Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Episode Date: June 7, 2023

Shots fired at Virginia Commonwealth University after graduation, multiple explosions destroyed a critical dam in Ukraine, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie officially launched his presidential run, a deadly earthquake rocks Haiti as it tries to recover from heavy flooding and "Jury Duty" star Ronald Gladden sits down with NBC News.

Tonight, breaking news, this just in, reports of gunfire near a graduation in Virginia. Officers racing to a park across from Virginia Commonwealth University, where a graduation ceremony was underway. People seen running from the scene in their caps and gowns, the late details just coming in. Multiple explosions destroying a critical dam in Ukraine, sending floodwaters rushing into nearby towns. More than a thousand people forced to evacuate. Growing fierce tonight, surging floodwaters could threaten a nearby nuclear plant, what U.S. officials are saying tonight about who was responsible for that attack. Breaking here at home, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie launching his presidential run moments ago, some calling the Trump

ally turned adversary a kamikaze candidate. But does Christy have enough support to disrupt the former president's campaign? Neighbor shoots neighbor, a suburban feud turning deadly in Florida when witnesses say a white woman shot her black neighbor through a closed door, killing the mother of four. Is this a case where Florida's danger ground loss apply? The lawyer for the victim's family, Benjamin Crump, will join us live. Also developing at this hour, Yoran Vandersloot, the man long suspected in death of Natalie Holloway,

transferred to a prison in Lima, Peru. How soon he's expected to be extradited to the U.S.? Plus, a deadly earthquake rocking Haiti, buildings toppling, trapping people. Desperate rescue efforts are underway as the poverty-stricken nation reels from devastating flooding, dramatic videos showing men carrying their children, including a baby, through rushing waters, how the U.S. is responding tonight. And the interview with America's favorite juror, the star of the hit show Jury Duty, sitting down with NBC News, the moment he says he got suspicious the trial was a sham, and how he's keeping up with his cast.

now. Top story. It starts right now. And good evening. We want to get right to that breaking news. We begin top story with what police are confirming. Reports of shots fired near a high school graduation ceremony at Virginia Commonwealth University in downtown Richmond. New images here they are showing graduates running from the scene in their cap and gowns. Authorities say the shooting happened at a park nearby, but that people frantically ran into an auditorium where that graduation ceremony was underway. We're hearing multiple people are hurt, but no word on the exact numbers. Officers are on the scene, and we are expecting to hear from them soon.

Dana Griffin has been following all the breaking developments tonight as they've been coming in again on this shooting on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. Dana, tell us what you know at this hour. So we know around 515 local time, there was a graduation ceremony happening inside the Altria Theater, located near the campus of VCU. People inside say it sounded like fireworks. And Richmond Public School says that's when a shooting happened outside of the theater. It's unclear how many people were injured. We know Richmond police are reporting that there are multiple injuries.

But at this point, we don't know the extent of those injuries. A second high school graduation was scheduled to happen after this one. That has since been canceled. Parents told not to come to the school. We know an alert went out to VCU students about the shooting, but that alert also indicated that there is no threat to the community. Tom? Dana, I know we're getting information piecemeal here from authorities. Do we know if there's still an active shooter situation?

At this point, we believe that there is not. Just because that alert went out to VCU students telling them to avoid the area, but that there is no active shooter or that there's no active threat to the community, it's still a lot. lot of unanswered questions. This is very early in the investigation. If this was targeted, if there's a suspected shooter who has been captured or neutralized in some sort of way, Tom, we're going to follow the story and give you the very latest once we get it. Dana Griffin leading us off here on that breaking news. We do want to mention we are waiting at any moment a police conference from the Richmond Police Chief. I've been told it's starting right now. We have more information. Let's listen in. Today, at the Huguenot High School graduation,

three off-duty officers working security inside. We had seven officers working on Belvedere to provide traffic control. At 5.13 p.m., officers inside the venue at 6th North Laurel reported to hearing gunshots outside. They responded, notified folks on their radio, responding officers on the traffic detail, responded behind me and found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. We had a total of seven individuals with gunshot wounds. Three are considered life-threatening. Four are considered non-life-threatening. We had a total of two other individuals who either self-transported or transported by the ambulance authority to local hospitals with injuries other than gunshots.

Two of them were from falls. One was hit by a car during the melee, and three reported suffering from anxiety, and were treated suffering from anxiety, and were treated. either at the scene or at a local hospital. At this point, we've taken two subjects into custody. At this point, we do not believe there's an ongoing threat to the community. And I'd like to say that we are in the very early stages of this investigation. Some of the information I've provided may change as we go forward. I'm not going to be able to take questions at this point, but I'd like to let everyone know at 9 p.m.

We will have another briefing where I'll have more information for you. At this point, I'd like to introduce Mayor Lovar Stone. Thank you, Chief. Folks, as the Chief stated, there are many details that we can't provide at this moment, and we'll provide that at 9 o'clock. I just want to begin by first providing prayers to the families involved here, not just to those who may have been victims of this, but also those. children children were involved here at a graduation so words that come to mind right now that this is tragic but also traumatic because this is their graduation day first let me also thank the richmond police department our partners at the state also

Virginia Commonwealth University as well the question that comes in my mind right now is is nothing sacred any longer is nothing sacred any longer we're going to do everything we can to bring the individuals who are involved in this to justice not just for the families involved but also for the city and I will say that this should not be happening anywhere anywhere whether it's in Richmond whether it's in Virginia whether it's in the United States this should not be happening anywhere a child should be able to go to their graduation and walk out their graduation and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and

their families it's a selfish act it's a senseless act and to me it's cowardice we'll have more to say at nine o'clock but I want to ensure the community that we're going to do everything we can to bring these individuals to justice I'm ask superintendent cameras to say a few words. Good evening, everyone. This is supposed to be a joyous day when our kids walk the stage and get their diploma, which is what they all did.

they all did here for Huguenot today and walked out the doors into their families and friends arms taking pictures and then this tragedy occurred. I don't have any more words on this. I'm just tired of seeing people get shot, our kids get shot, and I beg of the entire community to stop, to just stop. Our kids can't take it. Our families can't take it. Our families can't take it anymore. I beg of you to stop. Okay, we've just been listening there to both Richmond police, the mayor of Richmond and the superintendent of the Richmond public school system, an emotional news conference, if you will, and the superintendent there really, really silenced. He didn't have words for what he just experienced. From what we can gather, what we've just been told, there was a shooting, excuse me, there was a graduation. Huguenot High School in Richmond, downtown Richmond, near the campus of Virginia Commonwealth

University. A shooting somehow broke out. We understand two subjects are now in custody. Seven people are injured. Three with life-threatening injuries. Four with non-life-threatening injuries. We understand that possibly children, we don't know if they're students, we don't know if they're family members of those that were at the graduation ceremony, might be part of these victims as well. The mayor alluded to something there was kind of hard to understand what he was saying. There's going to be a second news conference in about two hours where we hope to learn more. Retired ATF Special Agent and NBC News Law Enforcement analysts, Jim Kavanaugh, joins us now live on Top Story. Jim, I know you basically, you have what I have. We don't have a whole lot here.

From what you can gather in the pictures that you've seen so far, those students running away in their capping gowns, what can you sort of figure out, can you figure out anything of what happened here? Well, Tom, targeting is always part of motive. And when we see shootings around schools, you know, often see the perpetrators are young people, other students, or people who recently graduated from the school. And we have two in custody, the chief told us. So this could be rivaled juveniles. It could even be gang, rival gang activity, them targeting the graduation. So there's some dispute here, maybe, some revenge, or like I say, rival gangs, or even just rival criminal activity.

I you know from past experience over the many years I would think that these shooters are probably very young if they're not in high school they're just recently out you know and they may be having some disputes yes the superintendent is saying supposed to be a day of happiness but that's exactly why you know the shooters would target them they want to disrupt that they want to hurt people they want to you know discourage who they hate or who they want revenge on so that's why they target it and because it's also because it's a big crowd. So there's a lot of open questions yet, but I think we're going to see probably their young people, there's some dispute or some gang activity, some criminal activity, some drug activity, something that surrounds, you know, youths and youth violence. We see that so often

in school. Jim, stand by for us. I want to go back to Dana Griffin, who's been our reporter covering this breaking news so far. Dana, tell us what you know. I mean, they did fill in some holes, but I know, as Jim just mentioned, there's still a lot of unanswered questions. A lot of unanswered question. We know two people have been arrested. Were they firing at each other? Was this some sort of coordinated attack? It's still unclear. And who are the victims here? We know that two of the victims were actually injured, not by gunshots, but were actually injured just during the chaos of it all. Police telling us that one person fell, another person was hit by a car, and that someone else had issues with anxiety after this shooting ramp. I don't want to call it a rampage,

but the shooting outside of this high school graduation. It's obviously very concerning for a lot of people in the area. That's probably why they had to cancel the next high school graduation ceremony that was supposed to happen later this evening. As investigators try to piece together, what happened. But it's also kind of interesting just to know that you had off-duty officers not only inside the graduation, but also outside trying to help with mitigating traffic during the rush hour. So still a lot of information to piece.

together. We know that the public school system there has said that school will not resume tomorrow. So it sounds like maybe some people were going to school or maybe this is a district wide thing. But it's just very interesting to know that this, you know, has happened here and still a lot of unanswered questions. Yeah. Thankfully, those police officers, as you point out, were there for the graduation. And we heard it from the mayor, you know, is nothing sacred here. We've had so many shootings across America nearly every week, another mass shoot. And tonight we have it in downtown Richmond. It appears it happened just outside of a graduation, a high school graduation, where kids were hopefully hoping to get their diplomas and move on with the next step of their lives.

And yet it ends in gunfire. Dana, we appreciate it as well. I know you're going to stand by for us throughout the broadcast. And as soon as we get more information, we will update our viewers. We do want to turn to some other news that we're following. And it's news from overseas. Our other major headline tonight, an attack at a dam near the front lines of the Ukraine war. Take a look at this video.

It's showing multiple explosions. at a critical dam in the Denepro River. Ukraine right now is blaming Russia for the blast. U.S. intel officials saying Moscow is the likely culprit. That explosion plus earlier blast, that overnight causing the river to surge, sending water rushing into nearby towns, residents using boats to navigate the flooded streets, a thousand people forced to evacuate,

and up to 300,000 people are at risk of losing clean drinking water. And concerns are mounted tonight about a nuclear power plant nearby. see it right there. Could it run out of water to funnel through the cooling towers? That's so important. NBC foreign correspondent Molly Hunter reports from Ukraine tonight. Tonight, water's still racing through the Khofka Dam in southern Ukraine. Entire neighborhoods in Hurson flooded. Rescuers evacuating more than a thousand people. When the dam exploded this morning, dramatic videos showing the entire middle section swallowed up by the Nipro River. These satellite images showing the devastating aftermath.

The U.S. has intelligence that is leaning toward Russia as the perpetrator of the attack, according to two U.S. officials and one Western official. But no final determination yet. We cannot say conclusively what happened at this point. And what we absolutely can say is that the damage to the Ukrainian people and to the region will be significant. Ukraine pointing the finger directly at Moscow, President Zelensky, calling it a terrorist attack and a war crime, saying tonight up to 80 Ukrainian villages could be at risk. Russian state media first denied, then blamed Ukraine. The Cahovka Dam is one of six dams on the Nipro River.

It provides vital drinking water. It provides power. And it provides water for the cooling pools at the Zaporigia nuclear power plant. One analyst estimates some 300,000 civilians could be without clean drinking water by tonight. And some 500,000 will be affected by power outages and flooding. Tonight, Ukraine's nuclear energy chief telling NBC News, The Zaporizia plan occupied by Russia has enough water for now. There is no immediate threat in that.

And the level is normal in their presence on site. And this is my biggest concern. They just showed us today what they can do. And they do not stop. Meanwhile tonight, the Washington Post reports that three months before the attack on Russia's Nord Stream Gas Pipeline, the Biden administration learned from a close ally that the Ukrainian military, had planned a covert attack targeting it. The paper citing multiple officials familiar with the matter, which does not say if the plan was carried out. NBC News has not confirmed the

report. Ukraine has previously denied involvement. Now, Tom, this attack comes as Ukraine has been preparing to launch that counteroffensive we have been talking so much about. Now, Ukrainian officials saying tonight that they believe Russia was attempting to cut off that southern front, that southern route for Ukrainian troops. But President Zelensky very clear tonight saying the did not hinder any counter-offensive plans. Tom? Okay. Well, we appreciate that. We want to go to politics down the growing field for the Republican presidential primary. Former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, the latest to jump into the race vowing to take on former President Trump. This is a live look tonight at Christie's campaign announcement rally at St. Enzum College in

Manchester, New Hampshire. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez is there for us. Tonight, Chris Christie making it official, kicking off his White House big. in New Hampshire. Back in 2016, Christie endorsed Donald Trump. There is no better fighter than Donald Trump. But now the brash former New Jersey governor is a fierce critic, arguing he's the strongest to take on Trump and slamming other Republicans for not doing the same. They kind of cozy up to him. They hope that he implodes and that if they're nice to him, that they'll inherit his voters. He joins a growing GOP field. Ten Republican candidates by the end of this week, with former Vice President Mike Pence expected to announce tomorrow. The former President Trump remains

the clear frontrunner. They're at 1 percent, somewhere at zero. I hear Chris Christie is coming in. What's the purpose? And he's polling at zero. But some New Hampshire Republicans tell us they're looking for a Trump alternative. Would you prefer Chris Christie over Donald Trump? Right now, I'm afraid yes. Too many issues where he's too self-absorbed. Others backing the former president. I like everything he's done about the wall. I love immigrants, but I just like him coming in legally. Trump's top rival, Governor Ron DeSantis, today touting his economic record in Florida. In Washington, they're adding trillions of more in debt. In Florida, we're running budget surpluses. Chris Christie is staking his campaign here in New Hampshire, but he faces an uphill battle.

The growing GOP field may end up giving Trump an advantage. But the Christie campaign tells us it plans to engage Trump and act as a counterpunch. Tom? All right, Gabe Gutier is on the campaign trail again for us. With Christy promising to act as that counterpunch, could he be strong enough to knock Trump out? Former White House Deputy Press Secretary for the Trump administration, Hogan Gidley, and Kevin Madden, he's a communication strategist and served as senior advisor and spokesman for the Romney 2012 presidential campaign. Thank you to both for being here on Top Story tonight.

Hogan, I'm going to start with you. I want to play some of what Christie has said to voters about. his 2016 run at a town hall from March before announcing his 2024 campaign. We all made a strategic error. We did. I mean, look, I'm happy to own my mistakes. I made plenty of them. And that was one of them.

We all kind of thought, all right, don't go after him now. Because once I get past Jeb and Marco and John and Carly and Ted and, you know, then I'll have trouble one-on-one. and then I'll take him on. I don't know if I's ever got there. It was over, it was over quick. So that was a strategic error. Secondly, I stayed with him in 2016

because I didn't want Hillary Clinton to be president. And I don't make any apologies for that. Well, the former governor stayed certainly longer with Trump, a lot longer. Do you think there's a lane for Governor Christie to be the anti-Trump candidate this time around Hogan? He's in the same lane as the rest of the candidate. in the field. They want to be Trump's policies without the personality. This is something

Chris Christie has talked about many times at this point. He's got some problems, though, as he jumps into this race. It's a crowded field in that lane, obviously. But also, he starts by being one of the most disliked candidates. And so what he has to offer, I don't know if people are going to pick up what he's putting down. And a problem for Chris Christie also is he put all of his eggs in the New Hampshire basket. I mean, he stayed there, campaigned there, basically lived there, and finished sixth there. So he's got some political problems as well. I do think, though, his entry into the race, he is going to take direct shots at Donald Trump. Now, while he talks about not caring about those who cozy up to Trump and try to get his voters, he may not understand

the fact he's going to need that base in order to secure the nomination. He goes right at Trump and takes him out, chances are that base he's kind of mocking into riding is not going to get on board with him and he's going to have problems down the road. Kevin, you'll remember Christy's defining moment in the 2016 campaign came toward the end of his run. Actually, we went after

Senator Rubio in the debate for being too rehearsed also in New Hampshire. Let's take a listen to that. I want the people at home to think about this. That's what Washington, D.C. does. The drive-by shot at the beginning with incorrect and incomplete information, and then the memorized 25 seconds speech.

that is exactly what his advisors gave. Those are the facts. Who's the bottom line? This notion that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing is just not true. There it is. There it is. The memorized 25-second speech. There it is everybody.

Kevin, some describe that moment as surgical. The question I have for you is do you think he has what it takes to do that to former President Trump? It's still painful to watch that. Look, I think I agree with a lot of what Hogan said. I think of all the candidates that right now are declared. are declared, Chris Christie has the most challenges in the field. I think if you look at that clip as a sort of summary of how people remember him on the national stage, I think it goes to the central heart of one of the challenges, the main

sort of obstacle that he faces, which is even those folks inside the Republican Party landscape who are Trump skeptical and want to see somebody take on Donald Trump, remember that Chris Christie was the person who sort of helped Donald Trump in New Hampshire. in 2016. And then the other thing, the other big challenge that he has is he's going to stake his, if he stakes his claim in New Hampshire, you cannot fundamentally make an argument that you're the best position to represent the party as a full nominee, because this is not just a one-state contest. You have to have a campaign, a message, and a coalition that reaches beyond New Hampshire into Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, and all the states beyond that. So that

remains a big challenge for him and his candidate. But Kevin, I think you and Hogan, and I don't mean to be rude here, I think you guys are being almost too smart about this, right? Because some people have, some people have called him a kamikaze candidate. And my question to you is, who right now can give it to President Trump, right? Like Chris Christie did to candidates back in 2016. Because I don't know if there's anybody on the stage right now that can do that. Now, Governor DeSantis has come at former President Trump. We've seen it. But you got to fight fire with fire as both of you know with former President Trump, is there anybody besides Chris Christie right now

who can be on that stage who can do that? It's my question. Hogan, I'll start with you on that one. Well, there were several who tried in 2016. I mean, Ted Cruz did, and he failed miserably. I think Chris Christie's entry song to all of his rallies should be the song Wrecking Ball, because he's going to try

and be a wrecking ball here and go right at Donald Trump. But as you pointed out in that cliff with Marco Rubio, it was probably one of the most successful political murder suicides in presidential politics history, but the problem is he didn't pick up any of those votes. He did what he wanted to do, which is take out someone that really made him the most angry. But he didn't pick up any momentum because of it. I don't see him doing that again this time. He'll go at Donald Trump.

He may wound Donald Trump, but that doesn't mean he's going to get any votes. And Kevin, I do want to play that video before you pick up your answer, or what some people called the hostage video, where Christie endorsed. It was a surprise endorsement. I was there. We were all shocked. We did not see that coming.

But then he stood on stage while Trump just talked and talked and talked. So it's sort of tough for him to sort of deliver those blows while this video exists. Though I will say this, and I do know former Governor Chris Christie, I worked with him when he's had a different network.

He does have that fire. He's been doing television nonstop since he left the governor's mansion in New Jersey. and he really does have something he wants to say to former President Trump. And I just wonder if that moment will happen on a debate stage. Well, look, this is my main point, which is that, and Hogan and I know this, you can go out and you can attack anybody on the debate stage, and you can have a campaign that's centered on, you know,

drawing a contrast with the frontrunner in the race. But can you then pivot and build a coalition and promote a message that you're the right person to consolidate all of the different wings of the Republican Party and then run a general election. I think the biggest challenge that Chris Christie has there is I don't think he's going to be able to develop the credibility for that argument, given that this was a candidate that he endorsed. This was somebody whose transition he ran.

And now all of a sudden he's an authentic, credible critic. That's a very hard leap to make. And I think there are a lot of skeptical voters with regard to Chris Christie on that. And so it remains a huge challenge. I will say this. If former President Trump goes to the debate stage, it just got a lot more interesting. We have to wrap up, guys, because we had that breaking news.

Hogan, I think you were thinking of Miley Cyrus. That's the artist, Wrecking Ball. Next time, there you go. Yeah, Rick Flair, I know that's Morgan, your jam. Kevin Madden, Hogan Gidley, we thank you for joining Top Story tonight. Still ahead. A blast caught on camera in Houston. Surveillance video showing the moment a gas tank exploded next to a mobile home.

Take a look at that. The mistake that man made that triggered the destruction and a feud between neighbors turning deadly in Florida, a mother of four shot through a closed door and killed why police say they haven't yet made an arrest. The family's attorney, civil rights attorney, Ben Crump, he will join Top Story Live right after this break. Welcome back. We want to head now to Florida where a mother of four was shot while standing at a neighbor's door. The neighbor firing through the shut door, the mother dying in front of her children. And law enforcement says it all started.

with a neighborhood feud. NBC's Stephen Romo has this one. A 35-year-old mother of four fatally shot in front of one of her children by a neighbor. Tonight calls growing for the shooter's arrest. Charge her. You know who did it? Charger. Police say Ajika Owens was shot through her neighbor's door on Friday. This photo from the family's attorney showing the bullet hole. The incident coming after a longstanding neighborhood feud escalated. between the shooter and Owens over Owens' children.

My daughter, my grandchildren's mother, was shot and killed with her nine-year-old son standing next to her. She had no weapon. She posed no imminent threat to anyone. A child then told police there had been a dispute over an iPad and that the suspect had thrown roller skates at the children, according to a police report. The report says Owens then knocked on the suspect's door. That's when the suspect fired the fatal shots through the closed door, according to witnesses in the report. The mother went to get the iPad and you shoot

her? Who does that? Owens' children calling on other neighbors for help. Her children ran to my house banging on the door asking for us to call the police that their mother was shot. Police say the shooter who is a 58-year-old white woman is now the suspect in an active homicide investigation but has not been charged. I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands. The deadly incident putting a renewed spotlight on the controversial stand-your-ground law, which allows people to defend themselves with deadly force if they believe they are in imminent danger. At any time that we think or perceive or believe that that might come into play, we cannot make an arrest. The law specifically says that. And what we have to rule out

is whether the deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest. The investigation revealing a history of conflict. Police say they were called to the area at least six times in the last year and a half. One report released by the sheriff's office saying, quote, neighbors' kids are screaming and yelling and are being loud. They are screaming and playing football. Owens family saying the suspect had directed racist language at them in the past. She called them racial slurs, the N-word slaves. Police are still seeking information, saying they have plans to interview Owen's children,

some of whom witnessed their mother being killed, according to police. One of those witnesses, her 12-year-old son, heartbroken. I just want to thank everybody for coming out for my mother. All right, with that, Stephen Romo joins Top Story Live tonight. So, Stephen, I got to ask you, law enforcement saying there was an ongoing feud between both neighbors. I mean, look, we've covered this story before, neighbor versus neighbor, nasty neighbors. How did it get this crazy?

Yeah, it's a great question. Going through these incident reports that the sheriff's office sent us, these complaints were things, like kids trespassing and being too loud, mostly centering on these children and going through it all of a sudden turning to the next page and seeing this shooting. It's not really clear from the documents how things escalated to this point. But one thing is for certain people are demanding answers to that question. Yeah, Stephen Romo, you wonder how a mother could die because of this. All right, we appreciate that. The family for Agica Owens is demanding tonight the suspect in this case be arrested. And join us live right now, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who was

representing the Owens family. He joins the broadcast from the side of the road in Orlando because he's actually on the way to meet with them right after this interview. Ben, thanks for taking the time to talk to us tonight and explain to us what's going on. I got to start with the family. How are they doing tonight? Obviously, they're overcome with emotion, Tom. It is devastating to AJ's mother, and it is just devastating on a whole different level when you think about her children saw her be shot and killed. They're dealing with a lot. Ben, you're a lawyer here, right? I'm trying to understand this. We've done a lot of cases on Stanger Ground. There have been very high-profile cases in Florida, evolving Stanger Ground. But this one

feels different because you have a neighbor going to another neighbor's doorstep. And from what we've been told so far, that one neighbor shooting through the door and killing this mother, do you see anything here where that can be argued, that it would stand your ground, that she felt threatened, the neighbor that was inside with the door closed? You know, people will argue whatever they can think of to try to justify killing a person. But there is no justifying this. This 58-year-old white woman was in her home behind a locked door. She did not have to shoot through the door. She could have simply called 911 if she felt in fear.

We have multiple witnesses now who said she knocked on the door. She said, I know you hear me. And then the shot came. I mean, it was no way she should feel that this person knocking on the door would be able to cause death to her intimate bodily harm. And if she did feel a fear, call the police. Why shoot through a metal door? And we produced the pictures of the door showing that the door was clearly shot through. And there's no way to justify this.

It is sending the wrong message to America that you can shoot black people for knocking on your door or ringing your doorbell. We just dealt with this in Kansas City with the teenager Ralph Yaw being shot for mashing the doorbell. And we just think it's the wrong message, America. And, you know, we heard from police there. There is a homicide investigation. The neighbor is the prime suspect. but no charges have been filed. Have they been able to explain to you why that is?

They have not been able to explain to us with any degree of persuasion why this 50-year-old white woman has not been arrested yet because there's nothing they can say to us that if the roads were reversed, that they would not have arrested a black woman from shooting through her door and killing a white woman in front of her young children. And so they continue to try to say they need to get the probable cause. Well, the probable cause is she shot through a door killing a woman. I mean, what more do we have to give you?

They said they needed to talk to the children. They've now talked to the children. They said they needed to talk to a witness. You had witnesses there on your telecast giving statements. there are no more excuses, arrest her so this family can have due process of the law as any American citizen. We know she's innocent into proving guilty, but you can't shoot black people for knocking on the door and go home and sleep in your bed at night and let it be swept under the road. That's why people are so outraged, Tom. Ben, have you seen any evidence? Have you heard of any

evidence? We know this started with some type of dispute over an iPad, some type of skate was thrown over, it hit a child. Obviously, both sides were very heated. Have you seen any evidence where the family, the mother, unfortunately, who's now dead, would have threatened this neighbor in a way where she felt compelled to shoot behind that closed door? We've saw no such evidence, and more importantly, no witnesses have offered any such evidence that we are aware of. And we've talked to several witnesses now in the neighborhood. And they talked about the history. of this particular renter kept calling on the children

saying that they're in her field. She didn't own the field. The owner said that the children could play in the field. There is on record that she said all kind of racial epithets to the children, telling them this isn't the Underground Railroad.

So we want them to look into any kind of race-motivated bias as the reason for this unjustified killing and this assault and battery on these children because it is unacceptable, Tom. We've got to go to break, but real quick. Real quick, how much time are you going to give police before you take to the streets?

How much longer are you going to give them in this investigation? Well, the families are going to continue to try to push them to do it, but the activists who have seen this before are going to be demonstrated. demand an arrest immediately because, like I said, we know if the roads were reversed, a black woman would have been arrested.

And all we want is equal justice. We don't want a different set of rules when our loved ones are laying dead on the ground, Tom. Benjamin Crump for us tonight here on Top Story, Ben, we appreciate your time. We know this is not easy. When we come back, the late breaking news in the Natalie Holloway case, the prime suspect in her disappearance, moved to a new prison in Peru, where he will be handed over to the FBI. How soon he could face justice in the U.S. We'll explain it all. Stay with us. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we start with an explosion

rocking a Houston neighborhood. You have to see this video. It shows the moment a gas tank exploded. You saw it there before flying several thousand feet and crashing through the roof of the home next door. The residents saying he was trying to cut the tank up in order to get it out of his yard before the blast. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. And this just in the main suspect in the Natalie Holloway disappearance

is expected to be extradited to the U.S. this week. Peruvian officials releasing this new video showing Yoran Van der Sloot being transferred to a prison in Lima, Peru. Authorities say that's where he'll be handed over to the U.S. on Thursday in connection to Holloway's disappearance in Aruba back in

2005. Vandersloot serving a 28-year sentence in Peru after confessing to murdering a business student there. Okay, we want to turn now to the multiple natural disasters facing Haiti. This is unbelievable. A deadly 4.9 earthquake hitting the country today, just five days after massive flooding killed dozens and displaced thousands more. Residents who survived left without food or water or even shelter. Ellison Barber has this story. Tonight, Haiti reeling from twin disasters.

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake rocked the island nation while residents were cleaning up from catastrophic flooding. The quake shaking western Haiti, collapsing buildings along the coast and turning homes to rubble. At least four people dead and dozens more injured. Today's disaster coming just days after flooding ripped through towns outside of Port-au-Prince. New video showing a man waiting through waste-deep water with a baby, trying to get to higher ground. The flooding killed at least 42 people and displaced tens of thousands more. Tarrantial rains submerging entire neighborhoods and leaving residents homeless.

Some bridges have been washed out. There's been lots of mudslides occupying the roads, so people are using their bare hands and whatever tools they have to clear up the roads. Some lost everything. This mother's five-year-old son was swept away in the raging floods. She says I risked losing two children, but God left the other one hanging in a tree. This local hospital devastated by rushing waters in thick mud. The doctor describing the intensity of the flooding, saying even if before there had been floods,

this is the strongest we've experienced here. The Haitian community now relying on aid groups and NGOs for basic necessities. receiving calls from everywhere. They need clothing. They need hygiene items. They need food. They need drinking water or water purification units. Groups like food for the poor, desperately trying to provide support, but facing major obstacles. Transportation, as you can imagine, is difficult. Major roadways have been washed out. And of course, we still have some roadways that are getting invested, gang controlled. The Caribbean nation now left to rebuild. Yet, again. All right, with that, Alison,

Barbara now joins us on set. Alison, it's hard to fathom what the people of Haiti have been through over the last few years. Right now, is the U.S. doing anything to help? So we reached out to the U.S. State Department, and they said they are monitoring the situation. Right now, they say they're not aware of any U.S. citizens impacted by this, but they're staying in touch

with local authorities. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti, they posted a tweet related to the flooding, where they said that they were pleased to see the humanitarian efforts from their partner organizations in the U.S. region. We've also reached out to U.S. aid asking if they have a specific response going on. We're still waiting to hear back from them at this point in time. So we've been covering Haiti over the past few months, and our viewers may remember there's an ongoing gang situation.

And I know from your reporting, we saw it there in the piece, that it's sort of impacting how some of this aid gets to the people of Haiti or even if it's going to arrive in the first place. Yeah, I mean, especially since 2021, when then-President Joveno Mosey was assassinated, we've seen the political and economic situation in Haiti just get worse and worse. And by some estimates, they say gangs can control about half of that country. I was speaking with a different aid group that I know who has spent years working in Haiti. They're on the ground right now called off-the-grid missions. And they said one of the struggles they're having getting aid to people is the normal things you expect after there's a disaster.

Debris on roads. Sometimes roads aren't there. But on top of that, because so much of this territory is controlled by gangs, they say when they're trying to get to people to get them basic necessities, they're having to pay a toll because gangs control the roadways into. so many communities. They said in some instances when they're going to try to just get funds so they can get supplies needed to take to people, their workers within that aid group are bringing a change of clothes. So when they leave the bank, they can find an area to change in case someone behind the wall has let somebody in the gang know that they have this money. So they say they're constantly dealing with this threat of violence, having to navigate the gangs, and that's

just to get people food. Ellison, Barbara, for us, we'll stay on top of what's happening in Haiti over the week. Ellison, thank you. Coming up, the bridge. collapse overseas, video showing the moment that bridge crashed into a river. Look at that. An officials say it's not the first time that bridge has come down. The details next. Okay, we are back now with Top Stories Global Watch. We head to France and pension reform protests reigniting in Paris today. New video showing demonstrators setting a trailer on fire in the middle of the street. Police eventually firing tear gas at protesters. he's estimating 31,000 people took to the streets.

Trade unions have been pushing back against President Macron's plan to extend the legal retirement age since January. And an investigation is underway after a bridge in India collapsed for the second time. Video showing the moment the bridge crashed into the Ganges River on Sunday, forming a huge dust cloud. One person has been reported missing. Construction was scheduled to be complete in 2019, but it faced multiple delays due to a collapsed last year caused by strong winds and rain.

And Iran has unveiled its first hypersonic missile at a ceremony. The missile is expected to fly at least five times faster than the speed of light and on a complex trajectory, making it difficult to intercept. According to Iranian military officials, the missile will be able to hit any target from a distance of 870 miles. The development comes as tensions remain high between the U.S. and Tehran. All right, coming up, all rise for America's new favorite juror, the star of Jury Duty, sitting down with our Maya Eaglin, how he says actor James Marsden kept him from figuring out the show's big twist. That's next. Welcome back to Top Story. A new series by Amazon takes an unusual look at jury duty.

It star thought he was serving on a real jury for a documentary, but the joke was on him. The show turned out to be a smash success and very, very funny. NBC's Maya Eagland sat down with Ronald Gladden about what it was like to be in the middle of illegal comedy and not even know it. The star of Amazon Freebies' new comedy series jury duty. Try to keep it right. I want to do the best job that I can. Didn't know he was going to be a star at all. I had no idea what to expect, so it was like a nervous, excited energy.

The semi-scripted reality show follows Ronald Gladden, a Los Angeles man who thinks he signed up for a documentary that would follow a group of jurors as they sit through a real trial. Would you be able to be a good juror for this matter? I'm a racist. Sir, please have a seat. I don't know why I said that.

Eliminate that for the next time. Totally, yeah. But in reality, 11 of the jurors were all trained actors for a sham trial. Pam, so you guys are all actors. They aren't actors. So did you actually get hurt? Most notably, James Mardson from The Notebook and Sonic the Hedgehog.

I'm a recognizable public figure. Respectfully, I don't recognize you. I'm sorry, who are you? That's okay. A lot of people do. The concept is simple, but hilarious. Each episode tests Ronald with pranks, weird requests, and outlandish behavior. Todd is a very interesting individual.

He showed up wearing chair pants. The difficulty is the lack of a ban. Jesus Christ. We caught up with Ronald, who, who opened up about how being bored with his solar construction job led to him randomly coming across the trick casting on Craigslist. I kind of felt a little burnt out with what I was doing, so I was really just trying to see what else was out there.

So you wanted a plot twist. That is a great way to put it. There has not been a single day that we've had that just been smooth. There's always something crazy that comes up. This literally feels like reality TV. A few times throughout the show, you say, this seems like it could be fake, or this feels like it could be a reality show. When were the points where you were like questioning what was going on? Well, there were a few instances where I, I wouldn't say I seriously questioned it, but they

definitely raised like some major red flags. James did a great job of playing this off because I turned to him and I was like, dude, I feel like I'm on reality TV and he kind of, you know, shrugged it off. He's like, yeah, it sure does feel like it, doesn't it? Just a little bit. I haven't seen some air. How much were you aware of the filming happening? So I think it's very obvious when I know when I'm not being filmed because my language is a bit looser, if you will. I'm very professional when I know I'm on camera. And so I think it's very clear when I'm not on camera, but I had no idea there were any hidden cameras.

What the fuck? Oh, it's a camera spot. In the end, Ronald walked away with a $100,000 prize and a completely new direction. Do you feel like this series has really opened up kind of a new pathway for your life? Oh, yeah, absolutely. The fact that I'm even in the entertainment industry right now is just, it blows my mind. Oh, boy, I love Jerry Doody. Maya Eglon, NBC News. Some wise advice there from an Awela.

We hope to see much more of Ronald than we thank Maya Eaglin for that one. Next up, we're taking a look at how new and old are coming together in a major way. For so many immigrant families, the grandmother plays such a critical role. In Latino families, she's known as Awella. And even though she's always been loved, admired, and cared for, she's now getting her moment in the spotlight. There's a new star on social media, and let's just say she's old school. Who uncovered baby Jesus?

He's not supposed to be born yet. Going viral and hitting very close to home for Hispanics. Life is like a butter container. You never know what you're going to gay. The character, Auella, which means grandmother in Spanish, is the brainchild of actor and producer Jenny Lorenzo, an homage to her real-life Cuban Awela. She was like a character, you know what I mean?

Then it's funny because when I would meet my friends' Aweilas, I'm like, y'all are the same. What is going on? You found there was something universal about sort of that Awela who's staying home and helping with the kids? Yes. Auella's appeal comes from a share experience. For so many Hispanics, the grandmother plays an integral and daily role in raising the grandkids.

A lot of it is just in the facial expressions, especially her judgment stare. It's just like, you know, just pierced right through your soul. An Auela is not the only inspiration for laughs. handle, Abuela's counter, is gaining likes by helping followers recreate their grandmother's favorite recipes. So basically, it comes from an idea. We started working together in COVID, just passing recipes together, and just trying to keep alive, you know, all the traditions that we, that we grew up with. So we're going to fry up some croquettas. Created by Annie Mezzerhane and Christina Bustamante. The page shows followers how to cook everything from Medianoche Sliders to Flan, even,

the perfect cafecito, just like abuela made it. It's more than a cookbook. It's an experience. We grew up in a house that it was, you know, family, food, and faith. And it was drilled into you every day. So I think that we, you know, our responsibility, I guess, is trying to fill that void that people want in order to keep those traditions alive and stay connected with their roots.

A place where people could go and they could sort of connect with their past, but also show their kids in the next generation, the culture. Every time I cook now, I just feel like a little piece of hers with me, and I can pass that on to my kids, and I think that that's always what she wanted, for us to do what she did, which is love and serve and comfort. With all this love for grandmothers, we thought we would invite over Abuela to Abuela's counter. How does it smell? Does it smell like it's going to be tasting good? Oh, it wuele rikissimo. Those nina, I know that their abuela, they've seen her.

But will you kind of tell them if something's a little too salty or you'll tell them? Yeah. And it turns out, Awela's counter is Awella approved. Precio.

Yeah. I was nervous. And as the spirit of Abuela's past and present lives on, so does their responsibilities, something my own mom, now an abuela herself, shared with me. When did it feel like you were an abuela? The minute Malena was born, which is your oldest daughter, this was someone that I was going to love forever. Do you feel the responsibility of sort of the keeper of the family legend, the keeper of the family customs, the keeper of all the history from Cuba up until now?

Definitely. I do. I start instilling the love of Cuba and the love of this country that has opened all its doors to respect your country above all and to never forget where you come from. Some wise advice there from an Awela. We want to give a big thank you to actress Jenny Lorenzo and, of course, the two moms behind Auela's counter. And we thank you for watching Top Story Tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.