Weapons & Guns

The officer who was shot on the night cops busted into Breonna Taylor's apartment and fatally shot her says he and his fellow cops were just doing their job ... and he's frustrated the case has been compared to the killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was shot in the leg during the raid on March 13, and he's giving his account to Michael Strahan on "Good Morning America" of what went down before Taylor was killed ... claiming he wants to clear up all the disinformation out there.

For starters, Mattingly describes how he banged on the door and insists that he -- along with several other officers -- announced their presence before entering. This is the key to the case, because if the police didn't announce themselves, they would not be entitled to use self-defense once inside. Mattingly insists they repeatedly said "Police, search warrant, open the door." He says they banged 6 times and repeated their announcement.

This, of course, contradicts what Breonna's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, claims ... as well as several neighbors. Mattingly says the neighbors have to be discounted, because they said they didn't even hear banging on the door, and Walker acknowledges he heard it.

Though Mattingly concedes Walker and Taylor may not have heard them, he refutes that Walker only fired a warning shot at the cops after they busted the door open. He says Walker had a gun pointed right at him ... and fired 4 times, hitting him once.

When Strahan presses Mattingly on whether things would have been different if the cops involved had body cams, Mattingly says yes ... because it would have shown they did nothing wrong ... and nobody would even know about Breonna Taylor.

The sergeant does suggest they could have done something different to avoid the tragedy, though -- bust in right away next time, thus preventing the people inside from grabbing a gun.

Finally ... Mattingly insists Breonna's death did not involve race, adding the case is nothing like what happened to George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery. He clearly feels he and his fellow officers have received unfair treatment from the public at large ... and says he's a victim too.

Young Buck might have dodged a bullet ... we've learned his girlfriend got busted by cops after allegedly firing a gun while squaring off with him.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the G-Unit rapper and his girlfriend were involved in a domestic incident Tuesday at a home in Tennessee, and at some point, she allegedly picked up a firearm and let off a few rounds.

As you can see, an image captured by someone who says they witnessed the incident appears to show Young Buck's girlfriend pointing a gun toward his truck at the foot of the driveway.

Our sources say it's unclear if anyone was struck by gunfire or where the girlfriend was aiming. We're told she was arrested and booked her for reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.

We reached out to Young Buck, who had no comment.

Tory Lanez says he still considers Megan Thee Stallion a friend despite her claim he shot her ... but Meg doesn't sound too friendly.

The rapper proclaimed his innocence for the first time on video Tuesday, hopping on Instagram Live to defend himself against Megan's accusations, and he really raised eyebrows when he said, in his book, they're still pals.

The friendship sounds like news to Meg ... she says Tory is "genuinely crazy."

It's not like they can hang out as friends anymore anyways ... Tory was ordered to stay the hell away from MTS after a hearing on his felony assault charge in connection with the shooting.

Tory's now calling the shooting a "debacle" and says the only people who really know what happened are him and Meg. Seems he's forgetting Meg's friend and his chauffeur were also there when a gun went off during an argument.

Cops are on the hunt for the person who opened fire at a youth football game in Jacksonville -- killing a 27-year-old man and wounding his 7-year-old son.

Video shows the moment the shooting took place Sunday at the football fields next to Arlington Heights Elementary School.

The footage does NOT show either of the victims.

You can see dozens of children playing football while their families watch -- and then all of the sudden, 4 gunshots ring out.

Cops describe the shooter as a man wearing a hoodie and a mask -- who jumped out of a grey SUV and fired the shots, before jumping back in the vehicle and driving away.

Officials believe it was NOT a random shooting -- they believe the 27-year-old victim was targeted.

During the shooting, most of the football players dropped to the ground to avoid being hit. Moments later, everyone on the field took off running, trying desperately to leave the area.

When the dust settled cops say the 27-year-old victim was killed in the attack -- and a 7-year-old boy (believed to be his son) was also shot, but he's expected to recover.

Folks in Michigan are panicking and rushing to stock up on guns ... and it's not just 2nd Amendment enthusiasts ... it's all sorts of folks who are scared stiff over the prospect of violence on the heels of the election.

Gun and ammo stores across Michigan are seeing a huge surge in folks trying to buy firearms, and it became all too real when their Governor became the target of a plot to kidnap and possibly kill her. But, the reality is ... tensions have been brewing all year, and around people are arming themselves.

Sue Sizemore, store manager of Recoil Firearms in Taylor, MI, tells TMZ ... her shop is seeing guns fly off the shelves, and they've already sold out of Glocks, AKs, semiautomatic pistols and ARs.

Sizemore says 75% of her customers in the past 2 weeks are first-time gun buyers, and lots of folks are coming in scared Joe Biden's going to restrict the 2nd Amendment and defund police departments in the suburbs if elected.

Meanwhile in Niles, On Sight Armory manager Kyle Giddings tells us firearm sales are higher than at any point over the last 5 years, and the difference he sees is Democrats buying guns.

Giddings, who says his clientele usually skews conservative, tells us customers are scared from what they're seeing on the news -- he says tons of single mothers are coming in looking to buy guns -- and the store's sold out of handguns.

Over at M.R. Guns in Cheboygan, the manager, Ron, tells TMZ ... folks are stocking up on guns and ammo because they're scared a Biden administration could take firearms away. Ron says customers are looking to buy in hopes of a potential grandfather clause under such a scenario.

The demand is so high, Ron tells us M.R. Guns recently had its inventory wiped out. He's still fielding calls daily from interested buyers, but has nothing to sell.

And, at Buck Shots Firearms in Perry, the manager, Bryan, says his store is extra busy because of hunting season and the election. Bryan tells us he's bracing for another sales surge if Biden's elected, based on what customers are saying.

Buck Shots previously saw a run on guns at the start of the pandemic, Bryan says, and he's anticipating folks to stockpile again after election day.

Michigan is not an outlier ... 110,000 Californians have bought guns since March -- that's a huge number.

Lil Xan's gas station blow-up -- after a guy apparently called him out for disrespecting Tupac -- might cost him ... 'cause the rapper's being sued for pulling a gun.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ -- Anthony Sanchez is going after Lil Xan for their June 7, 2019 altercation at an L.A. 7-Eleven ... the tail end of which Sanchez recorded video.

Sanchez claims he asked the rapper about a controversial comment he'd made, calling Tupac's music "boring" -- and says Xan pulled a gun out and pointed it at him.

In the lawsuit, Sanchez says he backed away and began recording the incident, and says the rapper continued to wave the gun around ... taking his finger on and off the trigger. Sanchez says he feared for his life.

The video shows Sanchez called Lil Xan a "bitch" a few times before Xan brandished what at least looks very much like a gun. According to the suit, Xan also threw his cup out of the window as he drove away and hit Sanchez ... which seems pretty trivial after the whole gun stuff.

Sanchez claims he suffered severe emotional distress, and he's suing for assault and battery as well.

Lil Uzi Vert took a paintball match to the streets of his hometown, but the fun didn't last long -- cops ended up busting his friends.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Philly-based rapper's pals were detained and cited Tuesday night after reports came in about them firing what appeared to be real guns out the window of a vehicle near N. Philadelphia.

We're told officers eventually found the car in question and searched it ... recovering 7 different paintball guns.

They kinda brought this on themselves via social media. Uzi himself documented the paintball war with his buddies on his own IG Live. Somebody captured the footage and posted it on YouTube afterward, and you actually see the dude firing.

The equipment he's using seems to be pretty advanced -- almost like, well, an Uzi-style paintball gun that can shoot several rounds at once. In Uzi's clip, you can even see some of the damage he or one of his friends did on the side of a nearby SUV ... lit it up pretty good.

At one point, Uzi discusses someone getting "the law" involved -- but he laughs it off, claiming he's the law around those parts.

Not last night! Uzi and co. were all released after getting tickets.

Kenneth Walker says he and Breonna Taylor were watching a movie when they heard a loud bang at the door, and despite asking who it was they never got an answer ... until the door blasted open and bullets started flying.

Breonna's boyfriend gave his firsthand account of her fatal shooting by police on "CBS This Morning," telling Gayle King he's "a million percent sure" cops didn't announce themselves ... and insisting he and Breonna would have opened up if they would have, because they had nothing to hide.

Instead, Walker says they were scared and he thought it was a break-in, so he grabbed his gun and claims he fired one warning shot to scare off a possible burglar.

As we know, the cops responded by firing more than 30 bullets into the apartment -- 5 of which hit Breonna. Walker says he's never heard so much gunfire and compared it to war, and says he tried to pull Breonna down but she was scared ... and he knew she was hit when he heard her scream.

Walker says after the shooting stopped, cops didn't enter the apartment and he still didn't know who it was. He claims he called his mom, who told him to call 911. He tells King, "If I knew who it was, I would have said the police. I wouldn't have called the police on the police."

Walker says when he went outside he told one officer he was not hit by the gunshots, and he claims the officer replied ... "that's unfortunate."

He also says the way cops were treating him changed drastically from the time he was arrested to a few hours later -- when they were being nice to him and tried to explain to him a "little bit of miscommunication" that resulted in the raid at Breonna's apartment.

Despite all that ... Walker claims nobody told him directly that Breonna died, and he had to find out on the news.

Tory Lanez has just been ordered to stay the hell away from Megan Thee Stallion after a hearing for his felony assault charge.

Tory appeared by phone for Tuesday's hearing in L.A. County court for what was supposed to be his arraignment ... but his attorney, Shawn Holley, requested a continuance. It was granted so he did not enter a plea. The judge, however, issued a protective order against Tory ... and now he's gotta stay at least 100 yards away from MTS, and not contact her.

His bail was set at $190k ... which he'll be posting via a bondsman present at the hearing. The hearing comes on the same day MTS wrote an op-ed for The New York Times on why she speaks up for Black women, saying she's not afraid of criticism and being adamant that saying "protect Black women" should NOT be a controversial topic.

She also addressed the Tory Lanez case, saying, "I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place."

Meg added, "My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted."

As we reported ... The L.A. County D.A.'s Office slapped him with 1 count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and 1 count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. The D.A. also alleges Tory inflicted great bodily injury on Megan.

If convicted, the rapper/singer faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.

Tory defended himself publicly last week and said he deserves his day in court. As we told you ... the rapper broke his silence Friday morning and reminded fans the "charge is not a conviction."

Blac Youngsta allegedly can't keep his hands off some serious firepower ... 'cause he just got busted AGAIN on a weapons charge.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Memphis MC was busted early Sunday around 2:40 AM when cops pulled over the car he was riding in after it made an illegal turn. We're told Blac Youngsta was riding shotgun and during the traffic stop, cops say they found a handgun between his legs.

Youngsta was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. He was taken to jail and hours later posted cash bond. The arrest comes a little over a year after the 30-year-old rapper was arrested in Houston ... after cops said the rapper was carrying prohibited ammo when they pulled over a car in which he was -- AGAIN -- a passenger.

A crazy jewelry heist scene on "NCIS: New Orleans" got way too real for the actors involved ... when real cops showed up and pointed their guns at them ... and now they're suing.

The 2 actors involved in the scene, along with the jewelry store owner, have filed a lawsuit in L.A against CBS for allegedly misleading them into shooting a realistic "guerrilla-style" armed robbery in broad daylight ... without proper permits or giving cops and neighbors a heads up.

The 3 men claim they were approached by 'NCIS' producers in October 2017 about filming the robbery, and they agreed to do it under the assumption it was a "traditional television shoot" ... with permits, police present and standard safety protocols.

Instead, the men accuse CBS of failing to notify local authorities and surrounding businesses that the armed robbery scene -- set in the middle of a busy New Orleans shopping center -- was not real ... and you can guess what happened.

According to the suit ... the owner of the store next to the jewelry store understandably called 911 after seeing the actors jump out of an unmarked van in ski masks carrying realistic-looking assault rifles while yelling, "This is a robbery!"

This prompted cops to race to the scene and point their very real weapons at the actors ... who say they could have been killed by the officers with one false move.

The 3 men claim the ordeal was terrifying and traumatizing ... and they're still feeling the psychological effects. They're suing CBS for damages.

The network's filed docs to get the case tossed out of California court, arguing that it involves events that took place in Louisiana, so that's where the case should have been filed. The plaintiffs' lawyers, Caleb Mason and Alan Jackson, disagree ... saying the show is produced by CBS in L.A.

A protester was killed by a security guard Saturday and now the guard has been arrested.

It went down in Denver, where there were 2 rallies going on at the same time ... a patriots rally and a Black Lives Matter rally. A guy wearing a "Black Guns Matter" t-shirt began arguing with several men, including the man in the camo bucket hat who ended up getting shot.

You see the argument get heated as the man in the camo hat walks out of frame. He encounters a security guard and according to reports, the guy may have maced the guard. That's when you hear a shot and see the man in the hat go down. He later died at a hospital.

It appears the victim was part of the Patriot's group. His t-shirt read, "BLM You're f***ing Right Bikers Lives Matter."

Turns out the guard works for a company that was hired by a local TV station that had been using security to protect its reporters who were covering the various protests.

Tory Lanez is defending himself publicly following his felony assault charge in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting ... arguing he deserves his day in court.

The rapper broke his silence Friday morning after the L.A. County D.A.'s Office charged him Thursday with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle.

Tory's responding by reminding fans the "charge is not a conviction." He also posted emojis to say "time will tell" ... and the "truth will come to the light."

As we reported ... The D.A. also alleged Tory inflicted great bodily injury, and if he's convicted, the rapper/singer faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.

The charges came on the heels of Tory releasing an album on which he claims his innocence in multiple songs.

Prosecutors had been mulling over a charge of felony assault with a firearm against Tory after Megan said she was shot back in July.

Previously, he'd only been arrested for possession of the firearm cops found in the SUV the night of the shooting.

With the new charges ... prosecutors are straight-up pointing the finger at Tory as the man who pulled the trigger ... leaving Meg with a gruesome foot injury.

Kyle Rittenhouse appeared in court as his lawyers continue fighting efforts to extradite him to Wisconsin to stand trial as an adult.

The 17-year-old arrested in the killing of 2 people during the protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI was briefly back in court Friday morning, where his lawyers are fighting to keep him in his home state of Illinois ... as opposed to sending him back to Wisconsin.

Rittenhouse's legal team stated this case is a "very unique, extraordinary situation," and argued there are issues with the extradition paperwork by prosecutors that suggest "this is a political prosecution."

The defense lawyers have also argued extradition would violate Rittenhouse's constitutional rights and "turn him over to the mob" ... and claim his life would be in danger if he's jailed with adults in Wisconsin.

Prosecutors accused the defense of intentionally delaying the case, but the judge did grant Rittenhouse's attorneys more time before a decision is made on extradition. There will be another hearing later this month.

The Antioch, IL teenager is accused of killing 2 people and wounding a third on August 25. He's been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide. If convicted, he's looking at a mandatory life sentence.

As we reported ... Rittenhouse traveled roughly 21 miles from Antioch to Kenosha -- armed with a semi-automatic rifle -- to join armed vigilantes taking on rioters. Video showed him running on the street with his gun while witnesses told cops he shot someone.

After falling to the ground and appearing to be accosted by others, cops say he opened fire ... killing two people and injuring another.

Tory Lanez has been charged in connection with the shooting involving Megan Thee Stallion ... just weeks after the singer released an album claiming his innocence.

The L.A. County D.A.'s Office hit him with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. The D.A. also alleges Tory inflicted great bodily injury.

If convicted, the rapper/singer faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.

As we reported ... the prosecutors had said they were mulling over a charge of felony assault with a firearm against Tory after Megan said she was shot back in July. Remember, Tory had been arrested but only charged with possession of a firearm. Prosecutors are now explicitly pointing the finger at Tory as the man who pulled the trigger ... leaving Meg with a gruesome foot injury.

It took Meg some time before she went public and accused Tory by name as the person who shot her. She didn't mince words saying ... "Yes, this n***a Tory shot me. You shot me, and you got your publicist and your people to these blogs lying and s**t, stop lying!"

As we reported, sources connected to Tory say there were mitigating circumstances -- and based on what we know ... we believe Tory's going to say it was an accidental shooting. Megan didn't help the D.A.'s effort with a social media caption -- which has since been deleted -- that said she had her back to the SUV when she was shot in the heel. That might indicate she didn't see it with her own eyes when Tory allegedly pulled the trigger.

You'll recall ... video of the incident showed cops pulling over the SUV in the Hollywood Hills -- with Tory lying face-down on the pavement and Megan gingerly tip-toeing ... leaving bloody footprints with each painful step.

Breonna Taylor's body was motionless in her hallway for several minutes as a SWAT team cleared her apartment, then checked for a pulse ... before cooly, and repeatedly, stating, "She's done."

Louisville PD just released body cam video from several SWAT officers who showed up on the scene after the raid and gunfight that killed Breonna and injured one Louisville cop, Jonathan Mattingly. The footage provides the first good look inside Breonna's apartment immediately after the deadly incident.

As SWAT prepared to enter one cop says, "The female is supposedly the one that's shot" -- speaking of Breonna. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had already walked out and surrendered.

Upon entering the apartment, cops immediately called out that Breonna was at the end of the hallway, but SWAT spends several more minutes clearing various parts of the apartment before addressing Breonna, saying ... "Ma'am, can you hear us?"

One officer told another to check her pulse. Of course, she did not have one ... and the cop declared, "She’s done." Most of the SWAT members then left the apartment to make room for a medic and crime scene investigators.

An officer's heard telling others not to turn their cameras off, and while examining all the casings on the floor says ... "Is that theirs? No that’s ours, the only casings look like 9mils."

At one point, it appears now-fired Officer Brett Hankison -- the only officer indicted by a grand jury -- popped his head back in to discuss the scene, before being told to back out.

Other footage, from a different officer, shows the horrific aftermath inside the apartment -- bullet holes and bloodstains on walls ... and Breonna's body on the floor. Her body is blurred in the video.

Now, body cam video outside the apartment shows police interacting with Walker after his surrender. It's interesting because almost immediately Walker, through tears, declared to police that Breonna was dead inside, and that they had no idea who was entering the apartment.

He repeatedly said, "We didn't know who it was" ... and one cop responded that they had announced themselves 3 times. That is, of course, the central dispute in the case. Walker says he fired his legally-owned handgun thinking someone was breaking into the place.

Police, and Attorney General Daniel Cameron, insist the cops ID'd themselves as law enforcement and were, therefore, justified in returning fire on Kenneth and Breonna.