A night of last-minute Halloween shopping turned tragic at a Spirit Halloween store this weekend when gunfire left a pregnant woman dead and six people injured. Frightening video from inside the store captured shoppers scrambling for cover as the shooting unfolded.

Shots were fired at approximately 8:30pm on Friday at the seasonal store in Fairfield, a city outside San Francisco. The gunman remained unidentified, and no arrests had been made, according to the Fairfield Police Department.

Police announced Saturday afternoon that the only person killed was 31-year-old Constance Hages. Her family told authorities that she was pregnant.

Three male victims, aged 16, 19 and 32, were hospitalized in critical condition. Their identities have not been released.

A 23-year-old man was also hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Two other victims, a 19-year-old man and a 43-year-old man, were treated for gunshot wounds and later released, police said.

Video recorded by a witness showed terrified shoppers dropping to the ground and hiding as gunshots echoed through the Spirit Halloween store.

Jocelyn Lopez Tabares, 15, told the New York Post that she began recording the scene as evidence before calling her mother.

When the shooting began, she initially thought a balloon had burst. Her older sister then pulled her to the ground.

‘I was in shock, and everyone just went down. My sister pulled me down because I couldn’t move. I was so scared,’ Lopez Tabares recalled.

‘All I could hear was people screaming and running from the back to the front,’ she added.

Lopez Tabares said she believed she might die, telling the newspaper: ‘I didn’t want to die that way.’

She described customers rushing toward the exits while she and her sister stayed hidden inside the store, fearing for their lives.

The shaken teenager also recalled hearing a mother cry out for her baby after the gunfire began.

Miena Davis, another witness, gave a similar account to local NBC affiliate KCRA. She said she heard a mother calling for her child and described the store as descending into ‘immediate panic.’

Javier Espinoza told the outlet that he and his girlfriend moved toward the front of the store during the shooting. He and another witness lifted the security gate, allowing shoppers to flee.

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Janet Jacobo, who had been shopping with her three sons, told the New York Times that she ran from the store with her youngest child in her arms after hearing the gunshots.

Jacobo said her children were terrified. In an effort to reassure them after the traumatic experience, she told them it had been a ‘scary show at the Halloween store.’

The investigation into the shooting is still active and ongoing. The Fairfield Police Department said on Saturday morning that it is believed to have ‘stemmed from a targeted incident involving one suspect inside the Spirit Halloween store.’ 

‘We encourage everyone to remain vigilant, look out for one another, and report any suspicious activity,’ the department added in a statement.

‘The safety of our community remains our priority, and our department remains committed to working alongside our community to ensure everyone can enjoy a safe Halloween.’

Separately, another community was rocked on Friday night when a second shooting unfolded while revelers were shopping for last-minute costumes at a Spirit Halloween in Michigan. 

Shots rang out at the store following an altercation between a 21-year-old man from Detroit and a 21-year-old male from Oak Park, according to the Madison Heights Police Department. 

The Detroit man sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died. A 9mm handgun was recovered at the scene. 

The Oak Park man sustained non-life-threatening injuries after he was assaulted by bystanders before officers took him into custody. The department said investigators anticipate forthcoming criminal charges. 

The suspect’s wife, named only as Alanna, told Click on Detroit that her husband shot in self-defense. 

She said they were leaving the store with their three children when an acquaintance confronted them. Alanna claimed her husband fired a shot fearing the man was armed.

‘If he didn’t have that gun, and we walked out here and all those people would’ve jumped on him, would I be at the hospital right now praying over my husband? He defended me, himself, and his kids,’ she said. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Fairfield Police Department and the Madison Heights Police Department for updates on the investigations into both shootings. 

At least seven people were wounded early Sunday in a shooting near Indiana University Bloomington as students and visitors gathered for homecoming weekend.

Bloomington police officers responding to reports of “multiple gunshots” encountered a large crowd and later spotted a man fleeing with a firearm at about 1:30 a.m., Deputy Chief Ryan Pedigo said.

A fight reportedly broke out in the crowd shortly before the gunfire, according to WTHR.

The conditions of those injured were not immediately available. Pedigo said no fatalities had been reported.

Investigators are also trying to determine whether additional victims may have been hurt but have not yet come forward.

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Police detained one person and recovered a firearm nearby, though authorities have not determined whether that individual was the shooter, Pedigo said.

Officers found shell casings from several calibers on the sidewalk near the shooting scene, a discovery that suggests more than one gun may have been used, the Bloomingtonian reported.

The gunfire erupted on Kirkwood Avenue near Grant Street, a busy nightlife area popular with students and located just three blocks from the IU campus.

The shooting followed a high-energy homecoming night for Indiana University, whose Hoosiers defeated Minnesota in a dramatic overtime victory earlier Saturday evening.

Sean Kirkpatrick, the former chief of the Pentagon’s UFO investigation office, is urging caution over a reported sighting of a mysterious black triangle by FBI personnel. Speaking to News Media, he said the newly released account does not contain enough evidence to establish what the witnesses actually observed.

The former director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) said recently declassified UAP records should be evaluated on verifiable evidence—not treated as confirmation of extraterrestrial activity.

Among the documents is a report of a 2026 encounter involving FBI personnel. The witnesses described a dark, nonreflective triangular object with no apparent engines, exhaust or conventional means of propulsion. According to the account, it rose above a mountain ridge before vanishing rapidly into a canyon.

A separate AARO summary said the matte-black triangle rose roughly 200 to 300 feet above the ridgeline, remained suspended for about 20 seconds and then seemed to accelerate nearly instantaneously.

Kirkpatrick, a veteran of almost three decades in the Defense Department and intelligence community, said the witnesses’ FBI credentials do not, by themselves, prove the accuracy of their interpretation.

“There’s a lot of people that like to point to folks as being credible witnesses and therefore their testimony must be taken at face value,” Kirkpatrick told News Media. “And that is a classic case of authority bias.”

Without photographs, sensor records or other corroborating material, Kirkpatrick said investigators have little basis for determining what the witnesses encountered—or whether the object was unusual at all.

“Some of this is just, ‘hey, I saw something, I don’t know what it is,’” Kirkpatrick said. “People sometimes have a tendency to fill that gap with very extreme beliefs that have time and again proven to be inaccurate and fallible.”

One potential explanation for some triangular UFO reports, he said, is classified aerospace technology. Kirkpatrick compared them with sightings of the F-117 stealth aircraft before the public became aware of its existence.

According to Kirkpatrick, AARO grouped UAP cases into three principal possibilities: sophisticated technology operated by a foreign adversary, familiar objects or sensor-related effects that were misidentified, and an extraterrestrial origin.

“You’ve got 3 very distinct buckets,” Kirkpatrick said.

Investigators can then look for particular indicators associated with each category and compare them with the information gathered during an encounter, he explained.

“When you get data from an observation, actual data, not just a story, you compare that data to those signatures,” Kirkpatrick said.

“None of the data that we saw and reviewed and analyzed matches an alien hypothesis theory,” he added.

Kirkpatrick said the majority of cases reviewed by his office ultimately involved conventional objects or natural events that existing sensors were not built to identify clearly. A limited number raised the possibility of foreign adversary activity and were passed to national security officials for additional review.

He also cautioned against reading too much into the term “unresolved,” which frequently appears in official UAP files. The label does not automatically indicate that investigators discovered something beyond explanation.

“When we say a case is unresolved, it generally means there is no data or there is insufficient data to actually analyze it,” Kirkpatrick said. “And so you can’t conclude one way or the other.”

Investigators may have an idea of what an object likely was based on similar cases, he said, but without sufficient raw data, they cannot reach a definitive conclusion.

Kirkpatrick said some cases released publicly as unresolved had previously been resolved by AARO.

“Many of these cases, we did resolve, and I even briefed several of them to Congress with the answers and what they were and what they were likely to be,” Kirkpatrick said.

He said Pentagon leadership directed AARO to remove language explaining what investigators had determined before some cases were released publicly as unresolved.

“Pentagon leadership had told AARO to remove all of the resolution language and put these cases out as unresolved,” Kirkpatrick said. “Letting, and I quote, ‘the people make up their own mind,’ which is the absolute worst thing that you could do because all you’ve done is continue to just feed the flames of conspiracy with a whole bunch of nonsense.”

Kirkpatrick did not specify when the directive was issued or which Pentagon leaders were involved.

The War Department separately told News Media that it is not providing assessments of the newly released files, allowing the public to reach its own conclusions.

“We are not providing any comment or assessment on the files overall or on any specific file, so that the American people can make up their own minds regarding the files,” a War Department official said on background.

The department also confirmed that images accompanying the FBI triangular-object report were illustrations rather than photographs of the object itself.

Kirkpatrick said “unidentified” carries a different meaning than “unresolved,” though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.

“Unidentified generally means we can see and characterize an object and we have data to support that characterization, but we don’t know what it is,” he said.

He pointed to objects shot down over North America following the discovery of a Chinese surveillance balloon in 2023 as examples of objects that were initially unidentified before investigators determined they were balloons.

Other records released by the government stretch back decades, including reports of strange objects near California’s Santa Catalina Island in the 1950s.

Kirkpatrick said historical sightings must also be considered alongside the technology that existed at the time, pointing to early high-altitude balloon programs as a possible explanation for some reports of bright objects in the sky.

“There are thousands of these reports,” Kirkpatrick said. “And so even if there were alien visitations to Earth, there are not thousands of them.”

The possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe should not be confused with evidence that extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth, Kirkpatrick said.

“It’s statistically invalid to believe that’s not going to be the case, but the probability of them being here is just as statistically unrealistic,” he said.

Looking broadly at the latest records, Kirkpatrick said he saw little that changed his assessment.

“I mean, there’s nothing new,” Kirkpatrick said.

News Media reached out to the FBI for comment.

A federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, telling the president that his legal arguments amounted to “grasping at straws” over an alleged birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump brought the case against the newspaper and media executive Rupert Murdoch after the Journal published a letter said to have been signed by him. The document reportedly included a sexually suggestive drawing and the line: “May every day be another wonderful secret.”

US District Judge Darrin Gayles, sitting in Miami, threw out the complaint with prejudice. He found that Trump had failed to show the defendants acted with actual malice, the legal standard required for a public figure to prevail in a defamation case.

In his decision, Judge Gayles said the lawsuit appeared to be an attempt to “manufacture” shortcomings in the Wall Street Journal’s reporting rather than establish a viable legal claim.

A dismissal with prejudice is permanent, meaning the same lawsuit cannot be filed again or revived in the lower court.

Dow Jones, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, welcomed the ruling. A spokesperson told The Daily Mail: “We’re pleased with the court’s decision.”

Trump’s legal team, however, said the president plans to challenge the decision on appeal when contacted by The Daily Mail.

“President Trump will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants,” a spokesperson said. “The President will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable for their actions.”

The ruling represents a setback for Trump and his administration, both of which have maintained increasingly combative relationships with major news organizations during his second term.

Beyond the Wall Street Journal case, Trump is also involved in legal disputes with the BBC and The Associated Press. CNN, MS NOW and Politico are separately suing him for restored access after being barred from the White House in mid-September.

Trump has repeatedly attacked news outlets over coverage he dislikes, often labeling reports “fake news” and directing insults at the journalists who produce them.

The Wall Street Journal lawsuit centered on an article about a sexually suggestive letter and illustration that the newspaper said carried Trump’s name. The material was reportedly included in a 2003 album assembled for Epstein’s 50th birthday.

According to the report, the album was compiled by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell years before Epstein’s first arrest in 2006 and before his relationship with Trump later deteriorated.

The message reportedly included the words: “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” followed by the observation, “A pal is a wonderful thing.”

The newspaper said the note was written inside an outline resembling a woman’s body and concluded: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

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Trump has denied authoring the message, describing the Journal’s report as “false, malicious, and defamatory.”

When the letter was initially published, the Trump administration rejected its authenticity and forcefully disputed the newspaper’s account.

‘The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal proves this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false,’ White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on X. ‘As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.’ 

‘President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation,’ her statement continued, lambasting the reporter for publishing ‘fake news’ about the ‘Democrat Epstein Hoax!’

The famed birthday book is reportedly a compilation of messages collected by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday.

She collected and scanned the materials and bound them into an album she gave to Epstein for his birthday in 2003. Many big names wrote messages to Epstein for his birthday, according to multiple reporters who have allegedly viewed the binder.

Reports also indicate that the book contained a handwritten note from former President Bill Clinton, who had a social and professional relationship with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, accused the paper and its reporters of having ‘knowingly and recklessly’ published ‘numerous false, defamatory, and disparaging statements,’ which, it alleged, caused ‘overwhelming financial and reputational harm’ to the president.

Judge Gayles previously dismissed the suit in April, saying Trump had failed to make the argument that the article was published with the intent to be malicious. But he gave the president a chance to file an amended complaint, which he did in May.

In Saturday’s ruling, the judge cited the Supreme Court’s landmark 1964 ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. 

That decision made it harder for public figures to win libel lawsuits because it requires proof that a media outlet knowingly published something false or showed a reckless disregard for the truth, an ‘actual malice’ standard.

‘The Amended Complaint falls short of pleading actual malice,’ Gayles wrote. 

‘Indeed, the allegations regarding malice are conclusory, vague, sometimes inconsistent with the Article, and often irrelevant to whether Defendants knew or should have known that the statements in the Article were purportedly false.’

The judge also noted that the Journal’s story did not ignore or minimize Trump’s denial, ‘Rather, it informed readers that President Trump decried the Letter as a fake and denied writing it.’

Gayles also said several other allegations in the lawsuit did not have merit.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing criticism over her participation in a Netflix documentary examining allegations that seven men sexually assaulted a woman at Cornell University, as the case undergoes a renewed investigation.

The seven men have not been criminally charged. In October, Hochul signed an executive order appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the investigation.

In the newly released documentary titled “Instadocs: Jane Doe v. Cornell,” Hochul appears around 13 minutes into the film, expressing her own reaction to news surrounding the case.

In an interview for the documentary, Hochul described her immediate response to the allegations. “My first reaction was how disgusting, not again. You feel like, not again,” she said.

The governor also connected the case to her own experience as an undergraduate at Syracuse University in the late 1970s.

“There were a series of rapes our first week on campus and there was a sense of anxiety all around,” Hochul recalled.

She denounced what she characterized as a persistent campus “culture” that “has never changed.”

“The number of people involved and the repugnancy of her allegations would’ve drawn you to local police department fairly quickly,” Hochul said.

The allegations, filed publicly under the name Jane Doe, drew national attention after she brought a civil lawsuit against seven Cornell Chi Phi fraternity members, the university, her sorority and other parties. She alleged that she was drugged and gang-raped inside a fraternity house in 2024.

Jane Doe filed the lawsuit nearly two years after first reporting the allegations to local authorities. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said that “multiple prosecutors and criminal investigators reviewed Jane Doe’s statement and correctly determined the alleged facts as set forth in the statement do not constitute a crime.”

During the Netflix interview, Hochul also addressed questions about how law enforcement handled the allegations.

“In a situation like this, you want to make sure that people believe in the process,” Hochul said.

Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney and host of the “Crime and Justice with Donna Rotunno” podcast, faulted Hochul for appearing in the documentary. Rotunno argued that the governor’s comments could deepen concerns about whether the investigation and potential prosecution are being handled fairly.

“The governor can say anything she wants about anything. The question is, should she?” Rotunno said.

“The problem you have here is there has already been the air of impropriety,” she added.

Rotunno further questioned the timing of Hochul’s involvement, calling the governor’s concern “suspect” and asking why she intervened two years after the allegations were first reported.

“If she was so in tune as to what was happening in Ithaca or elsewhere in the state of New York, this is probably something that should have been on her radar,” Rotunno said.

When asked by News Media about why she made the decision to appear in the documentary, a spokesperson for Hochul told News Media: “Governors routinely speak to news and media organizations about matters of significant public interest.”

Dramatic body-camera video shows the moment Rhode Island police exchanged gunfire with a suspected boat thief aboard a luxury sailboat stolen from a New Jersey marina.

Four Newport police officers rushed toward the missing Pathfinder, a 1968 Hinckley Bermuda 40, after spotting Brendan Norris aboard the vessel at Newport Marina on Aug. 26.

Norris, 27, was on deck raising the anchor with the engines running when he suddenly fled below deck, according to footage released by Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy.

“Sir, stay on the deck,” one officer shouted while aiming his weapon at the sailboat.

As two officers boarded the vessel, Norris fired at least one round, hitting one of them in the leg.

Officers responded with a 19-second volley of gunfire directed toward Norris.

Amid the barrage, two officers leaped from the stolen sailboat onto a nearby harbormaster’s vessel to get out of the line of fire.

“Shots fired, shots fired. One hit,” an officer reported over the radio.

Duffy said the officer suffered shrapnel wounds to the face as well as a gunshot wound to the leg.

The injured officer moved toward the cabin entrance, where he found Norris suffering from fatal injuries.

“I’ve got a suspect down. I have my eyes on him,” the officer said over the radio.

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Another officer repeatedly asked, “Who’s been hit?”

“I’ve been hit in the leg, relax,” the officer answered while climbing into the cabin. “Everybody chill.”

Norris was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering a severe gunshot wound to the head.

The wounded officer was taken to a hospital in stable condition and has since returned to duty, Duffy said.

The alleged theft began with a late-night break-in at Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City, across the river from Manhattan, on Aug. 22.

Security footage showed Norris spending about 90 minutes around the New Jersey marina before allegedly taking control of the docked Pathfinder.

He sailed the vessel through the Upper Bay and beneath the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge before allegedly shutting off its transponder, the system used to track the boat.

The boat’s owner, Jim Bonomo, reported it missing after arriving at the marina with his wife on Aug. 23 and discovering that the vessel he had owned for 10 years was gone.

Bonomo subsequently warned marinas along the East Coast to watch for the Pathfinder.

The harbormaster in Newport noticed the vessel matching the description of the missing Pathfinder but its name had been scraped off the stern.

The harbormaster called police about Norris, leading to the confrontation in the harbor just after 9 a.m.