Five people were wounded when at least one gunman opened fire at Virginia State University early Saturday morning, just two days before the start of the semester.
Gunfire erupted near some of the university’s dormitories in Chesterfield County around 1:30 a.m. ET, WTVR CBS 6 <a href="https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/virginia-state-university-shooting-prompts-lockdown-aug-15-2026">reported</a>. When police arrived, they found five people suffering from gunshot wounds. One victim was initially treated for life-threatening wounds and was later upgraded to critical condition. The other four victims appear to have suffered minor graze wounds.
In a post on social media, university officials said that the shooting involves &#8220;multiple suspects.&#8221;
&#8220;VSU Police and the Chesterfield County Police Department are actively investigating,&#8221; Virginia State University said at 5:56 a.m.
In an update at 8:22 a.m., the university said that the lockdown had been lifted, but &#8220;a significant law enforcement presence remains on campus as the investigation into this morning&#8217;s shooting continues.&#8221; It appears that no suspects have been taken into custody as of time of publication, and the university urged anyone with information on the shooting to contact law enforcement.
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<a href="https://t.co/f0NBAWU38r">pic.twitter.com/f0NBAWU38r</a>
— Virginia State University (@VSU_1882) <a href="https://x.com/VSU_1882/status/2088602135357239647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Virginia State University is a historically black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, just south of Richmond. It&#8217;s current on-campus <a href="https://www.vsu.edu/about/">enrollment</a> is around 5,000 students. The university&#8217;s fall semester is set to begin on Monday.
This is a developing story. Stay with The Daily Wire for updates.

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Multiple People Shot At Virginia State University

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Flock Safety, whose surveillance cameras have faced mounting questions, announced Thursday a set of changes designed to improve privacy protections and reduce the likelihood of misuse.
The company said the updates emerge in response to concerns that have built over time about how the technology is used, <a href="https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/privacy/flock-announces-new-privacy-protections-its-surveillance-cameras-some">according</a> to Just The News. 
Under the new approach, individual police departments will be able to limit information other law enforcement agencies can access. One possible arrangement would allow outside agencies to search for data on stolen vehicles while blocking them from examining records connected to immigration violations, as described in a New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/business/flock-cameras-privacy-updates.html">report</a>.
Flock is also changing how long the gathered material remains available. The standard period will drop from 30 days to one week. Local police departments will have the option to extend the time period if they decide it is necessary for an investigation.
Chad Marlow, who serves as senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, called the steps &#8220;good in theory&#8221; when he spoke with the Times. 
He went on to say the company appears to be treating privacy questions largely as a public relations concern. Other critics have taken a firmer line, arguing that only actual changes in legislation can place real limits on this form of surveillance technology.
At present, several thousand law enforcement agencies rely on Flock’s system. That system includes about 120,000 cameras placed in communities across the country. The devices scan license plates as cars drive past and can monitor potential criminal activity. 
Reports of improper access, along with broader unease about the monitoring of ordinary drivers, have led to protests in multiple locations. Some cities have already moved to end their contracts with the company as a result.
The announcement arrives while public discussion of the cameras remains active.

Flock Camera

Flock Announces New Privacy Protocols After Populist Backlash Against Cameras

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public safety

The suspect accused of shooting a Dallas Independent School District (ISD) police officer with the officer&#8217;s own gun is an illegal immigrant who crossed the border just four years ago, The Daily Wire has learned.
Jose Santiago Pantoja Morales allegedly grabbed Officer Justin Jones&#8217; gun during a struggle last week and shot the 39-year-old officer in the leg before fleeing. Morales was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault of a public servant, while Jones is expected to survive his injuries.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Wire that Morales is in the country illegally and said the Mexican national told authorities that he last entered the United States by crossing the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, four years ago.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) learned of Morales&#8217; arrest and lodged a detainer with local authorities on Friday, requesting that he be transferred to federal immigration custody following his release from local custody, the spokesperson said.
“The safest way to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our streets is by lodging arrest detainers,&#8221; the DHS spokesperson told The Daily Wire. &#8220;ICE’s detainer requests are lawful and help safely transfer removable criminal aliens into federal custody.&#8221;
The shooting unfolded Thursday morning after Jones stopped to help Morales while the suspect was walking along a freeway.
Jones was flagged down around 10:39 a.m. by a man who identified himself as Morales&#8217; coworker and said Morales was walking down the freeway, according to CBS News. Jones found Morales walking on the freeway&#8217;s center median before driving him to a nearby Walmart.
Once in the store&#8217;s parking lot, Jones noticed Morales digging through his own work bag and pulling out items, CBS News reported. Jones then exited the vehicle and took one of the items from Morales before pulling him out of the back seat and trying to turn him to face the car.
The two engaged in a struggle on the ground, during which Morales allegedly grabbed Jones&#8217; gun and shot him in the leg, according to CBS News.
Morales fled the scene and was arrested roughly a mile away after allegedly trying to run from officers, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Officers observed blood on his boots and shirt when they located him.
The suspect admitted to grabbing Jones&#8217; gun and shooting him &#8220;so he could get away,&#8221; the outlet reported.
Morales was charged with aggravated assault of a public servant and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
&#8220;ICE will do everything in its power to detain and remove this criminal illegal alien from the Dallas community following the completion of his criminal proceedings,&#8221; the spokesperson said. “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens like Morales are not welcome in the United States.”

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EXCLUSIVE: Suspect Accused Of Shooting Dallas Police Officer Is An Illegal Immigrant

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As an opponent of police and prisons, Dr. Frances Gill, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) national committee, dodged this question from an interviewer: “If my daughter is assaulted and raped, is there any agency that would seek to find her assailant and bring him to justice?”
“What would it be if not police and where would he be if not a jail?” the interviewer pressed.
Gill chose instead to pivot to an absolutely ridiculous suggestion that improving streetlights was more effective at keeping people safe than law enforcement, saying:
<blockquote>
I really want to avoid getting kind of caught into these hypotheticals and talk more about the reality that we&#8217;re actually facing right now, which is that we&#8217;re spending absolutely outrageous amounts of money on police and policing. And we&#8217;re not spending money on things that actually make people safe and feel safe, which is things like actually well-lit streets.   
</blockquote>
Gill, a resident physician in psychiatry at Los Angeles General Medical Center (formerly LAC+USC), gave an answer that would have pleased her fellow DSA members. The DSA explicitly calls for defunding and ultimately dismantling police departments while completely shuttering prisons and jails.
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Oh my God. 
Watch this interview with Dr. Frances Gill of the Democratic Socialists of America&#39;s national political committee.
I&#39;m sorry.
But putting these people in charge of the Democratic Party will usher in a century of fascist rule. <a href="https://t.co/yGyip30UHP">pic.twitter.com/yGyip30UHP</a>
&mdash; Joshua Reed Eakle 🗽 (@JoshEakle) <a href="https://x.com/JoshEakle/status/2086619306704396733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The bizarre logic left the core issue of violent crime completely unaddressed, leaving the main question entirely unanswered: in a cop-free, prison-free utopia, who actually stops rapists and holds offenders accountable?
Gill’s anti-police activism is nothing new. According to <a href="https://canarymission.org/individual/Frances_Gill">watchdog reports</a> from Canary Mission, Gill has been active with the DSA since at least 2019, boasting on social media back in June 2020 that her medical school class group chat was &#8220;blowing up with people talking about why they support defunding the police!&#8221; Today, she is licensed to practice psychiatry and neurology in California while sitting on the DSA’s 2025–2027 National Political Committee.
The DSA’s far-Left agenda reaches well beyond local policing. The organization champions prison abolition, anti-American ideology, and aggressive anti-Israel activism, including support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and backing far-left political figures like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The group counts prominent figures like Rep. Rashida Tlaib and activist Linda Sarsour among its notable members.
Yet despite holding high-level influence within an organization pushing to dismantle the American justice system, Gill’s vision for public safety seemingly begins and ends with turning on a light bulb.

DNA and clue container

DSA Doc’s Cop-Free Vision Faces The Question Of What Happens To Rapists

Democratic Socialists Of America

Rape

A North Carolina man with a lengthy criminal history filmed himself on social media as he attacked random women on the street. 
Di-Quan Schafar Hunt, 32, is now facing <a href="https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/cmpd-arrests-man-for-assaulting-woman/275-c2e1f0ba-fa12-4423-a560-c4241112eb8a?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook_WCNC_Charlotte">charges</a> after assaulting a woman in Charlotte, North Carolina, on camera, WCNC reported. The disturbing video that Hunt recorded and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diquan1/">posted</a> to Instagram shows him walking past a woman on the street and saying, “Nah don’t wave at me,” then knocking her to the ground. She became unconscious after she hit the sidewalk. 
“You still talking?” the criminal said as he stood over her.
He slapped her again as she lay unconscious on the ground. Authorities <a href="https://www.charlottenc.gov/cmpd/News-Information/Newsroom/Assault-Investigation-in-the-Providence-Division-08.06026">said</a> the assault was reported on July 30 and that the victim “was transported to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.”
In another video that was <a href="https://x.com/mattvanswol/status/2085506462529237191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">obtained</a> by political commentator Matt Van Swol on Thursday, Hunt is seen stopping a woman on the sidewalk and then chasing her. The woman, visibly frightened, runs into the road with cars passing by to escape. “You run again motherf*cker,” Hunt shouted. “You said something else? You said something?” He finally walked away as the terrified woman hid behind a car that stopped in the street. As Hunt walked away, he continued to yell profanities. 
Paper Skyscraper, a business in the background of the attack video, <a href="https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/cmpd-arrests-man-for-assaulting-woman/275-c2e1f0ba-fa12-4423-a560-c4241112eb8a?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook_WCNC_Charlotte">issued</a> a statement saying, “We are grateful to the officers, first responders, and community members who have been assisting the victim and supporting the ongoing investigation.” Paper Skyscraper turned over additional video footage to law enforcement and urged its neighbors to do the same. 
Hunt has a long rap sheet and has been arrested in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 14 times. The first time occurred in 2012, when the case was dismissed after he was arrested for assault on a female. His past charges have included assault on a female, domestic violence, and assault with a deadly weapon. Between October 2023 and December 2025, Hunt was arrested <a href="https://www.azfamily.com/2026/08/07/dont-wave-me-man-charged-after-police-say-social-media-video-shows-him-punch-woman-sidewalk/">nine</a> times. 
Hunt was taken into custody after an investigation by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. His first stop is a medical facility for treatment, and then he will face charges for assault with a deadly weapon when he is discharged from the facility.  
The attacks targeting women in Charlotte come around a year after Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, fatally stabbed Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the city&#8217;s train. Brown had a criminal record that goes back to 2007, which includes <a href="https://cbs12.com/news/nation-world/who-is-decarlos-brown-jr-the-man-accused-of-murdering-ukrainian-refugee-lightrail-charlotte-north-carolina-career-criminal-arrested-first-degree-murder-armed-robbery">14 arrests</a>, including felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault, shoplifting, and others.

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Repeat Criminal Records Video As He Attacks Random Women On The Street

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Three family members are facing charges in New York City for attempting to carry out a gang-related hit outside the Bronx Criminal Court in late June.
Reputed &#8220;Slutty Gang&#8221; member Chase Lackard, 20, was charged in the attempted hit of a member of rival gang P. Laafay. His mother, 49-year-old former Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, was arrested with him on Tuesday and charged as an accomplice. His father, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/06/us-news/ex-con-husband-of-ny-police-bigwig-in-custody-after-familys-drive-by-gang-shooting/">James Lackard</a>, 47 — an ex-con who did time on drug charges — turned himself in on Thursday.
According to a series of <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/04/us-news/ny-police-bigwig-was-getaway-driver-for-goon-son-in-gangland-shooting-sources/">reports</a> published by The New York Post, both Jennifer and James helped their gang-banging son to plan and then carry out the attempted hit on June 29. After dropping mother and son off at the criminal court building, James drove around the area and returned to pick them up.
Text messages from that timeframe showed Jennifer helping Chase work out how to carry out the next part of their plan.
&#8220;Be directly in Fromt (sic) When I Leave,&#8221; Chase told his mother in a text message.
&#8220;When? … You can’t just sit directly outside. It has to be timed right,&#8221; she said in response.
When they left the building, according to court documents, Chase got into the back seat and his mother rode in the passenger seat. They circled the block, and when Chase spotted his intended target, he reportedly fired several shots from the vehicle but missed. The family then drove away from the area, stopping a short distance away so that the parents could switch seats and Chase could change clothes in the car.
Both Chase and his mother were arrested at their home on Tuesday — after which Jennifer Lackard was immediately <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/04/us-news/new-york-police-bigwig-accused-of-driving-getaway-car-for-her-son-fired/">fired from her job</a> with the police department: &#8220;Effective immediately, the City of Mount Vernon has terminated Jennifer Lackard’s employment. The allegations are unrelated to her duties with the Mount Vernon Police Department and do not stem from any conduct associated with the Department or the performance of her official responsibilities.&#8221;
Lackard, prior to her termination, had been a boss within the Wellness Unit since 2022 and had advocated for her precinct to respond to mental health issues without resorting to traditional policing methods: &#8220;A lot of the people we encounter are in a mental health crisis. Some are combatant, some are really, really aggressive and some are not. And some are frequent fliers because they don’t have support.&#8221;
Damon Jones, who previously worked for three decades at the Westchester County Department of Corrections and now publishes Black Westchester Magazine, was incensed.
“This is f*cking embarrassing! I am embarrassed as a black law enforcement officer to see the dysfunction in a city that has a black mayor, a majority of black city council, a majority black police department that we have to see continuing dysfunction and just foolery in an organization that should be so professional,&#8221; he told The Post.

male being fingerprinted

Police Official Accused Of Helping Son Carry Out Gang Hit

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Gun Violence

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Violent Crime

A Dallas Independent School District (ISD) police officer was critically wounded Thursday after authorities say a man he had just rescued from a dangerous situation on a Dallas-area freeway shot him.
The shooting happened around 11 a.m. local time in the parking lot of a Walmart and Sam&#8217;s Club in Northwest Dallas. 
<a href="https://www.fox4news.com/news/off-duty-dallas-isd-officer-shot">According</a> to Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux, Dallas ISD Officer Justin Jones had been flagged down by a person experiencing an apparent mental health crisis on the LBJ Freeway. Jones helped remove the individual from the highway and drove him to the nearby shopping center parking lot.
&#8220;After he got to this parking lot, he was trying to talk to the person who is now a suspect,&#8221; Comeaux said. &#8220;He was getting out of the car and then we had a shooting that occurred. The officer was shot.&#8221;
Authorities said Jones suffered a gunshot wound to the lower torso or upper leg. Dallas ISD Police Chief Albert Martinez said Jones was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
Martinez said Jones, 39, has served with the Dallas ISD Police Department for 16 years and is assigned to W.T. White High School. 
&#8220;He was helping somebody in crisis, as we expect the officers to serve in the community,&#8221; Martinez said. &#8220;We&#8217;re grateful to all the help that we have received. He&#8217;s in our prayers. We thank Parkland, the amazing surgeons there at the trauma center that do what they do.&#8221;
Martinez also praised another Dallas ISD officer who responded to the scene and applied a tourniquet before paramedics arrived, helping stabilize Jones. Officials said Jones is expected to survive.
A suspect was taken into custody at the scene, though authorities have not yet released the person&#8217;s identity or announced any charges. Police have also not disclosed what led the suspect to open fire after Jones transported him from the freeway.
Investigators cordoned off the shopping center parking lot as officers searched the surrounding area. Images showed numerous police vehicles, crime scene tape surrounding Jones&#8217; patrol vehicle, and evidence markers near the suspect&#8217;s vehicle.
The investigation remains ongoing.

North Dallas Shooting

Police Officer Shot By Man He Just Helped

Bodycam

Why These Insane Police Bodycam Videos Are Getting More Views Than The Nightly News

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Legacy Media

Matt Walsh

Gossip blogger Perez Hilton is reportedly recovering in the hospital following an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gossip-blogger-perez-hilton-sparks-police-response-with-disturbing-video">incident</a> of him appearing to engage in self-harm during a livestream, police have confirmed.
The popular online personality exhibited the disturbing behavior late Tuesday night, prompting multiple followers to call emergency responders to intervene. Hilton appeared completely nude holding a knife and appeared to be using it to cut himself. 
Emergency personnel were dispatched to his South Florida home and have now confirmed that he has been taken to the hospital and is recovering.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff&#8217;s Office <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/perez-hilton-hospitalized-reports-livestream-self-harm-rcna590901">said</a> in a statement that an individual, believed to be Hilton, had been &#8220;safely recovered&#8221; and taken to &#8220;a local hospital, where he is receiving medical attention.”
Police said after arriving on scene, they opted to &#8220;tactically disengage while continuing to monitor the situation.&#8221;
&#8220;In many incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or actively harming themselves, deputies prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,&#8221; authorities said. &#8220;Unless there is an immediate threat to others, slowing the situation and utilizing crisis intervention techniques can reduce the likelihood of a suicide-by-cop encounter and minimize the risk of injury to the individual, deputies, and the public.&#8221;
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira Jr., was home alone during the time of the live stream, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/perez-hilton-hospitalized-reports-livestream-self-harm-rcna590901">reported</a>. His TikTok account was suspended following the graphic livestream on Tuesday.
The co-CEOs of Golden Artists Entertainment, the talent management firm that represents Hilton, said in a statement Tuesday night that they “are aware of the concerning content circulating online involving our client, Perez Hilton.”
“At this time, we have not been able to make direct contact with him, despite our ongoing efforts to reach him,” Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan said. “Our primary concern is Perez’s health and well-being, as well as the well-being of his family.”
Hilton rose to fame operating a snarky celebrity gossip blog, which he has since said was a form of bullying and not behavior he wishes to engage in any longer.
He recently announced on social media that he was moving from Las Vegas to Florida with his three children. “Manifesting abundance, manifesting just family, peace, good times,” Hilton said of the change in June. “Manifesting health, good health — that’s what’s most important.”
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 by dialing 988.

Perez Hilton

Perez Hilton Recovering In Hospital After Disturbing Livestream

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An enraged Ohio dad took matters into his own hands after his wife made a horrific discovery on his 11-year-old daughter’s phone: graphic footage allegedly showing a 20-year-old predator sexually assaulting the child inside their own Grove City home.
The very next day, 31-year-old Malik Chandler decided to turn the tables on the suspect, Diego Montoya Gonzalez. Posing as his young daughter on TikTok, Chandler <a href="https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/bond-set-rape-suspect-who-was-shot-by-11-year-old-victims-father/530-324c45ef-4adc-4054-8c32-a5090a66bf07">tricked</a> the alleged rapist into returning to the residence, CBS Columbus affiliate WBNS reported.
According to court documents, Chandler’s original plan was simple: dish out a severe beating, hold the perpetrator down, and wait for law enforcement to pull up. But when Montoya Gonzalez arrived at the apartment, the confrontation escalated instantly.
Chandler told investigators that as soon as he opened the door and confronted the visitor, the suspect reached into his pocket. Fearing the man was grabbing a gun and having previously seen him flaunting a firearm in TikTok videos, Chandler snatched his own handgun off the counter and fired, striking Montoya Gonzalez twice.
The wounded suspect scrambled away before collapsing in a nearby chair, where responding officers found him bleeding. He was rushed to Grant Medical Center in Columbus for treatment. Chandler, meanwhile, put his weapon back on the counter and surrendered to arriving police without further incident.
The protective father was subsequently hit with a felonious assault charge, with a judge setting his bond at $100,000.
Montoya Gonzalez soon faced his own severe reckoning in court. A grand jury indicted him on heavy charges, including rape, pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, and obstructing official business. Prosecutors <a href="https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/bond-set-rape-suspect-who-was-shot-by-11-year-old-victims-father/530-324c45ef-4adc-4054-8c32-a5090a66bf07">revealed</a> that a search of the suspect&#8217;s phone uncovered a nightmare cache of child abuse media, including a clip depicting an infant or toddler.
Appearing in Franklin County Common Pleas Court while the victim’s parents watched on, Montoya Gonzalez entered a not-guilty plea. A judge <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/04/us-news/dad-poses-as-daughter-11-on-tiktok-to-lure-her-alleged-rapist-to-home-to-shoot-him/">set his bail</a> at a combined $70,000. If he manages to post bond, the accused predator is subject to strict conditions: he must stay entirely clear of the victim and her family, and he is barred from using the internet for any non-work purposes.

MixCollage-05-Aug-2026-08-09-AM-1921

Dad Lures Young Daughter’s Suspected Rapist On TikTok, Then Opens Fire

Fathers

Police accused a man convicted of manslaughter of intentionally starting a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-pacific-northwest-city-devastated-by-massive-wildfires">devastating wildfire</a> in Spokane, Washington. 
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that it charged 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci with first-degree arson over the Old Trails Fire that has burned some 3,600 acres. Farinacci was previously convicted of manslaughter in Arizona after first being charged with premeditated murder, authorities said. 
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels credited some “very aware and alert citizens” with aiding in the arrest of Farinacci. 
“The witness, a citizen, very good citizen, noticed a male standing on the side of the road looking into the trees as he was going to pick somebody up,” Nowels said at a press conference. “About 10 minutes later, he was coming back through the area. He noticed the male was bending down near some grass.”
That citizen later called police and Nowels said police spoke to Farinacci shortly after the blaze started. He was not arrested at the time, but investigators later used footage from that encounter to identify him after arson was determined to be behind the blaze. 
Nowels said that police determined “that the origin of the fire was indeed exactly where the witnesses had seen Mr. Farinacci kneeling in the grass earlier that day.”
Farinacci was detained by police and was in possession of a butane lighter and waterproof matches. Nowels said law enforcement is looking into whether he committed any other crimes. 
<div id="attachment_1150139" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1150139" class="size-full wp-image-1150139" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2026-07-47-AM-7126.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2026-07-47-AM-7126.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2026-07-47-AM-7126-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2026-07-47-AM-7126-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2026-07-47-AM-7126-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2026-07-47-AM-7126-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/MixCollage-04-Aug-2026-07-47-AM-7126-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Spokane Sheriff&#8217;s Department.</div>
“This was fantastic and very quick work by everybody involved,” he said. “As it happens in so many critical cases, it was citizens who were paying attention to their surroundings, being aware, and willing to step up and say something that led to the relatively quick apprehension of Mr. Farinacci.”
Farinacci is being held on a $1 million bond in Spokane County Jail and is set to appear in court on Tuesday. 
More than 60,000 people have been forced to evacuate as many homes were destroyed after three major blazes broke out over the weekend in the Spokane area. No known fatalities have yet been reported, but authorities are still working to locate 14 people. 
“It’s just ash,” Angela Deatherage <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-spokane-washington-evacuate-8e42b37783bda01e7d004d71e546458e?taid=6a716be0423cf600011ce836&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">told</a> the Associated Press about the destruction of her home. “It’s like our house sunk down in the basement. &#8230; There’s just so much loss for so many people.”
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown described the fires as “the worst natural disaster our region has faced.”

US-ENVIRONMENT-WILDFIRE

Convicted Felon Accused Of Lighting Devastating Washington Wildfire

Arson

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A Georgia mother&#8217;s routine Instacart delivery turned into a nightmare after a man allegedly stole her vehicle with her two-year-old daughter still strapped into the back seat, leading to a dramatic rescue that later took a disturbing turn.
Newly released 911 audio and police body camera footage show the frantic moments after the theft — and the swift rescue that ended with officers arresting the suspect and safely recovering the child less than 15 minutes later.
&#8220;Someone just stole my car and it has my 2-year-old daughter in it,&#8221; the distraught mother told an Atlanta 911 dispatcher. When the dispatcher asked if the child was still inside the vehicle, the mother responded through tears, &#8220;Yes, my 2-year-old daughter was in the backseat. I was dropping off an Instacart order and I came back outside and my car is gone. My daughter was inside.&#8221;
According to the Atlanta Police Department, the incident unfolded around 4:30 p.m. on July 30 after the mother left her vehicle running while delivering an Instacart order. Investigators said she estimated she was away from the vehicle for less than four minutes before discovering it had been stolen.
Officers with the department&#8217;s Auto Crimes Enforcement Unit immediately began searching for the vehicle, using the city&#8217;s network of license plate readers to quickly locate it at a nearby Publix shopping center.
Body camera footage shows officers surrounding the stolen vehicle with weapons drawn before ordering the suspect to surrender.
&#8220;Hands up! Hands up!&#8221; an officer shouted. &#8220;What you&#8217;re gonna do is you&#8217;re going to get out and face away from me,&#8221; the officer instructed. &#8220;Get out the car, slow. Put your hands behind your back.&#8221; The suspect complied and was taken into custody without further incident as the toddler cried from inside the vehicle.
&#8220;It&#8217;s okay, baby,&#8221; another officer can be heard saying as she comforted the screaming and crying toddler.
Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Saleem Martin. He has been charged with kidnapping, theft by taking, simple battery, entering an automobile, cruelty to children, and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
While police initially said the toddler appeared unharmed, court documents obtained by <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/warrant-allegations-kidnapping-case-man-took-car-with-2-year-old-girl-inside/85-5379dfd1-ee97-4935-87f1-7923f0751382">local reporters</a> revealed disturbing new allegations. According to an arrest warrant, the child&#8217;s mother noticed the bottom of her daughter&#8217;s dress had been unbuttoned after they were reunited. When asked what happened, the two-year-old allegedly told her mother, &#8220;the man did it,&#8221; referring to Martin, according to the warrant.
The warrant further alleges officers found Martin with both hands on the child&#8217;s torso as he attempted to duck down and hide between the seats when police surrounded the vehicle. Atlanta police said its Special Victims Unit has joined the investigation. Martin told investigators he had only been touching the child because he was trying to calm her down after she began crying.
He also reportedly claimed he stole the running vehicle because he was trying to &#8220;get back to New Jersey&#8221; and did not realize the toddler was inside until after he had driven away. Investigators further claim Martin admitted he discarded an iPad found inside the vehicle because he believed it would be used to track his location.
Police credited the city&#8217;s license plate reader system with helping officers locate the stolen vehicle, arrest the suspect, and safely rescue the toddler before she could be taken farther away.

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