
Anti-violence group calls for end to Philly gun raffle
The big picture: Hundreds of runners will travel to town this month to participate in the Law Enforcement Memorial Run (LEMR), a three-day, 150-mile race from Philly's Navy Yard to Washington, D.C.
The run, held May 12-14 during National Police Week, honors police officers who died in the line of duty.
For the fourth year, the New Jersey-based nonprofit's Philly chapter is holding an online gun raffle to kick off the event.
What they're saying: Anton Moore, head of Unity in the Community, tells Axios the raffle is "tone deaf" and sends the wrong message in a community that has struggled for years to quell gun violence.
"It's disrespectful to the families," he says. "Their legacies are much, much more than a gun raffle."
LEMR's coordinator, Tim Hoagland, tells Axios he's never received complaints about the gun raffles.
"People murder people. Guns don't," Hoagland said.
The Philly chapter didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment sent through Facebook.
Flashback: The memorial run started nearly three decades ago, when a small group of law enforcement officers from Philly and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ran from Philadelphia's police academy to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and back to honor fallen friends.
Some of the money raised each year goes toward helping pay for hotels and food for runners, some of whom are family members of fallen police officers from around the U.S.
By the numbers: More than 380 Philadelphia police officers have been killed in the line of duty since 1798 — about a third of them were fatally shot, per the Officer Down Memorial Page.
So far, 23 officers have died this year, according to ODMP.
How it works: The Philly LEMR chapter started selling tickets for the drawing in March, with proceeds benefiting the local chapter.
The top prize is a Springfield Saint 5.56 — a semiautomatic AR-15-style firearm.
Only entrants living in Pennsylvania who can lawfully own firearms are eligible for the gun prizes. Otherwise, they must take a cash option.
Between the lines: "After my loved one was gunned down, I don't know how I'd feel about firearms," Brian Higgins, a former New Jersey police chief and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, tells Axios. "Doing it in the city of Philadelphia raises some issues."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
10 minutes ago
- CBS News
Man who confessed to 1997 killing of New Jersey woman sentenced to 10 years
Nearly three decades after the murder of a woman in New Jersey, there has been some justice for her family. Advanced DNA technology helped authorities track down her killer in Canada. As that man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday as part of a negotiated plea deal, the victim's family and friends first faced him during what is called the victim impact statement. A Somerset County courtroom was the backdrop for the sentencing of Robert Creter in the 1997 murder of Tami Tignor. Her mother, Piper Bailey, spoke directly to the confessed killer on a Zoom call. "He took my daughter's life. He strangled the life out of her, and he should be locked up forever," Bailey said. Bailey described the pain she has endured since her 23-year-old daughter's body was found at Washington Valley Park. "For 27 years, her killer was out running free while we were all in prison," Bailey said. "I scoured the area from where she disappeared day and night. I don't sleep without nightmares over her death." DNA from under Tignor's nails led to Creter's arrest in 2023 and a confession. "Tami was like a little sister, and when you die the world will be a better place. And you should hope what I do won't pass for flowers," friend Brian DeMartino said. Creter, a 61-year-old with a history of convictions, including sexual assault, addressed the Tignor family. "If I could take that day back, I would, your honor. It wasn't planned. I never meant to hurt anybody. It was just a bad situation that got out of hand and I made the worse decision of my life. If I could take it back, I would. I apologize," Creter said. "I don't believe he is sorry. They had to drag him out of the woods to get him here," DeMartino said. Tignor would have turned 50 years old on Wednesday. Her family said her killer was out longer than she was alive. "I prayed every single day that we would find out who he was because he was mystery," friend Rhonda Reagan said. "She was my only child, and she was taken from us way too soon," Bailey added. "What was going on in my mind? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," Tignor's stepfather said. The judge said she was bound by the plea agreement and that she hopes when Creter is up for parole in eight and a half years he won't be released, based on the likelihood that he could commit another crime. "We will all be there, sending letters when he's up for parole," another person said.


New York Post
39 minutes ago
- New York Post
Multiple families were sent the wrong bodies after Air India disaster: report
Families of UK residents killed in last month's Air India disaster have been sent the wrong bodies in repatriation blunders. The Daily Mail reports that at least two cases of mistaken identity had come to light, with one family having to abandon a funeral after being informed their coffin contained an unknown body. In another case, a coffin contained 'co-mingled' remains of more than one person killed in the flight 171 crash at Ahmedabad in western India on June 12. The scandal has sparked top-level inquiries in both the UK and India, the Mail reports, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to raise concerns with counterpart Narendra Modi this week. 5 Basit Zargar/ZUMA Press Wire / There were 52 British citizens killed among the 261 people who died after the plane lost power and crashed into a residential area soon after it lifted off to fly to London. All but one of the 242 people on board died as well as 19 people on the ground. Aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt has been engaged to represent UK-based people impacted by the tragedy, with the remains of 12 people repatriated so far. 'I've been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back,' he told the Mail. 'But some of them have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. 5 Getty Images 'It has been going on for a couple of weeks (and) I think these families deserve an explanation.' Healy-Pratt said the family which had received the wrong body had been left 'in limbo' since the devastating discovery was made. '(They) have no one to bury because it was the wrong person in their casket. 'And if isn't their relative, the question is, who is it in that coffin? Presumably it's another passenger and their relatives have been given the wrong remains. 'The coroner also has a problem because she has an unidentified person in her jurisdiction.' Investigations continue into how the disaster unfolded, with mounting attention on the actions of lead pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. 5 AFP via Getty Images Some experts who have reviewed the initial report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) believe a pilot on turned off two switches controlling fuel flow to the plane's engines. The first was moved three seconds after lift off and the other one second later, the AAIB report found, before being turned back on a further 10 seconds later. Fingers have been pointed at Captain Sabharwal because his younger co-pilot, Clive Kunder, would have had his 'hands full' while flying the plane. Air India's inspection of the locking feature on the fuel control switches of its existing Boeing 787 aircraft found no issues, an internal communication circulated within the airline said on July 17. 5 AFP via Getty Images India's aviation regulator ordered the country's airlines this week to investigate the locking feature on the switches of several Boeing models. The order came after Boeing notified operators that the fuel switch locks on its jets were safe. However, it was in line with a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2018, which recommended inspection of the locks to ensure they could not be moved accidentally. Air India's probe found no problems with the locking mechanism. 5 Saurabh Sirohiya/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 'Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft,' the airline's flight operations department said in a communication to its pilots. 'The inspections have been completed and no issues were found.' A spokesperson for the UK government told the Mail formal identification of the bodies was a 'matter for the Indian authorities'. 'We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them,' they said.


Newsweek
40 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Man Who Came to US at Age 2 Detained by ICE
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A 21-year-old Virginia Tech student who has lived in the United States since he was 2 years old and is in the process of applying for a green card was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment. Why It Matters President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, specifically targeting those with violent criminal records, and his administration ramped up immigration enforcement since his return to office in January. Recent polls, however, suggest some Americans are turning on Trump's immigration policy amid reports that individuals with no criminal records or nonviolent offenses are being targeted. The administration said it deported around 100,000 illegal immigrants in the initial months of the presidency. Many individuals have been deported following Trump invoking the rarely used Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which has been criticized and blocked by judges. What To Know On July 9, Cristian Romo-Bermejo attended a going-away party for his friend. During the party, his friends believed he began to have a panic attack, and he asked for an ambulance, Blacksburg-based news station WSLS reported. His sister, Carina, said police arrived with the ambulance, and he told them that he did not have legal status. Police allege that Romo-Bermejo threatened medical staff and assaulted officers while at the hospital. His sister told WSLS that he "has no criminal record" and is "not a violent person." Romo-Bermejo, from Mexico, is married to a U.S. citizen, Jadyn Yost, who says he is in the process of applying for a green card. She told WSLS that they plan to seek cancellation of removal once the criminal case is settled. ICE responded to his arrest in a statement first reported by WSLS, writing that Romo-Bermejo was "illegally present" in the U.S. and was "charged with two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer." "On July 13, the Montgomery County Jail honored the ICE detainer and transferred custody to ICE Washington, D.C. who served Romo-Bermejo a notice to appear before a Justice Department immigration judge. Romo-Bermejo will further be held in custody without bond as he is subject to mandatory detention under the Laken Riley Act," the statement reads. ICE records reviewed by Newsweek show that he remains in custody at the Farmville Detention Center in Farmville, Virginia. A man holds a sign that reads "Love your immigrant neighbor" during a protest in Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. A man holds a sign that reads "Love your immigrant neighbor" during a protest in Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images A GoFundMe campaign for Romo-Bermejo has raised over $33,000. "Cristian is not a criminal. He is not a threat. He is a husband, a friend, a classmate. He is a person who shows more strength and dedication than most of us will ever be asked to. This country is the only place he has ever known, and now he is locked away from all of it," the GoFundMe reads. There have been numerous reports of migrants living in the U.S. being detained amid Trump's immigration crackdown. For instance, a Michigan mother of two is facing deportation after reporting an alleged assault to her local police. A Brazilian man living in Florida with a valid Florida ID and work permit was detained while visiting the Grand Canyon last month. What People Are Saying Cristian Romo-Bermejo's wife, Jadyn Yost, told WSLS: "He was disoriented and scared and begging to be taken to a hospital to get help. He wasn't trying to cause harm." Attorney John Fishwick told WSET: "The fact that he's being held, they may be taking the position that he's an illegal citizen and therefore we want to remove him from this country." Eduardo Zelaya, Virginia's organizing director at immigration advocacy group CASA, said in a statement: "The illegal and inhumane criminalization of Cristian is yet another example of rising authoritarian ideals that are being adopted and implemented in our commonwealth of Virginia. He experienced a health emergency and should have received care and compassion, not handcuffs and detention." What Happens Next Romo-Bermejo's next immigration hearing is scheduled for August, reported Lynchburg news station WSET. His family and legal team plan to seek cancellation of removal once the criminal case concludes.