Weapons & Guns

Awesome scene at USC's campus on Thursday ... injured Trojan hoops recruit Aaliyah Gayles made a surprise visit to one of her future team's workouts -- and their reaction to seeing her was priceless!

The heartwarming moment was caught on video, showing Gayles -- who was shot multiple times at a house party in April just months after committing to USC -- popping up on the Trojans women's basketball team.

You can see in the clip, the team was stoked for the visit ... with sophomore guard Bella Perkins jumping for joy before the rest of the team came together for a group hug.

Gayles' father, Dwight, tells TMZ Sports this was Aaliyah's first time with the team since she was shot at a North Las Vegas house party on April 16. As we reported, she was hit by bullets 10 times in both her arms and legs.

Dwight says Gayles -- the #8 ranked player of the 2022 class -- and her Trojan teammates hit up the Los Angeles Sparks game later Thursday ... and they had a blast.

"Aaliyah said the DJ was super cool," Dwight said. "They treated her like a superstar."

When it comes to her recovery, Dwight says Aaliyah is progressing well.

"Her recovery is epic," he said. "It's unreal! You'll see!"

Gayles has had plenty of ups recently on her road to recovery -- she graduated from Spring Valley High, took her first steps out of her wheelchair, and made her first basket earlier this month.

Prosecutors have hit Duane Brown with a criminal charge stemming from his arrest at LAX last weekend ... and now, the NFL star could be facing up to 1 year behind bars if he's convicted.

We broke the story, the five-time Pro Bowler -- who most recently played for the Seattle Seahawks -- was busted at the airport in L.A. on July 9 after authorities said he tried to go through TSA with a gun in his luggage.

Now, TMZ Sports has learned Brown has been charged by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, a longtime national leader on gun violence prevention.

According to court documents, Brown was hit with one count of carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to 1 year in jail.

For his part, Brown -- through his attorney -- called the incident "an accident" in a statement to media members earlier this week.

"To err is human, and this clearly was an accident," Brown's attorney, Kennard McGuire, said. "As a law-abiding citizen, Duane will continue to exercise proper judgment and continue education on gun safety measures."

Horrifying moment on a Little League baseball diamond over the weekend ... gunshots rang out near the field, sending kids and coaches running for cover.

The terrifying scene happened on Sunday in North Carolina ... when South Durham's 8U Orange All-Star team and Wilmington's 8U Machine Pitch squad were playing at the Gillette Athletic Complex in Wilson, NC.

Video shows three gunshots -- appearing to be VERY close to the action on the field -- went off, forcing the 7 and 8-year-old players, along with coaches, umps, parents and spectators to hit the ground and sprint away in a panic.

Thankfully, cops say no one was hurt in the incident ... though, according to WITN, a minivan's window that was parked near the field was struck by the gunfire.

Despite everyone making it out physically unscathed, the two teams have since pulled out of the tournament -- with South Durham officials saying it was best for the kids.

"It was a terrifying situation for all involved," the team said in a statement. "Video shows coaches bravely covering players with their bodies and crawling off baseball fields."

"No child or parent should ever experience anything like this."

The Wilson Police Department, meanwhile, said in a statement that it is investigating the shooting ... but added there's currently "no evidence that this situation was an active shooter incident."

New video shows the horrific scene inside the Uvalde school where a gunman murdered 19 children and 2 teachers, and you see the police try and approach the shooter and then run for cover when the gunman shoots at them.

KVUE TV obtained the surveillance video ... 3 minutes after the shooter entered the school and began firing rounds into 2 classrooms, you see the police enter the hallway inside the school and approach the door outside the classroom where the shooter was firing rounds at the children.

The shooter then begins firing rounds outside the classroom, presumably at the cops. The police then flee the immediate area and retreat a distance away ... looking for cover in the hallway.

Two cops touch their head and neck area, as if to see if they were shot.

For the next 45 minutes, you see reinforcements arrive ... but they never try to breach the classroom. They eventually set up right outside the classroom but don't attempt to enter for another 30 minutes. That's when they enter a classroom and they see the shooter emerging from a closet and a Border Patrol cop shoots him dead.

The man convicted of killing LSU basketball star Wayde Sims in 2018 has been found dead in prison, officials announced on Monday ... just days after he received a life sentence for second-degree murder.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed to TMZ Sports that a medical team rendered aid to 23-year-old Dyteon Simpson after they found him unresponsive in prison at around 8 PM on Sunday.

The sheriff's office said Simpson was pronounced dead a short time later.

A police spokesperson tells us a preliminary toxicology report revealed Simpson appeared to have fentanyl in his system.

"The EBR Coroner will conduct an autopsy and determine final cause of death," the spokesperson added. "This investigation is ongoing as to the cause of death and possibility of contraband."

We reached out to Simpson's lawyer, Margaret Lagattuta, but she declined to comment on the incident.

As we previously reported, Sims -- who played forward for the Tigers' men's hoops team -- was shot in the head during an altercation at a Subway near the LSU campus on Sept. 28, 2018.

Simpson was arrested for killing Sims a day later ... and was ultimately charged with second-degree murder.

NFL offensive lineman Duane Brown and his camp are finally breaking their silence on his arrest this weekend ... calling the incident "an accident."

We broke the story ... the 36-year-old, who most recently starred for the Seattle Seahawks, was busted at LAX on Saturday after he allegedly tried to go through TSA with a gun in his baggage.

On Monday, his agent, Kennard McGuire, addressed the arrest in a statement to NFL reporter Josina Anderson ... saying, "To err is human, and this clearly was an accident."

McGuire continued, "As a law-abiding citizen, Duane will continue to exercise proper judgment and continue education on gun safety measures."

Brown was ultimately booked on a charge of possession of a concealed firearm, and, according to records, he bonded out of jail late Saturday night. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter next month.

Lil Rel Howery thinks race is coming into play all too often when cops are on duty, and there's been way too much visual evidence of it lately across the country -- but he adds there are ways to reduce the carnage.

We got Lil Rel at The Ivy, where he talked about Black people getting gunned down for minor offenses, if any ... while white suspects like Robert Crimo III get taken into custody, as Crimo did after opening fire on the Highland Park 4th of July parade, leaving 7 people dead.

The Chicago native says the death of Jayland Walker was nothing short of brutal ... and he doesn't get why the unarmed kid was shot 60 times, while mass shooters at churches and protests get taken alive -- seemingly referring to Dylann Roof and Kyle Rittenhouse.

He says a big part of the problem is how easy it is to get a gun nowadays, and if it's gonna get better ... gun laws gotta get stricter.

Duane Brown was arrested on gun charges at the airport this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

The NFL free agent -- who was most recently playing offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks -- was busted Saturday at LAX around 2 PM, where law enforcement sources tell us ... he allegedly tried going through TSA with a gun in his luggage.

We're told this happened at Terminal 6, and that during the standard screening ... one of Brown's bags was found to have a firearm inside, which our sources say was unloaded.

Of course, the cops were called immediately ... and our sources say Brown was taken into custody. He was actually recorded being escorted to a police vehicle by a photographer on the scene, and sure enough ... there's DB in handcuffs as he's led along by a few cops.

The charge we're told he's being booked on ... possession of a concealed firearm. Brown's on his way to a nearby LAPD jail for processing.

The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is drawing a steady stream of mourners to the site where he was gunned down while making a campaign speech.

The nation's grief is on display in the city of Nara as citizens arrive in waves ... praying and leaving flowers at the train station.

Abe had been campaigning there in support of a parliament candidate Friday when a 41-year-old man opened fire with a homemade shotgun. The 67-year-old former PM was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but died from his injuries.

Early Saturday, a motorcade carrying his body left the hospital, and made the journey back to Abe's home in Tokyo.

The gunman is in police custody, and had already been charged with attempted murder before Abe was pronounced dead -- but the shocking assassination is raising questions about the safety of Japan's public figures, as it's common for politicians to pop up outside train stations, stores and markets to appeal directly to voters.

Awesome gesture from the Milwaukee Brewers ... the MLB team is honoring the 8-year-old boy who was paralyzed in the Highland Park shooting earlier this month at their game Friday night.

The Brewers have already hung a No. 22 "Roberts" jersey in their dugout ahead of their contest with the Pittsburgh Pirates ... an homage to Cooper Roberts, who was tragically shot and seriously injured while attending the Illinois 4th of July parade.

According to multiple reports, the Brewers will also give Cooper and his twin brother, Luke, jerseys signed by the entire team.

Milwaukee superstar and former MVP Christian Yelich also reportedly recorded a video message for Roberts and his family.

The awesome moves reportedly come just days after the team learned Roberts is a "huge" Brew Crew supporter -- the Brewers' Miller Park is, after all, roughly an hour drive from Highland Park, Ill.

According to a GoFundMe page set up for Roberts, the 8-year-old's spinal cord was severed by a bullet in the shooting. A statement from the family on Friday said Cooper is "conscious for the first time and [has] been removed from the ventilator but in a great deal of pain."

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot on Friday while campaigning for a candidate ahead of his country's national elections, according to reports.

Video on social media showed the stunning moment Abe collapsed to the ground and was bleeding from gunshot wounds to his neck and chest in the Japanese city of Nara, near Kyoto. Authorities say one of the bullets pierced his heart.

The 67-year-old was rushed to Nara Medical University Hospital, where doctors said they tried to stop the bleeding from his wounds and did a transfusion, but ultimately couldn't save him. Abe was pronounced dead just after 5 PM.

Police reportedly arrested the alleged gunman, Tetsuya Yamagami, who was initially charged with attempted murder before Abe's death was announced. Cops recovered what appeared to be a homemade gun that the suspect had been holding, according to local reports.

At a press conference, current Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the attack on Abe a "heinous act," adding, "It is barbaric and malicious, and it cannot be tolerated."

Abe was in Nara campaigning ahead of Sunday's elections for the Upper House of Parliament. He was less than a minute into a speech in support of Kei Sato, a current member of the Upper House running for re-election, when the shots rang out behind him.

What makes Abe's assassination even more shocking is that Japan has one of the world's lowest rates of gun crimes because of its strict laws on owning firearms. Japan, which has a population of 125 million people, reported just nine gun-related deaths in 2018, compared with nearly 40,000 in the U.S. that same year.

Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister, getting elected to two terms, from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020. He resigned in 2020 due to health issues.

Movie gunfire that has been a staple on the big screen for decades is way more problematic these days -- given the fear those sounds generate during production -- but TMZ has learned the LAPD will continue to allow movie shoots in public areas that involve gunfire.

A law enforcement source at LAPD's Film Unit -- which issues permits to shoot movies in Hollywood and surrounding areas -- tells TMZ, there are no plans to limit shooting scenes in public places.

The LAPD will not publicly comment on its rationale ... but in the wake of the massacres in Highland Park, Uvalde, Buffalo and hundreds of other cities this year alone, there's no doubt the sound of gunshots strikes fear in anyone within earshot.

You can see clearly from celebrations during the 4th of July in Orlando -- where fireworks went off and people scrambled thinking it was gunfire -- just how terrified and on edge people are.

Nevertheless, there's no current plan in L.A. to limit productions that use weapons and the sounds of gunshots while filming in public.

We attempted to find out if any such productions have outstanding permits for movie shootouts, but records are not readily available.

Jerone Davison, a Republican running for Congress, is embracing assault weapons, saying there's a place for them in America ... especially when it comes to subduing members of the KKK.

It's a bizarre and disturbing political ad ... Davison leans in hard on Democrats with his hypothetical that he would need 30 rounds fired in rapid succession to protect his family.

Davison, a former Oakland Raiders running back who's running in Arizona, suggests Democrats are the ones inside the Klan hoods.

The video shows hooded Klansmen with donkey patches on their robes menacingly approaching a home where Davison is hanging out with an AR-15. He's the only one with a firearm, and when he brandishes the rifle the Klansmen turn and run.

The ad ends with a white hood floating in a pool ... and in a social media post promoting the spot, Davison says, "Make Rifles Great Again 💪🏽."

Eric Holder has been found guilty in the murder of Nipsey Hussle ... gunning the rapper and activist down in broad daylight back in 2019.

The jury returned the guilty verdict in an L.A. courtroom Wednesday, about 3 weeks after the trial began. He was found guilty of 1st-degree murder for killing Nipsey. Holder shot two other people during the murder -- he was found guilty of 2 counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, guilty of 2 counts of assault with a firearm and guilty of possession of a firearm by a felon. He was found not guilty of premeditated attempted murder.

The details of the brutal murder were outlined early in the trial -- Deputy District Attorney John McKinney told the jury Holder kicked Nipsey in the head after filling his body with lead, calling it proof the attack was personal.

He then told the rapper "You're through," to which Nipsey replied, "You got me."

Among the people on the stand was Bryannita Nicholson, who was with Holder on the day of the murder. She stated Holder asked her to drive him around the block, she saw he had a gun and heard gunshots when Holder got out of her vehicle.

Kerry Lathan, one of the people that got shot in the back during the incident, took the stand during the trial, but he stayed pretty tight-lipped.

The 21-year-old allegedly responsible for the deaths of 7 innocent people at Highland Park's 4th of July parade is appearing in court for the first time since the massacre.

The man, who has been charged with 7 counts of first-degree murder will answer to those charges, though more are expected.

As we reported, people watching the parade Monday were sent into a panic when the shots started to ring out. It's believed the shooter shot more than 70 times, killing 6 at the event ... the 7th person died at a hospital Tuesday from their injuries.

The alleged shooter has a history of making violent threats against others and himself ... but a report says his father still signed off on him to be able to purchase a semi-automatic weapon in 2020.

One of the more devastating stories to surface since the shooting ... both parents of 2-year-old Aiden McCarthy, 37-year-old Kevin and 35-year-old Irina were killed during the massacre.

The young boy was found alone in the chaos, taken to a local fire station by a couple who saw him, and later reunited with his grandparents ... a GoFundMe has been set up to help the young boy.

✅ First step
✅ First basket

Good luck trying to slow down Aaliyah Gayles ... the top USC hoops recruit just knocked down her first basket since being shot 10 times at a Las Vegas house party in April.

Gayles' progress over the last two months has been amazing ... and on Monday, the 18-year-old guard shared video via Instagram of another milestone reached -- first made shot.

"Who said I couldn't get back into it?" Gayles said in the caption.

"First Shot in months feel like I'm proving."

The 5-star recruit hasn't played a game since the Jordan Brand Classic on April 15, the night before she was shot 10 times, in both arms and legs, at a house party in North Las Vegas.

Since the shooting, Gayles -- who's still committed to playing for the USC Trojans -- graduated from Spring Valley High School and took her first steps out of her wheelchair following grueling rehab.

And, as you can see, the #8 ranked player in the 2022 class is ready to ball again!