When Memphis, a city in southwest Tennessee, had a record number of homicides in 2021 for the second year in a row, many were calling for action. Attention turned to the Memphis Police Department to tackle the murder rate, which led to the creation of the Scorpion Unit in October 2021. “MPD’s New SCORPION UNIT

When watching the horrific video of Tyre Nichols being kicked and punched by police officers, many minds in America were transported back to footage of another black man being beaten in similar circumstances more than 30 years ago. The video of Rodney King is grainy and shaky, before the era of police-worn body cameras and

The mother of Tyre Nichols has said she is “not going to stop” until every person responsible for her son’s death “is prosecuted to the fullest of law”. RowVaughn Wells was speaking to US news network MSNBC a day after Memphis Police released bodycam footage showing her son screaming “mom, mom” several times as he

The US has a “new clock” on police accountability following the quick arrest and firing of five officers charged over the death of Tyre Nichols, influential civil rights campaigner Al Sharpton has said. Speaking at a rally in Harlem, New York, Reverend Sharpton also rejected the idea that there was no race element to the

Of all the words used prior to prepare us, nothing spoke louder than the pictures. That the images were captured on police bodycams made it the more chilling – a murderer’s eye view, as the indictment would have it. The video footage is as shocking as it is haunting. Having stopped Tyre Nichols in his

Memphis Police has released bodycam footage showing the moment Tyre Nichols called for his mother as he was beaten by five officers before he died. The footage shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him throughout the attack. Police have released four separate videos cut into one

The final words of a US motorist who died after he was allegedly beaten by five police officers were “mum, mum, mum”, according to a lawyer. Tyre Nichols, 29, passed away in hospital three days after the confrontation following a traffic stop in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, on 7 January. Bodycam footage of the

A British teenage extremist has been jailed after his far-right videos were linked to two mass murders in the US. Daniel Harris used an online platform called World Truth Videos to disseminate a “call to arms” for his violent racist beliefs, a court heard. The 19-year-old from Glossop in Derbyshire was convicted of five counts

A grand jury has indicted five former police officers on murder and other charges in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols. US President Joe Biden called for any protests to be peaceful following the charges on Thursday. Nichols, 29, died in hospital three days after a confrontation during a traffic stop in the US

A school board in Virginia has voted to fire its district superintendent after a six-year-old pupil shot a teacher. The Newport News School Board voted five-to-one to relieve George Parker III of his duties – but as part of a separation agreement, he’ll be paid more than $502,000 (£405,063) in severance – two years of

The teacher who was shot by her six-year-old student texted a loved one to say the boy was armed and school officials were failing to act before she was wounded. Abigail Zwerner sent the text around an hour before she was shot in Virginia earlier this month, NBC News reported. The 25-year-old teacher at Richneck

Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will be reinstated after a two-year suspension following the 6 January insurrection. Facebook parent Meta said in a blog post on Wednesday it would be adding “new guardrails” to ensure there are no “repeat offenders” who violate its rules. “In the event that Mr Trump posts further violating content,

Germany will supply Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks and has given allies permission to send theirs too – despite threats from Russia – while the US has confirmed it will send over 31 M1 Abrams tanks in continued support of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s side. It means other countries – such as Poland and Spain

Generously, you’d call the tank debate an evolution of views among Western policymakers. Ungenerously, it’s rather a debacle and certainly doesn’t present the united front that Western nations have strived for through this year-old war. The Ukrainians have become used to this pattern of Western indecision. It follows a now familiar theme: have an almighty

Germany and the United States will reportedly send tanks to Ukraine to help the country fight off Russia’s invasion. While there has been no official confirmation from Berlin or Washington, Ukrainian officials have celebrated what they said was a potential game-changer. “A few hundred tanks for our tank crews – the best tank crews in

Classified documents have been found at former vice president Mike Pence’s home in Indiana, his lawyer has said. “The additional records appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration,” Mr

CCTV has been released showing a member of the public disarming a gunman in California – just minutes after he fatally shot 11 people at a nearby Chinese New Year celebration. Brandon Tsay, 26, has been hailed as a hero for disarming Huu Can Tran at the Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra. In the footage,

The number of people confirmed dead following a mass shooting at a Chinese New Year celebration in California has risen to 11. One of 10 people wounded in the atrocity in Monterey Park, about seven miles (11 km) east of Downtown Los Angeles, has now died of their injuries, health officials said. Two women, My

It is immediately obvious that Monterey Park is unlike anywhere else in California. The small city of around 61,000 people is eight miles east of downtown Los Angeles but could be a different country, with its Chinese supermarkets, dumpling restaurants and shop signs written in Chinese alongside English. More than 65% of the people who

A man suspected of killing 10 people in a Chinese New Year mass shooting in California fatally shot himself in his van as officers closed in. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the man was found dead in the vehicle he used to flee the scene of an attempted second shooting. The suspected gunman

Sarah, Duchess of York has paid tribute to Lisa Marie Presley at a memorial to celebrate her life, calling her Sissie and sharing an anecdote about her late mother-in-law, the Queen. The duchess was one of many paying tribute to the star on the front lawn at Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday. For

Ten people have been killed in a shooting during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in California, police have confirmed. During a news conference, Captain Andrew Meyer said at least another 10 people are being treated in local hospitals and their conditions ranged from critical to stable. Follow here for live updates Image: Pic: AP The

Multiple casualties have been reported after a shooting during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in California. Police are responding to the attack in Monterey Park, a city just east of Los Angeles, with videos on social media appearing to show officers swarming the area and firefighters treating victims. Tens of thousands of people had gathered

Actor Jeremy Renner revealed that he broke more than 30 bones following a snow plough accident which left him in intensive care. Posting on social media on Saturday, the 52-year-old, said that 2023 started with “tragedy” for his entire family, after the 6,500kg ‘PistenBully’ left him with “30 plus broken bones” on New Years Day.

Buzz Aldrin has announced he has married his “long-time love” on his 93rd birthday, saying they are as “excited as eloping teenagers”. The retired astronaut – the second man to ever step foot on the moon – said he had “tied the knot” with Dr Anca Faur, who is reportedly 63, in a small ceremony

A helicopter search is under way for missing British actor Julian Sands, as US authorities use mobile phone forensics to try to pinpoint his location. The 65-year-old was reported missing by his wife a week ago after he failed to return home from a hike in the southern Californian mountains. Due to evidence of avalanches,

Scandal-ridden US politician George Santos has denied participating in a drag show after video appeared to show him in a dress, necklace and earrings at a gay pride parade in Brazil. Video obtained by Reuters appeared to show Santos in drag at a gay pride parade in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro in 2005. A performer

The family of a six-year-old boy who shot and wounded his teacher have said they have always been committed to responsible gun ownership and that the weapon he used had been “secured”. Abigail Zwerner, who is still recovering from the gunshot wound and has been described as a hero by police and educators alike, was

It has been 15 months since cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot dead during rehearsals on set in New Mexico. One of her friends, whom she worked with on the film Rust, told me he has been “praying for accountability” and the looming charges of involuntary manslaughter suggest it could finally be on the way. There

Alec Baldwin has vowed to fight two charges of involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on set, with his lawyer calling the case a “terrible miscarriage of justice”. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, died after a prop gun held by Baldwin, 64, was discharged during rehearsals for the western film Rust in October 2021. The Hutchins’