TMZ.com Home

If George Floyd's case goes to court -- prosecutors must do their best to prove Derek Chauvin's intent was to harm -- and they've got a damning piece of video on their side ... so says the man who served as a prosecutor in Eric Garner's mock trial.

"American Trial: The Eric Garner Story" gives viewers a glimpse into what the outcome of Garner's case could have been if it went to court. Attorney Thomas Kenniff is part of the prosecution team in the mock trial and tells us if George Floyd's case goes to trial, the video of Derek Chauvin will be the pivotal piece to landing a guilty verdict.

Kenniff makes it clear ... prosecutors will have to prove Chauvin's intent and jurors will have their undivided attention on the video.

As we reported, Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for almost 9 minutes while he stated he couldn't breathe, bled from his face and begged for his dead mother.

Kenniff says the video makes it hard to argue that there was any intention outside of harming Floyd ... and prosecutors should lean on that the hardest.

Rapper Tray Savage, a member of Chief Keef's record label, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Tray was shot and killed Friday on the South Side of Chicago ... according to sources. We're told the rapper was driving in the Chatham neighborhood around 11 AM when someone opened fire, striking Tray in the shoulder and neck.

Police say Tray's car hit 3 other vehicles after he was hit by the gunfire. He was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Canter, where he was later pronounced dead.

Witnesses say they noticed a white SUV in the neighborhood at the time of the fatal shooting ... and detectives are investigating, though no suspects are in custody yet.

Born in Chicago, Tray was a member of the rap label Glory Boyz Entertainment, also known as GBE, which is owned by Fredo Santana and Chief Keef.

Savage is most famous for his 2013 collab with Chief Keef, "Chiefin Keef." He also has a ton of other music videos on YouTube, including "Faces," "Know Who I Am," and "Got The Mac."

Tray was only 26.

RIP

The Kansas City cop who shot and killed Cameron Lamb is now charged with manslaughter, but Lamb's parents are expecting even more consequences after getting a face-to-face promise from President Trump.

Laurie and Aqil Bey were at the White House earlier this week with their attorney Lee Merritt, and had a chance to discuss Cameron's death with the President. They say he was polite and attentive during the meeting, and said he would put the feds on the case.

They say it was a heartening convo, and now they're hoping POTUS follows through. There are a lot of loose ends in the puzzling case.

Thursday evening, a grand jury indicted officer Eric DeValkenaere, charging him with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action for the reckless death of Cameron, a father to 3 young boys.

ICYMI ... Cameron was backing his truck into his garage last December when 2 plain-clothed officers burst onto his property without a warrant and without announcing themselves as cops.

DeValkenaere says he fired the fatal shots because he thought Cameron had a gun in his hand, but his partner has testified Cameron's hand was empty.

Merritt says the feds need to step in and investigate the entire KCPD, because the family has good reason to believe a gun was planted in the garage to make it look like Cameron was armed.

Travis Scott's new home looks more like a vacation destination, and one he paid all cash to get ... because that's just how the "Astronomical" rapper rolls.

Travis is the newest resident in Brentwood -- one of L.A.'s ritzier neighborhoods -- after dropping $23.5 million on the epic, 16,700-square-foot mansion ... which could double as the Getty Center museum, if needed.

Seriously, this pad is almost out of this world, with 7 bedrooms, 11 baths, 3 full floors of ultra-modern living space ... and it sits atop a hill with panoramic views over the city.

And, get this ... he got it for a bargain! The mansion was first offered last summer at nearly double the price -- $42 mil -- before undergoing 2 big price chops. That's when Scott swooped in and covered the entire purchase price in cash ... which is still one of the biggest in L.A.'s luxury real estate market.

Along with what you see, the property also boasts a 20-car "auto gallery" of a garage. Other highlights include a gym, bar, sauna, 15-seat theater, wine closet, massive pool and a lot more. Check out the gallery and you'll see ... this house is more like a resort.

Trav's new home's not far from LeBron James' either.

Of course, the rapper still has a $13.5 million mansion in L.A. -- which he co-owns with Kylie Jenner -- so that might be on the market soon. Or, who knows ... maybe he'll keep both.

Seems like he can afford it.

Brett Hankison, one of the 3 Louisville cops who fired their weapons during the deadly March 13 raid at Breonna Taylor's home ... is about to be tossed off the force.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer just announced Hankison will no longer be employed by the Louisville Metro Police Department.

A letter from police Chief Robert Schroeder says Hankison had "violated obedience to rules and regulations," and use of deadly force while serving the no-knock warrant at Breonna's home.

The letter also says, Hankison "displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life when [he] wantonly and blindly fired 10 rounds into the apartment of Breonna Taylor." The chief also calls out Hankison for firing on someone he did not know posed a threat, and also for firing through a patio door without knowing who or what was on the other side of it.

As we've reported ... the 3 officers -- which includes Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove -- had been placed on administrative reassignment but were still part of the force, until Hankison's Friday firing.

On Thursday, KY Attorney General Daniel Cameron addressed the investigation into Taylor's death, saying his team was working nonstop ... but had nothing to report yet in terms of possible charges for the officers.

Instead, he pled for patience and peace and vowed to follow the truth and be "thorough and fair" to everyone involved.

"Dear Whore ... "

That's how it began -- a disgusting piece of hate mail some racist coward sent to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss -- and now she's calling him out publicly.

"After 60 years as a huge Lakers fan, I now say to hell with the overpaid n***** traitors and the NBA."

"Go to hell and join **** Kobe Bryant."

The letter was signed by a man named Joe.

Jeanie says she thought a lot about what to do with the letter after receiving it on Monday -- but ultimately decided to post it on social media "so that everyone can see the hate is real and living out there."

"This is happening in our world TODAY. It's real and it exists."

Buss also posted a message to Joe ...

"Did sending this letter make you feel better? Really all you did was waste your time, and energy and your postage stamp. (But thank you for including your return home address) Why don’t you look in the mirror and see your ugliness because I refuse to."

Jeanie says she's received similar letters over the years and always thought it was best to just ignore the haters -- "but not anymore."

"On this day, Juneteenth, I ask my white friends to join together, acknowledge the racism that exists in our country and around the world, and pledge to stop ignoring it. We all must do better."

Jeanie's post is already resonating with LeBron James -- who showed his support for Buss on Instagram.

Well that didn't take long -- a day after AMC Theatres announced plans to reopen without a strict mask-wearing policy in place, it's reversed course ... all of its guests will now have to cover their faces when it reopens.

AMC CEO Adam Aron sparked a major controversy Thursday when he revealed he was trying to do the opposite ... by NOT requiring guests to wear masks when it resumes operations on July 15.

Aron said, "We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy ... We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary."

So, Aron said it would be up to guests in states where mask-wearing is not required to decide if they want to wear one or not. He added ... "We think that the vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks. When I go to an AMC feature, I will certainly be wearing a mask and leading by example."

No need to be an example now, though, because AMC announced Friday it had made an error. The theater chain says its lax mask policy "prompted an intense and immediate outcry from our customers, and it is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks."

AMC's 600+ venues have been closed for almost 4 months, but it's set to reopen 450 of those locations in mid-July, and plans to be fully back in business by the time Disney’s “Mulan” is released, on July 24.

Seating capacity will be greatly reduced, however, and eating popcorn ... well, that will simply be more challenging.

Donald Trump has drawn the battle lines ... if the NFL allows players to take a knee during the national anthem in 2020, POTUS says his days watching pro football are over!

President Trump made his threat during a Friday morning tweet that initially took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Remember, earlier this week Fauci warned America that a second wave of COVID-19 could impact pro sports -- and said straight-up, "Football may not happen this year."

"It would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall," Fauci told CNN. "If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year."

Enter Trump ... who went to bat for the NFL before issuing an ultimatum in the same breath.

"Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football," Trump said ... "They are planning a very safe and controlled opening."

Then the warning to the NFL -- "However, if they don’t stand for our National Anthem and our Great American Flag, I won’t be watching!!!"

Looks like Trump might have to bail -- because NFL Commish Roger Goodell put out a video earlier this month admitting the league bungled the way it handled NFL kneelers in the past and vowed to be more tolerant of nonviolent protesters in the future.

Rapper Hurricane Chris -- best know for the hit track, "A Bay Bay" -- has been arrested for murder in Louisiana ... TMZ has confirmed.

The rapper, who's real name is Christopher Dooley, Jr., was arrested and booked for second-degree murder after cops say he shot and killed a man early Friday morning at a Texaco gas station in Shreveport, Louisiana ... according to the Shreveport PD.

Cops say Chris initially told them there was an alleged struggle over his car, so he shot the man multiple times in self-defense. But, cops say surveillance footage painted a much different picture ... resulting in Chris' arrest for second-degree murder.

What's more ... cops say the car Chris was riding in was actually reported stolen out of Texas, which resulted in the rapper also getting booked for illegal possession of stolen things.

Rep. Al Green says there are more reasons than ever for all Americans to celebrate Juneteenth, and a national holiday is just the start of what D.C. can do to honor the spirit of the day.

The Congressman from Texas gave us a brief history lesson on June 19 -- which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. -- and explained why the Black Lives Matter movement is making it more special this year.

Green's all for making Juneteenth a national holiday -- it already is in Texas -- but he has his sights set on a bigger mission ... creating a Department of Reconciliation.

The congressman says despite the atrocities in our nation's history, we've never reconciled them. He says it will take a new federal agency -- working directly with the Prez -- to make it happen. Green believes it's crucial if we're serious about stamping out racism and discrimination.

Green points to Germany as a template for doing this and makes a strong case for why Confederate statues gotta go too.

The abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness -- made famous in the 2007 film "Into the Wild" -- just hitched a chopper ride out of the wild, because people were literally dying to find it.

The decision to get the bus out of Denali National Park was all about public safety -- it had attracted adventure-seeking fans of the movie, which was based on Jon Krakauer's book. Problem is, it's a very dangerous backcountry ... according to Alaska Natural Resources Commissioner Corri Feige.

The bus is in a very secluded area with no cell service, unpredictable weather and often swollen rivers. If you aren't familiar, Christopher McCandless -- the subject of "Into the Wild" -- died there in 1992. The bus was featured on the movie poster.

Despite the cautionary tale, many people have continued to venture to the bus, which has resulted in multiple rescues ... including of 5 Italian tourists earlier this year. A Belarus woman also died in 2019 while attempting to hike to the bus, prompting local officials to call for its removal.

The Alaska Army National Guard did the job Thursday ... throwing chains around the bus and using a helicopter to airlift it. Fiege says the bus will be kept in a secure location while her department tries to find a new home for it.

The Guard says the crew that removed the bus also ensured the safety of a suitcase with sentimental value to the McCandless family. McCandless died of starvation on the bus after living there for 114 days. He couldn't reach help due to the swollen Teklanika River.

Drake should get more than 3 points for this shot, but it looks like he's playing solo ... so he wins no matter what. Also, he's playing from his 35,000 sq. ft mansion, so he'd already won.

The rapper was practicing cornhole trick shots Thursday night from long-distance -- about 50 feet away from the second-story window of his Toronto palace, and put one right in the hole after a few tries.

He was pretty pumped about it ... as was his lone spectator -- the guy recording the toss for the 'Gram.

Drake captioned his epic next-level shot, "Highlight of summer 2020 so far."

Sir Ian Holm -- perhaps best known for playing Bilbo in 'The Lord of the Rings' films -- died Friday morning after a long battle with Parkinson's disease ... according to his agent.

The Oscar-nominated actor died peacefully in the hospital with his family by his side, the agent added.

Holm was born in England in 1931, and got into theater acting at a young age, studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and graduating in 1950 to the Royal Shakespeare Company ... where he became a star of the stage.

Ian won the Tony Award in 1967 for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in "The Homecoming."

At the same time, his roles were increasing in film and TV, as well ... including appearances in "The Wars of Roses," "Oh! What a Lovely War" and "Mary, Queen of Scots."

His first major movie role came in 1979 when he was cast as the android, Ash, in "Alien." Then, in 1981, he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for playing the coach in "Chariots of Fire."

Holm's other notable credits over the years included "Brazil," "Hamlet," "The Fifth Element," "Ratatouille" and of course ... playing Bilbo Baggins in 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' films.

Ian also took home the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for the starring role in "King Lear."

Holm was named a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1989, and in 1998 he was knighted for his services to drama.

He is survived by his wife, artist Sophie de Stempel, whom he married in 2003, and 5 children.

Ian was 88.