News Highlights: 08/21/2020

"Straight Outta Compton" star Jason Mitchell will portray Sean Bell in the upcoming biopic titled "50 Shots," which will explore one of the most controversial police shootings. The title references the 50 bullets the police fired that killed 23 year old Sean Bell in Jamaican Queens, NY. 

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According to the LA Times, 17 year old Shane Thomas an All-City soccer player at Palisades High School died on Saturday, August 15, 2020 at a park in Chino, California while with his club team for the upcoming season. Thomas' sister Cheyenne states that he left the field at Ayala Park to take some soccer balls to the coach's car. After Thomas didn't return, his teammates put out a search for him and when they found him he was unresponsive. 

(Photo Credit:losangeles.cbslocal.com) 

A Texas judge has ruled in favor of a black high school teen who was ordered by his school district to cut his dreads earlier this year. In May, the family of 16 year old Kaden Bradford filed a lawsuit after school officials asked Bradford to cut his dreadlocks stating his hair went against their dresscode/grooming policy and when he refused they suspended him. 

(Photo Credit: cnn.com)

Missing Persons: Natalie Hull and her sister Sarah Hull went missing on August 20, 2020 from Santo, Texas. Natalie is a 13 year old white female with brown hair and brown eyes; she is 5'0 and weighs 100lbs. Her sister Sarah is a 11 year old white female with blonde hair and brown eyes; she is also 5'0 and weighs 100lbs. 

32 year old Maribel Rosado Morales was gunned down in front of her children and her 2 cousins on Tuesday, August 11, 2020 in Indiantown, Florida. The suspect is 27 year old Donald Williams, who went to Morales' home to confront her about an alleged facebook video. Morales's 10 year old daughter happened to be on a zoom call for her first day of virtual class during the incident.

(Photo Credit: Maribel's Facebook) 

18 year old Winston Ortiz died after being stabbed 3 times and set aflame with a match in a Bronx apartment building. The incident took place on the 5th floor of 1045 Woodycrest Ave. in Highbridge at about 3pm. NBC reports that Ortiz was in an argument with his assailant 10 minutes before the assault.

(Photo Credit: nypost.com)

Federal prosecutors in New York say they have charged Richard Arline Jr., Donnell Russell, and Michael Williams in separate schemes to harass, intimidate, and bribe the alleged victims of Robert Kelly (who is facing charges in Chicago, IL). 

(Photo Credit: pbs.org)

Missing Person: Cynncere Oliver Brooks has been missing since August 10, 2020 from Hampton, VA. He is a 16 year old black male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5'6 and weighs 140lbs. Brooks was last seen wearing a red baseball hat. 

36 years old Curtis Holley was shot and killed in the Bronx after he flicked his cigarette butt in the direction of three nearby strangers. Holley was walking with his wife along 165th St. and Prospect Ave., near his home in Monsania, when an argument broke out between him and the three men after he flicked his cigarette their way. Once the argument escalated, one of the three men pulled out a gun and proceeded to shoot Holley. Holley died in the hospital.

(Photo Credit: NyDailyNews.com)

The Broward State Attorney's Office has decided to drop armed robbery charges against Seattle Seahawks' cornerback, 28 year old Quinton Dunbar. However, they did state they will prosecute New York Giants' cornerback, 22 year old Deandre Baker. The prosecutors announced on Friday, August 7, 2020, the Southern Florida natives (Dunbar and Baker) were arrested for the suspicion of holding people at gunpoint during a  house party in Miramar, Florida. Dunbar and Baker suspected the partygoers had stolen jewelry and money from them. 

(Photo Credit: tmz.com) 

Atlanta Comedic Legend, Tyler Craig (also known for being on the stand-up comedy show "BET's Comic-View"), has passed away at the age of 54 years old. Craig's cause of death remains unknown to the public. 

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Missing Person: Amiyah Booker has been missing since August 9, 2020 from Wyandanch, NY. She is a 16 year old black female with red hair and brown eyes. Booker has long black and red braids that she usually keeps in a bun. She is 5'2 and weighs 250lbs. Booker was last seen wearing a white dress, black slides, and carrying a purple wheeled carry on suitcase. Booker has also been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

On Wednesday, August 5, 2020, Producer Detail was arrested on 15 sexual assualt charges. According to the LATimes, not only was he arrested for 15 sexual assault charges, Noel Fisher was also charged with 5 additional felony  assault-related charges. He is being investigated for incidents that happened between 2010 and 2018. In late July, the LA County District Attorney Office was notified that charges were filed against the producer and a warrant was issued for his arrest with a bail of $6.29 million. Also, the LASD Special Victims Bureau believes there may be additional victims and are continuing to investigate. 

(Photo Credit: yahoo.com)

FBG Duck was an up and coming rapper out of Chicago who was shot and killed on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, in the Chicago Gold Coast Neighborhood. Authorities state that 2 cars pulled up with 4 individuals who got out of the vehicle and proceeded to shoot then killing the rapper. FBG Duck was known for his popular hit "Slide."

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According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lizzo has signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios to develop her own original content. She will also have total control over her own television projects through the Amazon Prime video streaming platform.

(Photo Credit: latimes.com)

Missing Person: Dilyn Taylor has been missing since August 3, 2020 from Pickerton, OH. She is a 14 year old black female. She has black hair and brown eyes. Taylor is 5'4, weighs 150lbs, and has her ears pierced. 

Takeria Adderly was reported missing on June 30, 2020. Her body was found by canine units a month later amongst heavy vegetation. On Thursday July 30, 2020 deputies confirmed the body was indeed Takeria Adderly's. After the autopsy was complete, sources revealed the cause of Adderly's death was a homicide. Authorities have since arrested the person of interest, 21 year old Christian Darrarch. 

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According to the Harris County Sherriff's office, Antonio Hick Sr. was taken into custody after he told the police he lost his temper while potty training his son and he hit him a few times. He was initially charged with injury of a child but the charge was then upgraded to murder after the toddler died in the hospital on July 25, 2020. Deputies proceeded to speak to the mother to which she stated she heard multiple slaps that eventually turned into hard punches from a different room. When she entered the room where the incident took place, she found her son unresponsive.

(Photo Credit: abc13.com)

According to the Chicago Tribune, a gunman opened fire into a parking lot fatally shooting a 9 year old playing outside with his friends. The incident happened on Friday, July 31, 2020, at the Cabrini Green Townhomes. Janari Andre Ricks was struck multiple times during the shooting. 

(Photo Credit: chicago.cbslocal.com)

Missing Persons: Alyssa and Christopher Cortez have been missing since August 1, 2020 from Los Angeles, CA. Alyssa is a 14 year old hispanic female with black hair and brown eyes. She is 4'10 and weighs 106lbs. She was last seen wearing a dark tank top and white shorts with red polka dots. Her brother, Christopher Cortez, is a 12 year old hispanic male with black hair and brown eyes. He is 4'10 and weighs 147lbs. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, black sweatpants and black & white sandals. 

The legendary rapper/beatboxer Biz Markie has announced that he has been in a hospital located in the Maryland area for weeks due to a serious illness related to his diabetes, not to the coronavirus. Biz Markie suffers from Type II Diabetes; right now the conditions of Markie's illness remains unknown. 

(Photo Credit: 107jamz.com)

On Saturday, July 25, 2020, People Magazine confirmed that the legendary Regis Philbin, known for hosting "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" and "Regis & Kelly", has passed away at 88 years old due to natural causes.

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20 year old Texan, Gloria Bambo, was found hanging in her white roommate's garage on July 12, 2020. She was found by her 19 year old white male housemate who had fully cooperated during the investigation. The Mckinney Police Department and investigators believe it was suicide, however, after an outcry from social media they are still investigating the case. 

(Photo Credit: thesun.co.uk)

Missing Person: Kimani Harris has been missing since July 23, 2020 from Winston Salem, NC. He is a 15 year old black male with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5'6 and weighs 225lbs. Harris also has a tattoo of the word "Jaylin" on his right forearm.

On Thursday, July 16, 2020 a California judge ruled that Mo'Nique can move foward with a discrimination lawsuit against Netflix after they offered her a low amount of $500K for her comedy special. US District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. has rejected the company's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit and sided with the comedian. 

(Photo Credit: Barry King/Getty Images)

A pregnant woman, Shaliyah Davis, was shot and killed on Thursday, July 16, 2020 while sitting in her SUV in Philadelphia. The incident occured in broad daylight around 2:30pm after 25 year old Davis was visiting family members that lived in the area. After investigators talked to witnesses, they stated that a male individual approached the victim's car from the passenger side, opened the door, and fired a shot.

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The Civil Rights Veteran was known for working alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and later led the Southern Christian Conference. Vivian passed away in his home on Friday, July 17, 2020. 

(Photo Credit: Steve Schapiro/Corbis via Getty Images)

Missing Person: Dulce Salazar has been missing since July 17, 2020 from Silver Spring, MD. She is a 16 year old white female with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 5'4 and weighs 160lbs. Salazar also goes by the nickname Grace. 

Popular Atlanta Rap Group Migos are suing their lawyer Damien Granderson for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from them without having proper authorization. Granderson is also being sued for failing to mention conflicts of interests from his representation of their label. They aren't only taking action against Granderson but they plan to take action against his current and previous firm.

(Photo Credit: Variety.com)

Despite the efforts of Massachusetts wedding planner Veronica Morales to stop Beyonce' from securing rights to trademark her daughter's name Blue Ivy Carter, The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board sided with the singer. A week ago Beyonce' gained the rights to her daughters name preventing others from profiting off the name. 

(Photo Credit: Elle.com)

Actress Galyn Gorg, known for her small role on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, lost her battle to cancer at the age of 55 years old. 

(Photo Credit: IMDb.com)

Missing Person: Breasia Terrell went missing on July 10, 2020 from Davenport, IA. She is a 10 year old Black female with black hair and brown eyes. She is 5'4 and weighs 75lbs. Terrell was last seen wearing an oversized white t-shirt with shorts. 

Naya Rivera, known for her role on the hit show Glee, vanished from Lake Piru on Wednesday July 8, 2020. Rivera went to the lake with her 4 year old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, where she rented a boat. News sources reported her son informed the police his mother jumped in the lake for a swim and never came back. On Thursday July 9, 2020, Los Angeles depuity Chris Dyer stated the Glee actress was presumed dead. The search has now shifted to a recovery operation. 

(Photo Credit: Vulture.com)

TMZ reported the Los Angeles Police Department issued multiple warrants in the LA area. On Thursday July 9, 2020, 5 people were arrested due to said warrants and were connected to Pop Smoke's murder. According to sources, 3 adults and 2 juveniles were arrested. 

(Photo Credit: Rollingstone.com)

Amani Kildea was an Anti-Pedophile activist. In Morristown, New Jersey, Kildea was found hanging from a tree on June 28, 2020. The local medical examiner and authorities ruled Kildea's death as suicide due to a lack of reasoning for foul play.

(Photo Credit: Revolt.tv)

Missing Persons: Genesis Padron and her brother Samuel Padron have been missing since July 9, 2020 from Southwest City, MO. Genesis is a 8 year old white female and Samuel is a 4 year old white male. They were last seen with their non-custodial parent, Hilda Melendez. Melendez is 35 years old. They are now believed to be on foot in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. 

Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen's attorney stated Guillen was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in the armory where she worked. The police have identified the suspect in her murder to be Spc. Aaron David Robinson who ended up taking his own life on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. 

(Photo Credit: abc11.com)

Darionne Burley was found shot in the head and slumped over a Honda Civic. Along with Burley's body, a sonogram from June 15, 2020 was found in her wallet. The suspect in the murder was her boyfriend, 28 year old Maurice Smith. Smith is currently in custody. 

(Photo Credit: Darionne Burley via Facebook)

On Friday, July 3, 2020 Royta Giles Jr., a student at Jonesboro Elementary School in Bessemer, was killed in  a shooting at the River Chase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama. Police stated an argument occurred between a group of boys on the first level of the mall near the food court that afternoon. During the argument a suspect, identified to be 22 year old Montez Moses Miracle Coleman, pulled a gun out of his backpack and began shooting. As a result, Giles and several other victims were fatally shot. 

(Photo Credit: Baller Alert)

Missing Child: Precious Chaparra has been missing since July 4, 2020 from Ingram, TX. She is a 10 year old Hispanic Female with black hair and brown eyes. Chaparra is 4'6 and weighs 91lbs. 

18 Year old Althea Berstein spoke to investigators and told them that the attack happened around 1 a.m. Berstein stated the event occurred when she stopped at the state street intersection heading down West Gorham Street in Wisconsin. She then expressed she heard racial slurs during her commute. As Bernstein proceeded to turn around in response to hearing the racist remarks, 4 white men sprayed a substance in her face and then threw a flamed lighter at her.

(Photo Credit: People.com)

On Thursday night June 25, 2020,  St. Louis rapper Huey (known for his hit single "Pop ,Lock, & Drop It") was murdered at the age of 31 in a double homicide. Huey suffered from one gun shot wound. 

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The survivors that were sexually harassed and endured sexual misconduct at the hands of Weinstein, have been awarded an $18,875,000 settlement in part of their class action lawsuit by the New York Attorney General. 

(Photo Credit: npr.org)

Missing Person: Jalayah Dural has been missing since July 1, 2020 from Virginia Beach, VA. She is a 15 year old black female with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 5'2 and weighs 120lbs. Dural was last seen wearing a black hoodie, dark colored pants, black and white shoes, and carrying a brown bag. Dural also has a visible scar on her forehead.

The memo sent to the employees state that such messages are prohibited under the company's policy against accessories that advocate a political, religious or personal issues.

(Photo Credit: Eater.com)

Said report was nearly blank and included no detail concerning Breonna Taylor's death. Taylor was fatally shot by 3 officers who entered her home using a no-knock search warrant signed by the District Judge Marry Shaw as part of a narcotic investigation. As a result of the innocent victim's murder, police are now  required to keep all details of incident reports recorded. Also, on June 11, 2020 Louisville Metro Council voted unanimously on the Breonna Taylor law (a law that prohibits the No-Knock Warrant).

(Photo Credit: etonline.com)

22 year old protestor and Drake University Graduate Kennedy Mitchum, cited people who used the dictionary's definition of racism to argue something is not racist. Mitchum sent an email that stated, "Racism is not only prejudice against a certain race due to the color of a person's skin as it states in the dictionary, it is both prejudice combined with social and institutional power, and  it is a system of advantage based on skin color." After Mitchum protested, she proceeded to email the Merriam-Webster editor. In response to Mitchum's argument, the editor agreed to revise the definition and improve the wording.

(Photo Credit: GoodMorningAmerica.com)

Missing Child: Gabriela Cruz went missing on May 29, 2020 from Suffolk, NY. She is a 14 year old Hispanic Female with light brown hair and brown eyes. Cruz is 5'0" and weighs 105lbs.