Latest news with #Pryor
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Deacon reveals moments split-second decision to run over Michigan church gunman with pickup truck
A Michigan deacon who ran over a heavily armed gunman outside a suburban church said he felt an unshakeable divine calling to act before the shooter could enter and attack congregants. Richard Pryor, a deacon at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, was the first person to confront 31-year-old Brian Anthony Browning when he arrived at the church Sunday morning with multiple weapons, tactical gear, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. 'As soon as he got out of the vehicle, I saw the fatigues, I saw the gun on his hip, and he pulled his gun out of the vehicle,' Pryor told 7 News Detroit. Advertisement 3 Richard Pryor, a deacon at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, was the first person to confront 31-year-old gunman Brian Anthony Browning. WXYZ-TV The deacon, who was driving around the property, had a chilling conversation with Browning after noticing him wandering around. 'I pulled up and I asked him, 'Hey boss, are you okay? Everything alright?' and he doesn't say anything, he doesn't respond. It's not a smile, not a smirk, he just kind of looks at me,' he recalled. Moments later, Pryor floored the gas and struck Browning with his truck — temporarily stopping him. Advertisement He said he felt a divine call to act, replying when asked if he sensed innocent worshippers might die if he didn't: 'I knew, but I didn't know.' Browning still managed to fire several rounds, including one at Pryor's truck, before members of the church security team returned fire and wounded him before he could enter the church. Cops arrived and attempted to perform life-saving measures on Browning, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. 3 Pryor said he felt a divine call to floor the gas and strike Browning, who was armed with an AR-15-style rifle, with his truck. AP Advertisement ''I've realized how much damage he came to do, especially after the fact,' Pryor said. 'Generations of families were in this church.' Security guard Jay Trombley, who returned fire, also described feeling a divine calling to wound the shooter. 'I found out that evil came to our door, but God's hand of protection was right over us,' he told the outlet. Another member of the security team was shot in the leg and is recovering in stable condition. Advertisement Pryor's truck, which he uses for his bread-delivery job, was also destroyed after hitting Browning, the outlet reported. 3 Browning still managed to fire several rounds, including one at Pryor's truck, before members of the church security team returned fire. WXYZ-TV A GoFundMe to buy the deacon a new one has raised over $36,000 of its $45,000 goal. Browning's mother is a member of the church, and he attended services there a handful of times over the past year, local outlets previously reported. He was armed with an AR-15-style rifle at the time, along with more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Authorities later found more weapons in his home. He had no prior criminal record and might have been suffering a mental health crisis, police said When asked if his life led him to the fateful moment, Pryor replied: 'I definitely do now.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma public media weighs potential loss of federal dollars
A protester holds a sign in support of federal funding for public media during a May 1, rally at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka as part of a 50501 national day of action. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) With the possibility of federal cuts to funding for public media looming, Oklahoma's media outlets are working to fight the cuts and secure revenue. President Donald Trump asked Congress to rescind, or take back, funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps to fund public radio and television across the country. Also known as CPB, it is a nonprofit entity authorized by Congress. The corporation serves as the steward of federal funding for public television, radio and related mobile and online services. Rescission of the funding would require approval from both the House and Senate. NPR and three Colorado public radio stations have sued the Trump administration in response to his request for rescission. Two of Oklahoma's public radio stations, KOSU and KGOU, are weighing how to balance their budgets if federal funds are pulled back. Dick Pryor, general manager of KGOU, said around 7% of the station's funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which most recently was more than $166,000. KGOU's other revenue comes from University of Oklahoma Outreach, individual donations and business sponsorships, he said. 'In addition to the direct funding that we receive from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, they also provide what's called interconnection services which allows us to get programming from NPR and shared programming among ourselves, including emergency notifications and they pay for and manage music licensing for stations,' Pryor said. The cost to replace these funds and services is potentially around $295,000, he said. 'One thing we don't know is how much money might we be able to raise through donations from individuals that rally behind us and want to contribute,' Pryor said. Without Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding, KGOU will have to work to reduce the cost of its programming and potentially suspend some services it provides, he said. Rural media often receives more funding through the corporation, Pryor said, so a loss of funding could be 'especially catastrophic' for those stations. At KOSU, Executive Director Rachel Hubbard has put out a series of newsletters warning of the potential effects of funding loss for the NPR member station and urging Oklahomans to contact their federal lawmakers. Rescission of funding would mean a loss of 11% of the station's budget, or a $311,000 deficit, Hubbard wrote. Like KGOU, the station would incur 'significant new costs' to pay for music rights and emergency communication infrastructure that are currently paid for with federal money. KOSU is actively searching for new funding sources, according to an article on the station's website. 'The loss would not cause the station to go away, but it would drastically cripple KOSU's ability to provide essential services, including Oklahoma news and emergency alerts for rural Oklahoma,' the article reads. 'Fundraising would also be necessary to close a budgetary gap that, if left unfilled, would undoubtedly result in a loss of services or programming.' For the 2024 budget year, 15% of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority's budget came from Corporation for Public Broadcasting, said Garrett King, board president of the Friends of OETA, a nonprofit that raises funds and supports the station. He said it would be a 'a tragic disservice to the public' to rescind funding and asked that Oklahoma's congressional delegation stand against efforts to do so. 'Without CPB funding to local PBS stations, OETA would not be able to operate,' King said in a statement on behalf of the Friends of OETA. 'The CPB support to public television stations like OETA constitutes an indispensable 'third leg of the stool' of the federal, state, and charitable investment that keeps the station carrying out its public safety and educational work for all Oklahomans in each of our 77 counties.' OETA's network of transmitters provides the only statewide transmission infrastructure for the Warning, Alert and Response Network system, which provides 'life-saving warnings and alerts' from emergency services and U.S. armed forces during internet and cell service outages, King said. Those impact rural Oklahomans most. 'Reasonable people can agree that a frank and productive conversation can and should be had about the best way to steward and utilize the $1.60 per American per year that the taxpayers invest in the CPB,' King said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bus and bike lanes planned for busy city roads
Plans have been revealed for new bus and bike lanes along a major route in Leeds. The A6110 outer ring road and A643 Elland Road, linking the south of the city to the centre, are used by more than 38,000 people every day, according to Leeds City Council. The council said its proposals aimed to tackle "long-standing issues", including traffic jams and a high rate of crashes. A public consultation on the plans has started and people have until 8 July to have their say. The proposed changes include upgraded pedestrian crossings and bus stops, a new bus lane and segregated two-way cycle lanes. Since 2019, a total of 26 collisions have been recorded along the route, resulting in 31 casualties - including one fatality. It is hoped the alterations will help reduce carbon emissions and make bus services more reliable - in addition to supporting a strategy known as Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries by 2040. As the route forms part of a potential tram line to the White Rose shopping centre, the council said it would be working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to ensure the work complemented future plans. Two drop-in events will be held in the coming weeks to allow people to find out more about the plans: Thursday 19 June at Churwell Community Centre (15:00-18:00 BST) Thursday 26 June at Cottingley Community Centre (12:00-15:00 BST) Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council's deputy leader and executive member for transport, said the proposals were a "vital step" towards improving travel. "This initiative is part of our commitment to make our city more inclusive, healthy and sustainable," said Pryor. "We urge everyone that uses this route, whether you walk, cycle, drive or take the bus, to share your views and help shape the future of this area." Views on the plans can be submitted on the council website. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Leeds City Council
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Police make arrest in Otranto Road apartment shooting
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – North Charleston police arrested a man in connection with a Memorial Day shooting off Otranto Road. Devontay Pryor, 31, was taken to the Al Cannon Detention Center on charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Officers with the North Charleston Police Department responded to the Greentree North Apartments just before 6 p.m. Monday for reports of a shooting. Responding officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound at the scene and began administering aid. The 56-year-old victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police said in an incident report that the suspect, Pryor, was found inside an apartment. The investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
A Single Dad Went on a Date with a Woman He Met on Instagram. It Ended in Tragedy
Jarrell Pryor, 26, was found fatally shot early in the morning on Jan. 25 Alexis Hawkins and her boyfriend Brian Winston Jr. have been arrested in connection with his death Pryor is being remembered by family for his sense of humor, dance moves and being a doting father One Saturday evening in January, Jarrell Pryor was wrapping up his shift at a warehouse in Indianapolis, Ind., and getting ready to meet a young woman he'd been messaging that evening. Pryor, 26, was a dedicated single dad to his 3-year-old daughter Honey, whom he was raising with an ex-girlfriend. But the little girl was at home with family while Pryor worked—and a night out awaited with a woman named Alexis Hawkins. The two had connected on Instagram, and Pryor wanted to take Hawkins, 19, out to dinner at a restaurant. But she seemed to be in a hurry, so he drove them to a McDonald's and then a liquor store instead. What Pryor didn't know was that at the same time, Hawkins was allegedly texting her real boyfriend—and planning an ambush. Just after 1 a.m. on Jan. 25, less than two hours after he and Hawkins met in person, Pryor was found in a pool of blood outside his car. He'd been shot multiple times and died later at a hospital. His phone was nearby, and, with the data found inside, investigators unraveled what they now call a sinister plot by an apparent serial scammer. About two weeks after Pryor's death, police tracked down Hawkins, who had been kicked out of her mother's house two days after Pryor's death. She denied any involvement in his shooting and said she had no memory of that night other than hearing gunshots and running for safety. '[There's] no weapon to say I did anything. My fingerprints aren't on anything,' she said, according to a probable cause affidavit. But when detectives mentioned Hawkins's strange text to an unnamed person about needing money and making a 'play real fast' that night, she went quiet and asked for a lawyer. Both she and her boyfriend, 18-year-old Brian Winston Jr., have since been charged with murder and attempted robbery. To Pryor's family, it doesn't make sense how a simple date turned deadly. 'He had so many plans,' his mom, Tamekia Wiley, says. 'He always wanted to better himself.' With the accused killers behind bars, Pryor's loved ones are left to mourn the hardworking, free-spirited young man they lost—while helping to raise the daughter who now lives with Ja'halha Feemster, Pryor's ex. 'I know she misses him,' says Honey's great-grandmother Patricia Bradshaw, 'because she looks around and says 'Da-Da,' and I tear up because she was cheated out of her father.' Adds Honey's grandmother N'yalha Feemster: 'She has a little shirt with his picture, and it shifts her whole mood when she's wearing it.' Amid their grief, Pryor's friends remember him for his sense of humor and charm. 'He was one of those people you just couldn't stay away from,' says Anijah Randle, who often joined Honey and her dad to watch movies. 'Even if you bumped heads, he would make you just forget you're mad.' Pryor had a performative streak as well: He once did a Michael Jackson tribute at school and memorized choreography from Usher music videos. He dreamed of becoming a professional video gamer—he loved Call of Duty—but found other ways to earn money from a young age. When he was in the third grade, he began buying candies and erasers, selling them to classmates for a small profit. Pryor's most important role, however, was being a father. 'That girl is a spitting image of him,' says Travis Wiley, Pryor's stepdad. Particular about his style, Pryor made sure to pass that on to his daughter, buying her several pairs of Air Jordan sneakers. 'It didn't matter what we were talking about, he was going to bring up Honey in some way, shape or form,' adds pal Randle. Both before and after his breakup with Honey's mom, Pryor was close with her and her family, helping out with her younger siblings at bedtime. He thought of it as 'practice for Honey,' says N'yalha, who believes Pryor's alleged attacker missed an opportunity that night. 'He would have been there for her, but she didn't give him a chance.'Hawkins and Winston remain in custody, and police say both have insisted they did nothing wrong. They have not entered pleas, and their attorneys did not comment to PEOPLE. Regardless of the outcome in court, Pryor's family and friends say their focus is on Honey. 'I pray for her to have a supernatural memory so that she can remember him,' says her grandmother. 'Because we all deserved Jarrell. We absolutely did.' Read the original article on People
