Actor Tracy Morgan in ICU After Crash; Driver Charged

By NBCPhiladelphia.com

Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan is in intensive care following a six-vehicle crash along the New Jersey Turnpike that left one person dead and at least two others seriously hurt, state police say.

The 45-year-old former "Saturday Night Live" star, stand-up comedians Ardie Fuqua Jr. and Harris Stanton, and several other passengers were traveling north along the highway in a limo bus around 1 a.m. Saturday when a Walmart tractor trailer struck the limo bus, causing it to overturn, New Jersey State Police confirm.

The tractor-trailer driver, Kevin Roper, 35, of Jonesboro, Ga., was charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.

Roper surrendered to authorities late Saturday afternoon and was transported to the Middlesex County jail, where he is being held on $50,000 bail, according to New Jersey State Police.

Evan Agostini / AP file

Actor Tracy Morgan in 2008

The crash, which happened about 15 miles north of Trenton near Exit 8A of the Turnpike in Cranbury, N.J., killed 62-year-old James McNair of Peekskill, New York and put Morgan and two others in critical condition.

Some early reports indicated the tractor trailer driver was sleeping at the wheel, but New Jersey State Police say there is nothing to suggest he dozed off.

"There is nothing that indicates that," said New Jersey State Police Sgt. First Class Gregory Williams. "There is no documentation that agrees with that."

Walmart U.S. President and CEO Bill Simon expressed his condolences for the crash victims and their families in a statement to the press.

"This is a tragedy and we are profoundly sorry that one of our trucks was involved," Simon said. "We are working quickly to understand what happened and are cooperating fully with law enforcement to aid their investigation.""The facts are continuing to unfold," he continued. "If it's determined that our truck caused the accident, Walmart will take full responsibility."

A preliminary state police investigation found that the tractor trailer came upon slow moving traffic and slammed into the limo.

"The driver of the tractor trailer ...failed to observe the slow moving traffic ahead of him," Williams said. "The driver did observe the traffic, but it was too late. It was just prior to impact, he swerved to the left in an attempt to avoid the collision. But he was unable to."

The black Mercedes limo bus rotated clockwise, overturned on its left side and crashed into several other vehicles, he said. Six vehicles in all -- two tractor trailers, the limo bus, an SUV and two cars -- were involved.

The crash was so severe, part of the limo's rear driver side was ripped away.

The "30 Rock" actor was flown from the scene to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. He is in intensive care.

Morgan's representative, Lewis Kay, tells NBC News the actor is expected to remain in critical condition for the time being.

"His family is now with him and he is receiving excellent care. We don't anticipate much of a change in his condition today but will provide a further update once more information becomes available," Kay said.

James McNair, a 62-year-old of Peekskill, New York, was killed in the crash, according to state police. The Associated Press is reporting that 37-year-old Jeffrey Millea of Shelton, Conn. was also flown from the crash to Robert Wood Johson Hospital, where he is in critical condition. A hospital spokesman told the AP that Fuqua is also in critical condition, while Stanton has been treated and released.

All of the injured were on the limo bus.

One of the two drivers in the limo bus, 44-year-old Tyrone Gail of Rehobeth, Del., was visibly shaken while exiting Beebe Healthcare in Lewes, Del.

 Gail expressed his condolences for everyone involved in the accident before becoming overwhelmed by emotion and ending the interview.

Christopher Thompson, co-owner of limo operator Atlantic Transportation Services, said the eight passenger limo bus had another driver besides Gail on board. One was behind the wheel and another in the front passenger seat.

The second driver also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was shaken up by the crash, Thompson said.

"Atlantic Transportation Services extends our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to those injured in last night's accident. We also give our sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the one individual that passed," he said in a written statement. "This is a very difficult time and we appreciate all of the support and well wishes we have received thus far, and we ask that everyone pray for the recovery of those injured. Godspeed to all involved."

Morgan had a scheduled performance at Dover Downs Casino in Dover, Delaware, on Friday night. That's about 120 miles south of the crash point. The bus was chartered by the casino, according to Thompson.

Fuqua posted a photo to Instagram around midnight showing Morgan in front of a crowd. His Facebook page said he was opening for Morgan.

"This is what it looks like from the stage to see a standing ovation from 1,500 people," the photo's caption read. "Then we traveled back to NYC in style in a luxury Mercedes Sprinter. Road life is a good life!"

A New York City native, Morgan started as a cast member on "SNL" in 1996 and spent seven years on the show. He later had his own show, "The Tracy Morgan Show," which lasted for just a season. In 2006, he portrayed the role of Tracy Jordan in the hit NBC comedy "30 Rock," created by "SNL" co-star Tina Fey.

Morgan grew up fatherless, one of five siblings, in a blighted section of Brooklyn, where he helped raise and support the family.

He once called his gift for being funny "a defense mechanism" for his miserable circumstances. As a teen, he started doing comedy on the streets to supplement the family's welfare income.

In recent years, he has struggled with alcoholism and has been arrested on drunken driving charges. He had a successful kidney transplant in late 2010.

The Turnpike was closed for more than five hours as officials investigated the crash. The highway was reopened around 6:30 a.m.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office will lead the investigation into the crash and the New Jersey State Police and National Transportation Safety Board are assisting. An NTSB spokesperson said the agency planned to send investigators to the crash scene Saturday evening or Sunday to focus on safety issues related to the trucks and limo.Actor Tracy Morgan in ICU After Crash; Driver Charged.   

    First published June 7th 2014, 5:39 am  

North Korea says detains U.S. tourist, three now in custody

REUTERS: Jacky Chen                

North Korean soldiers chat as they walk on the banks of the Yalu River, near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, June 1, 2014.

9 hr ago By Jack Kim of Reuters

 

 

SEOUL - North Korea said on Friday it had detained an American tourist for violating its laws after entering the secretive state in April, bringing the number of U.S. citizens held by Pyongyang to three.

Pyongyang has detained a number of U.S. citizens in recent years, using them as a tool to extract visits by high-profile figures, including former President Bill Clinton, for propaganda means.
North Korea periodically accuses the United States of military hostility and conspiracy to overthrow its leadership. The two states have been locked in a tense diplomatic conflict over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.
The latest American to be held was being questioned by authorities for conduct inappropriate for the purpose of his visit as a tourist, state media reported on Friday.
The North's KCNA news agency named him as Jeffrey Edward Fowle and said he entered the country on April 29. It gave no further details.
A State Department official said Washington was aware of reports that a third U.S. citizen had been detained in North Korea. "There is no greater priority for us than the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad," the official said, adding no further information was available.
Earlier on Friday, Japan's Kyodo news agency said the North had detained a U.S. citizen in mid-May.
Kyodo cited unidentified diplomatic sources as saying the American was detained just before he was to leave North Korea, for having left a Bible in his hotel.
Two other Americans are currently being held by the North, arrested after arriving on tourist visas and accused of crimes against the state. Korean American missionary Kenneth Bae has been in custody for 18 months and a second man has been held since April.

In May, the U.S. State Department issued an advisory urging Americans not to travel to North Korea because of the "risk of arbitrary arrest and detention" even while holding valid visas.
"Foreign visitors to North Korea may be arrested, detained, or expelled for activities that would not be considered criminal outside North Korea," it said.

WAR VETERAN RELEASED

North Korea has detained and then released other Americans in the past year, including Korean War veteran Merrill E. Newman, whom it expelled after holding him for more than a month accusing him of war crimes.

In April, the North said it was holding an American named Matthew Todd Miller who had made "a gross violation of its legal order" after entering the country on a tourist visa.
He tore up his visa and demanded asylum, KCNA said in April.
Bae was arrested in 2012 and has been sentenced to 15 years' hard labour on charges of state subversion. His family says he suffers from a variety of health issues, including diabetes, an enlarged heart, kidney stones and severe back pain.

North Korea has twice cancelled visits by Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, to discuss Bae's case.
The United States has no diplomatic ties with North Korea and the interests of its citizens in the country are represented by Sweden, which has an embassy in Pyongyang.

(Additional reporting by Elaine Lies in Tokyo; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Family: Wisconsin stabbing victim out of hospital

AP: Abe Van Dyke                

Rescue workers take a 12-year-old stabbing victim to an ambulance in Waukesha, Wis., on May 31.

49 min ago By Associated Press        

WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — A 12-year-old Wisconsin girl who police say was repeatedly stabbed by two classmates trying to curry favor with a fictional horror character has been released from the hospital, the victim's parents said Friday night.
 

The girl narrowly survived being stabbed 19 times. A spokeswoman for the girl's family issued a statement Friday saying the girl was released from Waukesha Memorial Hospital.
"She is excited to be out of the hospital, see her pets and continue along the road to recovery. Our family is extremely grateful for the outpouring of support and love from not only the local community, but from around the nation, and the world," the statement said.
The two 12-year-old girls have been charged as adults with first-degree attempted homicide in the stabbing. Police say the girls told detectives they wanted to kill the other girl in hopes of pleasing Slender Man, a spooky character they read about on a horror website.
Police say that after stabbing the victim, the girls left her lying in the woods. The victim crawled to a road where a bicyclist found her lying on the sidewalk.

In their statement, the victim's parents said they have kept their discussions with their daughter about the May 31 stabbing short. But they said they have asked her girl how she found the strength to crawl out of the woods.

"Her response was simple: 'I wanted to live,'" the statement said.
Doctors previously told police the victim was lucky to be alive because the knife just missed a major artery.

Police have not identified the victim, and her parents have asked friends to keep her name secret.
Anthony Cotton, an attorney for one of the girls charged in the stabbing, has said he will push to get the girl's case transferred to juvenile court, where more social services and mental health treatment would be available for her.

Lethal Injection: Three Men Await Their Fate on Death Row This Month

By  Tracy Connor

In the wake of controversial lethal injections, executions are temporarily on hold in two states: Oklahoma and Ohio.

Nationwide, no one has been put to death since Clayton Lockett, whose April 29 execution was so badly botched the White House ordered a review of state protocols.

Is Lethal Injection Painful?

NBCNews.com

But three condemned men have been given execution dates for later this month. Here's a look at their crimes and their efforts to extend their leases on life:

Marcus Wellons, Georgia

Wellon, 59, has been on Georgia's death row since 1993 for raping and strangling a 15-year-old girl who was abducted on her way to school.

His execution is set for June 17 — a date chosen shortly after Georgia's top court rejected a challenge by Wellons and other inmates to a state law that shrouds execution-drug suppliers in secrecy.

It's expected that his defense team will be filing more appeals.

Wellons' case has already been before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 2010 that a lower court had to review his conviction and death sentence amid revelations that jurors gave chocolates shaped like a penis and breasts to the judge and bailiff.

A federal appeals court deemed the gifts "tasteless" but said they had no bearing on the outcome of the trial.

Georgia Department of Corrections

Marcus Wellons is scheduled to be executed June 17.

John Winfield, Missouri

The Missouri double murderer has a June 18 execution date, but his lawyers have filed a wave of appeals seeking to stop it.  One motion in federal court argues that the state should not be allowed to keep secret the source of its execution drugs, and a circuit court petition claims the anonymity violates the open-records law. Defense lawyers have filed a third action alleging that state officials are punishing a prison staffer who planned to support Winfield's bid for clemency.

Winfield, 46, was convicted of shooting his ex-girlfriend and two of her friends during a jealousy-fueled rampage in 1996. The friends were killed and his ex-girlfriend survived but was blinded.

Missouri's last scheduled execution was temporarily blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court after the inmate, Russell Bucklew, argued that a rare birth defect would make his execution too painful.

Missouri Department of Corrections

John Winfield challenged Missouri's execution drug-secrecy laws.

John Henry, Florida

After almost 30 years in prison, Henry is slated to be executed by Florida on June 18 for the stabbing death of his estranged wife and her 5-year-old son.

But his attorney, Baya Harrison, is making a last-ditch attempt to save his life by arguing that he's too intellectually disabled to be put to death.

An appeal filed this week cites a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down Florida use of a strict cut-off, based on IQ test scores, to determine eligibility for the death penalty.

Henry, 63, was on parole for the stabbing death of his first wife when he knifed his second wife, Suzanne, during an argument and took off with her child from another marriage. He stabbed the boy in the throat hours later.

His lawyer says Henry had a "severely abusive childhood," a history of head injuries and mental illness and the developmental maturity of a 13-year-old.

Flordida Department of Corrections

John Henry has been on death row for nearly three decades.

• Lethal Injection: Three Men Await Their Fate on Death Row This Month

First published June 4th 2014, 11:10 am

Tracy Connor is a senior writer for NBC News. She started this role in December, 2012. Connor is responsible

Officials Hail Hero Students in Seattle Pacific University Shooting

By  M. Alex Johnson

Quick-thinking students jumped on a man who opened fire in a campus building Thursday at Seattle Pacific University, pinning him to the ground before he could reload, shoot and kill more people, police said.

One man was killed and three other people were injured, one of them critically, Seattle police said. A suspect, described as a 26-year-old white male who wasn't a student, was in custody.

Assistant Police Chief Paul McDonagh said the suspect hadn't been charged but would soon be booked for investigation of murder. McDonagh said it appeared that the man — who was armed with a shotgun, a knife and an unspecified number of extra rounds of ammunition — acted alone, but he said officers were following up on the possibility that he may have had an accomplice.

Susan Gregg, a spokeswoman for Harborview Medical Center, said four people were treated, one of whom later died. She said a 20-year-old woman was in surgery in critical condition, while two other people — a man and a woman — were in satisfactory condition.

1 Killed, 3 Hurt in Seattle Campus Shooting

The shootings occurred shortly after 3 p.m. (6 p.m. ET) at Otto Miller Hall, the engineering and math building at the private Christian college.

The gunman walked into the lobby and fired multiple gunshots, said police Capt. Chris Fowler, the incident commander. When he stopped to reload, a student security guard subdued the man by pepper-spraying him and taking him to the ground, where he was pinned by other students until authorities arrived, Fowler said.

"But for the terrific response of the people at Seattle Pacific University, this incident might have been much more tragic," McDonagh said. "The actions of the subject here do not reflect the city of Seattle and of the students of Seattle Pacific University."

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee echoed McDonagh's sentiment, praising the "students who put themselves in real danger to protect classmates from further violence and to aid and comfort the victims."

"Those selfless and brave acts should remind us of the indomitable spirit of young people," Inslee said in a statement.

KING-TV

First responders work at Seattle Pacific University after an on-campus shooting Friday.

A witness, Kabrina Kidd, said she saw a bleeding woman on the ground. The gunman was standing just 3 or 4 feet away, she said, and "I thought I was going to die."

Chris Howard, a junior mechanical engineering student, was working on a project in the machine shop when a friend "rushes in — obviously frantic and looking behind him — and first thing he says is: 'Close the door behind me. Are the other doors locked?'"

After closing the garage door, "we start ripping the first aid kit off of the wall, because he had a couple of marks on his neck that were bleeding," Howard told NBC station KING of Seattle. "We did some basic first aid with gauze pads on his neck, [and] I left the machine shop to try to find someone with more medical training, because the bleeding's bad."

In the hallway, "I see another student kneeling over someone that's lying down. I rush over there, because something fishy is going on, and I see the person who's lying down, their chest is red and appears to have a tourniquet around their arm," Howard said.

It was a woman, and Howard put her head in his lap until help arrived.

"Close the door behind me. Are the other doors locked?"

Students jumped on the gunman and pinned him to the ground until police arrived.

"Her chest is red [and] there appears to be a tourniquet around her arm," Howard said. So he put her head in his lap until help arrived.

Officials Hail Hero Students in Seattle Pacific University Shooting

First published June 5th 2014, 5:49 pm

M. Alex Johnson is a senior writer for NBC News covering general news, with an emphasis on explanatory...