Tennessee
Attorney: Lady Vols guard will plead not guilty at prelim hearing
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The attorney for Ruby Whitehorn says the Tennessee guard will plead not guilty when arraigned on felony charges of domestic assault and aggravated burglary.
“She is, in fact, not guilty,” attorney Gregory P. Isaacs said in a statement. “Our firm’s investigation has also revealed that the factual allegations contained in the warrants are not accurate and are contradicted by eyewitness accounts. Ruby Whitehorn looks forward to having this matter resolved in the very near future.”
Whitehorn’s preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday was rescheduled for Sept. 5.
The 6-foot guard from Detroit, Michigan, was arrested Aug. 8 after the Knox County Sherriff’s Office responded to a call around 4:15 p.m. According to reports, police said Whitehorn got into an altercation outside a woman’s residence and kicked in a front door and bedroom door.
Whitehorn reportedly told officers she was getting her property back after the woman took her phone and passport, then locked the door.
Tennessee issued a statement Sunday saying officials were aware of the situation and gathering information.
Georgia
Army sergeant charged with attempted murder in the shootings of 5 fellow soldiers
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A U.S. Army sergeant accused of shooting five fellow soldiers at a Georgia base was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, aggravated assault and domestic violence as the Army revealed that one of the victims was the suspect’s romantic partner.
The charges were issued as Sgt. Quornelius Radford made his first appearance Tuesday in a military courtroom at Fort Stewart, where officials say he opened fire with a personal handgun on members of his supply unit. The hearing officer ordered Radford, 28, to remain in pretrial confinement.
Radford was arrested Aug. 6 after officials say soldiers disarmed and restrained him until military police arrived.
All five of the wounded soldiers survived the attack. Radford was charged with six counts of attempted murder — the sixth referring to a soldier he shot at and missed, said Michelle McCaskill, a spokesperson for the Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel, which is prosecuting Radford.
Radford also faces six counts of aggravated assault and a single count of domestic violence.
“That charge is there because one of the victims was the intimate partner of the accused,” McCaskill said.
She said she did not know whether Radford’s partner was among the five people he wounded. The Army has not released the victims’ names.
Under military law, attempted murder carries a potential penalty of life imprisonment.
Radford was represented by Army defense attorneys at his hearing Tuesday. Phone and email messages left with Fort Stewart’s Trial Defense Service were not immediately returned.
Now that he’s been charged, Radford faces pretrial proceedings to determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial by court-martial.
The largest Army post east of the Mississippi River, Fort Stewart is home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division.
Radford served as a supply sergeant in the division’s 2nd Armored Brigade. Army records show he enlisted in 2018.
Soldiers in Radford’s unit said they followed the sound of gunfire into the hallways of an office building where they found hazy gunsmoke in the air and wounded victims on the floor and in nearby offices.
Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the 3rd Infantry’s commander, credited soldiers with saving lives by immediately rendering first aid, in some cases using their bare hands to staunch bleeding gunshot wounds.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll visited Fort Stewart the day after the shootings to award Meritorious Service Medals to six soldiers who helped restrain the gunman and treat the victims.
Tennessee
Man who killed 3 in live streamed shooting rampage pleads guilty
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man avoided a trial and possible death sentence by pleading guilty Wednesday to fatally shooting three people and wounding three others in a daylong series of shootings that was live streamed on social media in 2022.
Ezekiel Kelly, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and two dozen other charges in a Memphis courtroom. Shelby County Judge James Jones Jr. sentenced Kelly to three life sentences without parole, plus 221 years, in a deal with prosecutors.
Kelly had pleaded not guilty in the September 2022 shooting rampage in Memphis that led to a citywide shelter-in-place order during a frantic manhunt. He took the stand during Wednesday’s hearing, telling the judge he agreed to plead guilty and that he accepted the prison sentences.
Kelly cried and wiped his eyes with a tissue as the relative of a victim gave a statement in court. Kelly then said there was nothing he could say to give shooting victims and their families closure.
He added that he was in the “darkest place of my life” at the time of the shootings and he wanted to help others avoid the same bad decisions he made.
“God gave me a second chance,” Kelly said.
Kelly’s trial had been set to begin Feb. 9. His lawyers had said that evidence in the case included 400 witnesses and more than 300 videos.
Prosecutors had said they planned to seek the death penalty if he were convicted of first-degree murder.
Along with the killings of Dewayne Tunstall, Richard Clark and Allison Parker, Kelly also had been charged with offenses including attempted murder, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, theft and commission of an act of terrorism.
At least three witnesses saw Kelly shoot Tunstall during a gathering at a Memphis home at about 1 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2022, according to a police affidavit. Clark and Parker were shot later that day, authorities said.
Police said three other people were wounded in the shootings, which took place in different parts of Memphis, including at a gas station, along an interstate and at an auto parts store.
Kelly live streamed himself on social media platforms firing a gun and wounding a man at the auto parts store and talking about shooting people.
The ordeal shut down Memphis’ public bus system, locked down two college campuses and stopped a minor league baseball game.
Kelly carjacked at least two vehicles before he was arrested when he crashed a stolen car while fleeing police, authorities said.
Parker was a mother of three who worked as a medical assistant at a clinic in nearby West Memphis, Arkansas.
Clark worked as a campus safety officer at Christian Brothers University after retiring from a career as a corrections officer.
Attorney: Lady Vols guard will plead not guilty at prelim hearing
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The attorney for Ruby Whitehorn says the Tennessee guard will plead not guilty when arraigned on felony charges of domestic assault and aggravated burglary.
“She is, in fact, not guilty,” attorney Gregory P. Isaacs said in a statement. “Our firm’s investigation has also revealed that the factual allegations contained in the warrants are not accurate and are contradicted by eyewitness accounts. Ruby Whitehorn looks forward to having this matter resolved in the very near future.”
Whitehorn’s preliminary hearing scheduled for Tuesday was rescheduled for Sept. 5.
The 6-foot guard from Detroit, Michigan, was arrested Aug. 8 after the Knox County Sherriff’s Office responded to a call around 4:15 p.m. According to reports, police said Whitehorn got into an altercation outside a woman’s residence and kicked in a front door and bedroom door.
Whitehorn reportedly told officers she was getting her property back after the woman took her phone and passport, then locked the door.
Tennessee issued a statement Sunday saying officials were aware of the situation and gathering information.
Georgia
Army sergeant charged with attempted murder in the shootings of 5 fellow soldiers
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A U.S. Army sergeant accused of shooting five fellow soldiers at a Georgia base was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, aggravated assault and domestic violence as the Army revealed that one of the victims was the suspect’s romantic partner.
The charges were issued as Sgt. Quornelius Radford made his first appearance Tuesday in a military courtroom at Fort Stewart, where officials say he opened fire with a personal handgun on members of his supply unit. The hearing officer ordered Radford, 28, to remain in pretrial confinement.
Radford was arrested Aug. 6 after officials say soldiers disarmed and restrained him until military police arrived.
All five of the wounded soldiers survived the attack. Radford was charged with six counts of attempted murder — the sixth referring to a soldier he shot at and missed, said Michelle McCaskill, a spokesperson for the Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel, which is prosecuting Radford.
Radford also faces six counts of aggravated assault and a single count of domestic violence.
“That charge is there because one of the victims was the intimate partner of the accused,” McCaskill said.
She said she did not know whether Radford’s partner was among the five people he wounded. The Army has not released the victims’ names.
Under military law, attempted murder carries a potential penalty of life imprisonment.
Radford was represented by Army defense attorneys at his hearing Tuesday. Phone and email messages left with Fort Stewart’s Trial Defense Service were not immediately returned.
Now that he’s been charged, Radford faces pretrial proceedings to determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial by court-martial.
The largest Army post east of the Mississippi River, Fort Stewart is home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division.
Radford served as a supply sergeant in the division’s 2nd Armored Brigade. Army records show he enlisted in 2018.
Soldiers in Radford’s unit said they followed the sound of gunfire into the hallways of an office building where they found hazy gunsmoke in the air and wounded victims on the floor and in nearby offices.
Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the 3rd Infantry’s commander, credited soldiers with saving lives by immediately rendering first aid, in some cases using their bare hands to staunch bleeding gunshot wounds.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll visited Fort Stewart the day after the shootings to award Meritorious Service Medals to six soldiers who helped restrain the gunman and treat the victims.
Tennessee
Man who killed 3 in live streamed shooting rampage pleads guilty
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man avoided a trial and possible death sentence by pleading guilty Wednesday to fatally shooting three people and wounding three others in a daylong series of shootings that was live streamed on social media in 2022.
Ezekiel Kelly, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and two dozen other charges in a Memphis courtroom. Shelby County Judge James Jones Jr. sentenced Kelly to three life sentences without parole, plus 221 years, in a deal with prosecutors.
Kelly had pleaded not guilty in the September 2022 shooting rampage in Memphis that led to a citywide shelter-in-place order during a frantic manhunt. He took the stand during Wednesday’s hearing, telling the judge he agreed to plead guilty and that he accepted the prison sentences.
Kelly cried and wiped his eyes with a tissue as the relative of a victim gave a statement in court. Kelly then said there was nothing he could say to give shooting victims and their families closure.
He added that he was in the “darkest place of my life” at the time of the shootings and he wanted to help others avoid the same bad decisions he made.
“God gave me a second chance,” Kelly said.
Kelly’s trial had been set to begin Feb. 9. His lawyers had said that evidence in the case included 400 witnesses and more than 300 videos.
Prosecutors had said they planned to seek the death penalty if he were convicted of first-degree murder.
Along with the killings of Dewayne Tunstall, Richard Clark and Allison Parker, Kelly also had been charged with offenses including attempted murder, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, theft and commission of an act of terrorism.
At least three witnesses saw Kelly shoot Tunstall during a gathering at a Memphis home at about 1 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2022, according to a police affidavit. Clark and Parker were shot later that day, authorities said.
Police said three other people were wounded in the shootings, which took place in different parts of Memphis, including at a gas station, along an interstate and at an auto parts store.
Kelly live streamed himself on social media platforms firing a gun and wounding a man at the auto parts store and talking about shooting people.
The ordeal shut down Memphis’ public bus system, locked down two college campuses and stopped a minor league baseball game.
Kelly carjacked at least two vehicles before he was arrested when he crashed a stolen car while fleeing police, authorities said.
Parker was a mother of three who worked as a medical assistant at a clinic in nearby West Memphis, Arkansas.
Clark worked as a campus safety officer at Christian Brothers University after retiring from a career as a corrections officer.
