NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

Target shooting suspect faces murder charges; WH: Trump-Putin meeting will be a ‘listening exercise’; National Guard members report for duty in DC under President Trump’s orders; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, inside the takedown, a gunman goes on a shooting rampage in a target parking lot, the Trail of Terror through Austin. What we're learning about the people killed? A target employee wrangling carts, a grandfather and his granddaughter. The accused gunman, bloody and bruised in his booking photo. Scars of Yuvaldi, three years after the hallways of an elementary school, changed us forever. What new and unreleased body cam shows us about law enforcement's delayed. response. Parents desperate pleas and the injuries the gunman's own family sustained.

Plant disaster. What happened before this explosion and giant smoke plume at that steel plant near Pittsburgh are questions for the CEO of U.S. Steel and what workers are telling us about what they saw and heard. Tropical Storm Aaron on track to become the first and major hurricane of the season where it's headed. Al Roker standing by for us tonight. Federal agents and national take to the streets of Washington, Democrats accused the president of going too far as the White House calls it a crime crackdown. The new details just in about the Trump Putin summit in Alaska and why President Zelensky may be out in the cold. What the new inflation report tells us about the economy as markets hit record highs. From smashing grabs to major

bus, why thieves are increasingly targeting tens of thousands of dollars of Labubu's the must-have accessory. Nightly News. It starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. And good evening. Tonight, the chilling new details emerging from the terror in that target parking lot that left three dead in Austin. Emotional moments in that lot yesterday, you can see here shoppers and workers evacuated from that store in the wake of the chaos. The shooting victims revealed as target employee Hector Martinez Machucah, who was collected. shopping carts in the lot and grandfather Adam Chow and his four-year-old granddaughter, Astrid, who were killed as the shooter stole their car. The accused shooter identified as 32-year-old

Ethan Ninaker, seen here with bruises and blood on his face. Police say he was found naked, holding a Bible and claiming to be Jesus. Priscilla Thompson now with more from Austin on that shocking attack. Tonight, harrowing new details in the shooting rampage at this target parking lot that left three people, including a four-year-old child, dead. 32-year-old Ethan Ninaker, appearing bloody and bruised in this booking photo, now charged with those murders. The suspect is armed and has shot multiple people. Police say the 911 calls started pouring in at 2.15 p.m. authorities arrived to find

Hector Martinez-Machuka, a target employee, shot. Attacked randomly while collecting shopping carts, police say, he was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. The suspect then fired off more shots, they say, before running up to a great Toyota, shooting the driver, 65-year-old Adam Chow, and killing his four-year-old granddaughter Astrid in the back seat. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the suspect threw Mr. Chow's wife from the vehicle as she clutched the child, then stole the car, sped off, and crashed it. Over the next hour, Ninaker committed multiple crimes, including attempting to steal a water truck, causing multiple crashes, assaulting another female driver and stealing her Volkswagen. Police say they found him across the city in a backyard, naked holding a Bible, where they

used a taser to bring him down. He said that he was Jesus, and there was really no reason whatsoever given it was a completely random choosing of the victims. According to authorities, the suspect has a history of mental health issues, including two 2018 police calls for an emotionally disturbed person. Austin police say he's been convicted in the past for violation of a protective order, driving while intoxicated and assault. This man had some serious issues.

There were some serious failures here. Ashley Fairley was checking out inside the target with her daughter when gunshots rang out. When I'm doing well, I feel nothing. I just feel like void in a way. Tonight, the chowls are remembering Adam as the steady backbone of the family and young Astrid as pure silliness and joy, writing, we are broken and miss them both so much. Priscilla joins us now live from that parking lot in Austin. Priscilla, if the suspect had such a documented history of criminal activity and mental health issues,

how did he get a gun? Yeah, Tom, authorities are looking into that. They say he used a handgun that he got from family, and I asked investigators whether anyone else could be held accountable as it relates to this gun, and they said they're investigating. Tom. Okay, Priscilla Thompson for us. Priscilla, we thank you.

We're going to stay in Texas now. tonight, the Uvaldi School District, releasing hours of new body camp footage and thousands of documents following a lawsuit by NBC News and other news organizations. It brings insight into law enforcement's long wait as children's parents demanded action in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. We do want to warn you some of the content you're about to see and hear is very disturbing. Here's Morgan Chesky. Sir, this is our own-load of the School District Police. Can you please put your fire on down? Tonight, new video capturing crucial moments inside Yuvaldi's Rob Elementary School after a gunman opened fire on May 24, 2022.

The district releasing hours of never-before-seen footage showing a response caught amid confusion and chaos. At 11.40 a.m., just minutes after the shooter entered the school, you can see officers treating his grandmother, the first victim, who IDed her own grandson, as the gunman. Salvador Ramos, apparently he just shot his grandmother. Outside Rob Elementary as precious time passed. Panicked parents heard off camera, shouting at authorities to do something. By 12 p.m., with dozens of armed officers lining hallways, the school's police chief, Peter Rodondo, began pleading with the gunmen, barricaded inside a classroom. These are innocent children, sir. Please talk to me. Please talk to me, sir.

No response is ever heard. I need cover. You got more kids. Nearby, other officers tried to clear classrooms of terrified students and teachers. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go. At 1208 p.m., the gunman's own aunt hurt begging authorities to shoot him. Get up, get up, get up. He's doing it because his mom and everything.

Nearly an hour after that first gunshot, authorities shout questions back in forth looking for keys. They'd later find the door unlocked. Painful minutes follow until 12.50 p.m. When a team of officers breached the classroom. With the gunmen dead, authorities frantically call for medical backup. The frightening scene unfolding into one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. And tonight, NBC News has reached out to the families of those victims but has yet to hear back.

Aredondo and another district officer are the only two who faced criminal charges for their actions that day. Both have since pleaded, not guilty. Tom? Incredibly tragic, all of it. All right, Morgan Chesky. Now to Pennsylvania where the steel plant explosion has killed two people. New questions tonight about what caused it and what one employee tells us about the moment they felt that blast. Adrian Broadest, reports. Tonight, devastating damage seen from above after this massive explosion at a U.S. steel plant as investigators work to find the cause.

We're not going to speculate. We're going to let the people do their work and support them in that important job. Officials say there were no warnings that indicated any problems at the factory. Routine maintenance is what they were preparing for. I think it was actually going to happen next week. Andrew Macy has worked at the Claritin Still Plant for 44 years. There was a very loud bang. We looked to our left thinking that on the main line of our railroads,

the two engines collided head on. And then as we turned to our right, we saw a plume of black smoke. And immediately there was silence. Here's video of the plant from 2019. You see the five smoke stacks at the center. and this is what it looks like after Monday's blast. Ariel's show portion of this bustling work site,

now a massive cleanup operation, the remains of a truck and scattered debris. What caused this explosion, and is it safe to operate? Well, first, it is safe to operate now. We don't know the root cause of the issue. It was isolated between a couple of our batteries, so we're investigating that. The explosion killing two people,

39-year-old Timothy Quinn, a father who came from a steel mill working family. The second person killed has yet to be identified. Their family, that's what we are in here. And in an instant like this, we bond together and we'll all come back. And with that, Adrian Bratiss joins us tonight. Adrian, part of that factory there behind you still shut down? Tom, that's right. Part of the plant remains offline out of an abundance of caution.

That's what investigators are telling us. And plan officials also say they have assembled a team, including outside experts, who will interview everyone who was on site yesterday as they tried to get to the bottom of what happened. Tom? Adrian brought us for us. Adrian, thank you. All eyes are on the Atlantic tonight as Tropical Storm air and swirls out there at sea. Al Rooker is here tonight and Al, a lot of questions at this point about the path.

And if this is going to be the first major hurricane of the season. It looks like it will, Tom. Normally, we would see right around August 11th, the average formation of a hurricane. And what we're looking at right now, tropical storm airing, it's about 950 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, moving west at 22 miles per hour. It'll probably become a hurricane sometime early Friday morning, a major hurricane category three by Sunday afternoon. The model paths basically, for the most part, take it up and toward Bermuda before it reaches the east coast. But we're going to have to continue to track this because it's still very early, Tom. Yeah, see on top of it all through the weekend. Al, we thank you for that.

We do want to head to Washington now. The city's police under federal control and the National Guard has been activated. It's all part of President Trump's effort to combat violent crime in the city, despite some stats showing it was already declining. Here's Courtney Cuey. Tonight, hundreds of National Guard troops reporting for duty, awaiting deployment around the nation's capital. Acting on President Trump's orders after he declared a crime emergency, activating 800 guard members and instituting a 30. day federal takeover of D.C. police, despite police statistics that show violent crime is declining here. We've been watching members of the D.C. National Guard trickle in one by one all day here

at the D.C. Armory. Soon as many as 200 at any time will be in neighborhoods like this, where a defense official tells NBC News, they'll be supporting law enforcement with activities like crowd management, perimeter control, and other security assistance. Most guard members won't be armed and won't be making arrests, according to the defense official. Instead, their support is intended to free up law enforcement to fight crime. The White House says its push is already well underway. Last night, approximately 850 officers and agents were surged across the city. They made a total of 23 arrests.

Those arrests include homicide and drug distribution, according to the White House, which also says homeless people could be jailed if they don't comply with efforts to clear encampments. Some Democrats slamming the move as presidential overreach. This is about the president playing king, trying to be the authoritarian leader, the dictator. But after meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi today, the city's Democratic mayor striking a cooperative tone. If and while we have this federal surge, we're going to put those officers to good use. D.C. residents we spoke to today had mixed reactions. It's unnecessary and frightening. There's crime in any city, and this is not solving a crime problem.

I don't see the need for it at the same time. If it makes it strong, it's true. be safer, so be it. And with that, Courtney joins us live. Courtney, what exactly is the National Guard going to do right now? Well, Tom, the 800 troops have been activated, but they're still checking in, getting their orders. A small number are starting to move out to various locations around the city, but the reality is this entire process of getting them on the streets will take until the end of the

week. Tom. All right, Courtney, Cudy, with a lot of new reporting there. Courtney, we thank you. And preparations are underway for that high-stakes summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday. Gabe Gutierrez has new reporting on this. And Gabe, it now appears the White House is trying to temper expectations. Yes, Tom. The White House now says the President's Friday summit with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, will be a listening exercise.

So a ceasefire deal appears unlikely, at least in the short term. Today, I press the press secretary here on why Ukrainian President Zelensky was not invited. She told me it was Putin who asked for this meeting and that President Trump hopes to hold a trilateral. summit eventually. Still, Zelensky said today that Russia is ramping up its offensive in Ukraine ahead of Friday's meeting and that it's impossible to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine. We're expecting a call between President Trump, European allies, and Zelenskyy tomorrow morning. Tom. All right, Gabe, we thank you. Markets today hit records high as after new inflation numbers came out. Overall, things held pretty steady, but there are some warning signs as well.

Christine Romans joins us now to help us break it all down. And Christine, the question we keep asking you, have we felt the effects of the trade war yet? You know, July inflation was stubborn, but not as bad as many economists had expected here, Tom. Lower gas prices really helped keep the number under wraps, but strip out volatile food and energy prices and inflation, 3.1 percent, that's still above normal. So far, many companies have been absorbing tariffs, but we're beginning to see higher costs for furniture, tools, shoes, pet supplies, coffee. These are all things from countries now hit with significant border.

taxes. The White House celebrating today's numbers calling inflation low and stable. But just step back for a second. Over the past five years, car insurance up 60 percent. Housing, 52 percent. Electricity up 38 percent. Used cars. Food, both up strongly as well. All of it, while wages are up 24 percent, Thomas, why the cost of living is still issue number one for American families. So many items day to day are so expensive. All right, Christine, we thank you for that. In 60 seconds, why Labuboos. Yes, LeBuboos, of all things, have gone from a fad to a target for thieves and the massive hall worth tens of thousands of dollars. Police just busted. That's next. We're back now with the widely popular trend that's prompting a new wave of crime. Labubus are increasingly

being stolen and police are recovering collectibles worth tens of thousands of dollars. Our Camilla Brunal has this one. Furry bodies, white eyes, and a toothy grin, reselling for hundreds of dollars and now a very obvious target. My lobubu got stolen. Someone stole my labubu. LaBou, the summer's most sought after toy at the center of a crime wave. In Southern California, the thefts amount to tens of thousands of dollars. The latest in Chino valued at approximately 30 grand.

Police say they recovered 14 boxes of stolen merchandise that were soon to be resold and shipped all over the U.S. In La Puente, it was all caught on camera. The theft here also amounts. counted to about $30,000, because while these Labuboos can sell for as little as $30, they're hard to find and widely resold for much, much more. The fact that, you know, some people think that, hey, it's just Labibu's, no, it's more. It's organized retail theft. Connie Zuniga has spent over $5,000 amassing her collection, taking measures to deter thieves. You get these little, they're like little locks with a screw.

So I will clip both, both of them on my purse. So that way they have a double, double lock. It's very sad because it kind of feels like they're taking a piece of a happiness, a moment, a memory. While the toys may be cute, the sheriff's department says they take the thefts seriously. Camila Burnell, NBC News, La Puente, California. And we're back in a moment with the popular tourist destination now overcome by wildfires, even fire nadoes. That's next. We're back now with new details in that shooting at the CDC campus in Atlanta.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation now says the shooter fired nearly 200 rounds of ammunition at the headquarters. Patrick Joseph White shot and killed police officer David Rose before dying by suicide. And this just in a train derailment in Texas. Look at that. This happened this afternoon. Emergency crews responded when about 30 cars went off the rails in Gordon, Texas. This is west of Fort Worth, sparking small fires. Crews are checking for hazardous material leaks right now, but so far none have been found and no one was injured. Wildfires and heat waves showing no mercy to Europe this summer. Fires in Portugal causing a firenado spiraling into the sky. The country is now under extreme weather alerts from high fire risk, with temperature soaring up to 109 degrees. That's nightly news for this Tuesday. I'm Tom Yamas. Thanks so much for watching tonight and always. We're here for you. Good night.