1 French Christmas Market Shooter Dead
Earlier this week, we told you about a suspected terror attack in Strasbourg, France – and a lot has changed in 48 hours. The shooting has indeed been deemed a terror attack – and the suspected gunman – Cheriff Chekatt has now been killed by police after being on the run since Tuesday night. We’re still short on details, but officials are saying that the 29-year-old had been on a terrorist watch list before the shooting. In addition, French-born Chekatt had a long criminal record and had even served jail time in France, Germany and Switzerland. It’s believed that he was radicalized while he was incarcerated. As for how police locked in on Chekatt, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner says that a man matching his description was spotted in another area of Strasbourg and that when officers moved in, an exchange of gunfire ensued. Chekatt was killed in the melee. Castaner later took to Twitter to offer his thanks for the quick work of police. The market itself will reopen today.
2 Tipster Hailed As Hero In School Shooting Attempt
Everyone laughs about the “if you see something, say something” – but this time, it stopped something horrific from happening: a school shooting. And that’s not a guess, that’s the word from Indiana State Police, who say the call they received resulted in no students getting injured at Dennis Intermediate school in Richmond. When the report came in, schools were notified and put on lockdown…and officers respond. In fact, they arrived at Dennis at the same time as the 14-year-old shooter. Witnesses say he was outside of the school, and shooting his way in when officers made contact. Officials say shots were exchanged between the teen and police before he shot and killed himself. The teen has not been identified. As for who made the call or what they said, that hasn't been released either. But Dennis will remain closed for a couple of days and the school district says that while this was an isolated incident, they understand a lot of kids may be staying home today. "We will have extra law enforcement presence at all schools," the district says in a statement. "If you plan to keep your children home tomorrow, we understand."
3 Bomb Threats, Evacuations Across The Country
Dozens of bomb threats are being reported at news outlets, government buildings, banks, libraries schools and other businesses across the U.S. Around the country, places like Columbine High school, WNDU in Indiana and Capital University in Ohio all were evacuated for bomb threats. The threats allegedly stem from a mass email where an unknown writer demands bitcoin in exchange for safety. Oklahoma City police report ten bomb threats had been sent to various places in the city, and there are reports of 12 so far in Chicago. Nebraska police say they've responded to six different bomb threats today and a Jewish Community Center in San Francisco was evacuated following the threat. Other threats were also reported in Florida, Utah, Iowa, Maryland, New York and North Carolina.