Weapons & Guns

Sen. Lindsey Graham knows it's been a rough week for policing in America, and that's why he's calling on Congress to take another swing at police reform legislation.

We got the Senator from South Carolina Thursday on Capitol Hill and he told our photog it's time to get something done on police reform ... and he sounds pretty confident about working with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to hammer out a deal.

Graham says the goal needs to be changing the culture of policing ... and that means beefing up training, making sure police departments are diverse and putting officers on the streets who are part of the communities they serve.

It sounds like some of the recent examples of fatal police shootings might spur Congress to take action ... Graham mentions the Daunte Wright shooting, where former cop Kim Potter says she mixed up her taser and gun. He says it's "a sad way to lose a life."

Graham, who actually acknowledges his own white privilege in this clip, is not defending all cops unilaterally or calling for defunding the police ... telling us why both ideologies paint with too broad a brush.

A Chicago police officer shot and killed a 13-year-old in what was reported as an "armed confrontation" -- but newly released footage of the incident seems to show the kid raising his empty hands as the cop fired.

Adam Toledo was killed during a foot pursuit in Chicago around 2:30 AM on March 29, and the officer's body cam was recording as he caught up to the teenager in an alley.

In the video, the officer yells, "Show me your f**king hands." It also sounds like he said, "stop it" ... or "drop it" ... and then fired a single shot. Adam was putting his hands up at that moment.

He died as a result of the gunshot according to the Cook County medical examiner. Adam's family claims Chicago PD took 2 days to notify them of his death, and they think cops have been cagey about providing details.

According to police, officers were responding to a shots fired call, and saw "two males in a nearby alley." Cops say one of them was armed and fled, then one officer fired shots and hit a suspect in the chest.

Police initially only said the person "was pronounced deceased on scene" but didn't specify the age of the person the officer had shot.

Daunte Wright's family is demanding a conviction and a life sentence for Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center police officer charged in his death.

Daunte's aunt, Naisha Wright, was super emotional in a news conference Thursday, saying Potter's second-degree manslaughter charge is not enough. If convicted, she would face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison -- and it's clear that, at this point, the family considers anything less than a life sentence a slap in the face.

As you know ... Potter, who shot and killed Wright during a traffic stop Sunday, was arrested and charged Wednesday. She's already been released from jail on $100k bail.

Police say Potter, who resigned from the force Tuesday, meant to use her Taser, but accidentally discharged her gun instead, firing one fatal round into Daunte's left side.

Daunte's aunt held up images of a police Taser and the type of gun used to kill her nephew ... wondering how a veteran police officer could make such a fatal mistake.

A high school basketball coach in North Carolina was shot to death while trying to steal drugs and money from a stash house used by a violent Mexican drug cartel, officials say.

Yeah, this is one of the craziest stories we've ever heard.

Officials have identified Barney Harris -- who worked as a coach and teacher at Union Academy in Monroe.

Investigators say Harris was also part of a "criminal organization" that was hell-bent on robbing some of the most dangerous people in town ... the Sinaloa New Generation Cartel.

According to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, Harris -- along with "a team of people" -- snuck into a mobile home park on April 8 to clean out a "stash house" used by the Cartel.

Harris allegedly entered the stash house first and captured one of the Cartel members, Alonso Beltran Lara.

Officials say Lara was subsequently tied up and shot twice in the head, execution-style.

At some point during the incident, officials say another suspected Cartel member entered the home and a gun battle broke out.

"It was almost like an old western shootout," Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said.

"What was found was over 30-some shell casings in the trailer and outside the trailer, and three other mobile homes, in that particular park, with bullet holes in them."

When cops arrived at the scene, they found Harris shot to death in one of the bedrooms. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest and mask at the time. But, officials say his vest was no match for the high-powered weapons that were used against him.

Officials say they found Lara still alive and raced him to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Sheriff Johnson says investigators searched the crime scene and found 5 guns, roughly $7,000 in cash and more than a KILO of what they believe to be cocaine.

The concern now ... officials are VERY worried about violent retaliation from the Cartel.

"When we are dealing with the Mexican drug cartel ... somebody is probably gonna die as a result of this," Sheriff Johnson said.

"The Mexican cartels, they don't forget. They're gonna pay somebody back, somewhere and that concerns me."

Some poor excuse for a human performed a savage act on a foster dog ... stabbing and beating it purely out of vengeance, and now others are mobilizing to save the dog and find the scumbags who left it for dead.

Kari Whitman, the founder of the dog rescue org Ace of Hearts, tells TMZ ... a 9-year-old Dogo Argentino mix named Brodie had been under foster care in California City, about 2 hours northeast of L.A.

We're told late Tuesday night ... the foster mom, who had been living with her sister, got into an argument with her sister and at some point, Brodie was left in the yard of the home.

Sadly, when the foster mom returned she found Brodie with a stab wound down his spine, a broken leg and his hip was shattered in 4 places. Poor Brodie had previously been at a high-kill shelter before being rescued by Ace of Hearts ... and at this point, it's unclear who took out their anger on him.

However, the foster mom believes one of her sister's friends may have done it to get back at the foster mom for the argument.

Either way ... Brodie was taken to a local vet and later transferred to ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospitals in the San Fernando Valley. We're told he's currently fighting for his life there ... and sadly, may never walk again because he suffered major nerve damage.

Kari, whose org had been caring for Brodie before he went into the foster home, tells us anyone who wants to help Brodie can call ACCESS directly and donate.

Kim Potter, the Brooklyn Center police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright, has resigned from the force, effective immediately.

Potter wrote a letter Tuesday to Mayor Mike Elliott, Acting City Manager Reggie Edwards and Police Chief Tim Gannon ... saying, "I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately."

Mayor Elliott announced Chief Gannon is also stepping down.

The resignations come following the second night of unrest in Minnesota that included looting, clashes with police and arrests. As we reported, citizens took to the streets Monday night in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center ... gathering outside the police station to demand justice.

There had been a 7 PM curfew set in place but the streets remained flooded with protesters. Cops ultimately dispersed the crowd with flash bombs and chemical agents. Protesters also got violent ... launching objects at cops.

The protests came after 20-year-old Wright was shot and killed by Potter ... whose body cam footage shows her yelling "Taser" as she clearly was holding her handgun. She fired one round that ultimately killed Wright. You can also hear Potter on body cam footage saying, "S**t, I just shot him."

The family of Daunte Wright -- the 20-year-old Black man killed by police near Minneapolis -- just delivered impassioned, heartbreaking words about his fatal shooting ... and their pain is palpable.

Several of Daunte's loved ones spoke at the news conference outside the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, including his mother, Katie ... who told the devastating story of her final phone call with her son as he was dealing with the police in what would turn out to be a deadly traffic stop.

Chyna Whitaker, the mother of Daunte's young son, spoke on how Daunte didn't live to see their child's second birthday ... saying the police stole her son's dad from him.

Other family members, including Daunte's grandmother, cousin and aunt, also delivered emotional, powerful words about their tragic loss.

George Floyd's family was also on hand to lend love and support to the Wright family, and along with everyone else ... called for justice in the case. Daunte's aunt also pointed out the 2 families have another connection -- she says Floyd's girlfriend used to be one of Wright's teachers.

Even a relative of Emmett Till spoke, saying ... "The past is not past until justice is served."

The news conference took place outside the courthouse where former Minneapolis PD officer Derek Chauvin is currently on trial after being charged with murdering Floyd during his arrest on May 25, 2020.

Wright was fatally shot on Sunday by a cop in Brooklyn Center -- a Minneapolis suburb about 10 miles from the courthouse where Chauvin's standing trial.

Ben Crump joined "TMZ Live" to discuss the tragedy, which he calls the latest example of implicit bias against people of color by police. Crump points to the alleged discrepancies in why Wright was pulled over in the first place, and says the incident never should have escalated to a violent confrontation.

Crump adds that President Biden's comments about rioting in wake of Wright's killing are fair, but says the Prez needs to also rebuke the unarmed killings of Black men by police in America.

As we reported ... body cam footage of the incident shows the officer, Kim Potter -- a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center PD -- shot Wright during his struggle with the police. After the shot, you can hear her exclaim, "Holy s**t, I just shot him."

Police Chief Tim Gannon claims Potter meant to use her Taser, but accidentally discharged her gun instead. Wright died from the gunshot wound.

Protests and riots broke out in Minnesota just 10 miles from where Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd ... following the killing of another Black man by police.

20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a police officer Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb. Wright died as cops were trying to take him into custody during a traffic stop after learning he had outstanding warrants.

According to reports ... Wright was shot after getting back into his vehicle and trying to flee. He drove several blocks before crashing to a stop. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon says medical workers attempted life-saving measures, but he died at the scene.

Shortly after Wright's death, protesters gathered and marched to the police department, which led to what the city's mayor called "growing civil unrest" ... resulting in the National Guard deployment.

It's unclear what effect Wright's death and subsequent protests could have on Chauvin's trial -- which begins its 11th day just miles away -- but it's worth noting the jury is NOT sequestered, so will be exposed to all this news ... and there are only 2 alternates.

Clashes between demonstrators and police continued until the late hours, and at one point it seemed law enforcement released smoke canisters to disperse the crowd.

The woman caught on video pointing a gun out of her car window, then firing it out of her sunroof at a busy L.A. intersection has been charged with 3 felonies ... and she's still sitting in jail.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... Ashley Tamika Greenwade's been hit with one count of assault with a firearm for the April 6 incident, along with one count of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and one count of having a concealed firearm in a vehicle that's not registered to her.

We're told the first charge is due to Greenwade allegedly aiming her weapon at a person from her vehicle before she fired it up in the air.

Greenwade is still in police custody. She's being held on $35,000 bail ... and is facing up to 4 years behind bars.

As we reported ... the surreal road rage scene went down last week. The suspect was recorded screaming at someone off-camera before whipping out a handgun and loading it.

As she pointed it, she asked .... "Anybody wanna die now? Anybody???" Then, she unloaded several shots straight up through her sunroof.

New Mexico State Police are revealing the harrowing moment Officer Darian Jarrott was disgustingly gunned down in cold blood when he pulled over a drug dealer armed with an assault weapon.

NM cops just released this dashcam and bodycam video from Officer Jarrott ... he had pulled over Omar Felix Cueva on Feb. 4 on the I-10 outside Las Cruces. Jarrott told Cueva he was being stopped because his window tint was too dark. Cueva was initially cooperative, but the stop took an ugly turn when Jarrott asked Cueva if he had any firearms.

Jarrott apparently saw a weapon inside Cueva's truck as he was stepping out of the vehicle, and asked Cueva if he could take it off him ... as he put it, "for my safety?" Those would be one of Jarrott's last words. As Cueva stepped out of the truck, Jarrott couldn't see him lift an AR-15-style rifle ... which he unloaded at the officer as they got to the back of the truck.

You hear Jarrott yell, "Oh, s**t!" as the bullets started flying. Cops say Jarrott went down immediately, and Cueva ran over to him and fired several more rounds at point-blank range before fleeing the scene.

While a Dept. of Homeland Security officer arrived and tried to save Jarrott's life, a 40-mile pursuit of Cueva was just beginning. Police eventually tracked him down on the highway, using a PIT maneuver to spin his truck.

Cueva initiated an all-out gun battle with the cops and was killed in the hail of return fire. Las Cruces PD officer Adrian De La Garza was injured in the shootout but survived after treatment at a hospital.

Tim Stark -- famous for being one of the animal park staffers on 'Tiger King' -- threatened to take his own life after taking a loss in court ... and now police are involved.

Here's the deal ... Tim went on Facebook Live Wednesday night after an Indiana judge banned him from owning animals, and made several threats against himself and anyone coming to his property.

As you can see in the video, Tim shows what appears to be a syringe attached to his arm, which he claims is filled with drugs used for euthanasia.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police are aware of the video and they contacted Tim Thursday to investigate the incident. At this point, they say he is fine, but add ... they'll continue monitoring his Facebook for any possible criminal activity.

The suicide threats are alarming and so is this -- law enforcement tells us Tim threatened to potentially shoot anyone who comes to his home. Cops have not yet made physical contact with him.

The man who slaughtered 5 people Wednesday -- including 2 children -- at a home in South Carolina has been identified as former NFL player Phillip Adams, according to reports.

Officials believe 32-year-old Adams -- a 7th-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft -- stormed a home in Rock Hill, SC on Wednesday afternoon and shot 5 people to death.

The victims have been identified as 70-year-old Dr. Robert Lesslie, his 69-year-old wife, Barbara Lesslie -- and their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie.

A 5th victim, 38-year-old James Lewis, was working at the home when the gunman opened fire, killing him.

A 6th person was shot -- but that person survived and is being treated at a nearby hospital.

A furious manhunt was underway for the gunman.

But, the case took another dark twist on Thursday morning ... when sources say officials found the body of Phillip Adams, who appeared to have taken his own life around midnight Thursday morning, by way of gunshot.

According to the reports, there was a prior connection between Adams and the victims -- the football player's parents live in the area and Phillip had reportedly been previously treated by Dr. Robert Lesslie.

Adams was a star defensive back at South Carolina State in the late 2000s before being drafted by the 49ers in 2010.

He bounced around to the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders -- playing in 52 NFL games before his NFL career ended following the 2013 season.

A woman waiting to merge into a busy L.A. intersection lost her patience in a hurry -- she pointed a gun out the window, threatened to kill people ... and fired.

Check out this surreal scene that went down Tuesday, when this woman appeared to be held up at a stop sign at what we're told was Fairfax Ave. and Olympic Blvd. -- an intersection that sees a lot of rush hour traffic, and this was recorded at 5:30 PM PT.

The video starts as the woman seems to be screaming at someone off-camera with her window rolled down -- and before long, she whips out a handgun, which looks like a revolver, and loads it.

She points the firearm and then asks an ominous question ... "Anybody wanna die now? Anybody???" The woman appears to point the gun at different cars passing in front of her ... it makes for a terrifying scene. Even scarier is what she did next -- unload a round straight-up through her sunroof.

Luckily, it doesn’t look like she hit anyone or any cars -- and law enforcement sources tell us cops eventually caught up to her and were able to detain her without further incident.

Kodak Black was being targeted by hitmen when his security guard was shot in the leg ... at least according to cops, who are reviewing threats made against him before the shooting.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Monday morning's shooting down in Florida appears to be a hit and not just an armed robbery. We're told police are aware of a series of online threats to Kodak's life, and cops are looking into them.

We’re told cops are specifically reviewing threatening comments apparently made by music producer Southside during an Instagram Live Sunday, seemingly in response to Kodak's IG Live mention of Southside's girlfriend, City Girls rapper Yung Miami.

However, our law enforcement sources tell us they have no named suspects in the shooting right now ... and the investigation remains open and ongoing.

As we reported ... Kodak and his entourage were ambushed around 3 AM Monday outside a fast food joint in Tallahassee, resulting in a serious gunshot wound for one of his security guards, with law enforcement saying the shooter opened fire from a car that was tailing Kodak after he left a nightclub.

The man who rammed into Capitol police and attempted to slice them with a knife, bought that weapon just hours before the fatal incident ... suggesting he premeditated the whole attack.

TMZ has obtained shots of Noah Green in a D.C. kitchen appliance store 90 minutes before authorities say he drove his car into a barricade at the Capitol last week and proceeded to get shot and killed after getting out to attack officers with a knife.

Green was in District Cutlery -- about a 10-minute drive from the Capitol -- and he purchased the blade you see here. We're told it's a Kurosaki Shizuku Sujihiki 270mm SG2 knife, and it retails for about $300.

You can see the knife he purchased at the store looks identical to the one police recovered at the scene after Green was gunned down, and a Capitol Police officer was killed.

Eyewitnesses say Green was calm and collected during his purchase, and didn't seem to raise any red flags to bystanders.

Step aside, Cinnamon Toast Crunch ... Flamin' Hot Cheetos has raised a man's shrimp tails and rat poo claims with a bullet ... at least that's what a father in Montana's claiming.

Bow Horn Weasel of Elmo, Montana tells TMZ ... he bought the bag of chips Saturday at a local convenience store and his 6-year-old son broke it open Easter Sunday for a lil spicy chow down.

We're told the boy found the bullet at the bottom of the bag after devouring the chips. The bullet appears to have Hot Cheetos' red coating on it. Bow scoffs at the doubters, saying a bullet didn't just drop out of the sky into the bag ... and don't even get him started with people who think the whole thing is made up.

Bow says he reached out to Frito-Lay on Facebook and also fired off an email. He claims it wasn't long before a company rep reached out with a specialist who told Bow they're taking the matter seriously. Bow says Frito-Lay's sending him a kit for some sort of testing.

Bow says he's not looking for compensation. He just wants Frito-Lay to take a hard look so this thing doesn't ever happen again.

We've reached out to PepsiCo, Frito-Lay's parent company ... so far no word back.