Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Episode Date: January 26, 2023

More than 30 million people under alert as a massive winter storm is on the move, Meta allows former President Trump to rejoin its platforms Facebook and Instagram, a harrowing story from a Monterey Bay shooting survivor, a look at the staggering crime rates in New Orleans, and Hulu and Adult Swim cut ties with "Rick and Morty" creator over domestic violence charges.

Tonight, the massive winter storm on the move, more than 30 million Americans under alert. The system unleashing more than a dozen tornadoes, a storm chaser driving right up to one of the twisters, and tonight you'll see the moment. A couple in the middle of a tornado's rampage forced to flee from their van where they ran to. The cross-country storm now slamming the east coast, bringing snow and treacherous conditions on the roads. Our man, Bill Karen, standing by with the track. Also tonight, new details emerging from Virginia after a teacher was shot by a six-year-old student. That teacher now alleging she and others sounded the alarm multiple times hours before the shooting. No lockdown, no police. Why? How did a first grader get away with this? The school

official who has now resigned. Plus, witness to a massacre, the chilling firsthand account of that deadly mass shooting in Southern California. Tonight, you'll hear directly from one of the dancers inside the the time, the terrifying scenes he saw and heard and how he's remembering his dance partner among the 11 killed. Trump's second chance meta announcing late today, it will allow the former president back on both Facebook and Instagram after a two-year ban. You'll hear from a top meta executive who just spoke with our Hallie Jackson about the decision to bring back one of its most controversial users. Look at this dramatic infrared video out of Detroit showing a man with a long gun firing at a police helicopter, how the standoff with officers on the ground came to an end.

Plus the battle brewing over race and education in Florida, civil rights attorney Ben Crump threatening to sue Governor Ron DeSantis for banning an AP African-American studies class. We'll walk you through the heated debate from both sides. And America's murder capital, New Orleans, the reluctant bearer of that grim title, our team went down to the Big Easy to take a closer look at what's driving the surge in violence, and what the city is doing to try and stop it. Top story starts right now. And good evening.

We will get to that monster winter storm in just a moment, but first we want to get right to the late breaking news, Newport News School Board, voting to remove the school's district superintendent after a six-year-old child shot a teacher inside of an elementary school classroom, the vice principal resigning earlier today, and the lawyer for the teacher who was shot,

now says warnings about that student, including just hours before the shooting, were ignored. You're about to hear the stunning allegations. And if true, a pattern of complete disregard for the safety of teachers, staff, and students there. NBC's Yamish Alcindor as the latest. This tragedy was entirely preventable if the school administrators responsible for school safety had done their part and taken action. The lawyer for Abigail's Werner, the first teacher shot by a six-year-old student announcing she intends to sue the Newport News School District. They failed to act and Abby was shot.

She laid out a timeline of the day of the shooting, saying late morning, Zwerner went to school administrators to report that the boy had threatened to beat up another student. But she said nothing was done. About 1230, she said a second teacher concerned the child had a gun, searched his backpack, and finding nothing warned an administrator, she believed the boy put the gun in his pocket. And after 1 p.m., a third teacher warned of a student saying the boy in question showed him the gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone. Did administrators call the police? No. Did administrators lock down the school? No. Did the administrators evacuate the building? No. When a fourth employee who heard about the danger asked the administrator for permission to search the boy, he was denied. The school district, citing an ongoing investigation, declined to comment today on the statements from Sorner's attorney, but confirmed the assistant principal at Rich Neck Elementary School has resigned.

Earlier this month, Superintendent George Parker acknowledged school officials were warned. At least one administrator was notified of a possible weapon in the timeline that we're reviewing. And tonight, Parker is out of the job. At a special school board meeting, officials voted to remove him and appoint an interim superintendent. Meanwhile, students are scheduled to return to classes on Monday. All right, Yamiche joins us now from Washington, Yamish. Your report there was so stunning. I want to actually read what Diane Toscano said in that story.

She said, did the administrators call the police? No. Did its administrators lock down the school? No. Did the administrators evacuate the building? No. You listen to this report, Yamish, and you almost can't believe it because we're talking about a six-year-old here.

The police weren't called. Teachers are physically bigger than six-year-old. six years old? Do you think they could take them down if they had to? I think a lot of the viewers are going to be confused as to why nothing was done. I mean, Tom, the details as laid out by that attorney are just stunning. This was, by her account, a slow-moving, violent train work that she said was entirely preventable. Meanwhile, NBC News has learned from a source close to the situation that the teacher, Habie Zwerner, texted a loved one just about an hour before she was shot, saying that the student had said he had a gun in his backpack and that school officials weren't

helping. The source said, quote, she was frustrated because she was trying to get help with this child for this child, and then when she needed help, no one was coming. Tom? And now the vice principal and the school superintendent are out. Okay, Yamish on that breaking news tonight. We move on out of the weather, more than 30 million Americans under winter weather alerts. The same system that fueled more than a dozen tornadoes in the south, now battering the Midwest and the East Coast. Let's take a closer look at the wide trail destruction it has left already. Near wide-out conditions as we look over here to Detroit, causing this tanker truck to lose control, crashing into the median and spilling fuel onto the interstate.

Crews working to clean up the hazard with that heavy snow coming down. More than 5,000 flights canceled or delayed throughout the day. You can see some of the traffic here on the runway. Cruise at Chicago's Midway Airport working around the clock to de-ice planes and clear the runways. Now take a look at this. We're getting new video of the power of this storm, as it tore through the south. This right here is a couple bolting from their RV and jumping into a ditch to shelter from a nearby tornado. We're going to have much more of all that dramatic video in a moment. Plus we've got NBC News meteorologist Bill Caron's right here standing by with the latest track. But first, I want to get right to Gabe Gutierrez. He's in Concord, New Hampshire,

where the snow is coming down tonight. Gabe, good evening. Hi there, Tom. Good evening. The snow is starting to pick up here. And this all comes after another storm here earlier this week. Now travel across this region is expected to get more dangerous throughout the night. Tonight, the fast-moving storm system that leveled homes across the south is racing toward the northeast, bringing punishing wind and snow and making travel treacherous. More than 30 million people are under winter weather alerts. A tornado on the ground right now right in front of me. These heart-stopping moments caught on camera in Texas. Tornado going right in front of me.

Right here. Hold on. It's going to get wild. Near Houston, a massive cleanup effort is underway after tornadoes sliced through the region, including an EF3, packing winds of up to 140 miles an hour. Cars flipped over, livelihoods torn apart. I saw sideways rain, lights flickering, my brain went, oh, crap. This month, there have already been at least 157 tornado reports across 16 states, making this the most active January on record. We've never had a tornado like this in Pasadena with this much. damage. With tens of thousands of people without power in Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri,

the winter wallop is slamming the Midwest. NBC's Maggie Vespa is there. Snow moving into the Midwest overnight, making poor treacherous road conditions here at Indianapolis and causing air travel chaos, flight aware, tracking hundreds of cancellations in Chicago, dozens of delays in Detroit. Now the storm taking aim at the northeast, where major cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. have barely seen any snow at all this winter. Boston, a foot less than usual, though tonight, snow mixing with rain, making for a messy commute. Rain and snow and cold, freezing branches, breaking down, power lines.

An unusually weak winter. Tonight is tightening its grip. All right, Gabe Gutierrez rejoins us now. So Gabe, as we see you getting covered by snow there, there's really a tale of two different storms, right, when it comes to this storm and the northeast? Yeah, that's exactly right, Tom. So this storm, Obviously, when it comes to tornadoes in the south, you saw those horrific images coming out of parts of Texas and other states and, you know, tens of thousands of people still without power in Arkansas, but other parts of the Northeast, like New York and Washington, D.C., not getting hit by this storm. New York just getting hit very little, and there hasn't been any measurable snowfall in Central Park for one of the longest periods on record. Still here in New Hampshire, we are expected to get more snow throughout the night, and shortly in a few hours, it's expected to, turn into rain. That again, making for very dangerous travel conditions throughout the night.

Tom? Yeah, people have to be careful tonight in the Northeast. All right, Gabe Gutierrez, Gabe, we appreciate that. And another heroin story we showed you earlier of survival from yesterday's tornado near Houston, Texas. A couple managing to escape its path by hiding in a ditch, and the whole thing was caught on camera. Take a look. This was as the tornado was coming through their cell phone video showing YouTube bloggers, Zach and Allie, along with their two dogs, running into that ditch as it was filling up with water. The couple who lives in a self-converted van says the tornado touched down just a few hundred feet from them, and there was no shelter around.

They did manage to ride out the storm in that space and were not hurt. They are incredibly lucky. And with that, I want to get right over to NBC News meteorologist Bill Kerrins. Something people should never do, you know, keep the camera rolling like that, but at least we saw the power of that tornado, and there were so many last night. Yeah, at least they were smart to go in a ditch. If you can't get underground or an interior building, a ditch is the next best place. And the number of question I had today, Tom, why are we getting so many tornadoes?

Is this normal? Like, is this our new normal? Well, yesterday we had 17. We only had one today, so that's 18 total. But when you add up the other tornado events we've had this month, we've now had almost 160 tornado reports in January. That is highly unusual in 16 different states. This is the most that we've ever had reported.

Now, these records only go back to the year 2000. So there's not a long period of history records here. But still, this has been very unusual when you consider 35 as our typical normal January tornado count. And we are four times that. So as far as eastern North Carolina goes, you're the last location that has a chance of getting severe weather later on tonight. We're safe. We're on areas of the southeast. The line has made its way through.

And we're not expecting anything horrible in eastern North Carolina. Maybe some wind damage. The snow portion of the storm is wrapping up in Detroit. you got hit hard this afternoon. Airport was closed for a while today. About six to eight heavy wet inches to get out there and shovel to try to get ready for the day tomorrow. Northern New England is the last location that will be getting the heavier snow as we go throughout the night where Gabe was located. And as we were mentioning, no snow in New York City, Philadelphia, and D.C. still snowless on the winter season. It's all rain. It has been a very, very warm winter to this point. So additional snowfall. Only main, the white, the green mountains here and the Adirondex are going to get about four to six inches. Maybe one or two, mostly through the Ohio Valley in areas down around Indianapolis. And as far as snow totals go, how about this? At all the cities, you wouldn't guess this one. Fayville, Arkansas was one of the highest there at eight inches.

But we did have some spots in Arizona with a foot and a half like the Arizona Snowball. And also Mount Magazine State Park in the Ozarks, almost a foot and a half. Such an unusual winner for so many parts of the country. All right, Bill, we thank you for that. We want to turn out to some other breaking news on former President Trump and a second chance on social media. Trump will be allowed back on meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram for the first time since January 6th, this time, with new guardrails in place. Trump celebrating the announcement on his own social media platform, truth social, writing, quote, such a thing should never again happen to a sitting president or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution.

For more on this social media move, we're joined now by NewsNow anchor Hallie Jackson, who spoke with the top meta executive. just as this news was breaking and Hallie, it's fascinating we had this interview now because I'm curious, how did Mehta make the original decision and how did they come to this new decision right now? Two good questions, Tom. The original decision was made, as you have laid out, in the moments, the hours, the day after the January 6th insurrection attack at the Capitol, when the landscape, right, when the National Guard was in place, there was a curfew in D.C. was such that META felt like they had to suspend, at first, did it indefinitely, Mr. Trump off the platform,

and then after the oversight board weighed in, it became a two-year-long suspension. That was up as of January 7th, just a couple of weeks ago, so now this decision is out. The rationale that META is laying out is the idea that they are working to balance and clearly define the balance between the right to being able to have people speak freely on the platform and drawing a line between that and the incitement. of real world violence, danger in the actual real world. It is complex. It is complicated clearly for meta, as I discovered in my interview with Nick Clegg, who is the top meta official on this. I want to play for you some of our conversation about how this unfolded. Watch.

How can you say that in this country, the risk of political violence has receded? I think we, you know, what we're essentially doing is comparing it to the circumstances which led to his two-year suspension in the first place. In other words, the circumstances in January two years ago, at the time of, you know, the January 6th events on the Capitol. At that time, you know, Washington, D.C. was under a curfew. Government offices were closed and under heavy security protection up and down the country. The National Guard was being called out from state to state. That, thankfully, is no longer the case. I'm not saying everything is perfect. No one is. But we're saying that if you compare it to the circumstances,

which led to his original suspension, we think the risk to public safety has materially and significantly receded. But that is also the reason why we are introducing those additional guardrails to discourage him from breaking our rules going forward if he chooses to use Facebook and Instagram again. Should we be understanding that, that in Mehta's view, the bar is essentially insurrection-level incitement? and that that's the bar that you are looking at for what is and is not a security risk? No. We remove content all the time. We act all the time where people post material that we think will pose a real danger and lead to real world harm.

And that applies to everybody. Doesn't matter whether you're the former president of the United States, doesn't matter whether you are a king or the queen or just an ordinary user of our social media apps. One thing that META is making really clear is they're going to put guardrails. That's what they describe it as, guardrails in place on the former president's account if and when he does start posting on Facebook again, stuff like if he does, let's say, try to delegitimize the next election by lying about it, maybe limit its reach. People can't share it as much, maybe do some other things, pull it off people's feeds, for example, so that its reach is less than what it would have been if they had done nothing there. So that's part of the calculation that they're making. Yeah, I think these guardrails might be the toughest part for META in all of this. Explain to our viewers, why is it still so important for the Trump team to get back on places like Facebook and Instagram?

So frankly, Tom, so much of it is just straight up money, right? I mean, Facebook can be a fundraising platform for the Trump campaign. It is a place where they can have targeted ads, for example, and they use that to great success in the president's previous campaign, let's say, in 2016, for example. So it is strategic from a political perspective of why Team Trump would like to get back on Facebook. The question is, like, what are we going to see? How is he going to post? Is he going to post? The former president now has his own social media platform, as you well know, where he's been, obviously, primarily putting out his thoughts and statements and comments.

So there's a question mark on how much is the campaign going to use Facebook in the days and the weeks to come. Yeah, Trump's digital director in 2016 credited Facebook for one of the main reasons why they won that campaign in that election. All right, Hallie Jackson with a really big interview for us here on Top Story. Hallie, we appreciate it. We turn out to South Carolina where one of the biggest criminal trials the state has seen in decades is finally underway. Alex Murdoch, the once revered attorney, accused of killing his wife and son in 2021. His fall from grace captivating many across the country as his list of alleged crimes continues to grow. Katie Beck has more on today's proceedings.

Now proceed to opening statements. The long-awaited legal showdown in the Murdoch murder trial. Kyle. How, how. Two shots, abdomen in the leg and took her down. Arguing two very different versions of the same story. He didn't do it. He didn't kill butcher, his son and wife.

Dramatic descriptions of his family's deaths at point bringing Murdoch to tears. Opening statements given to a jury of eight women and four men who will spend the next several weeks following the evidence. They were shot at close range of. shot at close range and they did not have offensive wounds. Prosecutors say forensics will prove Murdoch's guilt after a perfect storm of circumstances came to a head. The state contends Maggie was killed with a weapon owned by the family that was never recovered and that a cell phone video captured at the murder scene just before the time of deaths puts Alec at the scene contradicting his alibi that he only reached there when he

discovered the bodies. And he was there just minutes before with Maggie and Paul, just minutes before their cell phones go silent forever and ever. But the defense argues there's no forensic evidence to tie Murdoch to the murders, no fingerprints, eyewitnesses, murder weapons, and despite the gruesome scene, no blood on Alec when police arrive. You would be covered in blood from head to foot. The defense argues a video taken earlier in the evening shows Paul and Alec enjoying time together and that police pinned Alec as a suspect before investigating, even suggesting the crime may have been the work of two people because two different weapons were used. They have pounded that square peg in the round hole and you're going to hear about it.

They've ignored some witnesses. For the first time today, we saw several members of the Murdoch family inside the courtroom, including Murdoch's son Buster. When court adjourned, Murdoch turned to his son and mouth the words, Are you okay? His son replied yes.

Tom? Wow. Okay, Katie, back for us. Katie, we appreciate that. Still ahead tonight, new details into the death of Tyrene Nichols. His family says body camera, shows officers brutally beating him.

During an arrest in Memphis this month, what the Department of Justice is now promising and what they're asking of residents in that city. Plus, the deadly fire ripping through a high rise in Chicago, what we've just learned about the building's violations in just the last year. And Florida, once again, at the center of a debate over what is taught

in schools, why Governor DeSantis is banning a class on African-American studies and the lawsuit he could soon be facing. Stay with us. All right, we're back now with the growing controversy in Florida. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis blocking a new AP African-American history class. class from schools. DeSantis saying it violates state log and so-called critical race theory. And now some students in civil rights attorney Ben Crump say they're prepared to sue. NBC's in Clay Esamwas in Tallahassee for us. Black history is American history.

Protest and pushback in Florida with a new potential legal battle over race education. I can't believe that this is 2023 in America is talking about censoring education. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announcing his plan to sue Republican. Governor Ron DeSantis and the state after DeSantis blocked a pilot AP African American Studies course in Florida. No to censorship. No to censorship. Yes, to community.

DeSantis says the state already teaches African American history and is opposed to specific lessons in the curriculum. We believe in teaching kids facts and how to think, but we don't believe they should have an agenda imposed on them. When you try to use black history to shoehorn in queer things. theory, you are clearly trying to use that for political purposes. What message do you feel this ban may have communicated to your student? I think it communicates very clearly that African American history is not as important as other history.

Developed by the College Board, the pilot course is currently in 60 schools nationwide. The organization says it does not require students to adopt a particular ideology. And after a feedback period, it will make appropriate revisions to the preliminary pilot course framework. These Florida high schoolers say this is personal. What's your reaction to this AP African American studies ban? It's keeping African Americans silenced. In my opinion, that it was targeted and I couldn't learn about my own history. I think it just symbolizes like blatant racism. DeSantis has made education policy a key focus of his administration last year controversially signing into law

restrictive legislation on race and gender. In response to Crum's intent to sue, The Florida Department of Education said it was a publicity stunt and that they expect the removal of content on critical race theory, black queer studies, intersectionality, and other topics that violate our laws. Zinclai joins us now from Tallahassee. Zinclai, one of the students in your story there said they couldn't learn about their own history. Does this move mean there will be no African American history taught in Florida public schools? Yeah, Tom, that's a really great question. So the students I spoke with were so emotional and passionate, and they were saying they felt like their history wasn't being valued. But when it comes to Florida state law, black history is actually mandated, and we've heard from Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who says he is proud to teach black history. However, he does not agree with many of the lessons in the college boards course, Tom.

So it goes to this sort of AP course that he has honed in on. Do we know how this section, and he's made a big deal about this, do we know how this section on queer history that, the governor has highlighted fits into the curriculum or the general teaching of African-American history in this AP course, which of course spans more than 500 years. Yeah, Tom, so I've been following this class since October. It's a pilot, one of 60, as we've been talking about. And in essence, it covers the scope of intersectionality of black history. So innately, it's also covering black feminism and some LGBTQ issues as well. And so that is what the governor is talking about.

But any curriculum that has been released thus far is not final. And college board has made the point to say they're not releasing the official curriculum until next month. This pilot has been a period to collect feedback. Tom. Okay, Zinclai, SMW, for us, Zinclae, we appreciate it. With the College Board set to possibly revise its curriculum, Florida's Department of Education, vowing to reconsider its decision. But if it upholds the ban, what legal recourse do students have? And is the state protected?

Criminal Defense Attorney, Ann D.L. Brown, who is based, in Miami, an NBC News legal analyst and civil rights attorney, Charles Coleman, Coleman. Join us now. He joins me now in studio. So, Andell, I'm actually going to start with you because you're down there in Florida. And for the purpose of this discussion, Andel, you're going to sort of act as the governor's attorney. This is obviously a highly political issue. It will play to Governor DeSantis' base from what he's saying out there. But looking at the legality of this, is he standing on firm legal ground? Does he have the power to block this course? Obviously, the optics are not the greatest, Tom.

But when we look at the actual curriculum and the details of what they're saying they object to, some of those things may be prohibited by the law. The law in general and the constitutionality revolves around whether it's about the quality of the education, not about the idea. If the Department of Education can point to how these particular issues do not contribute to the quality of education of the student, then they will be standing on firm ground. Obviously, a state issue, Charles, I want to ask you, you saw Ben Crump there. There are students, Mr. Crump, threatening to sue if they do ban this. Will they have a case on a civil rights matter? I think from a civil rights perspective, they will likely be using Title VI as a model to try to proceed on a legal level.

And I think the reason for that is the argument is you are essentially impeding equal access to education based off of these individuals where they're from, their nationality, and what they're ascribed to. So they are in their members of protected classes as students. And these students would, if this were to take effect, be inhibited from getting the same type of education with other AP courses that their colleagues are being able to get on the basis of race. And so it is a very interesting legal theory to adopt, but one that is grounded very much in a civil rights position and tradition of making a road out of one, that doesn't exist. So one of our reporters, Mark Caputo, got his hands on the curriculum for this AP African-American history course. I want to bring up one of the topics that Governor

DeSantis had a problem with the issue of reparations. We have it up here. Here's what the curriculum says, gentlemen. The reparations movement, this topic explores the case of reparations for the centuries-long enslavement and legal discrimination of African-Americans in the U.S. students may examine House Bill H.R. 40. And a text by Tennessee coach. So, you know, And Dale, I want to ask you, why do you think the governor had a problem with this? I'm trying to understand why he would take such an issue with teaching what the issue of reparations is about. Well, Tom, at the same time, we have to understand that we don't know the extent of the curriculum and how they approach the issue. And furthermore, I don't believe that the law is perfect.

I think there's work that can be done to make it more specific. I think parts of it are vague where institutions, teachers, and students don't know what's allowed and what's not allowed. As far as the issue of reparations is concerned, I think that Governor DeSantis takes issue, or his attorneys will argue that they take issue with what it implies about the country, what it implies about students that are non-black,

and what is owed to them. While it's not perfect, it's the purview of the state to decide what type of curriculum our students should get. I want to put up the other part of the curriculum that the governor's honed in on. This is the issue of black queer studies. This topic, according to the curriculum, and this was obtained by NBC News, this topic explores the concept of the queer of color critique grounded in black feminism and intersectionality as a black studies lens that shifts sexuality studies towards racial analysis.

Students may examine texts by writers such as Kathy Cohen, Roderick Ferguson, or E. Patrick Johnson. So, Charles, I want to ask you, what is your take on this? Is this, should this be part of the AP African Americans history course? Do you believe that? That it's important. And can the state say we have an issue with this? And then suddenly take it out. The college board will take this part of the curriculum out.

Well, Tom, I think you've hit the issue right on the head. And I think your question, not just to me, but also to Zen Clay, before me was really encapsulating in terms of what the actual issue is. This is running directly into contrast with Florida's Don't Say Gay, essentially approach to education when it comes. comes to K through 12. And I think that when you're talking about the intersectionality between our communities, be they black community, black queer community, and other people who identify as other, if you will, that's where this is really going to be something people need to pay attention

to. I fully suspect that the college board is likely reviewing that specific provision because it is in direct contrast to Florida's laws and ideologies there. The CRT element of it, I don't necessarily know is much of a conflict. But with respect to the provision that you just cited, if I expect to see anything taken out, anything changed by the college board, I would imagine it be that. Let me ask you, we're talking about around 500 years of history, right? This issue of black queer studies, do you think it's something that people should fight for and they should take this to court, or do you think they should move on past this if they can come to some agreement and still have the AP course in? I think that you have to understand the important, you have to

of having that as part of a conversation. To teach the complete history. Correct. To teach the complete history. I do not believe that if you're on the precipice of making a deal where either A, it stays in and the course is not offered, or B, it stays out for now, and students still have access to the court to the course, and you can still petition and push for it at a later date that you throw out the baby with the bathwater, proverbially speaking. I think that the goal should be to have this as an option for students to learn and to

to engage. If it does not include that portion of it, no, it's not what we would want entirely, but I also think that the actual presence of the course and its availability is what's most paramount. And I'll give you the final word here. What kind of attention is this generating? Obviously, across the country, some people are talking about it in the state of Florida, where Governor DeSantis still remains very popular. What are the headlines like over there? Well, you know, I think people are looking at Ron DeSantis as possibly a contender for 2024, the presidential race, and obviously that's going to make headlines. But it's well-established law by the Supreme Court, the PICO case, 1982, that it has to be about the educational value

of the topics. It can't just be based on political views of the government. And I think the Department of Education's job here is to show why certain things are being excluded or included and how it connects with the educational value for the students. Because at the end of the day, That's what it's all about, making sure our students are educated and prepared for success. Andell Brown, Charles Coleman, I thank you for a lively discussion. It felt at times like I was in law school, but I appreciate it. I learned a lot. Thank you both.

When we come back, under fire, dramatic infrared video coming in from Detroit, a man aiming a laser pointer at a police helicopter, then pulling out a long gun. Watch this and opening fire, actually shooting at police in the helicopter. How that standoff came to an end. Next. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed in the latest on the death of Tyree Nichols after a traffic stop with Memphis Police. The Department of Justice today promising a, quote, thorough and methodical investigation, but asked the public to remain peaceful. Nichols died earlier this month after that. Traffic stop left him in critical condition.

His family telling NBC News the body cam footage not yet made public reminded them of the Rodney King beating. All five officers involved have been fired. And an investigation is underway in Chicago after a deadly high-rise fire. New video shows flames and smoke shooting from the 15th, 16th, and 17 floors. You see it right there. At least one person killed and several others hurt. Officials say flames made it up to the 24th floor. No word yet on a cause, but documents obtained by NBC, Chicago,

showed the building has received at least a dozen alleged code violations in the last year. And we have new video tonight of a man shooting at a police helicopter. while it was on patrol and while they had a camera on him. Infrared video released by Michigan State Police shows the suspect shining a laser into the cockpit from a home near Detroit. The man then comes outside with a long gun and you see it there. You can see the bullets flying, opens fire. Police say the 33-year-old then fired at officers on the ground.

He was later shot and killed. No officers on the ground or in that helicopter or hurt. Okay, we want to turn now to Northern California where the suspect accused of killing seven people this week was in court for the first time. The mass shooting was the second and 48 hours after 11 were killed near Los Angeles. NBC's Miguel Almagir has the new details tonight. Facing seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder,

Chung Li Jiao made his first court appearance today. Two police sources with direct knowledge of the investigation tell NBC Bay Area, the 66-year-old admitted he felt disrespected by coworkers for years. Telling authorities his concerns were dismissed. The enraged senior citizen retrieved a gun and hunted down co-workers at the farm. Officers recovered a semi-automatic glock, rounds of ammo, and a goodbye note to his wife. This investigation is two days old. There's an awful lot more to learn.

The penalty of convicted of all the charges would be life without parole or death. The massacre in Half Moon Bay, California, comes as the Secret Service released a new report today, detailing trends in mass attacks, highlighting red flags before. the next shooting, personal grievances were among the most common motive, with a quarter of attackers motivated by conspiracy theories or hateful ideology. These individuals engage in concerning behavior, and this concerning behavior is evident to those around them. That behavior, perhaps evident in the 72-year-old who killed 11 in Southern California. Law enforcement sources say evidence points towards a personal motive.

Former friends call the man angry and hopeless. in America. Do we see this kind of carnage? What the hell is going on? Tonight, two California communities are mourning, the latest in a growing list of American cities suffering similar heartbreak. As the Vice President visits Monterey Park to console families there here in Northern California, the long legal process for the suspected gunman is just beginning. Tom? Miguel Almaguerre for us tonight. Miguel, thank you. We go to Monterey park now where Steve Patterson sat down with a survivor of that terrifying attack who explains what he saw on the trauma he's now living with.

Additional units requested, multiple victims, gunshot wounds. In a matter of moments, a night of song, celebration, and dancing spiraled into chaos and death. Then suddenly I heard this bang, bang, bang, bang. At first, 65-year-old Daniel Shue thought that popping sound piercing the ballroom's rhythmic baseline may have been fireworks, and then he saw his friends start falling. He's sharing those terrifying moments. A few seconds later, I saw people in the middle of the ballroom start running.

And the one lady I know, she felt hard on the ground. Like, he's running and loosed control and fell on the ground. Shue hit the ground, hiding under a table, hearing roughly 20 shots going off before it went quiet. He thought the gunman might be reloading. And I raised my head and see the man. He also laying himself on the floor. Before me, I can see the blood flowing from her, his shoulder. Are you scared? Are you terror?

Yes, yes. Did you think you were going to die? Yeah. Yeah. I think if he shot the people hiding under the table, no one will survive. Investigators say the gunman fired some 42 rounds, killing 11, including Shue's friend Diana Tom. Here they are dancing together just one year ago. She taught me how to dance. She's a very warm person. He's very energetic and care of our people.

Moments after the massacre started, Monterey Park Police responded to the first 911 calls. Yeah, approximately 10 to see. Police Chief Scott Weiss says some of his youngest officers dove into a scene of horror. It was something I've never experienced. Pure chaos, I'll never forget it. And none of the officers that were here and the firefighters will ever forget what happened. The 72-year-old government fled before. being disarmed at a second ballroom. He was later found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

For Shu, the horror of that night is burned into his memory. I cannot sleep the whole night. This is an image. Keep it back, come back to me. From everywhere close my, I can see clear the shooting and the people running. All right, Steve Patterson joins us now from Monterey Park. Steve, such a powerful eyewitness account there of that terrible attack. man you spoke to there says he can't sleep we heard the hero in this case also say he hasn't been able to sleep has anybody been able to come up with any theories or motives of what happened here and why this man pulled that trigger and killed so many in his own community you know again police say there is no motive but they are working on it they know that is so important to the

catharsis of this community we have heard from our nbc digital team they've been speaking to people that knew this 72 year old suspected gunmen they say that he was distant. They say that he was a man that was almost hopeless. And he was getting more and more distant with really what was considered the one joy in his life compared to the people that knew him said he enjoyed, which was going to these dance halls. He was losing touch with the people inside. And so that brought him even further away from really experiencing that sense of community. But still no reason why it's no reason why he would shoot up a dance hall.

Police still working on it. Okay. Steve Patterson with a very compelling interview tonight. Thank you for that. We turn out of the staggering rising crime in New Orleans, the Big Easy, now known as the murder capital of the country, with homicides hitting a number not seen since the 90s. Concerned residents are demanding action and even calling for new leadership. Valerie Castro is in New Orleans tonight with this story. Tonight, New Orleans is a city in crisis.

Police are looking for leads. Extremely violent crime wave. The teenage boy is now dead. Shot and killed overnight. Dubbed the murder capital of the country. country. They got us all again. They got you two. They almost kill me. Top story came to the big easy to investigate the violence, more than a dozen killings to start the year, picking up from an epidemic level in 2022. In an American city, in the middle of the

afternoon, in the parking lot of a grocery store, my son was killed. Just two days before Christmas, Cheryl and Price learned her son Brandon Montrell was among the statistics. Police say the unintended target of a shootout. The 43-year-old comedian known as Boogie B on TikTok and on stage. I'm at comedian Boogie B on Instagram. One of more than 260 people murdered in 2022. I can't swallow the idea that I lose my child for absolute nothing, that it all, that nothing comes of it, that it's just another day, another number, and life goes on. Something has to change. But change doesn't appear imminent. thefts have reached astonishing numbers. More than 500 stolen already this year, more than double

the same time last year. More horrifying carjackings, more than 270 last year. One gruesome case in March involved 73-year-old Linda Fricky. Surveillance video caught the midday carjacking. Frickie caught in her seatbelt was dragged to death. Her arm severed from her body. All four suspects under the age of 18. Do you want these teens charged as adults? Absolutely. Another incident, one man resorting to throwing a pot of gumbo at his own car before jumping on the hood in an effort to stop it from being stolen. If we don't get a handle on this now, I don't want to see how bad it gets during the summer. Lifelong resident Lauren Trostorf, an owner of vibrant market along the magazine street shopping district says when a truck plowed into her shop

New Year's Day, police response time was agonizingly slow. It took them nine hours to arrive because apparently that night there was three cops on duty per shift in our district, and there apparently had already been two homicides since midnight. Mayor Latoya Cantrell, whose administration has been plagued by allegations of personal scandals while facing a recall effort, listing which she says caused the situation on CBS's Face the Nation. One, dealing with COVID-19, violence, everyone has guns, the ability or the lack of the ability, to resolve a conflict without reaching and pulling a gun. Also, as it relates to accountability, people need to be held accountable across the board,

and we're seeing results, I would say. We're moving in the right direction. But many worry things are still headed in the wrong direction. Residents at a recent city council meeting focused on crime, voicing their frustrations. The police going to catch the carjackers, put them in jail, they get sent home. Nothing happens. There's no consequences. They have to have consequences to their actions.

Earlier this month, the mayor announcing a violent crime reduction task force charged with making recommendations to improve the status quo with a 60-day deadline for results. We're driving down the street. We have to be safe. So what is the plan? Is it part of the new task force to deal with carjackings? We know the mayor announced the task force a couple of weeks ago. Is that going to be enough to really turn things around? no one component is going to be enough. City Council member Oliver Thomas leads the Criminal Justice Committee.

What has happened in New Orleans over the last few years that has gotten it to the place that it is today? There are several contributing factors. We went from 13 or 1,400 police officers down to about 900 and 40 or 50. New Orleans began enforcing a 9 p.m. curfew on kids 16 and under. calls what worked in the late 90s to bring down record crime, interagency agreements, federal

intervention, and investments in the community. Once it was stabilized, a lot of times those investments went away. That had continued, you would have seen a safer city for a long time, and we would not be experiencing this explosion right now, period. Whether it's hiring more officers or early youth intervention, the calls for new leadership are echoing loudly. It's going to take quite the person to step up for the job, but we need someone to come in and clean up the city. Some visitors remain blissfully unaware of the statistics. And if we had a chance to do it all again, seeking out the charm and culture of the city. But those who know it well, warning unless real changes are made, few will be safe.

It can't be allowed. We have to stop accepting this because nobody's safe. You think you are until it happens to you. And trust me, you won't see it coming. You'll be minding your own business when you get some awful phone call. All right, Valerie Castro joins us now live from New Orleans tonight, one of America's great cities. Valerie, it's so sad to kind of see that report and see what's happening there. The mayor's new Anti-violence Task Force, who talked about it in your report. Have they been able to make any concrete improvements?

Is there any data? Well, Tom, we reached out to the mayor's office to find out what they are defining as trends in success. The spokesperson got back to us and says since the task force was created a couple of weeks ago, 30 abandoned vehicles have been removed from city streets. Broken street lights have been fixed in areas that are considered high crime. But that doesn't seem to be doing anything to combat the murders. There was a man killed just yesterday afternoon. You know, one of the things I took away from your report is when you spoke with that city council member, Oliver Thomas. And the stat he cited, there used to be 13 or 1,400 police officers. I guess this is before Katrina. Now we're talking about 9,000. 940, 950. That's a stunning drop. Are they doing anything to recruit more police officers there in New Orleans? And Tom, the city council says that they really need 1,500 officers to patrol the city. That is what they budget for. The city council passed the annual budget in December. It included several million dollars for recruitment and retaining those officers,

but it remains to be seen if they can get those numbers back up. Tom. Okay, Valerie Castro, with a very important story tonight here in Top Story. Valerie, we thank you for for that. Coming up, cutting ties, streaming giant Hulu, joining the adult swim channel and ending its relationship with the Rick and Morty co-creator over his past domestic abuse charges. So could this be the end of the beloved animated series? That's next. All right, we're back now with the controversy surrounding one of the most popular animated series of all time. Streaming Giant Hulu, now one of at least two companies, severing ties with the co-creator of Rick and Morty, Justin Royland. The move comes after an NBC News report,

uncovered. He was charged with domestic abuse back in 2020. NBC's Stephen Romo has more of the fallout and the future of the beloved series. Tonight, Hulu and Adult Swim cutting ties with the star and co-creator of the popular animated show Rick and Morty. I'm Pickle Rick! Voice actor Justin Royland was charged with felony domestic violence in connection with a previously unknown incident from January 2020. A criminal complaint filed by the Orange County District attorney and obtained by NBC News showed Royland has been charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment against a woman he was dating. The alleged victim's name has not been released. Royland was arrested in May

2020 and released on bond. He pleaded not guilty to both charges, but a trial date has not yet been set. His lawyer tells NBC News, Royland is innocent and that he expects the charges to be dismissed. NBC News tech and culture reporter Kat Tenbarge broke this story on the domestic violence charges last week. Juster Moyland didn't exactly have a reputation of being as wholesome as someone like Tom Hanks, but he was certainly someone who had a pretty squeaky clean reputation. He didn't have any prior criminal charges. There were no prior criminal allegations against him before this. Adult Swim posting Tuesday that it will continue production of Season 7 of Rick and Morton. without Royland. But the 42-year-old's exit rocks a billion-dollar marketing and media franchise around the show.

I did it. I fixed portal travel. The Emmy-winning animated series is in the middle of a 70-episode deal with Warner Brothers. I'm Tiny Rick! And it's dominated pop culture since its start in 2013. For the iPhone, Android, and iPad. They've done commercials for Wendy's PlayStation, PlayStation, Old Spice, and Pringles, and helped revive a beloved McDonald's Sashwan sauce. I want that Mulan McNugget sauce, Morty. There's been a cameo on The Simpsons. What did you do? You killed the Simpsons, Morty! And even have their own pair of shoes. The show's ardent and sometimes controversial fan base

helped make the series one of the most popular adult cartoons of the past decade. Here to explain. Hulu's decision to cut ties with Royland will also impact solar opposites, a Hulu exclusive, also starring and co-created by the voice actor. The ship is totally repaired. on that will continue without Royland as well, according to Hulu. To have such a major part of the show, depart, definitely leaves a lot of people wondering what the future is going to look like for Rick and Morty.

The show is planning to recast the two main characters, so it will certainly change a lot moving forward, but it will still have a team of producers and writers who have been behind the series for years. Stephen Romo, NBC News. Okay, we thank Stephen Romo for that one. Coming up, it's the Miracle Rescue we showed you on Monday night. Now, the mother and son taking you inside those harrowing hours at sea and the incredible moment when she found her boy.

Sam Brock, coming up right after this break. All right, finally tonight, the diver lost at sea and his family in a mad scramble to find him. Mother and son now opening up about those desperate moments. Here's Sam Brock. Oh, my God, Dylan. It's the Miracle Rescue. first told you about earlier this week, diver Dylan Garden Meyer lost at sea and running out of time. His family in a panic, racing by boat and somehow finding him.

Oh my God. On the Today Show, tears flowing as mother and son emotionally relived those harrowing moments. Mom Tabitha telling Savannah and Hoda that she raised Dylan in the water even before he was born. I was fear fishing with him in my belly. So it's like, I know he was born to do this. But while free diving, Dylan getting swept out to sea by Gulfstream currents. I was just getting dragged further and further and I could wash a boat, just slowly getting smaller. It was definitely like, okay, this is starting to get serious here for sure.

Dylan revealed that the people who brought him out abandoned him when he didn't resurface at their location. They left you in the water? Yeah. This is more than folks you knew very. These aren't good friends. These are just people I met on Facebook. It took a while for anybody to start looking.

I didn't know my son was floating around the ocean for hours by himself. and um so but this mother and family started racing to his rescue we get to nana and grandpa's house and they are already on the boat and literally it took the whole family to come together within seconds because that's our baby we did 58 miles an hour non-stop with daylight fading concerns grew watching that sun drop it's kind of like making my heart sink i was like oh this is going to be a long night out here even 20 members of the coast guard were out searching but they didn't find him in the It was a mother's instinct that led to Dylan's rescue. I just felt like we needed to slow down at this moment because we're going to, if we're going

past him, how are we going to see him? The sun is going down. And I'm just like, slow the boat down, slow the boat down. And we slow down, and we literally look to the right, and Dylan is right there. Like I hear the home of those motors are like, oh, that's definitely my grandpa's boat. That life-saving help followed by relief. It had to be God protecting him the whole time, our angels above, because for us to land right on him. You could see it's a needle and a haystack out there. And a loving embrace.

Dylan now has a story to tell. All right, we thank Sam Brock for that. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. But stay right there. There's more news on the way. Thank you.