RALLY HELD IN CONNECTION ARBERY SHOOTING DEATH
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Justice for Ahmaud Arbery, a black man killed during a pursuit by a white man and his son in Georgia, isn't just prison time for his killers — it's changes in a local justice system that never charged them with a crime.
Hundreds of people came to the Glynn County courthouse Saturday, demanding accountability for a case in which charges weren't filed until state officials stepped in after a leaked video sparked national outrage.
Arbery, 25, was killed Feb. 23 near the port city of Brunswick. Gregory McMichael, 64, told police he and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, pursued Arbery because they believed he was responsible for recent break-ins in the neighborhood.
The McMichaels weren't arrested and charged with murder until May 7, after a video of the shooting was publicly released — and less than 48 hours after state agents took over the case.
EXPLOSION IN LOS ANGELES INVESTIGATED
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police and fire investigators have launched a criminal probe into the cause of a blast at a hash oil manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles that sent firefighters running for their lives.
Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's major crimes division are working with fire department arson investigators to learn what might have sparked the blast that shot a ball of flames out of the building Saturday. The flames also scorched a fire truck across the street.
Police spokesman Josh Rubenstein says the investigation is “in the very early stages.”
The blast injured a dozen firefighters. Some of them ran out onto sidewalks, where they tore off burning protective equipment, including melted helmets.
All were expected to survive.
SENATOR CRITICIZED FOR COMMENCEMENT REMARKS
FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse's attempt at humor during a speech at a Nebraska high school's online commencement — including blaming China for the coronavirus outbreak — drew strong criticism.
The Republican senator's speech Saturday was panned by a Fremont High School board member and his Democratic opponent in the November election. Sasse's spokesman, James Wegmann, told the Omaha World-Herald the senator was joking.
At one point, Sasse suggested graduates would remember their senior years at their future reunions as “that time when China started a big global pandemic that created the worst public health crisis in over a century and brought the economy to its knees and we had to stay home and everybody was hoarding toilet paper.”
Fremont school board member Michael Petersen called on Sasse to apologize.
2 DROWN AT FORMER MLB PLAYER’S HOME
HOUSTON (AP) — A 5-year-old boy and a woman drowned in the backyard pool of former Los Angeles Dodgers player Carl Crawford's Houston home.
The Houston Chronicle reports Houston police were called Saturday afternoon for a reported drowning at a north Houston home that property and business records list as belonging to Crawford.
A police spokeswoman tells the paper the boy was swimming in the pool when he began to have trouble breathing, and the woman jumped in to save him. Both were unresponsive when police arrived and later declared dead at a hospital.
No further details were immediately available.
Crawford is a Houston native and was a four-time All-Star outfielder who last played in the major leagues in 2016 with the Dodgers.
Known for his speed, Crawford was a Gold Glove outfielder who led the American League four times in stolen bases and four times in triples.