Texas drag race driver slams into spectators, killing 2 kids
Texas drag race driver slams into spectators, killing 2 kids
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — A driver lost control during a Texas drag racing event on an airport runway and slammed into a crowd of spectators, killing two children and injuring eight other people, authorities said.
A 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy were killed in the crash Saturday afternoon at an event called “Airport Race Wars 2″ at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport, police said in a news release. The organized event was attended by thousands and involved drivers speeding down a runway as they competed for cash.
The driver “lost control and left the runway, crashing into parked vehicles and striking spectators who were observing the races,” Kerrville police said.
The injured victims were taken to various hospitals, including a 46-year-old woman who was listed in critical condition. The majority of the other injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, although the condition of a 26-year-old man was unknown, authorities said. A 4-year-old boy and a 3-month-old girl were taken to a hospital for precautionary evaluations.
Authorities have not released the identities of the two children who were killed at the event about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.
The Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website promoted the event as an “action packed, family-friendly day” in which fans could watch the “fastest drag cars compete for over $8000 in total prizes.”
Upward of 3,500 people were in attendance, according to Louis Amestoy, a freelance journalist who was at the event.
The race was an eighth of a mile (0.2 kilometers) long, and water-filled plastic barriers lined the course. But Amestoy said they didn’t extend past the finish line, leaving no protection between spectators and cars as they were slowing down at the end of the race.
Spectators could get within about 15 feet (4.6 meters) of the track, and many watched the race from lawn chairs in the absence of stands. Organizers reminded people to stay in the grass and off the asphalt, Amestoy told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
The driver was nearing the end of the strip when the car veered off course, Amestoy said.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-drag-race-driver-slams-152900035.html
Nets briefly put Barclays Center on lockdown after protest for Kyrie Irving turns ugly
Nets briefly put Barclays Center on lockdown after protest for Kyrie Irving turns ugly
Kyrie Irving was neither seen nor heard at the Brooklyn Nets‘ home opener on Sunday, but the effects of his decision to refuse to get vaccinated were on full display.
Ahead of the game, a large group of vaccine mandate protesters appeared outside the Barclays Center, demanding Irving be allowed to play NBA games again. Even though he is barred from only Nets home games due to New York protocols, the Nets have announced Irving will not play until the situation is resolved.
Wearing shirts reading slogans such as “Stand with Kyrie” and chanting “Let Kyrie play,” the crowd soon turned aggressive and stormed past the barricades outside the arena.
Newsday’s Barbara Barker reported the group included supporters of President Donald Trump and people with Black Lives Matter signs, while another source claimed to hear a reference to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
The situation was ugly enough that the Nets shut down admission into the Barclays Center while trying to keep protesters out of the building, per Barker. The lockdown was ultimately brief, with Newsday’s Greg Logan reporting minutes later that arena personnel and police got the situation under control and fans with tickets were being admitted again.
The Barclays Center later released a short statement confirming the lockdown:
“Barclays Center briefly closed its doors today in order to clear protestors from the main doors on the plaza and ensure guests could safely enter the arena. Only ticketed guests were able to enter the building and the game proceeded according to schedule.”
The effects of Kyrie Irving’s vaccine refusal
As the situation of his vaccine refusal has escalated, Irving has become a figure around which anti-vaccine mandate voices have rallied, garnering shows of support from several conservative figureheads, including Senator U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Jr.
Current New York vaccine statutes require home players to be vaccinated to get on the court, which led to Irving missing the Nets’ media day and preseason games. The Nets found a loophole so he could practice, but the team eventually decided it didn’t want Irving playing if he was limited to only road games. It has also held off on any talks regarding a potential $186 million extension for the star point guard.
The repercussions of Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated as his team begins its season have led to a predictable uproar even as the player himself has remained relatively quiet, limiting his statements to cryptic tweets and a single Instagram Live session in which he insisted he has no plans to retire.
Irving has tried to stress that he is not anti-vaccine and merely trying to be a “voice for the voiceless,” as a member of his camp put it, but it seems the people behind him have plenty of voice if Sunday’s events are any judge.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nets-barclays-center-lockdown-kyrie-irving-protest-nba-220143596.html
1 dead, 2 injured in separate falls at Phish concert in San Francisco
1 dead, 2 injured in separate falls at Phish concert in San Francisco
One person died and two other people were injured in separate falls during an arena concert Sunday in San Francisco by the band Phish, authorities said.
The legendary jam band was playing at the Chase Center near downtown, a San Francisco police spokesman said in a statement.
The first person, identified only as an adult man, fell just before 9 p.m. local time and was pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. Foul play isn’t suspected, the spokesman said.
Citing an ongoing investigation, the spokesman, Robert Rueca, declined to say whether the person fell from an upper level.
A witness cited by the San Francisco Chronicle said he was in a top row of the arena, which also hosts the Golden State Warriors, when he saw a man plunge over the side.
The witness said he saw a second person fall in a different section of the arena a short time later.
Police said the second person fell at 9:45 p.m. The person, also an adult man, hit someone else as he fell. Both were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No crimes are suspected, the statement said.
It wasn’t clear whether the concert continued after the first man fell to his death. The venue didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson deferred questions to police in a statement to NBC Bay Area.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the guest’s loved ones,” the statement said.
The band didn’t immediately comment on the death or the injuries.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/1-dead-2-injured-separate-214900438.html
Four shot at high school game
4 shot at Alabama high school football game
Four people were shot when gunfire erupted Friday night outside an Alabama high school football game, police said.
One person was in critical condition. Two of the four people shot were juveniles, Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine told reporters.
The shooting happened just before 10 p.m. on an exit ramp outside Ladd-Peebles Stadium as the game between rivals Williamson and Vigor high schools was coming to an end.
The shooting was not on the field or stands, but crowds fled to the exits and players dropped to the ground for safety, AL.com reported.
Police believe there may have been several people involved but only one shooter, Prine said. No arrests have been made.
Between five and seven shots are believed to have been fired, the police chief said. A motive is under investigation.
“I’m disturbed by it,” Prine said. “This is a place where family comes, children come after being in school all week.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/4-shot-alabama-high-school-053913207.html