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Shooting breaks out at homecoming party in east Harris County

4Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Harris County

Shooting breaks out at homecoming party in east Harris County

HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance that escalated into a weapons disturbance while they were en route to the call. https://youtu.be/65Tweuml2G8 The incident occurred during a homecoming party where several uninvited guests reportedly arrived. When they were asked to leave, the uninvited individuals allegedly produced firearms, leading to a shooting. Three people, including one adult and two juveniles, sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. They were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Deputies stated that a suspect has been identified, though information has not yet been released. If you have any information, you are urged to contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers at 713-22...

Abbott orders increased security at Texas places of worship

4Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Abbott orders increased security at Texas places of worship

AUSTIN, TX – Gov. Greg Abbott announced that people and places of faith are “under attack” and directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to increase security around houses of worship. File Photo (September 2025) The statewide operation will combine the efforts of Texas Highway Patrol troopers, DPS Criminal Investigations Division special agents and Texas Rangers. These units will work in coordination with federal and local law enforcement to provide additional protection.

Innocent woman shot during drive-by while family ate dinner outside Houston apartment

4Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Houston

Innocent woman shot during drive-by while family ate dinner outside Houston apartment

HOUSTON, TX – A woman was shot during a drive-by shooting while eating dinner with her family outside their apartment on Friday night. https://youtu.be/WhDjJSqYwJM According to the Houston Police Department, the shooting occurred in the 5800 block of Glenmont Drive at the Cedar Glen Apartment complex. An individual was seen running through the front of the apartment complex when a vehicle traveling westbound on Glenmont Drive began shooting in his direction. During the shooting, one of the family members, a woman, was struck in the stomach. EMS transported the victim to a nearby hospital. She is currently listed in stable condition and is expected to survive. Children and other family members were present at the time, but no one else was injured. If you have any informa...

Appeals court upholds 10-year sentence for man who assaulted dying mother in hospice bed

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Colorado

Appeals court upholds 10-year sentence for man who assaulted dying mother in hospice bed

DENVER, CO – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has affirmed the 10-year federal prison sentence of Billy Waitman, who was convicted of assault resulting in serious bodily harm after attacking his terminally ill mother in her hospice bed. Waitman challenged the sentence as substantively unreasonable, arguing it was nearly four times the advisory range under federal sentencing guidelines. However, the court found that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma had properly justified the upward variance. The appellate panel noted that such a significant departure from the guideline range requires strong reasoning from the sentencing judge. In this case, the court concluded that the district judge sufficiently explained the rationale under the sentenci...

Five juveniles charged with felony assault and hate crime enhancements in Simi Valley parking lot attack

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California

Five juveniles charged with felony assault and hate crime enhancements in Simi Valley parking lot attack

VENTURA, Calif. – Five juveniles have been charged in connection with an assault involving three victims at a Simi Valley movie theater parking lot on August 1, 2025, according to Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. Three of the juveniles are facing felony charges of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, each with a special allegation of a hate crime. A fourth juvenile has been charged with felony assault, along with misdemeanor counts of criminal threats and battery. The fifth juvenile is charged with misdemeanor criminal threats and battery. Two of the minors are 16 years old and three are 17. Due to their age, their identities are not being released. In addition to the August 1 incident, two of the juveniles are also being charged in connect...

Prosecutor rules Fayetteville officers justified in fatal shooting of armed suspect Brandon Poulter

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Arkansas

Prosecutor rules Fayetteville officers justified in fatal shooting of armed suspect Brandon Poulter

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – The use of lethal force by two Fayetteville Police Department officers has been ruled justified in the September 2025 shooting death of 42-year-old Brandon Poulter. According to Fourth District Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Carter, the officers' actions were consistent with Arkansas law. On September 7, 2025, Fayetteville Police officers responded to reports of gunfire at an apartment complex in the 300 block of North Garnet Court. As officers attempted to make contact with individuals inside the apartment, additional gunshots were fired from within, targeting both the officers and an armored vehicle. The suspect, identified as Brandon Poulter, continued to engage officers with gunfire. Officers returned fire, striking Poulter. He was later found deceased i...

Former volunteer coach Alejandro Mendoza faces 24 felony charges involving child victims across four Arkansas counties

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Arkansas

Former volunteer coach Alejandro Mendoza faces 24 felony charges involving child victims across four Arkansas counties

PRESCOTT, ARK. – A Texarkana man is facing 24 felony charges following an ongoing investigation into sex crimes involving multiple juvenile victims across four Arkansas counties. File Photo (October 2024) According to the Arkansas State Police, Alejandro Mendoza, 35, was charged on October 1, 2025, in both Nevada and Hempstead Counties. The charges include rape, indecency with a child by exposure, sexual grooming of a child, internet stalking of a child, and multiple counts of engaging children in sexually explicit conduct. The investigation began in July 2024 when the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Mendoza was first arrested on September 11, 2024, and a $250,000 bond was set at...

St. Joe man sentenced to life without parole for killing wife and abusing her corpse

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Arkansas

St. Joe man sentenced to life without parole for killing wife and abusing her corpse

ST. JOE, ARK. – A St. Joe man has been sentenced to life without parole plus 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to Capital Murder and Abuse of a Corpse in the death of his wife. According to court records, Jeffery Stansbery, 76, pleaded guilty on Friday, October 3, 2025, in Searcy County Circuit Court to the charges stemming from the death of Amanda Stansbery, 43, also of St. Joe. On September 5, 2024, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division assisted the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office after deputies discovered Amanda Stansbery deceased at her Chipley Road home. Deputies had been dispatched for a welfare check after Jeffery Stansbery reportedly told staff at Cox Medical Center in Branson, Missouri, that he had harmed his wife...

Braelin James, 17, charged with murder in shooting death of 15-year-old Kenneth Payne

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Braelin James, 17, charged with murder in shooting death of 15-year-old Kenneth Payne

HOUSTON, TX – Charges have been filed against a 17-year-old suspect arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a juvenile male that occurred at a gas station in southwest Houston. According to Houston Police, the shooting occurred around 7:15 p.m. on September 19 at 5330 North Braeswood Boulevard. Witnesses told police that a disturbance broke out between two groups at the gas station. As the groups began to leave, shots were fired toward one of the vehicles, striking 15-year-old Kenneth Payne. HPD patrol officers later responded to a hospital at 7600 Beechnut Street around 7:50 p.m., where Payne had been transported. He was pronounced deceased by hospital staff. Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Braelin James, 17, as the suspect. He was arr...

Judge Lina Hidalgo blames GOP for shutdown, warns of health care impact on Harris County

3Oct

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Judge Lina Hidalgo blames GOP for shutdown, warns of health care impact on Harris County

HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a statement criticizing the federal government shutdown, attributing it to the administration’s refusal to address rising health care costs. File Photo (August 2025) “The government is closed because the administration refuses to protect American citizens from soaring healthcare costs,” said Judge Hidalgo. She warned that the shutdown could significantly impact local residents, stating that nearly 670,000 Harris County residents who access health care through the Affordable Care Act would face increased premiums. She also cautioned that the county’s public hospital system could become overburdened, placing strain on the local health care safety net. Judge Hidalgo called on Republicans to “come to the table and agree to...