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New Straits Times
6 days ago
- New Straits Times
Three killed in explosion at US police training facility
LOS ANGELES, United States: Three people died on Friday in an explosion at a police training facility in Los Angeles, in what one local official called an accident. "Tragically, they were three sworn members who were fatally killed," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. "No other department members were injured or transported to any hospitals." Speaking to reporters hours after the incident, Luna emphasised that authorities had yet to determine the cause of the blast, but that there was no threat to the community. "Within the last 30 minutes, the LAPD bomb squad rendered the scene safe," the sheriff said. "We have to go back and investigate what happened from the very beginning. I don't have the facts at this point." Homicide detectives and personnel from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene, along with a bomb disposal unit from the Los Angeles Police Department. An elected city official from the area where the blast took place ruled out terrorism and called it "a tragic accident." "Early on, there were people speculating that this was intentional by, you know, some terrorists, but it was not, is what I'm hearing. It was a tragic accident," said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. The Los Angeles Times newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying that the facility's bomb squad was moving explosives following a bomb alert when the blast occurred. Law enforcement personnel enforced a large security perimeter around the parking lot where the explosion took place, an AFP photographer observed. Sheriff Luna said it was the largest loss of life for his department since 1857 and that the three people killed had served the country for a total of 74 years. Their names have not yet been released. US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that there "appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility" and that investigators were on-site "working to learn more." Mayor Karen Bass said "arson investigators and members of the LAPD bomb squad are assisting" at the scene in the Biscailuz Training Centre in the Monterey Park area. "The thoughts of all Angelenos are with all of those impacted by this blast," she said on X. California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said he had been briefed and was "closely monitoring the situation." Footage from local station KTLA, which helicoptered over the training centre, showed a person in bomb disposal gear working around a truck believed to contain explosives, which law enforcement personnel had covered with a large tent.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Miami Herald
‘Don't Lie for the Other Guy.' ATF targets straw purchases of guns
In the year Ashley Perez has worked as a cashier for an indoor gun range, she has witnessed a grim trend that firearm retailers have seen in recent years. 'I had a homeless lady come in. ... She was trying to purchase a gun, but just with dollar bills. ... [Another time] a mother came in to buy her younger son a gun, saying, 'It's for me,' while the son was saying it's for him,' the 24-year-old described seeing last summer. Perez and her team at Top Gun Indoor Range Florida in Kendall identified the pattern in both cases almost instantly. They were tell-tale attempts at straw purchases — buying firearms for people legally prohibited from owning them. It's a federal crime that could land an a offender a $250,000 fine and a 15-year prison sentence. A 2022 act signed by then-President Joe Biden tacks on 10 more years behind bars if the gun is used to commit a felony, an act of terrorism or a drug-trafficking crime. In a public campaign, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is warning potential straw purchasers about those steep penalties. . 'The message behind the campaign is simple: If you're buying a gun for someone who can't legally own one, you are committing a crime,' said Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent John Vecchio during a Friday press conference at the gun range. 'You're helping potentially arm someone with dangerous intentions.' Vecchio joined the ATF, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and National Shooting Sports Foundation at Top Gun to announce the newest iteration of the 'Don't Lie for the Other Guy' campaign, which aims to curb the crime. Next month, South Floridians can expect to see billboards and posters with messaging that includes 'Buy a gun for someone who can't and buy yourself 15 years in jail.' Listeners of top radio stations and podcasts will hear the same. The 25-year-old, nationwide campaign isn't changing its strategies, but instead focusing on South Florida, which is a magnet for domestic and international gun trafficking. 'The availability of firearms is higher here and the restrictions on sales are a little bit less than they are in some states,' explained Rob Cekada, the ATF's deputy director, on why the crime is prevalent in the area. 'One of the reasons we picked Miami ... there's a lot of firearms trafficking that begins here and ends up in the Caribbean and also ends up in Mexico as well.' But the real danger behind straw-purchasing, Cekada says, is how it arms South Florida felons and encourages violent crimes. The deputy director's latest investigation, he shared, is still turning up illegally traded guns at crime scenes that happened in Miami and Margate and are linked to two Florida straw purchasers who bought more than 48 firearms. A 2024 ATF report confirms the pipeline nationwide, revealing that of the 7,000+ cases between 2017 and 2021 in which firearms were peddled, 60% of the 'end users' had at least one prior felony conviction. 'Rarely do we recover a firearm at a crime scene that was purchased by the perpetrator,' said Hayden O'Byrne, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, at the briefing. He added that retailers such as Top Gun and other federal firearm licensees play a large role in preventing straw purchases, calling them 'the first line of defense.' FFLs are individuals or businesses allowed to manufacture, import and deal firearms and are required to renew the permit with ATF every three years. Because Florida gun laws require only federal firearm licensees — not private sellers — to conduct background checks when transferring firearms, employees such as Perez are crucial to preventing the crime. 'We look out for signs, that's the first thing we do. The second we see a person walk through the door, we see the way they stand, the way they're speaking, if they're grabbing their phone too much,' she said. 'We want our hands [clean], and we want to do it the right way and the legal way.' That's why the 'Don't Lie for the Other Guy' campaign is teaching retailers how to identify straw-purchasers. 'This is a two-prong approach,' said Joseph Bartozzi, president of the NSSF, which launched the campaign with the ATF in 2000. 'Part of it is we help to work with the retailers like this to teach them about how to identify the red flags.' The other half? To warn everyday people unaware of the crime's severity before they make the mistake. Bartozzi cleared up that though money is a key motivator for those initiating straw purchases, it's not the only one. Peer pressure and 'a sense of loyalty' to family or friends explain why some participate in the crime. Others are emotionally manipulated or threatened with physical harm by those barred from owning guns themselves. Some just don't know it's illegal. 'It's not just criminal, but even unwitting, law-abiding people that might be caught up with a boyfriend or girlfriend,' he said. 'We want to make sure everyone understands that it is a crime, even if it's unintentionally related to a crime that's going to be committed later on.'
NDTV
6 days ago
- NDTV
Three Killed In Explosion At Los Angeles Police Training Facility
Los Angeles: Three people died Friday in an explosion at a police training facility in Los Angeles, in what one local official called an accident. "Tragically, they were three sworn members who were fatally killed," Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. "No other department members were injured or transported to any hospitals." Speaking to reporters hours after the incident, Luna stressed that authorities had yet to determine the cause of the blast, but that there was no threat to the community. "Within the last 30 minutes, the LAPD bomb squad rendered the scene safe," the sheriff said. "We have to go back and investigate what happened from the very beginning. I don't have the facts at this point." Homicide detectives and personnel from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene, along with a bomb disposal unit from the Los Angeles Police Department. An elected city official from the area where the blast took place ruled out terrorism and called it "a tragic accident." "Early on, there were people speculating that this was intentional by, you know, some terrorists, but it was not, is what I'm hearing. It was a tragic accident," Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. The Los Angeles Times newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying that the facility's bomb squad was moving explosives following a bomb alert when the blast took place. Law enforcement personnel enforced a large security perimeter around the parking lot where the explosion occurred, an AFP photographer saw. - 'Horrific incident' - Sheriff Luna said it was the largest loss of life for his department since 1857 and that the three people killed had served the country for a total of 74 years. Their names have not yet been released. US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that there "appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility" and that investigators were on-site "working to learn more." Mayor Karen Bass said "arson investigators and members of the LAPD bomb squad are assisting" at the scene in the Biscailuz Training Center in the Monterey Park area. "The thoughts of all Angelenos are with all of those impacted by this blast," she said on X. California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said he had been briefed, and was "closely monitoring the situation." Footage from local station KTLA, which helicoptered over the training center, showed a person in bomb disposal gear working around a truck believed to contain explosives, which law enforcement personnel had covered with a large tent.
Time Business News
12-07-2025
- Time Business News
National Firearm Trace Data See Significant Surge in Requests
Gun violence has traditionally been viewed through a criminal justice lens, but growing evidence suggests it should also be treated as a public health crisis. A recent analysis by Suzuki Law Offices, leveraging trace data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), paints a picture of systemic risk that stretches beyond crime scenes and into the everyday realities of American life. The Epidemiology of Firearm Traces Between 2017 and 2023, law enforcement submitted nearly 3 million firearm trace requests a 52% increase in just seven years. While some might interpret this trend as improved police efficiency or greater use of investigative tools like eTrace, it also suggests something far more concerning: the sheer volume of guns ending up in the wrong hands. Firearm traces aren't just forensic tools they're symptoms of a deeper societal pathology. Each trace represents a weapon recovered at a crime scene, often after being used in a shooting, robbery, or act of domestic violence. Taken collectively, these traces form a data-driven diagnosis of America's escalating gun problem. From Legal Sale to Violent Act: A Shortening Time Frame One of the most alarming trends in the Suzuki Law analysis is the shrinking time between a firearm's legal purchase and its recovery in connection with a crime. Known as 'time-to-crime' (TTC), this metric dropped from 4.2 years in 2017 to 2.9 years in 2023. Short TTC values are particularly dangerous from a public health standpoint because they indicate rapid movement of guns into illicit use. In 2021, more than 30% of recovered firearms were traced back to a purchase made within the previous 12 months, meaning thousands of guns entered criminal circulation almost immediately after purchase. Privately Made Firearms: A Ghost in the System The rise of privately made firearms (PMFs), or 'ghost guns,' represents another dimension of this growing public health concern. These weapons, which lack serial numbers and are often assembled from kits, are nearly impossible to trace. Suzuki Law's study reveals a 1,600% increase in PMF recoveries from 2017 to 2023. In 2023 alone, nearly 27,500 ghost guns were recovered. More than 1,600 were linked to homicides, and over 4,000 were tied to other violent crimes. Their prevalence reflects the ease with which untraceable weapons can now be acquired and deployed, a trend that has outpaced regulatory capacity and community preparedness. Communities at Risk: Demographic and Geographic Impacts The data also reveals troubling disparities in who is affected. States like California, Texas, and Florida consistently lead in firearm recoveries, a function of both population size and trafficking patterns. But these numbers also point to deeper regional vulnerabilities urban areas with high poverty rates, limited access to healthcare, and overburdened law enforcement often experience the brunt of gun violence. Demographically, the majority of crime guns are now tied to purchasers under 35 years old. Women now account for more than one in five firearm traces. These shifts suggest the epidemic is not confined to any single demographic or region, reinforcing its classification as a broad public safety and health issue. Repeat Offenders and Multiple-Sale Traces From 2019 to 2023, about 14% of traced pistols were used in more than one criminal incident sometimes multiple shootings. Most of these occurred within three years of the firearm's original sale. Additionally, trace requests tied to multiple-sale purchases where a single buyer legally purchases multiple firearms in one transaction have doubled. These patterns mirror the way infectious diseases can spread quickly within a population when unchecked, signaling a need for early detection and containment strategies. Firearm Loss, Theft, and Public Vulnerability More than 1 million firearms were reported stolen from private citizens between 2019 and 2023. The vast majority of those thefts occurred outside commercial settings, such as private homes and vehicles. Lost firearms nearly 15,000 of them reported by dealers in 2023 alone also contribute to a pool of unaccounted-for weapons that pose risks to public safety. The public health framework demands attention not only to the act of gun violence itself, but to the availability, traceability, and accountability of firearms in our communities. A missing firearm is not just a lost object it's a latent threat. An International Angle: Border Trafficking and Spillover Risk Suzuki Law's analysis also highlights the growing risk of cross-border gun trafficking. In 2023, 43% of firearms recovered in Mexico that were traced back to the U.S. originated in Texas, with Arizona and California following closely. These weapons fuel violence in regions controlled by drug cartels, but the risks don't stop at the border. Trafficking networks span communities, implicating both domestic and international safety. Public Health Interventions for a Safer Future Treating gun violence as a public health issue invites new solutions. It shifts the conversation from punishment to prevention, from blame to behavior change. It opens the door for collaborations between medical professionals, educators, social workers, and policymakers. The ATF trace data, as compiled and interpreted in this study, should be central to any such effort. From safe storage campaigns and trauma-informed community support to more intelligent regulation of firearm sales and manufacturing, there is room for action at every level. Conclusion: Prevention, Not Reaction Gun violence is more than a law enforcement problem it is a public health emergency. By recognizing trace data as a reflection of broader social failings, we can begin to craft interventions that treat causes rather than symptoms. The Suzuki Law study offers a blueprint. It's time we use it to build healthier, safer communities for all. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Miami Herald
04-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Families await answers, firefighters face hazards at CA fireworks blast site
Tears streaked the faces of Jhony Ramos Sr. and Mercedes Lemos soon after arriving Thursday afternoon outside of the evacuation zone perimeter butting against Esparto. About a mile south — at a rural corner lot since flattened by Tuesday's calamitous explosions at a fireworks storage facility — laid the place where their missing sons and grandsons, respectively, were last known to be. 'There is nothing,' Lemos told reporters in Spanish when asked what the family had been told by authorities. 'And why? We are all human. They are indifferent. And how can they be? ... We all eat, we all feel and we all need.' Seven people remain 'unaccounted for' after the blast obliterated the facility along with nearby homes and outbuildings. Meanwhile, a national Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms response team was called to Esparto. The specialized team assembles for major fire and explosives investigations, like the Esparto blaze dubbed the Oakdale Fire, for a nearby road where pyrotechnics were hurled after Tuesday's first blast. The team is made up of ATF special agents, fire investigators and forensic chemists; fire protection and electrical engineers; explosives specialists, intelligence researchers and accelerant-detecting dog teams. National Response Teams have responded to some of the most notable disasters in recent U.S. history, including the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the September 11, 2001, terror attack on the World Trade Center. The rapid response team will assist investigators who have been poring over the explosion site since Tuesday night, Cal Fire officials said in a Wednesday evening update as the search for answers into the blast continues now into a third day in still-unstable conditions. Pyrotechnics company issues statement In a statement, officials at Devastating Pyrotechnics, whose facilities were destroyed in the explosion, offered thoughts to the families of those believed lost in the blast and gratitude to first responders who rushed to the scene. 'Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,' the statement read. 'We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and emergency personnel. Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.' The company's attorney, Douglas Horngrad, offered little else, saying that 'while we understand the public's need for more information about the warehouse facility in Esparto, we cannot provide any further comment at this time.' No other officials from the San Francisco-based company have discussed the incident with The Sacramento Bee or responded to repeated inquiries about the inferno. The pain in this rural community in far western Yolo County, about 30 miles west of Sacramento, has intensified as the names and the stories of the missing remain known. But family members have said that among them are Jesus and Jhonny Ramos Jr., 18 and 22 years old, respectively. Their brother Joel 'Junior' Melendez also remains missing. Ramos Sr., who traveled with family from Los Angeles after learning of the explosions, told reporters Thursday that authorities had not given the family more information about their missing relatives. Syanna Ruiz, the 18-year-old girlfriend of Jesus Ramos, had also spoken out on the lack of information about the missing at the end of a news conference Wednesday. 'They were, all three, incredible men who had so much coming for them, that had so much coming their way,' Ruiz told The Bee on Wednesday. 'I'm just praying to God that some way, somehow, they're okay.' The family was told by authorities they would hear an update by Saturday. Esparto Fire Chief Curtis Lawrence at a Wednesday news conference said crews could not go onto the site due to the dangers that remained. Recovering the bodies of the blast victims was a 'big concern,' Lawrence said when Ruiz asked what fire crews were doing on that front. Melendez is the father of an 11-month-old son. His wife, Maria, is expecting their second child, her cousin, Marilly Kepoo-Galicia, said in a GoFundMe appeal for the family. 'This tragic accident has taken so much from so many, and for Maria, it's shattered her entire world,' Kepoo-Galicia wrote. 'What should be a joyful and hopeful time has instead become filled with fear, uncertainty, and heartbreak.' Recovery effort beginning amid danger Authorities on Thursday said the priority for Esparto and local fire crews was to gain access to the ruined facility so authorities can begin to recover those lost in the disaster and 'bolster investigative efforts for the explosion investigation.' The pyrotechnics explosions at the fireworks warehouse in the 26400 block of County Road 23 near County Road 86A, about a mile south of Highway 16, was said to have ignited numbers of spot fires in the area. Cal Fire said the Oakdale Fire blackened 78 acres before crews halted forward progress Tuesday night. Mathew Davis, a spokesperson for the Yolo County Sheriff's Office, addressed the missing individuals' families at the news conference, acknowledging their concerns but saying personnel cannot move forward with the recovery effort until the scene is safe. 'It's important that we operate safely, carefully and securely and in a dignified manner that respects all involved,' Davis said. 'We cannot move forward and risk any more injury to anyone else on this scene.' Lawrence, the town's fire chief, said firefighters had begun 'targeted fire suppression efforts' to mitigate the risks of recovery and said the area was 'a little bit' safer for responders. The identities of four others who remained missing were unknown and officials at Thursday's news conference refused to answer any questions from reporters or the relatives among the scrum. While Lawrence could not confirm the number of individuals that were forced to evacuate, he said more than 150 PG&E customers were affected by power outages relating to the incident. By Thursday afternoon, 89 customers in the area were without power controlled by a substation on the 18500 block of County Road 89, roughly two miles east of the fire, according to data collected by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. Yolo County District 5 Supervisor Angel Barajas said on Thursday that the board, along with various agencies, were investigating the incident to see whether proper procedures were followed. Barajas said if protocols were violated, the board would 'revise and modify' them to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. 'We have trust in our partners and our agencies that the investigation is going to be transparent,' Barajas said at Thursday's press conference. 'We want to make sure that it becomes a quick and a timely investigation, but we're going to leave the subject-matter experts to perform those duties.' Officials offer support for those affected Barajas said the county has provided the families of those unaccounted for with food and hotel vouchers as well as counseling services. 'First and foremost, our priority is the families making sure that they're comfortable during this investigation and this recovery procedure,' Barajas said. For frustrated loved ones of the missing and authorities alike, questions remain. What triggered the blast? Were additional materials beside fireworks stored at the site? Did more than one company store its pyrotechnics there? People near the facility when the explosions took place just about 6 p.m. described a sequence of blasts that rattled buildings and homes in nearby Esparto and was felt by some in Woodland, about 14 miles away. The large blasts, followed by a series of fireworks rattling off from the burning facility, sparked multiple grass fires that firefighters controlled soon after the explosions. 'There are thousands of questions,' Lemos said. 'There are no answers.' Explosions at pyrotechnics facilities are extremely rare, Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, an industry group, told The Sacramento Bee this week. Human interaction is almost always the culprit, she said, triggering catastrophe. Storage facilities like the doomed Esparto site must be licensed by both state fire authorities and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said Heckman, a member of Cal Fire's fireworks advisory committee, and must be specially built with materials that do not create sparks or static electricity. Fireworks for Friday's Independence Day festivities from Marysville to Placerville and the north Bay Area were stored at the Yolo County facility, the blast forcing organizers to reschedule, postpone or cancel their events.
