2 killed In South Philadelphia shootout; 3 Being Questioned

WPVI Channel 6 News reports on the shooting in South Philly.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two men are dead and three persons of interest are in custody after an apparent shootout in South Philadelphia early Tuesday morning, according to police.

"We believe it's definitely some sort of shootout because we found 35 spent shell casings from semi-automatic weapons," Philadelphia Poice Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

Investigators said the shooting happened shortly after 3:15 a.m. near the area where South 8th Street intersects Wolf Street and West Moyamensing Avenue. 

You can read the rest of the piece and watch a video via the below link:

2 killed in South Philadelphia shootout on South 8th Street; 3 being questioned - 6abc Philadelphia 

FBI Director's Remarks To Business Leaders In London

The FBI Director addressed business leaders in London about the common threats the US and the UK face, such as the threat from Communist China.

It’s an honor to be here this week, talking about common threats our nations face, and the superb cooperation between our two agencies

The FBI has no closer partner than MI5. We work together on almost every mission our agencies confront—from countering terrorism to cybertheft and transnational repression to espionage.

Now, you’ll notice that there’s a common thread running through all the challenges we tackle together, which is that they’re all hard.

Our world is certainly filled with enduring, difficult challenges. Not least, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and their ruthless killing of civilians and destruction of homes and infrastructure.

As laser-focused as both our agencies are on the Russia threat, though, I want to talk today about another complex, enduring, and pervasive danger to the kinds of innovative businesses we have here in the audience.

We consistently see that it’s the Chinese government that poses the biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security, and by “our,” I mean both of our nations, along with our allies in Europe and elsewhere.

And I want to be clear that it’s the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party that pose the threat we’re focused on countering. Not the Chinese people, and certainly not Chinese immigrants in our countries—who are themselves frequently victims of the Chinese government’s lawless aggression.

You can read the rest of the speech via the below link:

Director's Remarks to Business Leaders in London — FBI

Hey, Philly Mayor Jim Kenney, The Feeling’s Mutual: The Crime-Riddled City Wants You Out

Tom Hogan, a former prosecutor, offers a piece in the New York Post on Philadelphia Mayor Jim Keeney’s comments following the shooting of two Police officers at the Fouth of July celebration on the Ben Franklin Parkway. 

On the Fourth of July, along the Ben Franklin Parkway in the middle of Philadelphia during the Welcome America festivities, some criminal used the cover of fireworks to shoot two police officers. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney had two responses. First, he blamed the United States Constitution for the shooting. Then he announced to the world he’s tired of being Philadelphia mayor and can’t wait to be out of office.

Philadelphians can sense when a public figure wilts under pressure, so expect the well-earned booing to start now and last until they “throw the bum out” next year.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link: 

Hey, Philly mayor Jim Kenney, the feeling's mutual: The city wants you out (nypost.com) 

Operation North Star: U.S. Marshals National Violence Reduction Operation Captures More Than 1,500 Fugitives:

 The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

The U.S. Marshals Service has concluded a high-impact fugitive apprehension initiative aimed at combating violent crime in 10 cities with a significant number of homicides and shootings.

This 30-day initiative, called Operation North Star (ONS), resulted in the arrest of 1,501 fugitives, violent criminals, sex offenders, and self-identified gang members in Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

Operation North Star focused on fugitives wanted for the most serious, violent, and harmful offenses, including homicide, sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated assault. Operation North Star investigators prioritized their efforts to include individuals using firearms in their crimes, or who exhibited risk factors associated with violence.

“The Justice Department is committed to doing everything we can to protect our communities from violent crime and end the plague of gun violence,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Operation North Star reflects the approach we are taking across the Department to work in partnership with law enforcement agencies and communities to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the greatest violence. I am grateful to the U.S. Marshals Service and the many federal, state, and local task force partners who carried out this operation, and who continue to work to keep the American people safe each and every day.”

Throughout the month of June, the U.S. Marshals Service used its broad arrest authority and network of task forces to arrest individuals wanted on charges, including 230 for homicide; and 131 for sexual assault. In addition, investigators seized 166 firearms, more than $53,600 in currency, and more than 33 kilograms of illegal narcotics.

“The Marshals remain committed to assisting state and local law enforcement with reducing violent crime in our most vulnerable communities,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis. “Operation North Star was focused on areas where local law enforcement has seen a large number of homicides and shootings. By partnering with our local and state partners, we are able to hone in on the most dangerous criminals who cause the most harm. I am very proud to lead an agency that is always willing and ready to do the work necessary to quell the violence affecting so many of our cities.”  

Notable arrests resulting from Operation North Star:

• On June 4, Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force (GLRFTF) members arrested Jose Galiano-Meza, 28, who was wanted out of Douglas County, Kansas, for homicide. Galiano-Meza was the suspect in a hit-and-run that resulted in the death of a 10-year-old girl from Eudora, Kansas. A collateral lead was sent by the District of Kansas to the GLRFTF in Indianapolis where Galiano-Meza was located and arrested.
• On June 6, members of the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force (EPVCFTF) arrested Rashaan Vereen, 34, for attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and firearms charges. Vereen was one of the suspects in a mass shooting incident on June 4 on South Street in Philadelphia in which three people were killed and 11 injured. Also arrested in connection with the shooting were Quran Garner, 18, and a 15-year-old suspect.
• On June 8, members of the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJRFTF) arrested Dionte Mitchell, 22, on two counts of homicide and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Mitchell allegedly shot and killed two female victims after a dispute at a party.
• On June 9, members of the NY/NJRFTF arrested Jaden Baskerville, 21. He was wanted in New York for attempted homicide in connection with a drive-by shooting that resulted in the injury of a seven-year-old girl. Task Force members located Baskerville at a residence in Brooklyn and arrested him without incident.
• On June 14, GLRFTF members arrested Prince Cunningham, 49, for homicide. Cunningham was wanted by the Aurora (Illinois) Police Department on two counts of first-degree murder on a cold case homicide from May 9, 2003. After conducting countless hours of surveillance at multiple locations, investigators spotted Cunningham getting into the driver’s seat of a pickup truck. They broke surveillance, approached Cunningham and safely arrested him.
• On June 16, Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF) members arrested Robert Bakersville, 28, for homicide. At the residence where Bakersville was arrested, a search warrant was conducted and ammunition and parts consistent with building a “ghost gun” were seized.

The concept behind interagency law enforcement operations such as Operation North Star evolved largely from regional and district task forces. Since the 1980s, the Marshals Service has combined their resources and expertise with local, state, and federal agencies to find and apprehend dangerous fugitives. Operation North Star continued this tradition.

For more information about Operation North Star visit www.usmarshals.gov.

 

Philadelphia Cop Shot In Head Found Bullet Lodged In His Hat

Foxnews.com offers a report on the cops shot in Philly.

One of the police officers who was shot Monday night near a Fourth of July gathering in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania found the bullet still lodged in his hat.

 

Two law enforcement officers, a 36-year-old Philadelphia Police Highway Patrol officer and a 44-year-old member of the Montgomery County Bomb Unit, were injured in the shooting that happened shortly before 10 p.m. near the Parkway Welcome America Festival.

Photos of the hat worn by the highway patrol officer show a bloodied photo inside the cap with a bullet lodged in its side. The photo is a memorial card for a Philadelphia police chaplain who recently died.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

Philadelphia cop shot in head found bullet lodged in his hat; both officers released from hospital | Fox News 

Revisiting The Wisdom Of President Ronald Reagan On The 4th Of July

In her Washington Times column, Jennifer Harper, wrote about a poll that noted a bipartisan national dissatisfaction. She suggested that it is time to revisit the wisdom of President Ronald Reagan.   

 “Here’s what the 40th president said in a speech delivered from the deck of an aircraft carrier in New York Harbor, on July 4, 1986: “The things that unite us — America’s past of which we’re so proud, our hopes and aspirations for the future of the world and this much-loved country — these things far outweigh what little divides us,” Reagan told the nation.

 “And so tonight we reaffirm that Jew and gentile, we are one nation under God; that Black and White, we are one nation indivisible; that Republican and Democrat, we are all Americans. Tonight, with heart and hand, through whatever trial and travail, we pledge ourselves to each other and to the cause of human freedom, the cause that has given light to this land and hope to the world,” the president said.

 “My fellow Americans, we’re known around the world as a confident and a happy people. Tonight there’s much to celebrate and many blessings to be grateful for. So while it’s good to talk about serious things, it’s just as important and just as American to have some fun. Now, let’s have some fun — let the celebration begin,” Reagan advised. 

The History Of The Fourth Of July

Military.com offers a primer on the history of July 4^th.

On July 4, 1776, the 13 colonies claimed their independence from Great Britain, an event that eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, U.S. citizens celebrate this historic event.

Which country did we declare our independence from?

The colonies, the populations of which were considered subjects of the King of England, declared their independence "from Britain's Parliament as well as King George III himself," according to History.com.

What led the colonists to seek independence?

The colonists were a melting pot of not only English, Irish and Scottish but also people from elsewhere in Europe and beyond. In many colonial communities, people spoke their native languages, adhered to the customs of their countries of origin, and practiced their own faiths (although ​​Catholicism was frowned upon if not illegal in the colonies).

But the different groups had one thing in common: "They all had to swear loyalty to the King of England and submit to the law as a British subject," the American Revolution Podcast notes.

Over time, more and more of the colonists began to resent being under the thumb of Great Britain. This tension turned to outrage when the British Parliament imposed the Stamp Act in 1765, putting a tax directly onto the colonists for the first time. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

The History of the Fourth of July | Military.com