In Columbia, South Carolina, a Saturday morning shootout involving a man with a lengthy arrest history left one police officer dead and a second officer injured, authorities said.

The officers had been dispatched shortly after 9:30 a.m. to a home for a domestic dispute call. A woman told police that a man she had a restraining order against was inside her residence and damaging property.

Police said the man had already left by the time officers reached the home. About an hour later, they located him, and the encounter escalated into what authorities described as a “gunfight.”

“Our hearts are broken this evening,” Columbia police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook said at a news conference later Saturday. “We gather under the worst of circumstances you could possibly imagine. We’re deeply hurt.”

Holbrook added, “It’s with heartbreak and sadness that I inform you that one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries.”

Officer Christopher DeLong, 29, had been with the police department for two years and leaves behind a wife and two young children, Holbrook said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with Officer DeLong’s family, his loved ones and friends and coworkers,” he said.

The second officer, David Dymock, is in stable condition, Holbrook said, adding, “our prayers are with him as he continues to recover from wounds sustained during the gunfight.”

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The suspect, identified as Adam Tyler Dowdy, was also killed in the gunfight.

Dowdy had a series of arrests for disorderly conduct, operating a motor vehicle under the influence, contempt of court, public intoxication, possession of a controlled substance and probation violations, Holbrook said.

Holbrook added that Dowdy may have been out on bond for battery in Georgia.

“We’re still trying to verify that preliminary information,” he said. “He has a history of several arrests that span through the following states: South Carolina, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Georgia.”

He asked for people to pray for the DeLong family “to have strength as they navigate this unimaginably difficult time.”

Holbrook said he had already gotten condolences from every law enforcement agency in the region as well as South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.

“I’m saddened by the tragic loss of Officer Chris DeLong of the Columbia Police Department,” U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., wrote on X. “Officer DeLong answered the call to serve and protect us all, and he lost his life in the line of duty this morning. My prayers are with his family, friends, and the Columbia Police Department. I’m also praying for Officer David Dymok, who was injured while serving and protecting our community. We’re hoping for his quick and full recovery. Law enforcement officers are heroes who protect us every day. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifice.”

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting.

A 13-year-old boy was stabbed in broad daylight outside a Bronx supermarket on Saturday, leaving him injured as police launched a search for the attacker, sources said.

The stabbing happened at about 5:23 p.m. outside the C-Town supermarket at 1612 Westchester Avenue in Soundview, where the teen was knifed in the stomach, according to police sources.

EMS crews rushed him to Jacobi Hospital on Pelham Parkway following the assault. He was listed in stable condition, sources said.

At the scene, blood was visible on the concrete sidewalk as officers blocked off the area in front of the store during the investigation.

No arrests had been made, and police were still searching for the assailant, according to sources.

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The heinous attack comes days after a New York City Schools employee was stabbed to death by an lunatic who had 13 prior arrests.

NYC Department of Education Paraprofessional Rashaun Shettlewood, 32, was fatally stabbed in the chest and his 33-year-old friend was stabbed in the torso by the brute in another daytime attack in the Bronx at Davidson and West Tremont Avenues in Morris Heights at 3:30 pm.

The men were transported to St. Barnabas Hospital where Shettlewood succumbed to his injuries, his friend was in stable condition, police sources said.

It was unclear what led to the attack, but police source said it stemmed from a dispute.

The alleged stabber, Jeffrey Jorge, 37, of Brooklyn, was arrested the following morning after cops spotted him wielding a knife at Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.

He was charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and two counts each of assault and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the NYPD.

A South Carolina police officer fatally shot while responding to a violent incident at a Columbia park has been identified as a 29-year-old father of two.

Columbia Police Officer Christopher DeLong was hit by gunfire late Saturday morning during an exchange of shots near Southeast Park in Columbia, authorities said.

DeLong was shot alongside fellow officer David Dymock, who survived the attack and remains in stable condition after being injured.

Investigators identified the gunman as 33-year-old Adam Dowdy, a convicted felon who was also killed when the confrontation escalated following an earlier domestic violence dispute.

DeLong, who had served with the Columbia Police Department for two years, leaves behind his wife, Hannah, and their two young children.

Hannah, in a heartbreaking Facebook post, condemned her husband’s shooter as she described how their family is now ‘living a nightmare.’

‘I am heart broken. My person. My love. The best dad to our babies and the person I’ve been with since I was 16 was killed today in the line of duty,’ she wrote.

‘Someone’s selfish decisions took away the one person I loved and I knew I would always have, and my babies now have to grow up [without] their daddy.’

Hannah, 28, added: ‘I can’t process this. I want to wake up from this.’

DeLong responded to a woman’s home just around 9.30am after she reported that Dowdy had violated the restraining order she had against him, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said.

The suspect was inside her residence and destroying her property, she told police. 

Dowdy fled the property before DeLong had arrived on scene, but the victim was able to provide police with his name and a description of his car.

DeLong left the home around 10.30am and roughly 20 minutes later responded to a call for a report of a suspicious person by the park.

When he arrived on scene, he found Dowdy standing near his vehicle.

Dymock, 29, responded to the scene as a back-up officer around 10.41am. Four minutes later he reported that both he and DeLong had been shot. 

He also confirmed that the suspect was down. 

DeLong and Dymock were both transported to a nearby hospital, where the 29-year-old died from his injuries. His grandmother confirmed on Facebook that he ‘passed away during surgery.’

Dymock was also injured in the shooting, but remains in stable condition. 

Dowdy had a long history of criminal activity, including disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, public intoxication, possession of a controlled substance, probation violations, contempt of court and other miscellaneous criminal offenses. 

Preliminary investigation suggests he may have been out on bond for a charge in DeKalb, Georgia of family violence, battery of the first offense, Holbrook said.

Dowdy had a history of arrests spanning across South Carolina, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Georgia, the chief added.

It is unclear what prompted Dowdy to fire at the officers. 

He did, however, have anti-police rhetoric on his Facebook page in which he referred to officers as ‘tyrants’ and likened them to gang members.

‘I would NEVER call ya’ll and wouldnt pull ya’ll out of a house fire! Do better. Tyrants. The general public shouldnet (sic) be afraid of ya’ll,’ he wrote.

‘Literally the biggest gang in [America] and i have nothing for ya. Such a joke. What goes around comes around.’

The shooting remains under investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Authorities have said there is no further threat to the public. 

Tributes have poured in for DeLong, who has been hailed for his service and dedication to his family.  

His grieving mother, Angela Graham, said her ‘heart is completely crushed and that ‘today has been a complete nightmare.’

‘I am so proud of the amazing man he had become,’ she wrote. ‘A wonderful son, amazing big brother to four sisters outstanding husband and daddy to my two sweet grand babies. He loves with all his heart.

‘This truly does feel real please send prayers for my family, my daughter-in-law and precious grandbabies.’

Another loved one said: ‘All I can say is, what an honor it was to have known Chris DeLong. He had a heart of gold and gave his life to protect and serve the community we live in.’

Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan said DeLong ‘made the ultimate sacrifice serving others,’ a statement echoed by the Columbia Firefighters Association.

‘Today, our community mourns the heartbreaking loss of Officer Chris DeLong, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,’ the firefighters union wrote.

‘Behind the badge was a husband, a father, a friend, and a man who answered the call to serve knowing the risks that came with it.

‘Our hearts are especially with his wife, Hannah, and their two children, whose sacrifice is greater than words can express. May they feel the strength of an entire community standing beside them in the difficult days ahead.’

A former California city councilman who acknowledged hiding nearly $63,000 in cash in his backyard has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for accepting bribes connected to a police union contract and commercial cannabis permits, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Ricardo Pacheco, 63, served for more than 20 years on the Baldwin Park City Council before stepping down in 2020 under the terms of his plea agreement. Prosecutors said Pacheco exploited his public office to receive cash payments and route other money through his church and political organizations.

According to the Department of Justice, Pacheco and former Compton City Councilman Isaac Jacob Galvan engaged in “corrupt acts while they were elected officials,” including taking and making bribe payments in exchange for political backing and city permits.

Pacheco was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and forfeit $219,755. The FBI recovered $83,145 in cash proceeds from him, including $62,900 that Pacheco admitted he had buried in two separate spots in his backyard, prosecutors said. A hearing to determine restitution has not yet been scheduled.

Galvan, 39, received the same 18-month federal prison sentence and was ordered to pay $323,557 in restitution.

The case began with the police-union deal.

Between January and October 2018, Pacheco solicited and received $37,900 from a Baldwin Park police officer in exchange for supporting the Baldwin Park Police Association’s contract with the city, prosecutors said. The deal was worth at least $4.4 million over three years.

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The officer was working at the FBI’s direction after he and another officer approached the bureau to assist in its corruption investigation, according to the DOJ.

In October 2018, the officer handed Pacheco a $20,000 cash bribe inside an envelope at a Baldwin Park coffee shop, prosecutors said. Pacheco also directed $17,900 in checks to his church and political action committees that were set up in other people’s names but controlled by him, according to the DOJ.

Pacheco voted for the police association contract in March 2018.

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Pacheco later became an FBI informant after agents caught him in a video-recorded sting at the coffee shop, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The outlet reported that Pacheco wore a concealed wire as investigators built cases that led to six indictments involving more than 20 people tied to local government and the marijuana industry.

The outlet also reported that the wider investigation implicated figures including Galvan, a former Baldwin Park city attorney, a Commerce city manager, a San Bernardino County planning commissioner and a marijuana distributor.

The case also uncovered an alleged pay-to-play system around marijuana permits in Baldwin Park.

The city began allowing marijuana cultivation, manufacturing and distribution in 2017. Prosecutors said Pacheco soon began seeking money from businesses pursuing development agreements and related permits.

Galvan, who was then serving on the Compton City Council, offered consulting services to W&F International Corp., a Diamond Bar import-export business that wanted a marijuana permit in Baldwin Park, prosecutors said.

Galvan then helped facilitate $70,000 in bribes from the company’s owner, Yichang Bai, to Pacheco in return for the councilman’s votes and political backing, according to the DOJ.

Pacheco delivered, prosecutors said, voting in favor of W&F’s permit in June and July 2018 and later supporting the company’s effort to relocate its operations.

The payments were obscured through checks from third parties, including checks with blank payee lines, prosecutors said. When Pacheco later sought more money for his legal defense fund, Galvan told Bai the councilman wanted $25,000. Bai agreed to provide $20,000 through seven checks from bank accounts that were not his or W&F’s, the DOJ said.

Galvan also admitted he failed to report about $560,525 in income to the IRS from 2017 through 2020. Prosecutors said the scheme caused a tax loss of $115,816.

Bai pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and was sentenced in July to 20 months in federal prison and a $3,000 fine.

A Friday night explosion and fire at a NYCHA development in Crown Heights left an 18-year-old man dead, police and fire officials said, with a lithium-ion battery reportedly tied to the deadly blaze.

The blast erupted around 7 p.m. on the 12th floor of Albany Houses near Prospect Place, sending more than 120 firefighters and EMS workers rushing to the Brooklyn apartment complex.

Crews brought the fire under control by about 8 p.m., officials said.

NY1 reported that the fire was connected to a lithium-ion battery, a type of power source that has been linked to a growing number of serious fires across New York City.

The victim was taken to One Brooklyn Health-Interfaith Medical Center with severe, life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead by hospital staff, according to police.

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A neighbor who knew the family of the victim told PIX11 that they were “talking to the mother last week…we was having good talk about our kids.”

“And that’s messed up how we both moved here young with our small children and for her to lose one…that is tremendous,” she said.

The victim has not been identified and authorities noted that the cause of the explosion is under investigation.

The FDNY could not confirm or deny whether a lithium-ion battery was connected to the fire.

Norway’s newly proclaimed monarch, King Haakon VIII, has delivered his first public address to the nation following the death of his father, King Harald V.

Haakon, 53, spoke to Norwegians on Saturday in a live televised message from the Royal Palace in Oslo, where the late king is lying in state, using the deeply personal moment to express gratitude for “everything he was and everything he did.”

King Harald V, a cousin of Britain’s King Charles III, died on Friday at the age of 89 after a short hospital stay. He had been receiving treatment for haemolytic anaemia, a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed more quickly than the body can replace them.

In his first speech since ascending the Norwegian throne, the former Crown Prince Haakon paid tribute to Harald both as a devoted sovereign and as a cherished father, while also thanking the people of Norway for the warmth and sympathy shown to the royal family in the wake of his passing.

“Dear Dad,” Haakon said, beginning an emotional farewell. “Thank you for being such a good father to Märtha and me. Warm and reassuring. You were also a gentle and funny grandfather.”

‘A loving and thoughtful husband. A generous father-in-law. A brother and uncle whom everyone loved spending time with.

‘I’m going to miss him. I’ll miss his laughter. His good-natured way of dealing with people and situations. My father always made those around him feel at ease.

‘And that means – in the ultimate sense – being willing to risk everything, even one’s life, for Norway’s freedom and independence.’ 

Wearing a sombre black suit and sat beside a picture of his late father, the new king continued: ‘As king, my father represented Norway and the Norwegian people with pride and joy, through visits around the country, at events here at the royal palace, and while working on Norway’s behalf around the world.

‘We are in mourning. At the same time, it brings us comfort and strength to know that so many are mourning with us.

‘It has been a powerful and moving experience to see the Palace Square filled with people, flowers, messages of condolence, and candles. Thank you so much.’

Haakon – now officially His Majesty King Haakon VIII – came to the throne almost immediately following his father’s passing.

He and other senior members of the Norwegian Royal Family rushed to Harald’s bedside at the national hospital in Oslo on Thursday after his health ‘deteriorated’ as a result of an infection. 

In a statement announcing his passing, Norway’s Royal Court said: ‘It is with deep grief that we announce that His Majesty King Harald has passed away.

‘King Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Friday, August 28 at 6.35am.’

On Friday, King Charles extended his ‘deepest and most heartfelt condolences’ to the Norwegian Royal Family following the death of his ‘dear cousin’. 

The pair were second cousins once removed, sharing great-great-grandparents Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark. 

King Charles said: ‘As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades.

‘The Queen and I extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Queen Sonja and all her family, as Britain shares in Norway’s grief at this time of such heartbreaking loss.’ 

Throughout Friday, thousands of mourners descended on Oslo to pay their respects to the late king, placing flowers, flags and condolence cards outside the royal palace

Flags were flying at half-mast throughout the country, as portraits of Harald – who ruled for 35 years – in gala uniform were displayed everywhere, from metro stations to public buildings. 

Across Norway, churches and city halls were also opened specially so people could light candles, and write their thoughts about the deceased king in condolence books.

New king Haakon – the only son of Harald and now queen dowager Sonja – shares two children with his wife Mette-Marit, 22-year-old Princess Ingrid Alexandra and 20-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus. 

Ingrid is now second in line to the throne, meaning she would be the first female monarch in Norway for more than 600 years if she were to become queen – the last being Queen Margaret I, who died in 1412. 

However, Haakon’s ascension to the throne has not been without controversy.  

In recent months, the new monarch’s wife, Mette-Marit, 53, has faced intense scrutiny following the release of the Epstein Files, which revealed she stayed at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach residence in 2013 – after he was convicted for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.

The new queen claimed this year she had been misled by the late sex offender as she sought to contain the fallout. 

Fresh scandal also came in June when Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted on two counts of rape and jailed for four years following a six-week trial that laid bare allegations of violence, drug abuse and sexual misconduct. 

An Oslo court also found him guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, Nora Haukland, issuing threats and committing traffic offences, although he was acquitted of two other rape charges. 

The 29-year-old had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024. 

The conviction marked a fall for Høiby, who grew up in the public eye after his mother married the then Crown Prince Haakon in 2001 when he was just four.

Although he does not hold a royal title or carry out official duties, he has long been closely associated with the Norwegian Royal Family.

King Haakon also faces additional drama drama with the upcoming arrival of a second reality TV show by King Harald and Queen Sonja’s eldest daughter, Princess Martha Louise, and her ‘shaman’ husband, Durek Verrett. 

The couple’s first Netflix show, Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, took an ‘intimate look’ at the love story between Martha Louise and the Hollywood ‘half-reptilian and bisexual’ shaman.

The film followed the couple as they ‘navigated a swirl of controversy’ and prepared for their wedding, which took place in the picturesque small town of Geiranger in 2024.

In a move dubbed ‘Norway’s Megxit’, Martha Louise relinquished her royal role in November 2022.

Eyebrows were raised when the princess first began dating Verrett, who holds some controversial and pseudoscientific views, including that cancer in children can be caused by ‘being unhappy’.

The couple were introduced by friends in 2019 and have claimed to have known each other in a past life, specifically from ancient Egypt.

Their latest reality TV venture adds to what has been – and what is continuing to be – one of the toughest periods for the Norwegian throne in modern times.