Weapons & Guns

Scary moment today in Dallas, as folks visiting a mall on Memorial Day were swiftly evacuated after cops say witnesses reported hearing several gunshots ... that turned out to be someone banging a skateboard.

Videos of the mayhem show shoppers running out of the NorthPark Center or taking cover inside around 1:30 PM local time ... as alarm sirens blare all over the facility.

The frenzy resulted in several 911 calls ... so many that the line was busy.

Thankfully, Dallas police say there was never an active shooter at the mall, but rather a "mentally disturbed" person who was banging a skateboard ... which sounded like gunshots. Cops say the individual also made hand gestures as if he was shooting a gun, presumably setting off the panic and chaos.

Initially, cops were calling it a "shooting incident" and said they had someone in custody ... but later clarified there were no shots and no injuries.

Of course, the hysteria is understandable in America ... where deadly mass shootings continue to occur at an alarming rate in 2021.

Somebody posted a promise to kill in the City of Lakewood -- which has put the community, as well as local officials, on high alert ... although it appears to be a freaky hoax.

A user that goes by u/gastonmcwhinnie posted a lengthy message on the Lakewood Reddit thread over the weekend, which stood out as a red flag and caught the attentions of concerned citizens, and at least one City Council member ... not to mention law enforcement.

The message is slugged ... "MASS SHOOTING TODAY IN LAKEWOOD" going on to describe how this individual plans to go out on Sunday and gun down "minorities" at different parts of town with an AR-15 and a Glock 18 they claim to have. The user also posted a photo of a handgun to accompany the troubling open letter, plus a clip of ammo.

It's absolutely terrifying, as the note reads, in part ... "There is only one thing that I'm certain of; I f****** hate minorities." They go on to explain that they don't know where the hatred stems from, but that it's there nonetheless and they want to finally do something about it.

The person adds, "I don't see much of a future for myself, and I have an ongoing case, so I think I'm just going to end with a bang." They go on to explain that they'll be aiming for at least 10 "minorities" ... while sickeningly saying, "the more the better." They also say they'll be targeting Council members, and ends by saying there'll be a lengthier manifesto on his computer. The message ends on an even more ominous tone, with "See you in hell."

This started spreading like wildfire, with many warning residents of Lakewood and surrounding areas to be on the lookout. Lakewood Council Member Todd Rogers responded, writing ... "We are aware of the threat against Lakewood and city officials posted on social media. Law enforcement does not believe they are credible but an investigation is underway."

There doesn't appear to be any developments from this so far, so hopefully what Rogers insists here is true. Still, even if this is a prank -- it's absolutely diabolical, to say the least.

Boosie Badazz has found himself right in the middle of gun violence once again -- a shooting occurred on the set of a music video of his ... which has left one person seriously injured.

Check out this video of the moment that shots were fired while the rapper was filming Saturday in Huntsville, AL -- and you can see Boosie and everyone else around him scatter and run for their lives.

Unclear from which direction the gun was shot -- different people on set were carrying what appeared to be firearms -- but in any case ... somebody unloaded at least one round for real.

Huntsville PD tells TMZ ... cops responded to a report of shots fired around 4:30 PM, and when they arrived on the scene -- we're told they came across between 50 and 100 people making a run for it, either by foot or in vehicles. HPD says hardly anybody wanted to talk.

We're told the police found one man who was in 20s laid out on the ground with a gunshot wound. EMTs arrived and he was transported to a hospital -- we're told he's listed in critical condition. HPD says there are no suspects in custody at this time ... no motive either.

We should note ... Boosie was NOT the one was shot, nor is suspected of carrying out the shooting. Considering his recent history with public shootings like this, though, he's lucky to have dodged any direct harm this time around. Be safe out there, man.

A live news report from George Floyd Square in Minneapolis turned into chaos and panic as the gunshots rang out and people ran for cover.

Alex Presha was reporting for the ABC news affiliate from the site of the memorial near where Floyd was murdered a year ago today ... and just as he was detailing the Minneapolis Mayor's plan for a 9-minute, 29-second moment of silence -- gunfire erupted.

At least a dozen shots rang out, as Presha and the news crew took cover while ABC cut away.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Minneapolis PD responded to a report of shots fired around 10:09 AM CT, and witnesses claim they saw a suspect fleeing the scene in a vehicle going at a high rate of speed.

We're told a short time later, someone showed up at a local hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

AP reporter Philip Crowther was also on the scene and says he heard a few dozen gunshots.

Lady Gaga's dog walker says he's constantly reminded of that horrifying moment he was shot, because strangers constantly want to talk to him about it ... and he's tired of it.

Ryan Fischer poured his heart out Monday, saying over the last few weeks -- ever since Gaga's dognappers were arrested -- he's had to relive the trauma of being shot and nearly killed ... making his recovery and healing that much more difficult.

He says people come up to him and say, "You're Ryan! You got shot. You were shot! Where were you shot? Where'd they shoot you?" In the emotional IG post, Ryan added it's strange being known as the Gaga guy who got shot, but even worse ... he says those conversations bring him right back to the moment he got shot in the chest at point-blank range.

Ryan says, "It's not intentional; it comes from kindness and compassion that I welcome ... It just hasn't always been easy to navigate as I continue to find myself."

He also says he feels like he doesn't have a purpose "because I'm not yet in the proper headspace to care for dogs." Our Gaga sources say Ryan was back at work as recently as last week, but it's unclear when he decided he couldn't do it anymore.

TMZ broke the story ... Ryan was shot in February and thieves ultimately made off with Koji and Gustav ... leaving him bleeding and yelling for help on the sidewalk.

Lil Mosey is being ordered to stay the hell away from his alleged sexual assault victim after being charged with second-degree rape.

The "Blueberry Faygo" rapper has been hit with a sexual assault pre-trial protection order ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

The order, issued in Lewis County, Washington, bars Lil Mosey from contacting the alleged victim in any way and requires him to stay at least 500 feet away from her at all times while he awaits trial for rape.

TMZ broke the story ... Lil Mosey was charged with rape last month for the alleged incident back in January. Mosey's pled not guilty.

According to the docs, Lil Mosey is also prohibited from obtaining or possessing a firearm, other dangerous weapons or a concealed pistol license and must surrender any firearms to the Sheriff's Office.

Amazing news ... Central Michigan quarterback John Keller has pulled through after being shot in the chest last month -- and he's now heading home from the hospital!!

The 20-year-old athlete's chances of making it to this point appeared VERY grim less than 4 weeks ago ... after his family said he was "fighting for his life" after being struck by gunfire at a party in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

But Keller -- who required a ventilator and a lengthy stay in the ICU as part of his recovery process -- has finally been discharged, and he couldn't be happier about it!!

"Very thankful to be heading home today," Keller wrote on his Twitter page on Friday.

"First, I have to thank god and I want to thank all of you for the prayers and support as they have been answered on this tough road. Thank you Hurley [Medical Center] for saving my life."

Keller's dad added, "John is headed home today!! God is Great!"

As we previously reported, Keller and another CMU student were shot at an apartment complex on April 24 after police say an altercation broke out at the event.

Cops say Kenneth Thomas was involved in the dispute ... left the party to get a gun from his car, and then came back and shot Keller and the other student.

Officials say Thomas has since been arrested and hit with 10 charges -- and is facing SERIOUS time behind bars if convicted.

Robert Durst -- the notorious subject of the HBO documentary, 'The Jinx' -- is back in court for his murder trial ... after a 14-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Durst just appeared in court, appearing thin and frail with his nose and mouth hidden behind a white medical mask. In case you've forgotten ... he stands accused of shooting his friend, Susan Berman, in the head at her Beverly Hills home in December 2000 ... allegedly because she knew something about the mysterious death of his wife, Kathleen, who disappeared in 1982.

Durst was arrested in New Orleans in March 2015, just weeks after "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst," began airing and the LAPD reopened the Berman case.

The docuseries detailed bizarre and disturbing allegations against Durst and chronicled why he was suspected in the killings of Susan and Kathleen ... along with how he was acquitted of the murder of a Texas neighbor in 2001.

'The Jinx' ended with a jaw-dropping moment in which Durst -- believing his microphone was off after excusing himself from an interview -- seemingly confessed to murder while talking to himself in the bathroom, saying ... "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

The documentary also linked a letter sent to police alerting them of Susan's dead body to Durst.

So, he was arrested and charged with her murder in 2015, and though his trial began in March 2020 with a few days of witness testimony ... it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was originally scheduled to resume in July but was postponed again.

Durst's lawyers requested an indefinite postponement of the trial earlier this month citing a "myriad of life-threatening health issues" ... including bladder cancer that is not being treated.

Lil Reese has reportedly taken another bullet in his hometown of Chicago -- this less than two years after he almost died from being shot not too far from the Windy City.

The rapper was among three people shot Saturday morning in a parking garage in the River North neighborhood, where a shootout appears to have gone down among a group of men ... with all of them supposedly shooting at each other, according to local outlet CWBChicago.

When cops arrived, per CWB, they found three guys who'd suffered gunshot wounds -- plus a stolen Dodge Durango found littered with bullet and crashed at the site. Chicago PD tells TMZ two of the men were transported to one hospital, and another was hospitalized elsewhere. Two are reported as being in critical condition, and the third in serious condition.

It's unclear what Reese's status is at this point ... we're still working to confirm he was involved and how he's holding up.

CWB reposted a video that purportedly captures the aftermath, showing up and apparently detaining someone. CPD tells us there are two possible offenders in custody right now.

Unclear what might've sparked the violence -- but in any case, it's not great news for Reese ... who had just gone through something similar in late 2019, when he was shot in the neck and miraculously survived. The situation then was reported as eerily similar to this one.

Reese is perhaps most famous for his work with Chief Keef -- notably, being featured on the latter's hit 2012 single, "I Don't Like" and his own single, "Traffic."

BTW, Reese is only 28.

Jack Harlow is finally speaking out about the fatal Louisville nightclub shooting for which his DJ's been indicted for murder -- and his first words are ones of sorrow and regret for the victim.

The rapper shared his thoughts Wednesday about the chaos he was smack in the middle of 2 weeks ago on the eve of the Kentucky Derby ... violence that led to a grand jury indicting his DJ, Ronnie Luciano.

Jack says, "My heart is broken by the events that occurred over Derby weekend. My heart breaks for Kasmira, her children, and everyone else touched by this tragic death."

He goes on to explain that he's been in touch with Kasmira's family, who've apparently been pretty receptive to talking. Jack adds, "Nothing can reverse what happened. Too many lives have been changed forever. My life will remain committed to making Louisville a better place."

As we reported, Ronnie turned himself in Tuesday after the grand jury indictment for his alleged role in the shooting.

It appears that Kasmira -- the 37-year-old woman who was killed -- was the one shown in our video ... which captured the moment a gunshot went off and sent everyone scrambling, including Jack, who was close to the action.

Cops and FBI agents have 3 men in custody who they say pulled off a daring armed robbery and shooting outside Bev Hills hot spot Il Pastaio ... injuring one woman.

The feds say the suspects are members of the Rollin' 30s Crips, and each is charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery for the violence that broke out at the restaurant back on March 4.

TMZ broke the story ... the armed robbery went down in broad daylight with the shooter and 2 accomplices going after a $500,000 Richard Mille watch a man was wearing. During the incident, a bystander ended up getting shot in the leg.

Additionally, the feds say the victim wearing the watch was held at gunpoint. During the struggle for the watch, the gunman fired 2 shots -- one of which hit the woman who was sitting nearby.

According to the feds, one of the alleged gang members' DNA was found on the robbery victim's clothing, and surveillance footage all 3 scouting the area before the robbery. Bev Hills cops, Santa Monica PD and the FBI teamed up to make the arrests.

Rick Ross' Georgia estate is crawling with sheriff's deputies after a man allegedly armed with a gun led cops on a wild chase ... and now there's a hunt for the weapon.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Clayton County Sheriffs started a vehicle pursuit with a driver Tuesday after they got a call for a male with a gun. We're told the pursuit ended when the driver crashed near Ross' property and took off.

Our sources say law enforcement apprehended the driver, but sheriffs have not found the alleged gun and deputies are searching for the firearm on and around RR's property.

It's unclear if Rick was home at the time of the crash, but as you can see, his estate is the scene of a heavy police presence ... there's a boatload of sheriffs vehicles and tons of police.

A 23-year-old filmmaker is suing his own uncle who ordered him shot, and the uncle is an LAPD cop.

Jamal Shakir Jr. joined a George Floyd protest a year ago this month in downtown L.A. and urged some of the cops on the scene to participate in the demonstration.

According to Jamal's lawyer, Carl Douglas, Jamal came face-to-face with officer Eric Anderson, but the cop was in no mood to engage Jamal. Instead, according to Douglas, Anderson told another cop to fire some sort of non-lethal weapon -- presumably loaded with rubber bullets -- at the filmmaker. According to Douglas, Anderson ordered that 2 shots be fired, striking Jamal in the hand and the butt and damaging ligaments.

The shocking part of the story -- Anderson is Jamal's uncle.

Jamal has not recovered from his injuries and is still receiving treatment a year later.

Jamal is now suing both his uncle and the City of L.A. for civil rights violations, assault and battery, false imprisonment and negligence. The lawsuit offers a blistering account of the incident, alleging Anderson "turned his trained wrath against a member of his own family, leaving a promising young entrepreneur, his own blood, scarred and reeling in the wake of his malicious attack."

The full police body cam footage of Andrew Brown Jr.'s fatal encounter with cops in North Carolina has been shown to his immediate family ... and they claim it corroborates their belief that he was unjustly gunned down.

Attorney Chance Lynch just gave a rundown of what Brown's family saw on the police footage. According to Lynch ... the video shows Brown sitting in his vehicle outside his home when he was ambushed by officers, and he never made any movement to provoke cops to shoot.

Lynch claims at all times Brown's hands were visible and he did not pose a threat to law enforcement, but then after the first shot, he put his car in reverse to try to get away.

Lynch says Brown was backing his car away from officers -- insisting at no time was a cop behind the vehicle -- but claims police kept firing shots at Brown's car ... too many to count.

After the final shot, Lynch says Brown lost control of his car and it went down a ditch and hit a tree. Lynch claims when the cops pulled Brown out of the car, they laid him flat on his face so they could see he was shot in the back of the head. Lynch says the cops then began to search Brown's home.

Lynch adds that no weapons were found and makes it very clear -- Brown's family and legal team firmly believe the fatal shooting was "absolutely unjustified."

Attorneys Bakari Sellers and Harry Daniels also spoke at a news conference immediately following the family's viewing of the police body cam footage at the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office.

Sellers called for the District Attorney to recuse himself, while Daniels encouraged peaceful protests in light of what the family saw on the footage.

Two of Brown's sons also spoke, and reiterated their belief that their father posed no threat to law enforcement and did not deserve to be killed. Brown's oldest son said ... "He wasn't in the wrong at all ... he's going to get his justice."

As we reported ... Pasquotank County Judge Jeffrey Foster made the controversial ruling last month to make the video available to Brown's family only -- not the media -- and also ordered the faces of any deputies and other identifying info in the video be blurred.

The judge ruled the footage should be available to the family within 10 days, and Pasquotank Sheriff Tommy Wooten showed the vids to the family on Tuesday.

The judge's orders stated only Brown’s immediate family and one lawyer could view the footage, and they could not record it for dissemination.

As you know ... prior to this, the family had only been shown about 20 seconds of Brown's killing, but that was enough for them to deem it an "execution."

Brown's family says it was one bullet to the back of his head that killed him based on a private autopsy, and the findings of that report show he also suffered 4 gunshot wounds to his right arm.

The family and legal team are still demanding the full body cam footage be released to the public, but the judge has stated he's going to wait a few more weeks to reevaluate making it available to more eyes.

Brown's killing -- which occurred on April 21 as police say they were executing a search warrant -- set off protests and demonstrations in Elizabeth City and surrounding areas. Mayor Bettie Parker declared a state of emergency, saying law enforcement expects a "period of civil unrest" following the video's release.

Jack Harlow's DJ has just been indicted on a murder charge for his alleged role in a nightclub shooting in Louisville.

Prosecutors in Kentucky charged Ronnie Tyshon O'Bannon -- who goes by Ronnie Luciano -- with murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the fatal shooting ... and there's reportedly a warrant out for his arrest.

TMZ broke the story ... video shows the moment shots were fired inside Vibes Restaurant and Ultra Lounge, where Jack was partying with his DJ.

The footage appears to show an altercation between a woman and at least one man, who lean into each other before falling over in a scuffle. At that moment, you hear what sounds like a gunshot, and everyone in the club makes a run for it, including Jack.

Cops say a 37-year-old woman was found dead from the shooting, and a man was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A woman and a toddler were reportedly shot in broad daylight just now in Times Square -- a random act of violence in which the suspected gunman still hasn't been caught.

Cops have swarmed the area and barricaded the streets, where they say gunfire erupted between West 44th Street and 7th Avenue around 2 PM PT. Law enforcement sources tell us one of the bullets struck the woman.

The child is also said to have been hit, but it's unclear where. In any case, both of them were rushed to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition ... so it seems they're gonna make it. We're also hearing that a third person may have also been shot in the chaos.

The most disconcerting part -- besides somebody trying to gun down a lady and a kid in the middle of the day -- is the fact that the person who did this has NOT been caught yet ... as we're told they're still on the loose as of now. That might explain why there's such a massive police presence right now ... presumably, they're scouring the streets for the shooter.

No word yet on a motive, but this appears to have happened out of nowhere ... which makes it all the more terrifying. People captured video of people running upon initial word that a shooting had taken place ... as well clips of the aftermath as cops stood by controlling the crowd and securing the scene. Another video -- taken from an Earth Cam towering above Times Square -- seems to show the exact moment the shots were fired, two of them.

Someone also appears to have snagged video of the moment the victims were rushed into an ambulance by EMTs. Witnesses reportedly say the toddler was bleeding, and the woman was crying. Based on this video, it also looks like some people were booted from the bus.

It's an awful way to help people get ready for the re-opening of Broadway and other NYC venues that have been shuttered during the pandemic. As if folks hadn't already been on edge, this news certainly won't help them feel any safer ... especially considering Times Square is one of the most visible and frequented areas in the city.

If this can happen there, it's not a good omen for what could happen else in NYC.