Weapons & Guns

DaBaby got some good news, bad news to start his weekend -- he will NOT serve any jail time in his North Carolina gun case ... but there are strings attached.

According to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office ... the rapper was convicted Thursday of carrying a concealed gun, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation and 30 days in jail -- however, the jail sentence is suspended.

If DaBaby stays outta datrouble during probation, he'll dodge jail altogether.

The case dates back to November ... when the rapper got into a fight with a man inside a Walmart, and the altercation resulted in the other guy getting shot and killed. DaBaby initially claimed he was threatened and was protecting himself and his kids. He never copped to pulling the trigger.

DaBaby was ultimately arrested in connection with the fatal shooting but he was NOT charged with killing the man -- instead, he was charged with misdemeanor carrying a concealed gun.

Question remains ... who shot the man in Walmart? The DA's office tells TMZ ... investigators are still investigating that aspect of the case. There have been no other arrests or charges in connection with the shooting.

The mastermind behind the David Ortiz shooting has been arrested in the Dominican Republic, officials say. 

Victor Hugo Gomez is the man who allegedly put the wheels in motion for a team of hitmen to roll up to a popular lounge with murderous intent on June 9.

Of course, Dominican officials have now said they don't believe Ortiz was the intended target that night -- insisting the shooter mistook the MLB legend for a friend who was sitting nearby. 

Ortiz was hit in the back -- but the bullet caused serious damage to several organs including his intestines and liver. After the initial life-saving surgery, Ortiz was flown to Boston where he's been receiving treatment ever since. 

As for Gomez, officials say he put out the hit on Ortiz's friend while Gomez was inside the United States. Officials say Gomez has a criminal record and possible ties to a drug cartel. 

So far, at least 10 people have been arrested in the investigation -- including the shooter Rolfi Ferreira Cruz, who has said on the record that Ortiz was not his target. 

3:07 PM PT -- Patience Carter -- who survived the Pulse Nightclub shooting -- tells us the video was traumatic to watch and was grossly accurate to what she experienced. Carter says the mild disclaimer at the beginning of the video should have been more severe as the music video could put survivors back into a dark place.

Madonna's new music video is a shocking and graphic recreation of a mass shooting scene ... that seems to emulate the horrific Pulse Nightclub murders.

Madonna dropped the video Wednesday for her politically-charged track, "God Control" -- a play on gun control -- and it shows 32 incredibly disturbing seconds of people being gunned down in a nightclub.

Warning ... the bloody scenes of bodies falling to the ground will be difficult for many people to watch. If Madonna's goal was draw visceral reactions ... it's a guarantee she'll get 'em.

In the music video ... the shooting violence starts at 2 minutes, 38 seconds when you see the shooter hold a gun up to his mouth and seemingly pull the trigger -- but the scene flashes to the guy opening fire on a bunch of people who are dancing in the club.

Madonna told People that her video is meant to be a commentary on the epidemic of mass shootings in the U.S., which she says is "out of control."

She included a disclaimer at the beginning that reads, "The story you’re about to see is very disturbing. But it’s happening everywhere and it has to stop."

Former WWE star Terri Runnels will NOT go to prison after she brought a loaded gun to the airport ... TMZ Sports has learned prosecutors have dropped the case and she's now off the hook.

We broke the story, Runnels was busted at Tampa International Airport on May 29 when cops say they found a Glock 9mm handgun inside of a sock in the ex-wrestler's backpack.

In the pic of the gun obtained by TMZ Sports -- you can see there were AT LEAST 11 bullets accompanying the firearm.

But, Runnels told cops the whole thing was a genuine mistake -- saying she had forgotten to take the gun out of her bag after she went to kill an armadillo that was digging up her mom's yard.

Officials at the time clearly didn't care ... they hit her with a felony charge of carrying a concealed firearm -- and she was facing up to 5 YEARS in prison.

But, we've learned prosecutors have decided to drop the case issuing a "letter of release" dismissal.

According to court officials, it basically means the case has been dismissed ... but in theory, prosecutors could pick up the case down the road. But again, we're told the odds of that happening are extremely slim.

Runnels mainly worked as a manager during her wrestling career -- working with the likes of The Hardy Boyz, Edge, Christian and most notably her ex-husband, Goldust.

She was married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes aka Dustin Runnels) from 1993 to 1999.

Runnels won the WWE Hardcore Championship back in 2002 -- she's one of only 4 women to hold that title.

The judge and jury in the murder trial of the alleged killer of one of Ashton Kutcher's friends went on an emotional field trip ... checking out the place Ashley Ellerin died a grisly death.

Ashton has already gone in front of the jury on behalf of his slain friend, providing testimony that could be important in the case of a man prosecutors say is a "serial sexual-thrill killer" ... and now the jury is getting an in-person look at the crime scene.

Two vans filled with the judge and jury ventured out over the past 2 days to the sites of the horrific crimes ... including the place where Ellerin was found dead back in February 2001, laying just outside her bathroom with more than 47 stab wounds.

Judge Larry Fidler milled around the property with the jury ... and they were accompanied by police detectives Tom Small and Mark Lillienfeld, along with defense attorney Daniel Nardoni.

As we reported ... Ashton says Ashley was supposed to be his date to a Grammys after-party, but she never showed.

Ashton testified ... on the night of the Grammys, he went to her house around 10:45 PM and knocked on the door, but no one answered. He peeked through a side window and saw what he thought was red wine spilled on the floor, so he left.

Ashley's severely stabbed body was found the following morning ... and authorities say Michael Gargiulo is the murderer.

10:49 AM PT -- In addition to the curfew, Durk will need to wear an ankle monitor at all times. He also is prohibited from having any contact, direct or indirect, with gang members.

He also cannot be near or possess any weapons, and must stay at least 200 yards away from the victim.

Lil Durk will soon get his wish and be sprung outta jail ... after a judge granted him bond.

The rapper was in court Thursday in Atlanta for a bond hearing which the judge granted and set at $250k. Durk will NOT be on house arrest but will have a curfew from 11 PM until 7 AM.

TMZ broke the story ... Durk turned himself in to police nearly a month ago after an arrest warrant was issued in connection to a February shooting outside a restaurant called The Varsity. He asked the court to grant him bond ... arguing he's not a flight risk. Obviously, the judge agreed.

Durk will now be free while he awaits trial for his alleged role in the shooting. The rapper's attorney, Manny Arora, tells TMZ ... Durk will post bond and be released Friday.

Durk had been booked for 5 felony charges ... including criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and another charge of associating with a criminal street gang to participate in a crime.

2:10 PM PT -- According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, cops were unable to find any DNA on the gun found in the same car YT was riding in. We're told because there were 3 people in the vehicle, investigators could not determine who the weapon belonged to, so YT will not face any charges.

The D.A.'s Office also cleared up details on the car accident that triggered the search. It was actually the police cruiser that was "unable to stop in time" before it hit Thug's Rolls-Royce.

Someone's gotta pay for what the D.A. deemed, "minor damage."

Young Thug's lawyer, Michael Goldstein, tells us, "I commend the District Attorney's Office for making the right decision after carefully reviewing the facts and body worn video over the past 9 months. The fact so much time and work went into this decision reinforces trust in our system of justice."

Young Thug will NOT be prosecuted in his L.A. gun case ... TMZ's learned the District Attorney is rejecting the case.

The D.A.'s Office tells us ... the case was rejected earlier this month due to insufficient evidence. YT's attorney, Michael Goldstein, confirmed to us the case is now closed. TMZ broke the story when cops busted Young Thug back in August -- a member of Thug's crew ran into a police car, which triggered a vehicle search. That's when cops discovered the weapons.

YT -- who was seen in handcuffs and escorted to a waiting cruiser -- was booked just after for carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle ... a felony. The bust came on the night he was celebrating the release of his new album, "Slime Language" and his 27th birthday.

So, the arrest was quite the double whammy ... but now it's water under Thug's bridge.

Here is the moment several Toronto Police officers chased down, tackled and apprehended one of the suspected shooters at Monday's Toronto Raptors championship parade ... and it's intense.

The footage starts showing a man dressed in black trying to run -- but two bike cops grab the dude -- who appears to be holding a weapon ... and wrestle him to the ground.

Several cops in the area quickly realize what's going on and jump in on the action -- piling on top of the suspect while trying to neutralize the weapon.

At one point, one of the officers begins reigning down punches on the suspect.

You can hear some of the cops trying to clear the area -- screaming at people to "Get outta here!!!"

There's more footage that has surfaced from earlier in the parade -- in which you can clearly hear at least 4 gunshots pop off near crowds of people.

It's terrifying stuff.

Eventually, cops say 4 people suffered injuries in the shooting -- but all are expected to survive. 3 people have been arrested and 2 weapons have been recovered.

As for the Raptors, team announcer man Matt Devlin was credited with calming the crowd down after the gunshots were fired, telling the audience, "Please, stay calm."

For his part, Drake grabbed the microphone and told everyone in attendance to hug one another -- preaching love and unity.

4:00 PM PT -- Cops now say there were 4 people who suffered gunshot wounds in the parade shooting.

They also say they've now arrested 3 people.

1:24 PM PT -- Police say they have arrested 2 suspects and recovered 2 guns after an alleged shooting at the Toronto Raptors championship parade Monday.

Cops also say two people are being treated for "serious" injuries -- but the injuries are not life-threatening. The investigation is ongoing.

The championship parade continued after the shooting -- with Drake taking the stage and telling the reported 1.5 MILLION people in the streets to hug each other and spread love.

The parade ended with no further violent incidents.

Scary moment at the Toronto Raptors championship parade in Canada ... where gunshots were reportedly fired in the crowd and cops are now responding.

The party came to a screeching halt just before 1 PM PT -- when people in the crowd heard what sounded like 4 gunshots.

A woman was reportedly hurt and paramedics raced to the scene.

The Toronto Police Operations Centre put out a statement saying, "SHOOTING: Nathan Phillip's Square -Reports of woman shot -People running from area."

You can see people fleeing on video. At one point, Raptors play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin grabbed the mic and told the crowd to stay strong and stay calm while officials respond to the "emergency."

People at the scene are being advised to "get down" or to find somewhere safe.

A Dominican Republic hoops team showed MAJOR love for David Ortiz over the weekend ... ditching its normal set of unis for jerseys with Big Papi's face as the logo.

It all went down Sunday ... when Huellas del Siglo -- a local team in the D.R. -- rocked some bright orange gear that featured a picture of Ortiz tipping his Red Sox cap with the words "Big Papi" written underneath.

Of course, Ortiz was nearly killed last week when a man opened fire on his back outside of a nightclub in Santo Domingo.

But, fortunately for everyone, the MLB legend is doing better after surgery ... and Huellas del Siglo was so happy for the news, they broke out the custom jerseys against San Carlos.

"Today we pay homage to the living legend David Ortiz," the team said of the uniforms in Spanish ... "and we continue to pray for his total recovery."

The firearm that has Lil Xan under investigation currently by the LAPD ... looks very similar to a handgun he whipped out -- suddenly and unexpectedly -- during a photo shoot.

We've obtained behind the scenes images from the shoot Xan did back in January ... where he clearly brandishes the piece and showed it off to people on set.

Sources who were there tell TMZ ... the gun was NOT supposed to be part of the shoot, and Lil Xan just brought it with him and surprised everyone when he pulled it out. We're told everyone felt it was a real gun ... although he never said for sure.

We broke the story ... Lil Xan pulled a gun on a man at a gas station last week, and it looks almost identical to the one in the photos. The rapper's affinity for guns could get him in big trouble.

Cardinals superstar Marcell Ozuna says he ain't scared to return to the D.R. after David Ortiz was shot Sunday ... but he tells TMZ Sports he will have to watch his back in his home country now.

"I'ma be careful," the 28-year-old Santo Domingo native admits.

Ortiz was sitting outside of a bar over the weekend when a man walked up from behind and shot him at point-blank range.

The attack stunned everybody ... and had Dominican natives like White Sox phenom Eloy Jimenez openly admitting he's now scared to go back home.

Ozuna tells us he's not ready to go that far with his feelings on the D.R. yet ... but says he will have to be on high alert when he's back home now.

"I'm not afraid," the outfielder says ... "But I'ma be careful."

The man who shot MLB legend David Ortiz issued a desperate statement from his jail cell Thursday -- admitting he pulled the trigger ... but claiming Big Papi was NOT the man he was trying to kill.

25-year-old Rolfi Ferreira Cruz peeked his face out through bars in the Dominican Republic to address the hoards of reporters crowded outside the jail ... and made the shocking comments.

"It wasn't supposed to be David," Rolfi said in Spanish from behind a barred window ... explaining it was the color of David's clothing that confused him.

You can also hear another man in the cell -- presumably another suspect in the case -- telling Rolfi in Spanish, "Tell them it wasn't meant for David."

Cruz did NOT reveal who the intended target was -- only suggesting he was sent to the Dial Bar on Sunday to kill another man who was dressed like Ortiz that night.

So far, at least 6 people have been arrested in the attempted murder plot -- and cops are still searching for other suspects ... including Luis Alfredo Rivas-Clase, who is also a suspect in a 2018 shooting in Pennsylvania.

Officials still have not revealed a possible motive for the attack.

Surveillance footage of the incident show 2 men -- including Cruz -- rolling up to the bar on a motorcycle. Cruz walks right up to Ortiz and shoots him in the back before trying to make a getaway.

The motorcycle crashed and the suspects tried to flee -- but one man was stopped and beaten by bystanders.

David Ortiz's wife is shouting out the man who raced the MLB star to the hospital -- crashing his own car in the process -- in the wake of Sunday's assassination attempt in the Dominican Republic.

"I want to take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Eliezer Salvador, owner of Presidente Sports, for your quick thinking and swift action on Sunday night," Tiffany Ortiz said in a statement.

"Your heroism and selflessness were the first steps to ensuring David could get the urgent care he required. For that we are eternally grateful."

Salvador runs a sports betting firm in the D.R. and was at the scene when Big Papi was shot Sunday night. When Ortiz went down, Salvador quickly put the legend in his own car and raced to the hospital because he didn't want to wait for an ambulance.

Salvador says he raced at speeds of over 100 MPH and made the trip in under 7 minutes. He later made a social media video showing that he had David's jewelry so the family wouldn't worry.

Tiffany says the quick-thinking decision may have saved David's life.

Ortiz's wife also gave props to the doctors who worked on David.

"To the amazing surgeons, medical team, and staff at the Abel Gonzalez Clinic in the Dominican Republic, there are no words to express our gratitude for the amazing care you provided."

'Without you, our story could have had a tragic ending. You will forever be our guardian angels."

As for David's condition ...

"David remains in guarded condition in the surgical intensive care following his second surgery. He continues to heal and make progress."

Wendy Williams is having some carefree fun with that guy she met in L.A. -- and while she's aware of his criminal history, she adds ... it makes no difference because, "I'm not stupid!"

Wendy and the guy, Marc Tomblin, were all over NYC Tuesday doing some hardcore shopping, and yes ... even stopping by an ATM to make a withdrawal. The pics are kinda ironic, considering Tomblin has a record for armed robbery.

According to court records, Tomblin pled guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon in Charlotte back in 2013. Police say he was part of a group of 3 people who robbed a man at gunpoint. He was sentenced to 15-30 months -- none of which is a surprise to Wendy.

The talk show host tells TMZ ... Marc had already told her about his conviction, and her assistant also gave her a heads up. Wendy says her reaction is, "I am a 54-year-old grown ass woman. I know what I'm doing."

Wendy describes it as just good fun between friends, something she deserves.

After all, as she put it ... "Look, my husband had a full baby with a woman he was involved with for 15 years ... where I was cooped up only to be a show pony. Now, I'm living my life."

As for the pics of them at an ATM -- Wendy says she thought, "Oh my God, if cameras are there it will be, 'there she is giving him money.'"

TMZ broke the story, Wendy met Tomblin while she was partying with her pal, Blac Chyna. Wendy says she was jonesin' for barbecue potato chips and orange soda one night, and he knew where to score both.

She joked on social media she was old enough to be his mother -- but Tomblin was still by her side late Sunday night when she got emotional, talking about her family drama.

Tim McGraw is a strong believer in country over party ... not country music, but country U.S. of A.

We got the country singer leaving the ABC building Tuesday in NYC, and asked what it's like to be a notable Democrat among a predominantly Republican music genre. He tells us above all else ... he just loves being an American.

Tim doesn't offer any scorching hot political takes, but instead reminds folks the most important duty for U.S. citizens is to get out and vote ... and vote your conscience.