Good afternoon, it's recovered with the Daily Beast. It's Tuesday, September 22nd, and these are the top six stories the Chi Chi team is watching right now. An internal investigation is reportedly being conducted on six Louisville police officers in relation to the fatal shooting of Rihanna Taylor. The probe will determine if the officers violated any police policies during the incident, and it could result in termination.
According to ABC News, the six include Detective Miles Cosrow and Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, who filed their weapons into Taylor's apartment in March. Detective Joshua James, who sought the search warrant for Taylor's home, is also under investigation, as well as Detective Tony James, Michael Campbell, and Michael Nobles. One of the officers involved is standing by his actions in the botched raid. Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly claimed subsequent unrest and protests after the death of Taylor is the work of so-called thugs, who have created a quote, good versus evil mentality.
In an email sent to a thousand Louisville police officers early on Tuesday morning, Mattingly apologized to the department for the scrutiny it has faced since Taylor's death, but he also slammed members of the department and the FBI for going after cops for civil rights violations. In an email obtained by Vice, Mattingly wrote quote, regardless of the outcome today or Wednesday, I know we did the legal, moral, and ethical thing that night. It's sad how the good guys are demonized and criminals are canonized. Taylor and her boyfriend Kenny Walker were asleep in their apartment on March 13, when officers executed a no-knock search warrant as part of an investigation into a suspected drug dealer who lived in a different part of town and had already been arrested.
Taylor's death prompted an FBI investigation and a wave of protests alongside the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Amont Arbery in Georgia. Amid ongoing outrage over the lack of criminal charges, the city of Louisville last week reached a $12 million settlement in the Taylor family's wrongful death lawsuit. The public affairs aid at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who moonlighted as an editor of a popular conservative site plans to retire from his position after it was revealed of the extensive derogatory remarks he made about the agency's director, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
A spokesperson for the institute said that Bill Cruz alerted the staff on Tuesday morning of his intentions to retire. As the Daily Beast reported on Monday, Cruz, the managing editor of Red State, has written for the site since 2004 under a pseudonym. Since the spring, his writings have included angry denunciations of Fauci and other public health leaders over efforts to combat the coronavirus that Cruz has portrayed as an anti-Trump conspiracy. In regards to the officials leading the US COVID-19 mitigation efforts, Cruz wrote in June, quote, "...if there were justice, we'd send a few dozens of these fascists to the gallows and give it their tarred bodies in chains until they fall apart." Nice to know that he's actually doing something good with all that money.
Former presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg reportedly assisted the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and raising $20 million. The goal of the organization is to help felons vote by paying off their court debts. In a statement, Bloomberg said, quote, "...the rights of vote is fundamental to our democracy, and no Americans should be denied that right. Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it." The billionaire's decision to help the coalition raise funds follows a recent promise to contribute a hundred million dollars towards defeating President Trump's reelection in Florida.
Other celebrities that have supported the coalition include LeBron James and John Legend. Widow Vanessa Bryant denied her mother's allegations that she had kicked her out of the family home and taken away her car. In a tearful interview with Spanish language TV network Univision, Sophia Lane, Bryant's mother, says she had been a source of support for her daughter and remaining three grandchildren since the January death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant in a helicopter crash. However, Vanessa said in a statement, quote, "...my husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly, and yet my mother had the audacity to do a television interview, speaking negatively of me while shedding tears for a car in a house that were not in her name." Bryant also said Lane had purposefully made it look like she did not have any financial support during her broadcast interview and disputed her mother's support claims, saying, quote, "...She has not been physically present or emotionally supportive as the family had to adjust to life without Kobe or Gianna." Three NFL teams have been fined $250,000 each after their coaches reportedly refused to wear masks while screaming at their players from the sidelines during Sunday's games.
The Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos, and the San Francisco 49ers will all have to pay up. According to CNN, Seattle's Pete Carroll, Denver's Vic Vongio, and San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan will also have to individually pay $100,000. During Monday night's games in Las Vegas, both Raiders head coach John Gruden and New Orleans Saints head coach John Payton were also seen without masks. An Oregon man is recovering after shooting himself in the groin.
On Sunday, Nicholas J. Ellingford pulled out a gun to show off to his friend while standing in line at a grocery store. Then, as he attempted to stuff the Glock 9mm back into his pocket, his finger accidentally squeezed the trigger and fired a bullet through his groin. According to a police report, the bullet exited through Ellingford's thigh, scraping just passes for more artery.
To make matters even worse, police say that Ellingford did not have a concealed handgun license and could face criminal charges for reckless behavior. Smooth move, dude. Smooth move. That's all for today.
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