Lauren Heike murder: Zion William Teasley arrested after Arizona hiker found dead by 6500 block of East Libby Street, Phoenix, AZ - WLS-TV

22-year-old Zion William Teasley booked for 1st-degree murder

Friday, May 5, 2023 4:47PM

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- An arrest has been made in the killing of a woman found dead after an attack along an Arizona hiking trail, police said, CNN reported.

Zion William Teasley, 22, was arrested Thursday evening, Sgt. Melissa Soliz of the Phoenix Police Department said.

Teasley has been charged with first-degree murder. The arrest came less than a week after Lauren Heike, 29, was found dead along a desert-area hiking trail in northeast Phoenix.

Heike was out for a hike Friday morning when she was fatally attacked from behind, Phoenix Police Homicide Lt. James Hester said at a news conference Wednesday. He declined to provide details on Heike's injuries or her cause of death.

Her body was found Saturday morning near the 6500 block of East Libby Street, police said.

Heike's mother, who was at the news conference Wednesday, described her daughter as "beautiful inside and out."

"She had such a kind heart, everybody who met her loved her," Lana Heike said.

Teasley is the same person seen running in a short surveillance clip released during the investigation, Soliz said.

The man in the video was described as being between 5-foot-8 and 6-feet tall. He was wearing dark clothing and a backpack.

ABC News contributed to this report.

(The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.)

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North Carolina abortion: 12-week ban likely despite governor's veto threat - BBC

Reuters

By Max Matza

BBC News

North Carolina Republican lawmakers have passed a law that would ban abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the statehouse, meaning they can override a veto threat from the state's Democratic governor.

The move comes as conservatives move to strip away abortion rights after the Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion in June.

Near-total abortion bans have been passed by 14 states after the ruling.

Currently, abortion is banned in North Carolina after 20 weeks of gestation.

The Care for Women, Children and Families Act was passed by the state Senate 29 - 20 along party lines on Thursday, one day after the state House of Representatives passed it along similar party lines.

Protesters shouting "abortion rights now" were cleared from the Senate chamber by police as the vote was held.

The legislation now goes to Governor Roy Cooper, who has vowed to veto "this extreme ban".

"This bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning their reproductive freedom," the governor tweeted on Thursday.

Republicans gained their veto-proof supermajority of both chambers last month after a Democrat who had previously vowed to protect abortion switched her party affiliation to Republican.

Congresswoman Tricia Cotham voted in favour of the bill after promising last year to "continue my strong record of defending the right to choose".

Despite the Republican supermajority, Gov Cooper on Thursday tweeted: "We only need one Republican in either the House or Senate to help sustain the veto of this dangerous abortion ban".

He appealed to voters to hold lawmakers that campaigned on protecting abortion access accountable.

Speaking to CNN, he said he would work to over the next week to try and gather support to uphold the veto.

The new ban contains exceptions in the case of rape and incest through 20 weeks of pregnancy, or in the event of a "life-limiting anomaly" through 24 weeks.

It also allows doctors to perform an abortion if the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother, and permits medical providers to refuse an abortion "on moral, ethical, or religious grounds".

It also requires a doctor to examine a woman in person before prescribing abortion-inducing medications and bans people from mailing the drugs to a pregnant person.

• What comes next for the abortion pill in the US?

North Carolina has been a form of safe haven to women in southern states, which have mostly moved to ban the procedure.

In the two months after the Supreme Court's ruling, abortion rose by 37% in North Carolina - more than any other state - according to the Society of Family Planning, a non-profit that advocates for abortion rights and research.

The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has praised the North Carolina bill, saying it will "lessen abortion tourism in the state".

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the commonly used abortion pill mifepristone is being challenged in the lower courts.

Related Topics

• Abortion
• Women
• North Carolina
• US abortion debate

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Carlos Dominguez arrested in connection with stabbings near UC Davis campus - CBS News

An arrest has been made in connection with a string of stabbings near UC Davis in California, police announced Thursday. 

Carlos Dominguez, 21, had been taken into custody Wednesday and was formally arrested a day later after allegedly admitting to at least one of the stabbings, CBS Sacramento reported, but police would not confirm if that was true.

About 15 people called police Wednesday to report seeing a person who matched the suspect's description in Sycamore Park where one of the stabbings occurred. After he was taken into custody, detectives interviewed the suspect for "many hours," Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said Thursday. He was initially arrested around 1:20 a.m. local time for possessing a large knife that he had on him when he was taken into custody. At around 1 p.m. local time Thursday, he was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, Pytel said.

Police said that when Dominguez was taken into custody he was still wearing the same clothes that he had been seen wearing during the third stabbing attack, which took place two days earlier. "That's highly unusual," Pytel noted.  

Dominguez was a student at UC Davis until last week, Pytel said. UC Davis said in a statement shortly after Thursday's press conference that Dominguez was in his third year at the school but was "separated for academic reasons" on April 25. 

Dominguez had been living in Davis for several years, police said.

Police were searching his residence Thursday afternoon and "significant and related evidence has already been discovered," Davis police said in a statement. Police also questioned several other people who live at the residence, who "provided us information," Pytel said.

Police were still investigating a possible motive and it was not clear if Dominguez knew any of the victims, Pytel said. When asked if he would consider Dominguez a serial killer, Pytel said, that definition "would apply." 

Pytel said he was not aware if Dominguez had any previous criminal history.

At least three people were stabbed, two fatally, near the campus of UC Davis within the last two weeks. The body of 50-year-old David Breaux was found with multiple stab wounds on April 27 in a local park. 

Two days later, UC Davis student Karim Abou-Najm, 20, was killed in a different park about a mile north of campus. Abou-Najm was killed while biking home from an academic award ceremony on campus, CBS Sacramento reported. It is believed that the suspect fled the scene on Abou-Najm's bike, according to CBS Sacramento.

One person witnessed the stabbing and saw the suspect flee, Pytel said Thursday. Police began a search that night, but could not find the suspect. Police did recover the bike outside the park that same night, deputy chief Todd Henry said Thursday.

Police on Monday then found a woman, identified Thursday by police as Kimberly, suffering from multiple stab wounds at a homeless encampment near the college campus. Pytel said Thursday that Dominguez appeared to have slashed open her tent and stabbed her multiple times. She was treated at the scene and then taken to a local hospital, where she was in critical condition, CBS Sacramento reported. Pytel said Thursday that she is "recovering."

Police again launched a search but were unable to locate the suspect at the time.

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Atlanta active shooter: 1 killed, 4 injured in Midtown and no suspect in custody, police say - CBS News

At least 1 killed in Atlanta shooting, police say

At least 1 killed in Midtown Atlanta shooting, police say 21:38

At least one woman was killed and at least four others were injured in a shooting Wednesday at a medical building in Atlanta, authorities said. No suspect was in custody, but police identified him on Twitter as Deion Patterson, 24, and were searching for him as of Wednesday afternoon.

The suspect was described in an alert sent to cellphones as a Black male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black pants and brown shoes. Anyone with information about the suspect's whereabouts was urged to call 911.

In a tweet, Northside Hospital said it is "cooperating with law enforcement" following a shooting at its Midtown location.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m., police said they were responding to an "active shooter situation" in the area and urged people to shelter in place. Just after 3 p.m., police said the shelter-in-place order was lifted.

A 39-year-old woman died at the scene of the shooting and four other women were taken to a hospital for treatment, police said in a statement. Three patients were in critical condition and one was in stable condition, according to Grady Memorial Hospital.

Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters during a press conference the injured women ranged in age between 25 and 71 years old. He said it was too soon to know whether the victims were targeted.

BOLO - Deion Patterson - As of 2:46pm still at large. pic.twitter.com/NAnOr6t0Gu

— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) May 3, 2023

"Officers are actively searching for the suspect and any other victims," police tweeted.

Police released several images of the suspect on social media, saying the suspect was "believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached."

A woman who lives in Midtown told CBS affiliate WANF-TV that it was a "very sad day."

"I'm not going to live in fear because I love this community," the woman said. "I'm just sad that this happened in Atlanta and it's happening all over the world."

Law enforcement officers arrive near the scene of an active shooter on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in Atlanta.  Alex Slitz / AP

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Alex Sundby

Alex Sundby is a senior editor for CBSNews.com

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McCarthy to meet with Biden on debt ceiling - CNN

CNN  — 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has accepted an invitation to meet with President Joe Biden on May 9 about the debt ceiling, according to a source familiar, setting the stage for a high-stakes moment in the debt ceiling standoff.

Biden invited all four Congressional leaders to the meeting.

Biden’s calls came after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified lawmakers on Monday that the US could default on its debt by June 1.

Biden has not met with McCarthy since February.

The House passed a package to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion last week. The bill – which includes spending cuts, beefed-up work requirements in safety net programs and other measures that Democrats would not accept – has been described by Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer as “dead on arrival” in the Senate.

Following the bill’s passage in the House, Biden told reporters he would be “happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended.” The White House has maintained that the president would only accept a clean proposal to raise the nation’s borrowing limit.

McCarthy responded to Yellen’s comments Monday in a statement that said, “The clock is ticking.”

“After three months of the Biden administration’s inaction, the House acted, and there is a bill sitting in the Senate as we speak that would put the risk of default to rest,” McCarthy said. “The Senate and the President need to get to work — and soon.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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Muslim mayor denied entry to White House Eid event slams "Islamophobia" - Axios

New Jersey's longest-serving Muslim mayor said he's "shocked" the U.S. Secret Service denied him entry to the White House's celebration marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan on Monday.

Why it matters: Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah said in a statement Monday night that his experience of being turned away to an event hosted by President Biden that he was invited to "reeks of Islamophobia by certain federal agencies."

• Khairullah told Axios in a phone interview late Monday that he believes he has been the victim of racial profiling after the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told him that a name matching his had appeared on an FBI terrorism watch list since 2019 — when he was stopped at JFK International Airport and detained for nearly three hours.
• "I have been experiencing travel difficulties since 2019, which I thought were resolved two years ago," said the Syrian-born Khairullah, who's been a U.S. citizen since 2000 and is now in his fifth term as mayor. "Only to find out today that I'm still on some type of government list."

Driving the news: Khairullah told Axios he was "about half an hour away from the White House" to attend the belated Eid al-Fitr celebration when he received a call informing him that the Secret Service couldn't give him security clearance, so he should return home.

• "To be denied entry in such a way... and two days prior, I was with the governor of my state, in the governor's mansion," he said. "It just baffles me."
• Khairullah said he hadn't heard from the White House following the incident.
• U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in an emailed statement that while "we regret any inconvenience this may have caused, the mayor was not allowed to enter the White House complex this evening."
• He declined to comment further.

Of note: CAIR said in January that leaked copies suggest the terrorism watch list comprises "almost entirely lists of Arabic and Muslim names."

• Khairullah said that he's speaking out because many other Muslims who have been racially profiled cannot.
• "I feel that we are being tried by our names, by our identities, by our faith, and we clearly cannot defend ourselves," he said of the list.

What they're saying: CAIR-N.J. executive director Selaedin Maksut said in a statement on Monday evening that the incident "lacks transparency and reeks of government overreach."

• Maksut called on the White House to "override the Secret Service," reinstate the mayor's invitation, disband the "secret watchlist" and issue an apology to the mayor. 
• "If these such incidents are happening to high-profile and well-respected American-Muslim figures like Mayor Khairullah, this then begs the question: What is happening to Muslims who do not have the access and visibility that the mayor has," Maksut added.
• Representatives for the White House and the FBI did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

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Up to 100 homes damaged and schools closed after tornado strikes Virginia Beach - CNN

CNN  — 

Up to 100 homes are damaged and a state of emergency is in place in Virginia Beach, Virginia, after a tornado hit the city, prompting the closure Monday of at least three schools, officials said, as a South Florida community also recovers from a weekend tornado.

No injuries have been reported after “between 50 and 100” homes were damaged when a tornado struck the Great Neck area of the city around 6 p.m. Sunday, Virginia Beach officials said.

Crews from the Virginia Beach Fire Department responded to calls of collapsed roofs and cleared major debris Sunday evening, the department said. Some homes had gas leaks, city officials said, and crews from Virginia Natural Gas and Dominion Power also responded.

Trees were toppled and roads blocked Sunday following a tornado in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Justin Fleenor/WTKR

“Based on the debris signature on radar, damage reports, and videos of the storm, we can confirm that there was a tornado,” the National Weather Service office in Wakefield, Virginia, said in a tweet, adding a survey would be conducted Monday to determine the tornado’s rating.

Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle/AP

The Enhanced Fujita scale measures how strong tornadoes can get

Cox High School, Great Neck Middle School and John B. Dey Elementary School are closed Monday due to road closures and damage from the storm, the school district said.

The city manager declared a local state of emergency in the wake of the storm, officials said Sunday, announcing the Great Neck Recreation Center would be open to affected residents and their pets. City workers were also expected to begin cleanup at 8 a.m., the city said.

Billy Cunningham heard a siren while eating dinner at a Virginia Beach restaurant, then got video of the tornado. “Not many people there actually saw the debris swirling around the tornado, and it quickly became wrapped in rain, and we lost a visual in maybe 60 seconds from when I first saw it,” Cunningham told CNN.

Hours before the tornado hit, the weather service had warned of “isolated damaging thunderstorm winds and marginally severe hail” from eastern North Carolina to southeast Virginia with a slight risk of severe thunderstorms.”

Billy Cunningham took video of the tornado from a Virginia Beach restaurant Sunday evening, he said.

Billy Cunningham

As the threat of severe weather loomed, organizers canceled the third and final day of the Something in the Water music festival. Organizers cited “significant impacts to the festival site caused by severe weather, as well as the current and forecasted storms approaching and tornado warning.”

“No one wants to make this call, but we cannot predict nor negotiate with the weather tonight,” the city said in a statement on the cancellation.

No injuries were reported Sunday after a tornado hit Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Justin Fleenor/WTKR

Florida also hit by weekend tornado

The South Florida community of Palm Beach Gardens is also recovering from a weekend tornado, rated an EF2, with estimated peak winds of 130 mph, by the weather service.

CNN Weather

Severe storms featuring tornadoes, waterspouts possible along Gulf Coast this weekend

Vehicles were tossed and debris strewn along roads after the tornado touched down at 5:10 p.m. Saturday. It was on the ground for about 11 minutes and carved a path of 2.61 miles, a preliminary report from the weather service said.

No injuries were reported, but cars were flipped in a parking lot and tree limbs snapped, video from CNN affiliate WPBF showed. And there was damage along a highway in the area while roads were blocked, the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department tweeted.

The storm left “large trees completely uprooted” and stripped of bark, along with “collapsed roofs, broken windows, and removed roofing material,” the weather service.

CNN’s Jennifer Feldman and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.

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