Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 10-22-19

National
Remarkable Escape Of El Chapo's Son: 'It's Like A Bad Netflix Show'
Temporary Restraining Order Postpones Funeral For Atatiana Jefferson
An image from the scene of the escape.
Lee Merritt, an attorney for Jefferson's family, said Saturday morning that the move was a result of a tempo- rary restraining order that was granted in a Dallas court to stop the funeral.
"The family is hurt, they’re upset. They wanted to spend this day celebrating the life of Atatiana. Unfortunately, a dis- pute, an internal dispute has in- terfered with that," Merritt said. "We rarely see this play out publicly."
Merritt said the funeral would be rescheduled after a court hearing Monday in Dallas County.
Funeral services were set for Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, at The Potter's House of Dallas.
Bruce Carter, a spokesper- son for Marquis Jefferson, said he wanted to be a part of the funeral planning services but was left out.
"When you start to denounce the man of his rights to be a fa- ther and to operate that capac- ity, I think we start talking
ATATIANA JEFFERSON
about other civil rights, other is- sues - especially in the black community, we're always ac- cused of black men not doing their jobs. Not standing up," Carter said.
Beyond that, Carter said Jefferson had been his daugh- ter's provider for her entire life and had the funds to pay for a funeral. What he found most
alarming, according to Carter, was a GoFundMe account set up in his daughter's name.
"Mr. Jefferson sent an email out to Mr. Merritt specifically asking him to not use his daughter's name and a funeral to gain money," he said. "He's the father. He's the dad. He has been her provider since day one."
"I can say emphatically I've never heard from Mr. Mar- quis Jefferson," he said. "The first time we've heard the claims of this lack of inclusion of his desire to be part of the ceremony was with the TRO."
The order states that Mar- quis Jefferson shall have full authority to make arrange- ments for the funeral and bur- ial of Atatiana Jefferson.
The Potter's House con- firmed the funeral had been postponed. A representative said the church wanted to re- spect the wishes of the family.
A wake went on as sched- uled at The Potter's House on Friday.
Escape, it seems, is a trait shared in the Guzman fam- ily.
So is embarrassing the gov- ernment of Mexico.
Joaquin Guzman Loera, the drug lord known as El Chapo, eluded the grasp of the government numerous times – in tunnels, behind closets, beneath bathtubs and through steep ravines in the remote mountains of Sinaloa. He even managed to escape prison, twice.
The latest family member to escape apprehension – El Chapo’s son, Ovidio Guz- man Lopez – managed his own feat of government hu- miliation last week, when car- tel henchmen forced a patrol of at least 30 members of gov- ernment forces to release him after he had been captured.
The stunning surrender – with Mexican forces badly outmatched, taken hostage by outlaws and forced to let loose a prominent suspect in their custody – began with a siege on the city of Culiacan on Thursday by members of the Sinaloa Cartel, once headed by El Chapo. Videos of fierce gun battles in the street, armed men blocking roads, residents fleeing to safety and clouds of black smoke rising from burning vehicles swamped social media.
Reports swirled that after the capture of the younger Guzman, his cartel mounted a fierce assault to win his freedom and prevent his ex- tradition to the United States. But the government re- mained silent, asking citizens to stay indoors and avoid being in the street throughout
most of the day.
Later, it clarified, at least
partially, saying a patrol had stumbled on Guzman, but had suspended the operation when it became outnumbered and outgunned by enemy fighters. The next morning the truth came out, pried loose by local media. The pa- trol was actually a planned operation to capture Guz- man and extradite him to the United States, the govern- ment acknowledged Friday.
The armed forces managed to detain him, but they were forced to let him go after eight of their members were taken by force and held hostage, the government said. Surrounded by enemies, with no clear plan for backup on ground or in the air, and no clear exit strategy, the sol- diers relented and gave Guz- man back.
According to a former U. S. official and another person briefed on the matter, the force behind the cartel’s rapid and effective response was yet another Guzman – El Chapo’s older son, Ivan, who has taken a prominent role in the cartel since his fa- ther was caught, extradited to the United States and sen- tenced to life in prison in July on drug, murder and money laundering charges.
They said that Ivan was initially captured by the mili- tary as well, but that his henchmen quickly overpow- ered the armed forces and se- cured his release. Once free, the elder brother then or- chestrated a staggering show of force to secure the freedom of his brother, Ovidio.
Heroic Moment A High School Football
Coach Disarms And Hugs Student Who Brought A Shotgun Into Class To Kill Himself
Moving footage shows the moment a hero football coach disarmed and embraced a suici- dal student who brought a loaded gun into class at a Port- land High School.
In the footage, Granados- Diaz appears to be in distress, as both men are seen making their way down a corridor and out of the building before any students or staff were harmed in another potentially catastrophic school shooting.
Granados-Diaz, who had mental health issues, did not want to kill himself at home as his mother may find him so he went to school to do it, The Ore- gonian reported.
His lawyer claimed the teenager thought about ending his life in a bathroom but went into the classroom so that 911 would be called after shots were fired.
Classmates and friends had claimed that Granados-Diaz, who was a Parkrose High senior, had split up with his girlfriend and was feeling distressed and
Keanon Lowe, a former University of Oregon football star, had wrestled with student Angel Granados-Diaz, 19, for the weapon as other students ran screaming out a back door during the May 17 incident.
lonely.
He pleaded guilty to felony
possession of a firearm in a pub- lic building and misdemeanor possession of a loaded firearm in public.
He was given a 36-month probationary sentence on Thursday and any mental health treatment that he requires.
In an interview following the incident, Lowe, who is head football and track coach at
Parkrose High School, said he had a few moments with the teenager before police arrived.
'It was emotional for him, it was emotional for me. In that time, I felt compassion for him. A lot of times, especially when you're young, you don't realize what you're doing until it's over,' Lowe said.
'I told him I was there to save him, I was there for a reason and this was a life worth living.'
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