Weapons & Guns

Luke Hill -- one of the top recruits in Oregon's 2020 football class -- was arrested this week ... after he allegedly attempted to murder his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.

FYI, 18-year-old Hill is of the one best high school cornerbacks in the country. He signed his National Letter of Intent with Oregon months ago ... but the school says they parted ways in the spring. They have not explained why they parted ways, but they're probably glad they did now, based on the allegations.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say they responded to a call of a shooting in Prince George's County, Md. -- near where Hill played his high school ball -- at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

While on the scene ... cops say the victim told them he was playing basketball when a white car with window tint pulled up and fired on him.

Fortunately, cops say the victim told them nobody was injured by the gunshots ... and went on to say his girlfriend had received menacing messages from Hill -- whom she had had a prior relationship with -- just an hour or so before the incident.

According to the docs, the victim explained Hill had messaged his GF about their relationship and had stated he was "trying to find out where the victim lives."

Cops say when they went to Hill's home after they wrapped up investigating at the victim's ... they saw Hill pull up in a white vehicle that matched the victim's description -- and after they detained him, they obtained a warrant to search the house.

That's when officers say they recovered three firearms from Hill's residence ... including a Glock 22 handgun that was located in a hidden compartment in Hill's bedroom, behind Univ. of Oregon football recruiting letters.

Officers say the caliber of fired shell casings they recovered at the victim's residence matched the gun in Hill's room ... and they arrested the football player shortly after.

In Hill's mug shot, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see the guy wasn't exactly a happy camper.

Prosecutors have since hit the 5'11", 175-pound defensive back with EIGHT charges ... including felony first-degree attempted murder and felony assault.

The Univ. of Oregon has told multiple media outlets Wednesday it had parted ways with the football player earlier this spring prior to the arrest... despite receiving his National Letter of Intent earlier in the recruiting cycle.

Actor Hagen Mills is dead in Kentucky after he apparently shot a woman and then turned the gun on himself ... TMZ has learned.

Mills -- who had roles on the TV series' "Baskets" and "Swedish Dicks" -- died Tuesday in the town of Mayfield ... according to his mother. She tells us he'd been living in Hollywood for several years, but still had a home in Mayfield.

The shooting reportedly left one man dead and a woman injured. Mayfield's Police Chief Nathan Kent confirmed investigators believe it was an attempted murder-suicide in which the man, Hagen, was the shooter.

The woman was reportedly taken to the hospital but survived the shooting. It's unclear what her relationship was with Hagen.

The owner of the Byrn Funeral Home in Mayfield tells us they've been in touch with Hagen's family and will be handling his service.

Along with his small TV roles, the actor costarred in an Indie film called "Star Light," which was released in February. His mother says tells us Hagen loved acting, but his true passion was his 4-year-old daughter.

He was 29.

Cops are NOT in possession of video showing Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar robbing people at gunpoint at a cookout in FL ... but investigators are scouring the neighborhood hoping to find something ASAP.

Multiple people involved in the investigation had told us they were confident there was video from the May 13 incident -- but a spokesperson for the Broward County State Attorney's Office tells us straight-up there's no video, "not that I'm aware of."

One person involved in the case tells us cops are making an effort to speak with people in the vicinity to find out if the incident was captured on home surveillance video, including Ring doorbell cameras ... and no, TMZ Sports has not seen any video of the incident either.

As we previously reported, Baker is facing 8 felony charges including armed robbery and aggravated assault -- while Dunbar is facing 4 counts of aggravated assault.

Both men claim they have multiple witnesses who say they did not rob anyone at gunpoint. Meanwhile, both men are out on bond, awaiting their next court date.

The issue ... cops say they spoke with multiple witnesses on the night of the incident who fingered Baker as the shot caller in a brazen armed robbery.

One witness told cops Baker ordered a third man, who was wearing a red mask, to shoot another partygoer.

Cops say Baker, Dunbar and the unidentified third man fled the scene in exotic getaway cars with more than $12,000 in cash and $60,000 in expensive watches.

Both the Giants and Seahawks have said they are aware of the allegations ... and are doing their own investigations into the matter.

Video of Ahmaud Arbery getting frisked and patted down by cops in 2017 might say a lot about Glynn County PD's attitude toward black people ... keeping in mind Gregory McMichael was once a member of that force.

The video shows 2 officers questioning Ahmaud after finding him alone in his car, in a Brunswick, GA park in November 2017. The officers asked to search his car, and the scene got intense when he said no and stepped toward his car. The officers immediately told him to stop and get his hands out of his pockets.

Despite the fact Ahmaud immediately obeyed their orders -- and had his hands in the air -- one officer pulled his taser and fired it. Now, the weapon malfunctioned, but Ahmaud was already getting down on the ground anyway.

About two minutes earlier, the officers had asked for ID, and Ahmaud complied and explained he'd been rapping in his car on his day off. When the officer came back with his license, Ahmaud said, "I ain't got s**t on me. What the f**k you f**king with me for?"

The officer told him the area was known for drug activity and then proceeded to frisk Ahmaud for weapons. He had nothing on him, and there was nothing illegal about him parking in the area.

Still, the officer wanted to search his car ... and that's when the attempted-tasing went down ... despite the fact, they already knew he had no weapon on him.

He was not arrested or cited for anything.

The question now ... is the video, first obtained by the Guardian, relevant to Ahmaud's murder? You could argue it shows the Glynn County PD harassing a young black man who was guilty of nothing more than sitting in his car.

Of course, one of his accused murderers, Gregory McMichael, is a retired detective with GCPD, who we know now told police to have at least one resident contact him directly if there was any sign of an intruder.

On the other hand, this police stop -- harassment or not -- is a completely different situation from what Ahmaud faced on February 23 ... when 2 armed white men, Gregory and his son, Travis McMichael, ambushed him in the middle of a road.

Shocking new details in the arrest of Cody Latimer ... cops say a witness claimed the NFL player threatened to "kill everybody" after a dispute over a poker game -- this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

Cops arrived at a Douglas County, CO residence around midnight Friday, the docs show, after they received a call about possible shots fired.

Once they showed up ... officers say in the docs they interviewed Latimer's friend, Roderick English, who explained to them the Washington Redskins receiver snapped after an argument over a card game.

Cops say English told them he was playing host to a poker night at his place with his GF, Latimer and a few other buddies ... when Latimer got into a dispute with another person.

English claims he broke up the altercation and booted everybody out ... but told cops Cody showed up a half-hour later, pissed off.

Cops say English told them Latimer pulled out a firearm and said he had saved two rounds of ammunition for English and his GF. Cops also say English told them Latimer threatened to "kill everybody."

English told officers Latimer calmed down ... said he wouldn't kill anyone and "removing the magazine and clearing the chamber" of his gun.

But, according to the docs, Latimer grew angry again ... and that's when English says Latimer fired two shots near him.

Cops say English told them he then wrestled with Latimer ... but claims the 27-year-old hit him on the head with the gun, causing a contusion and a cut on his head.

Ultimately, the altercation was broken up ... and officers arrested Cody, booking him on several felony charges, including assault and illegal discharge of a firearm.

For his part, Cody's attorney said in a statement to ESPN's Adam Schefter regarding the incident, "There’s an entire back story to this situation that constitutes one of the most highly provocative situations you can imagine. Please withhold judgment until all the facts of what took place that night are known."

Latimer, who was a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2014, has a court hearing set for Monday in the case.

Hope Solo claims some gun-toting maniac shot one of her dogs Wednesday night -- but the good news, the pooch survived the attack.

It all went down North Carolina, where the former Team USA soccer superstar lives with her husband, ex-NFL player Jerramy Stevens.

"Our magnificent dog Conan (brown, on the far left) is in critical condition after being shot last night," Hope says.

"It’s hard news to share, but harder to make sense of this heinous act."

"Jerramy and I are shocked and heartbroken, but we want to say thank you to Wilkes Veterinary Hospital and their staff for rushing Conan into emergency care, as well as their COVID-19 care practices."

We're reaching out to police to find out what the hell happened and if they've identified a suspect.

In the meantime, Hope is optimistic about Conan's chances -- saying, "We‘ve heard that there are developments in canine prosthetics and would love any information about getting Conan a new front leg!"

Get well, Conan!!!!

Pop Smoke's murder remains unsolved, and the coronavirus pandemic is doing detectives no favors ... severely hindering progress in the investigation.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... response to COVID-19 and related issues has been LAPD's top priority the past 2 months, meaning less time and resources available to focus on the rapper's killer.

When detectives are able to investigate, we're told they still try to go out and safely speak face-to-face with people in an attempt to gather evidence ... but that's been a challenge already in this case.

As we first told you ... cops were running into witness issues in the case, as people were either refusing to talk about Pop's death or providing unreliable info.

On a more positive note ... our sources say investigators are hoping the rapper's upcoming posthumous debut album will renew interest in the case, get people talking, and drum up tips and new leads.

TMZ broke the story ... Pop Smoke was gunned down in February at a house owned by 'RHOBH' star Teddi Mellencamp.

It appears the murder was a targeted hit and not an armed robbery gone awry, but law enforcement's still puzzled over the motive.

The Indianapolis PD detective caught making a disgusting remark moments after Sean Reed was shot and killed will be suspended and reassigned.

Indy Metro Police Chief Randal Taylor told the Indianapolis Star the detective will be suspended, although he didn't say for how long. When he returns he'll be assigned to a new unit. The cop's identity remains anonymous for safety concerns ... according to the Chief.

TMZ broke the story ... Reed's family told us the grief was made even worse when they heard the detective saying, "I think it's going to be a closed casket, homie" moments after Reed was fatally shot during an encounter Reed streamed live on Facebook.

During the incident, Reed was seen behind the wheel of a car before he bailed out on foot. As he ran, someone was heard yelling, "Stop, stop." Reed respond, "F**k you" ... and then shots were fired and Reed fell to the ground.

His phone was still streaming, and that's when the detective popped off with the disgusting remark.

The shooting triggered tons of protests while others, like comedian Mike Epps, called on Indy PD to act swiftly while imploring the black community to "stop giving them an opportunity to kill us."

The police chief said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is terrified for her sons in the wake of Ahmaud Arbery's killing, and she says the tragedy has her family -- like so many others -- shaken and angry.

Bottoms called Ahmaud's case just the latest incident in a disturbing history of African-Americans being targets of violence -- and she told us about its impact on her city, her state and her own house ... when she joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live."

The Mayor says Ahmaud's murder hits close to home because her family's been personally affected in a similar way. It's all making her rethink "the talk" African-American parents must have with their sons -- particularly her own 18-year-old.

Typically that's about how to react with law enforcement, but Mayor KLB says she never thought to prepare him for the scenario of armed citizens ambushing him in broad daylight while out for a jog.

She added, there's a major void at the top of government when it comes to leadership for young, black men ... something she hopes will change come November. On that note, the Mayor doesn't feel President Trump's done much to fix the problem -- quite the opposite -- but she has some advice for him on how he can start helping.

A strange note was left at the exact spot where Ahmaud Arbery was shot to death -- and it seems to imply there's a witness to his slaying who hasn't come forward yet.

This card was placed at the makeshift memorial for Ahmaud on the same street he was killed in February. Local news station, News4JAX, captured the photo of the card, and what it says is incredibly haunting.

The note reads, "Ahmaud, I am so sorry. I should have stopped them. I am so sorry." No name is signed at the bottom, and no other information or context is provided. It's also unclear when the card was left there.

While the meaning is somewhat ambiguous, the most obvious possible takeaway from this is that there might've been a person witnessing the killing first-hand -- perhaps from a neighboring home nearby -- but only watched from afar instead of stepping in to help.

It could mean any number of things, though ... but it certainly appears somebody is feeling regret after the fact about something that could've been done to potentially save Ahmaud's life.

Now, the McMichaels are facing murder and aggravated assault charges -- and a new prosecutor has been assigned to the case. As we reported ... Ahmaud's mother says she wants an eye for an eye here, demanding the death penalty for her son's killers.

Ahmaud Arbery's alleged murderers came face-to-face with a young black man in their neighborhood less than 2 weeks prior to the shooting -- and now another neighbor claims it was Ahmaud they confronted.

Travis McMichael called police on February 11 at around 7:30 PM to report an unknown "lighter-skinned black male," wearing a red shirt and white pants, was trespassing on a construction site in Brunswick, GA ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ.

In the report, cops say McMichael told them he saw the black male cut across one property and enter the construction site. McMichael told cops he returned to the property and "observed the unknown male run back through the open house under construction toward the area of the back yard."

Cops responded and searched the property, but no one was there. They say the property owner, Larry English, told them "it appears the unknown male is only trespassing and plundering around as he has yet to see where anything has been taken." Cops say security footage of the incident circulated Facebook and a neighborhood watch app but nobody could identify the unknown black male.

Another neighbor, Diego Perez, says he was also present for the Feb. 11 incident, along with Travis and his father, Gregory, at the February 11 incident. It should be noted ... the police report never mentions Gregory or Diego.

Diego told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he was there because Larry English -- who was out of town -- sent him the security cam footage, and asked him to go check it out.

But, Perez says he was also on the scene Feb. 23 right after Ahmaud was shot. He claims Ahmaud is the same person the McMichaels confronted 12 days earlier.

As we've reported ... Travis and Gregory were arrested for murder and aggravated assault shortly after the chilling video of Ahmaud's shooting leaked last week.

It's interesting that the younger McMichael described the Feb. 11 trespasser as "lighter-skinned' ... because Ahmaud had a darker complexion.

Ahmaud Arbery's mother believes his murder shows more than the existence of racism in America -- she feels it's spreading like wildfire in small towns ... where people think they can get away with it.

Wanda Cooper-Jones tells TMZ ... her son's death is shining a light on a huge problem in the U.S., particularly in smaller towns in the south that she claims are racist and riddled with corruption.

She says what happened to her son in Glynn County, Georgia is Exhibit A right now. As you know ... Ahmaud was ambushed and killed by Gregory and Travis McMichael back in February, but no arrests were made until last week after video of the slaying leaked, and the case drew national attention and outrage.

Wanda tells us during the gap between her son's death and the arrests, she felt hopeless and feared there would be no justice ... but she's encouraged things are heading in the right direction now.

Still, she feels there's a long way to go. As we first told you, Ahmaud's family and legal team want everyone involved in his death to be convicted and "appropriately sentenced." For the McMichaels, at least, Wanda believes that means the death penalty.

The father and son accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery are sitting ducks in the jail as they await prosecution -- and because of that ... the men are being isolated behind bars.

Glynn County Undersheriff Ron Corbett tells TMZ ... Travis and Gregory McMichael are being housed in a separate wing of the Glynn County Detention Center away from the general population ... for their own safety. In other words, they're in protective custody.

Because of the high-profile nature of the case -- and tensions enormously high in the community -- Corbett says both of the McMichaels are siloed off in separate cells -- telling us the cells are not close enough for them to communicate with each other.

What they can do, we're told, is eat alone, periodically leave their units under a secure setting -- but only among themselves -- and that's about it, really. We're told there are no TVs in the section of the jail where they're being housed, so they can't follow the case in the news.

For security reasons, Corbett refused to say whether the men were on suicide watch or whether threats have been made on their lives.

TMZ broke the story ... Ahmaud's mother tells us she wants prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

Ahmaud Arbery's family and legal team know who they want punished for the killing of Ahmaud ... they want everyone involved with the case, from the accused murderers to law enforcement held accountable ... and they have specific punishments in mind.

Ahmaud's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, tells TMZ ... "We want all parties involved to go to prison for life." She says this includes the 2 current murder suspects -- Gregory and Travis McMichael -- along with the man who recorded Arbery's slaying, William "Roddie" Bryan.

Wanda tells us she and Ahmaud's legal team believe Bryan was involved in the fatal incident, but as we reported ... he claims he had nothing to do with it. However, he has not explained why he was recording.

For his part, Ahmaud's family's attorney, Lee Merritt, wants everyone involved in Arbery's death convicted and "appropriately sentenced."

Merritt believes Bryan should be prosecuted along with the McMichaels ... "because he actively participated in the ambush according to previous statements by the McMichaels” and “because our forensic expert says that he was likely holding and brandishing a firearm."

Merritt adds that for justice to be done, members of the Glynn County Police Department who initially failed to investigate Arbery's killing and make any arrests need to be held accountable.

He's also going after Jackie Johnson and George Barnhill, district attorneys involved in the case, for allegedly mishandling it at best ... or committing prosecutorial misconduct at worst.

Merritt tells us he believes Barnhill specifically should be disbarred by the Georgia State Bar, as well as removed from his position as District Attorney ... because of his role in both withholding information and actively attempting to taint the jury pool.

A new lead prosecutor has been appointed to the case by the Georgia Attorney General -- Joyette Holmes, the district attorney of the Cobb County Judicial Circuit.

Ahmaud's mom tells us Holmes called her to introduce herself and let her know she is taking over. Clearly, the expectations for her from Arbery's family are high.

Oprah quietly performed a super-kind gesture ... calling Ahmaud Arbery's mother to pay her respects on what would have been his 26th birthday.

Ahmaud's mom, Wanda Cooper-Jones, tells TMZ ... Oprah personally reached out Friday, offering condolences over her son's murder and wishing Ahmaud a happy birthday.

Wanda says she was in disbelief when she answered the phone to find Oprah on the other end. She's still not sure how O got her number -- O's got her ways -- but Oprah said she was thinking of Ahmaud's family on what should have been his special day.

Oprah also told Wanda she hopes the family gets justice, but stopped short of saying what she thinks justice would be. Wanda also says O was happy Ahmaud's murder suspects, Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael, were finally arrested.

Oprah's not stopping with a cordial call ... Ahmaud's mom says she's sending something in the mail, but the contents remain a mystery.

O and her family also walked 2.26 miles Friday to honor Ahmaud on the day he would have turned 26.

As we reported ... lots of celebs showed their support for Ahmaud by walking 2.23 miles, which represents the date Arbery was shot and killed while jogging in Georgia on Feb. 23.

Ahmaud's mom tells us other celebs have reached out in an outpouring of support in the wake of her son's murder, which she calls "a senseless act."

Wanda says Gayle King called and offered kind words Thursday, and Rev. Jesse Jackson called and told her he wants to visit her and Ahmaud's family when it's safe to travel again.