missing link for the motorway network – but this council is missing the mark.”
Call for government cooperation
Mr Wines said the study had been sent to the federal and state governments, as well as Infrastructure Australia, for consideration.
“Clearly what has been put forward in this study is far beyond the means of local government,” he said.
“We are eager to talk further with the state and federal government about these proposals and hear about any other ideas they might have to deal with northern Brisbane’s transport needs.”
He said the study showed the economic cost of north Brisbane’s congestion would be $1.5 million a day within a decade which was “totally unacceptable”.
One person was injured after a vehicle overturned on Interstate 80 north of Auburn, authorities said. The area is now seeing significant traffic delays. The incident happened Sunday afternoon on the westbound lanes of the highway near Clipper Gap in Placer County, Caltrans said on social media. Clipper Gap is between Auburn and Colfax. One person was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries, according to Placer Hills Fire Protection District on social media. Photos from the district show a vehicle blocking most of the road. Placer authorities said westbound lanes were initially closed but are now reopened. They do warn that traffic is still moving slowly. Follow our real-time traffic map for the latest.(App users, click here to see a real-time traffic map.)It’s unclear how the trailer overturned. No other details were released. The California Highway Patrol, Placer County Sheriff’s Office and local first responders also responded to the crash. This is a developing story, stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.
PLACER COUNTY, Calif. —
One person was injured after a vehicle overturned on Interstate 80 north of Auburn, authorities said. The area is now seeing significant traffic delays.
The incident happened Sunday afternoon on the westbound lanes of the highway near Clipper Gap in Placer County, Caltrans said on social media. Clipper Gap is between Auburn and Colfax.
One person was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries, according to Placer Hills Fire Protection District on social media. Photos from the district show a vehicle blocking most of the road.
This content is imported from Facebook. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Placer authorities said westbound lanes were initially closed but are now reopened. They do warn that traffic is still moving slowly.
Follow our real-time traffic map for the latest.
(App users, click here to see a real-time traffic map.)
It’s unclear how the trailer overturned. No other details were released.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
#TrafficAlert: I-80 WB is CLOSED near Clipper Gap due to an incident involving an overturned camper trailer. Traffic is being diverted off I-80 at the Clipper Gap off-ramp to local roads. There is no ETO. pic.twitter.com/3R2tmTEC4V
Brisbane’s CBD was hit by transport chaos on Wednesday morning, with roadworks and several accidents causing delays of up to 45 minutes.
Translink informed commuters that all CBD buses were delayed due to congestion, with some passengers told their buses would divert to nearby train stations due to a “massive backlog into the city”.
A section of Adelaide Street between North Quay and George streets was closed for safety reasons, according to a statement from Brisbane City Council (BCC).
“Emergency roadworks” contributed to the delays. (ABC News: Michael Rennie)
“This decision was made for safety reasons after a contractor reported an issue with tunneling works beneath Adelaide Street for the Brisbane Metro project,” Brisbane Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport Ryan Murphy said.
Mr Murphy said no-one was injured and further updates would be provided as they became available.
Some commuters were stuck in buses for more than an hour while others were turned away from boarding buses in some locations.
Police motorbikes have been dispatched to Adelaide Street and George Street in an attempt to get traffic flowing.
There have been complaints of drivers blocking intersections, exacerbating the issue.
Firefighters battle a wildfire from the ground as a helicopter drops water above them in Springville on Monday. The fire started when a man tried to burn a spider with a lighter, police said. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SPRINGVILLE — A wildfire near Springville, which police say was started by a man who claimed he was trying to kill a spider Monday afternoon, is now 90% contained, according to firefighters.
Cory Allan Martin, 26, of Draper, was arrested Monday evening for investigation of reckless burning, as well as possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, according to Utah County Jail records.
Reports of a fire “north of town on the mountainside” came in just before 5 pm, Springville fire officials said. Utah County sheriff’s deputies also responded to a report of the fire, which was located by the Bonneville Shoreline Trail near 1400 N. Main in Springville.
When deputies arrived, firefighters at the scene said they had come across a man who said that he started the fire. The crews escorted him down the mountain to speak with authorities. The man identified himself as Martin and explained that he saw a spider on the mountain and tried to burn it with a lighter, according to a police booking affidavit.
“When he attempted to burn the spider, the surrounding brush ignited and the fire began spreading very rapidly,” the affidavit states.
Martin was arrested at the scene and placed in a squad car. Deputies later found a jar of marijuana and drug paraphernalia while searching his belongings, the arrest report adds.
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️”He was also found to be in possession of drugs and paraphernalia, so he will be booked for those charges as well.”
Um, don’t do drugs kids (and don’t start spiders on fire during a drought). https://t.co/dD4ekBQ1LA
The fire quickly grew to 40 fires in size Monday evening; it had burned about 60 acres of US Forest Service land within the Pleasant Grove Ranger District as of Tuesday morning, according to Utah Fire Info, an information center for state and federal firefighters.
Two crews, one squad and one engine, were assigned to the fire Tuesday. Firefighters said they expected “containment to drastically increase” by the end of Tuesday’s shift, and it improved from 10% to 90%.
Officials asked residents to avoid the area to “help open the roads for emergency vehicles.”
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is also temporarily closed between the Buckley Draw and Little Rock Creek as crews continue to fight the fire.
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Arianne Brown is a breaking news reporter for KSL.com. She also enjoys finding and sharing stories of everyday Utahns, a talent she developed over several years of freelance writing for various Utah news outlets.
Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com. He previously worked for the Deseret News. He is a Utah transplant by the way of Rochester, New York.
A tree has fallen on two cars in Ballajura on Tuesday morning, causing peak hour chaos as the once-in-a-year storm continues to rage through Perth.
Emergency services were called to the crash along Hepburn Avenue eastbound, after Marangaroo Drive about 6.30am, after two cars were struck by the tree.
Firefighters and western power are at the crash site working to clear the cars and debris from the road.
Everyone was evacuated from the cars and no serious injuries were reported.
Traffic remains heavy on approach and motorists are advised to seek an alternate route and expect delays.
Main Roads WA tweeted the crash about 7am, stating the right lane is blocked in the area and drivers should take caution.
It comes as thousands are without power across the State, with emergency services busy clearing failed power lines and trees blocking roads.
More than 155 calls for help were received by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services overnight.
The Bureau of Meteorology released a statement Tuesday morning stating the “series of strong cold fronts” will continue across the State until Wednesday.
“Thunderstorms and gale force winds exceeding 90km/h are expected for parts of the region,” the statement read.
“This weather system is expected to be windier and longer lasting than a typical front and is likely to produce the kind of weather that is only seen about once per year.”
Cape Leeuwin recorded a dangerous wind gust of 137km/h on Monday night, while Bickley recorded a gusty 117km/h on Tuesday morning.
Cape Naturaliste recorded 111km/h winds, Gingin Airport 109km/h, Shark Bay airport 107km/h, and the Busselton Jetty 100km/h.
The risky WA roads motorists fear the most have been revealed, with Farrall Road in Midvale — the scene of a horrific accident where a 15-year-old boy was killed as he waited to cross the road with his friends — topping the list.
The road where Kayden McPhee was struck by a drunk driver in 2018 was identified as the city’s most dangerous by respondents to an RAC survey.
Kayden McPhee. Credit: Supplied by family/SUPPLIED
Your local paper, whenever you want it.
The 48-year-old driver Biju Paulose pleaded guilty to a string of charges, including unlawfully killing Kayden, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm under the influence of alcohol and failing to stop to render assistance.
Kayden was taken to hospital but died nine days later from head injuries after his family made the decision to switch off his life support. His 16-year-old friend of him suffered life-threatening injuries and a 12-year-old was lucky to escape unscathed.
Orton Road, Byford, the scene of another fatal smash in 2020, also made the list for its poor road surface quality and lack of traffic separation.
A 26-year-old man was killed when an Acco rubbish truck collided with the Holden Commodore sedan he was driving near the intersection of Orton and Hopkinson Roads.
Farral Road. Credit: Stewart Allen/RAC
At the time, it was the second crash at the same intersection in two weeks, with locals labeling it a “death trap” on social media.
The RAC survey received more than 10,000 nominations from residents identifying streets and intersections in desperate need of safety upgrades.
Mitchell Freeway. Credit: Stewart Allen/RAC
RAC General Manager External Relations Will Golsby said the survey shone a spotlight on safety issues that were often overlooked.
“Driving or cycling to work shouldn’t be a stressful or dangerous experience, but unfortunately that’s the reality for many in Perth,” he said.
“This survey result shows there’s an urgent need for safety treatments across metropolitan Perth.
Neaves Road. Credit: Stewart Allen/RAC
“There are some great opportunities for low-cost intersection upgrades and better walking and cycling paths.”
Other city roads to appear in the top 10 risky roads include Mitchell Freeway southbound in West Perth, the scene of a smash in December last year that killed one person, injured two others, and led to hours of gridlock.
Respondents also slammed the confusing layout of the Canning Highway interchange on Kwinana Freeway southbound.
The regional road considered WA’s riskiest was the stretch of South Western Highway between Bunbury and Walpole — also picked up in a previous survey — criticized for its narrowness, tight curves and blind crests and lack of overtaking opportunities.
The intersection of Marmion Avenue and Seacrest Drive in the beachside suburb of Sorrento topped the list of Perth’s riskiest road junctions, with residents calling for traffic lights or a roundabout.
Marmion Avenue and Seacrest Drive. Credit: Stewart Allen/RAC
An intersection in Albany, between Albany Highway and South Coast Highway was named worst in the regions.
Mr Golsby said the RAC would work with government and road safety agencies to find solutions to ultimately reduce the impact of road trauma.
“Someone is killed or seriously injured on our roads every five hours,” he said.
“That’s why the feedback from this campaign is so important – it will continue to amplify our calls for safer roads across Perth.”
Road Safety Commission figures show there have been 80 deaths on WA roads in the past 12 months.
Broward Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Richard Van Der Eems describes the scene he encountered at the school after the mass shooting as he testifies during the penalty phase trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz, Friday, July 22, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Mike Stocker, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Few Americans outside law enforcement and government ever see the most graphic videos or photos from the nation’s worst mass shootings — in most states, such evidence is only displayed at trial and most such killers die during or immediately after their attacks . They never make it to court.
That has made the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz for his 2018 murder of 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School unusual.
As the worst US mass shooting to reach trial, the surveillance videos taken during his attack and the crime scene and autopsy photos that show its horrific aftermath are being seen by jurors on shielded video screens and, after each day’s court session, shown to a small group of journalists. But they are not shown in the gallery, where parents and spouses sit, or to the general public watching on TV.
Some online believe that should change — that to have an informed debate on gun violence, the public should see the carnage mass shooters like Cruz cause, often with high-velocity bullets fired from AR-15 semiautomatic rifles and similar weapons.
Others disagree. They say the public display of such videos and photos would add to the harm the victims’ families already endure and might entice some who are mentally disturbed to commit their own mass shooting. They believe such evidence should remain sealed.
Liz Dunning, a vice president at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, doesn’t believe releasing such videos and photos would have the political impact some think. Polls show that most Americans already support stronger background checks for gun buyers and bans or restrictions on AR-15s and similar weapons, said Dunning, whose mother was murdered by a gunman.
“Public perception is not the issue,” Dunning said. “We should be asking more of the powerful.”
Since most of the worst US mass shooters were killed by themselves or police during or immediately after their attack, it is rare for anyone outside government to see such surveillance videos or police and autopsy photos. The public didn’t see such evidence after the Las Vegas shooting in 2017, Orlando in 2016, Sandy Hook in 2012, Virginia Tech in 2007 and others.
Medical Examiner Dr. Wendolyn Sneed describes the wounds of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School victims as she testifies in the penalty phase of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz’s trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Monday, July 25 (Photo: Carline Jean, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
But Cruz, 23, fled after his shooting and was arrested an hour later. He pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of his first-degree murder-his trial is only to determine if he is sentenced to death or life without parole. The videos and photos are part of the prosecution’s case.
Since the trial began July 18, everyone in the courtroom and watching on TV has seen and heard heartbreaking testimony from teachers and students who saw others die. They have heard the gunshots and screams as jurors watched cellphone videos.
But when graphic videos and photos are presented, those are not shown. Usually, they only hear medical examiners and police officers give emotionless descriptions of what the jury is seeing.
Then at the end of each day, a group of reporters reviews the photos and videos, but are only allowed to write descriptions. That was a compromise as some parents feared photos of their dead children would be posted online and wanted no media access.
Miami media attorney Thomas Julin said in Florida before the internet, any photos or other evidence presented at trial could be seen and copied by anyone. Newspapers didn’t print the most thick photos, so no one cared.
But in the mid-1990s as the internet boomed, Danny Rolling faced a death penalty trial for the serial murders of four University of Florida students and a community college student. The victims’ families argued that the publication of crime scene photos would cause them emotional harm. The judge ruled that anyone could view the photos, but no one could copy them. Such compromises have since become standard in Florida’s high-profile murder trials.
The surveillance video of the Stoneman Douglas shooting is silent. It shows Cruz moving methodically from floor-to-floor in a three-story classroom building, shooting down hallways and into classrooms. Victims fall. Cruz often stops and shoots them again before moving on.
The crime scene photos show the dead where they fell, sometimes on top of or next to each other, often in contorted shapes. Blood and sometimes brain matter are splattered on floors and walls.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz is led into the courtroom during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Monday, July 25. (Photo: Carline Jean, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via P.A.)
The autopsy photos show the damage Cruz and his bullets did. Some victims have massive head wounds. One student had his elbow blown off, another had her shoulder blown open. Another of her had most of her forearm of her ripped away.
Yet, despite their grossness, Columbia University journalism professor Bruce Shapiro says most autopsy and crime scene photos wouldn’t have a lasting public impact because they don’t have context.
The photos and videos that have a strong effect on public opinion tell a story, said Shapiro, who runs the university’s think tank on how journalists should cover violence.
The photos of Emmett Till’s battered body lying in its coffin after the Black teenager was tortured and killed by Mississippi white supremacists in 1955. Mary Ann Vecchio screaming over Kent State student Jeffrey Miller’s body after he was shot by National Guard troops in 1970. Vietnamese child Phan Thi Kim Phuc running naked after being burned by a napalm bomb in 1972. The video of police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck until he’s dead in 2020.
“They work not just because they are graphic, but because they are powerful, stirring images,” Shapiro said.
And even if the graphic photos and videos were released, most major newspapers, wire services and television stations would be hesitant to use them. Their editors weigh whether the public benefit of seeing an image outweighs any prurient interest — and they usually pass.
That would leave most for only the most salacious websites. They would also become fodder for potential mass shooters, who frequently research past killers. cross did; testimony showed he spent the seven months before his attack making hundreds of computer searches about committing massacres.
“The images of the carnage will become part of their dark fantasy life,” Shapiro said.
Peak-hour traffic has been hit across the metropolitan area by several incidents as heavy rain causes widespread delays.
Motorists northbound on Kwinana Freeway need to be extra careful on the approach to South Terrace in Como with the left lane blocked after an accident.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.
Main Roads have warned of slow traffic in the area.
There have also been a number of breakdowns across the metropolitan area, with the right lane blocked on Tonkin Highway northbound after Roe Highway in Kewdale.
Traffic is slow on approach, with visibility in the wet also hampered.
Traffic is also slow on Tonkin Highway southbound prior to Morley Drive in Morley after a breakdown.
Tow trucks are dealing with the issue in the left emergency lane.
There has been a truck breakdown on the Kwinana Freeway in South Perth.
Emergency services have closed the left lane prior to Mill Point Road.
And Main Roads have warned holidaymakers heading to Perth Airport to allow extra travel time with roadworks closing Tonkin Highway from Great Eastern Highway to Dunreath Drive for bridge removal and construction.
The works started at 4am on Monday, with motorists told to seek alternative routes.
Thick smoke is also making driving difficult on Mitchell Freeway between Neerabup Road and Hester Avenue.
With reduced visibility in the area, motorists have been told to switch on their headlights and take extreme caution.
The latest incidents come after a crash on Kwinana Freeway in Baldivis prior to Karnup Road caused delays on Sunday night.
With wet weather to continue throughout Monday and into Tuesday, motorists across Perth have been warned to stay vigilant, switch on headlights and ensure a safe braking distance to the vehicle in front.
