This is the Black Christian News Network One podcast. Here are the top stories you need to know about today.
According to NBC News, A 4-year-old boy who was randomly shot in the head died Sunday from his injuries, police said, one of at least eight children and dozens of other people who were wounded in Chicago over a Labor Day weekend punctuated by gun violence. The death of the boy, Mychal Moultry Jr., on Friday evening set off a holiday weekend in which police scrambled to investigate scores of crime scenes across the city. Mychal was getting his hair styled in the front part of a home when two bullets ripped through a window and struck him in the head, said Rahman Muhammad, deputy chief of the Chicago police detective division. Detectives continued to canvass the area and look for witnesses. “We definitely need the help from the public to further this investigation,” Muhammad told reporters Monday. Besides Mychal, at least three other people were killed over the weekend, and at least 53 were injured by gunfire, police said. Muhammad shared limited details of some of the nonfatal shootings involving children. An 11-year-old was grazed by a bullet Saturday and a 14-year-old was hit in the ankle when multiple shots were fired into a crowd at a back-to-school event at a gas station. A 25-year-old person was also shot multiple times.
According to the New York Post, “The Wire’’ actor Michael K. Williams was found dead of a suspected heroin overdose in his Brooklyn penthouse Monday afternoon, law-enforcement sources told The Post. Williams, 54, was discovered unconscious in the dining room of his luxury Williamsburg pad with what appeared to be heroin on the kitchen table, sources said. His nephew found him around 2 p.m., and the acclaimed TV star was officially pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m., source said — adding that it appeared Williams had fatally OD’d. “I found the body,” said a weeping man at the scene, talking into his cell phone. The city Medical Examiner’s Office was at the building, and eight NYPD cops, including at least two supervisors, were outside. “No foul play indicated,” a police source said. “No forced entry, the apartment was in order.” The Flatbush native — currently a 2021 Emmy Award nominee as best supporting actor for “Lovecraft Country” — was famous for his role as Omar Little in the gritty TV series “The Wire’’ and as Chalky White in “Boardwalk Empire.’’ Williams had been open about his personal struggles with drugs through the years, including during the filming of “The Wire,” saying that getting so into the role of Little, who robs drug dealers, affected him in real life. The acclaimed actor told NPR in 2016 that he once stumbled into a church in New Jersey desperately seeking help for his addiction.
According to CBS Chicago, Jacqueline Jackson, the wife of Rev. Jesse Jackson, is out of intensive care and heading home after her fight with COVID-19, according to a statement from the couple’s son, Jonathan Jackson. Jonathan reported Friday afternoon that Jacqueline was leaving Northwestern Memorial Hospital and heading home. “Our family is grateful to God and the medical team that treated her and that is allowing her body to continue to heal from the COVID-19 virus,” he said in a statement. “The love that has been poured out to our family at this time of sickness and need from around the world has helped in our parents’ healing and for each of you who prayed and expressed concern we are grateful, even as we continue to express our love and concern for the millions of people who are victimized by the COVID-19 virus and its variants. We remain prayerful for all of those who are suffering as a result,” Jonathan said in the statement. “We urge all who have not yet been vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus to do so immediately.” The Jackson family reported Thursday that Mrs. Jackson remains at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. After leaving the ICU earlier in the week and returning to her regular hospital room, she has been able to breathe on her own for a few days without any supplemental oxygen.
According to The Associated Press, Minnesota prosecutors filed a more serious charge Thursday against the former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, but it is not the murder charge that activists were seeking. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter is now charged with first-degree manslaughter, in addition to a prior charge of second-degree manslaughter. Activists had demanded a murder charge during protests in Brooklyn Center and outside a metro-area prosecutor’s home before Minnesota Atty. Gen. Keith Ellison took over the case. Potter, who is white, has claimed that she meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun when she fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, on April 11. The amended complaint alleges Potter committed first-degree manslaughter by recklessly handling a firearm and endangering the safety of another when death or great bodily harm was reasonably foreseeable. The second-degree manslaughter count alleges she acted with culpable negligence and took an unreasonable risk when she consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm with a firearm. First-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 15 years while second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, though state sentencing guidelines call for much less. Potter is scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 30.
According to ABC13, The mother and father of Jenae Gagnier, the Instagram star who was known to millions as Miss Mercedes Morr, say they’ve lost the brightest light in their family. “She’s a person. That was our baby,” said her mother, Jeaneta Grover. For the first time since Jenae’s murder, her parents talked with Eyewitness News reporter Stefania Okolie. They described their oldest daughter as a dependable and loving big sister, a daddy’s girl, and her mother’s best friend. “She was so famous in her world, and so loved in ours,” said Grover. Across Houston, Jenae became famous in the entertainment industry. Her stunning and daring photos on Instagram drew hundreds of thousands of likes. “It scared the hell out of me,” said her father, Mark Gagnier. “My daughter was beautiful. That scared the hell out of me. And she kept trying to get more and more beautiful, she worked on it hard. That scared the hell out of me.” But even with that fear in his pocket, Gagnier never imagined what he would walk into when he arrived to his 33-year-old daughter’s apartment Sunday evening. He rushed there concerned after his family had not heard from Jenae all weekend. “I know my daughter and when I got to my daughter’s house and it was locked up and she’s not answering my phone call, which is not like her, I knew something was up. So I didn’t hesitate to kick the door down,” said Gagnier. “What I saw, I wouldn’t want any parent to go through.” His daughter was dead at the bottom of the staircase. A heartbroken Gagnier thought it could have been an accident, but upstairs he and his girlfriend found Jenae’s killer. Kevin Accorto, 34, had a knife in his neck. Investigators say he stabbed himself.
According to ESPN, Former NFL wide receiver David Patten, who won three Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, was killed in a motorcycle crash Thursday outside Columbia, South Carolina, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford. He was 47. According to South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Nick Pye, a motorcycle driver — identified by the coroner as Patten — crossed the median, causing a crash involving two other cars. One of the cars’ drivers was also taken to a hospital with undisclosed injuries. The crash remains under investigation by the highway patrol and the coroner. “I am heartbroken by the news of David’s passing,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “He was a devout Christian who followed his passion following his football career and founded his own ministry. David transitioned from an undersized and understated wide receiver to a powerful and passionate preacher. In New England, he will always be remembered as a three-time Super Bowl Champion.” Patten played for five teams over a 12-year NFL career but is best known for his four seasons with the Patriots (2001-04), including two iconic catches to help New England capture its first Super Bowl win during the 2001 season. He hauled in an 11-yard touchdown from Drew Bledsoe during the Patriots’ 24-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game and followed that with a leaping 8-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady in the second quarter of the Super Bowl. It was New England’s lone offensive touchdown in the 20-17 win over the Rams. When he retired during Patriots training camp in 2010, Patten described his time with the Patriots as the highlight of his career. “It breaks my heart to hear of David’s tragic passing at such a young age,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. “I am grateful to have coached David. He is an essential person and player in Patriots history, without whom we would not have been Super Bowl champions.”
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Morehouse and Spelman colleges are canceling most of their homecoming activities due to the surge in coronavirus infections. The announcements, made Friday, cite the escalating spread of COVID-19 off campus. Morehouse’s homecoming was to occur Oct. 10-17, and will not be rescheduled. But the football game against Fort Valley State University will still be played as planned, on Oct. 16. Spelman will hold all alumnae events for homecoming virtually beginning Thursday, Oct. 14 through Sunday, Oct. 17. A determination is still being made regarding student events, Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell said in a message Friday afternoon. Morehouse and Spelman, historically Black colleges located near downtown Atlanta, required students, faculty and employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine to be on campus this fall, unless they received an exemption. Clark Atlanta University, also adjacent to Morehouse and Spelman, is scheduled to have its homecoming Oct. 24-30. CAU has also mandated vaccinations. Clark Atlanta officials did not immediately respond Friday to questions about possible changes to CAU’s homecoming weekend schedule.
You can read these stories and more at BlackChristianNews.com .
In closing, remember, God loves you. He always has and He always will. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you don’t know Jesus as your Saviour, today is a good day to get to know Him. Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead for you. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart and He will. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Thanks so much for listening and may God bless your day!
BCNN1 WP 