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NC State student arrested for string of random highway shootings in Raleigh: Police
(RALEIGH, N.C.) -- A North Carolina State student has been arrested for a string of apparently random shootings at cars on multiple highways in Raleigh.
Since Monday, police have received 12 reports of shots being fired at vehicles and buildings in the vicinity of Interstates 40 and 440, according to Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson.
“At this time, we do believe that the 12 incidents are related,” Patterson said at a press briefing Thursday.
Andrew Thomas Graney, 23, has been charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and 11 counts of firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle or dwelling, police said. Graney is a senior at NC State, majoring in anthropology and has been enrolled since fall 2019, the school confirmed to Raleigh ABC station WTVD.
A second person was taken into custody alongside Graney at a residence in Raleigh on Thursday but has since been released without charges, police said.
A judge ordered Graney held without bond during his initial court appearance Friday afternoon.
"This is one of those cases that put fear in the heart of the entire community," Judge Debra Sasser said.
Stacy Newton, an assistant district attorney with the Wake County District Attorney's Office, said during the hearing that the suspect fired into seven vehicles and three occupied residences.
Investigators had linked Graney to the shootings through his cellphone and vehicle, according to the prosecutor. His cellphone was in each of the locations over the four-day period, and his vehicle matched the description of one used in several of the incidents, she said.
Police recovered .45-caliber shell casings at many if not all of the shootings, and a .45-caliber firearm was recovered from inside the suspect's vehicle, she said.
A motive remains under investigation, Newton said.
"This was an absolutely senseless and random series of acts of violence that really put this community on edge," Newton said while requesting no bond in the case.
Graney appeared virtually during the hearing and asked to have a public defender appointed.
Police had urged drivers in the Raleigh area to remain vigilant following reports of vehicles being fired into during the early morning hours on I-40.
In one incident, on Monday, a woman was shot in the leg while driving, suffering a non-life-threatening injury, police said.
Patterson said it is unclear at this time if shots were being fired from a vehicle or on foot.
Police previously said they believed a handgun was used in the shootings.
The shootings remain under investigation. Patterson urged anyone with surveillance or dashcam footage to come forward.
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... Continue ReadingWildfires erupt in New Jersey, fueled by dry, windy conditions
(NEW JERSEY) -- Multiple wildfires have erupted across New Jersey amid windy and dry conditions.
New Jersey residents should be prepared for smoke conditions to last for several days, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service warned on Friday.
A large brush fire broke out on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Bergen County in northern New Jersey, near New York City. The fire covers 39 acres and is 30% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. No structures are threatened.
New York City Emergency Management said New Yorkers may smell smoke on Friday.
Another wildfire is threatening over 100 structures in Burlington and Camden counties in southern New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia. The blaze spans 360 acres and is 75% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.
In Jackson Township, in central New Jersey, the Shotgun Wildfire has burned through 350 acres and is 80% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. No structures are threatened.
Six other fires have been reported in the state.
Fire danger has increased in the Northeast due to the combination of a historically dry fall, gusty winds near 30 mph and relative humidity down to 25%. A red flag warning has been issued from Boston to New York City and Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the Mountain Fire in Southern California has exploded in size, blazing through 20,000 acres, destroying at least 220 structures and prompting mass evacuations.
Five civilians and one firefighter have been injured from the Mountain Fire, officials said. The fire is 7% contained.
ABC News' Max Golembo contributed to this report.
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43 primates on the loose in South Carolina town after escaping from research lab
(YEMASSEE, SC) -- Forty-three primates remain on the loose in a South Carolina town, two days after escaping from a research laboratory, authorities said Friday.
As of midday Friday, the monkeys "have not yet been re-captured and returned to their enclosures," a Yemassee Police Department spokesperson said in a statement.
Traps were being set around the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemassee, where the rhesus macaque monkeys escaped en masse from their enclosures around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
The animals have since been seen near the research center, according to the Yemassee police spokesperson.
"Current observations show the primates playfully exploring the perimeter fence of the facility, engaging with those still inside by cooing to them," the spokesperson said while urging the public to "stay clear of this area as Alpha Genesis works diligently to safely recover these animals and return them to their habitats unharmed."
The monkeys escaped when a new employee at the Alpha Genesis center left the door to their enclosure open, Yemassee Town Administrator Matthew Garnes said during a briefing Thursday with town officials.
Mia Mitchell, a resident of Yemassee, told ABC News she was driving home Wednesday evening when she saw one of the escaped primates running across a road.
"I thought my eyes were deceiving me and I was like, 'That couldn't be a monkey,'" Mitchell said.
Mitchell said she and her daughter immediately pulled over and stopped to get a closer look.
"I turned around and parked on the side of the road and it ran across the road toward a house and up a tree," Mitchell said. "I stood there and my daughter, she was jokingly saying, 'Here monkey, monkey!' And I was like, 'Girl, don't call that monkey.'"
Police officers were searching for the furry fugitives using thermal imaging cameras, according to the sheriff's office.
The primates, according to police, are all very young females weighing 6 to 7 pounds each. There is no public health threat, police said.
"The animals have never been used for testing due to their young age and size," the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement Thursday. "A spokesperson from Alpha Genesis can confirm that these animals are too young to carry diseases."
Police warned residents that the monkeys can act "skittish and any additional noise or movement could hinder their safe capture."
"Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes," the sheriff's office said. "If you spot any of the escaped animals, please contact 911 immediately and refrain from approaching them."
Police said they are working with staff of Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center to find the escapees.
Representatives of the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to its website, Alpha Genesis "provides the highest quality nonhuman primate products and bio-research services worldwide," including serum, plasma, whole blood and tissue samples.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in a social media post Thursday afternoon that she is looking into the escaped monkeys.
"We’re diligently gathering all relevant information to keep our constituents informed regarding the recent escape of primates from Alpha Genesis Inc. in Beaufort County," Mace said. "Our office has been in direct communication with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and is working closely with their team to monitor and assess the situation."
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