Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 12-19-17

National
Report: Sgt. La David T. Johnson Fought Until The End During Ambush In Niger
George Zimmerman Threatens To ‘Beat’ JAY-Z And Feed Him To The Alligators
There’s more news on the tragic death of 25-year-old Sgt. La David T. Johnson, the circumstances around which have heretofore re- mained murky.
An AP report that broke on Sunday afternoon revealed that Johnson—the young American soldier killed in an ISIS-affiliated ambush in Niger—wasn’t captured alive by the enemy or executed at close range, according to a military investigation. The re- port says it also found evi- dence that Johnson bravely fought against the Islamic State group’s agents until the end.
The report has determined that [Johnson] was killed by enemy rifle and machine gun fire as he fled the attack by an offshoot of the Islamic State group about 120 miles north of Niamey, the capital of the African country. The attack took place Oct. 4; Johnson’s body was recovered two days later.
The officials familiar with the investigation said John- son was hit as many as 18 times from a distance by a vol- ley of machine gun rounds from M-4 rifles, and that he was returning fire as he and two Nigerien soldiers tried to escape. This evidence refutes reports that he was shot at close range, or had been
Miami native, Sgt. La David T. Johnson.
bound or taken prisoner and executed
The AP reports:
The report concluded that Johnson, who was athletic and a runner, was in the lead and got the farthest away, seeking cover in the brush. Of- ficials said there were a num- ber of enemy shells around Johnson, and evidence that he appeared to fight to the end. His boots and other equipment were later stolen, but he was still wearing his uniform.
At one point, Johnson’s widow, Myeshia Johnson, openly questioned the govern- ment’s handling of her hus- band’s remains, saying she was given no information, nor was she allowed to see La David’s body.
The infamous George Zim- merman has a problem with Jay Z because a production team working on a Trayvon Martin documentary pro- duced by Hova supposedly harassed his family for inter- views and footage.
So, Zimmerman is threat- ening to “beat Jay Z” and feed him to “an alligator.” Yes, you read that right. George Zim- merman has threatened of all people, Jay-Z.
Zimmerman tells The Blast directly, two weeks ago a production team headed by do- cuseries executive producer Michael Gasparro made unannounced visits to his par- ents and uncle’s homes in Florida in an attempt to get them on camera.
This is where Zimmerman says the production team “ha- rassed” his family.
Then, he decided to go into his patented Zimmerman mode when he made this chill- ing reference to his killing of Trayvon Martin
“I know how to handle peo- ple who f*ck with me, I have since February 2012.”
Zimmerman seems espe- cially upset over money he
The man that killed Trayvon Martin has threatened to beat JAY-Z.
claims has been paid to his ex- wife over her alleged participa- tion in the documentary.
He says producers have re- fused to pay his parents or family members, but would not elaborate on their partici- pation or willingness to go on camera for money.
Again, as far as Zimmer- man is concerned, he’s hold- ing Jay-Z and Gasparro responsible, and “anyone who f*cks with my parents will be fed to an alligator.”
As we reported earlier this year, Jay Z and Harvey We- instein’s The Weinstein Com-
pany announced they would develop a 6-part docuseries ti- tled “Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story,” based off the book “Suspicion Na- tion” by attorney Lisa Bloom.
The project will chronicle the life of Martin, the shoot- ing by George Zimmerman in 2012, and his eventual ac- quittal.
Also, since Harvey Wein- stein was caught up in various sexual harassment scandals and has been outed from the Weinstein Company, the even- tual fate of the project is un- clear at this point.
Michigan Cops Handcuff And Put 11-Year-Old In Squad Car
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A Michigan police department has come under intense scrutiny after body camera footage showed officers hand- cuffing a shrieking 11-year-old girl while searching for a 40- year-old woman suspected of stabbing a relative.
Grand Rapids police chief David Rahinsky said Tues- day the officers were wrong to handle the girl in such a man- ner and called the video footage “disturbing.”
The Grand Rapids police department released body camera footage showing the girl, Honestie Hodges, com- ing toward the officers with her hands up. Upon reaching the officers, Hodges was told to
Honestie Hodges once dreamed of becoming a police officer, now she says no.
put her right hand behind her back, while the officer took out handcuffs. At that point, Hodges began screaming, “No. No. No. No.”
The Associated Press re- ports that police detained
Hodges and two other women. Her mother, Whit- ney Hodges, said the officers ordered her daughter to leave the porch with her hands up. “The whole time they are telling her to come down, I’m telling them, ‘She’s 11 years old. That’s my daughter. Don’t cuff her.'”
According to the police de- partment, Hodges was hand- cuffed for two minutes, patted down to make sure there was nothing dangerous on her and held in the police cruiser for 10 minutes. The department has launched an internal investiga- tion into the matter, and Rahinsky said that the ac- tions by the officers show the need for changes in policing.
Power Restored At Atlanta Airport
ATLANTA, GA —- Minutes after its midnight deadline to get the electricity back on at the world’s busiest airport, Georgia Power announced early Monday that power had been fully restored to Harts- field-Jackson Atlanta Interna- tional, where more than 1,000 flights were grounded just days before the start of the Christ- mas travel rush.
A sudden power outage caused by a fire in an under- ground electrical facility brought the airport to a stand- still.
Passengers were in the dark for hours after a fire.
Georgia Power said on its Twitter page that “Power has been restored on all con-
courses. 5,000+ meals are being delivered to passengers. Trains will be operational soon.”
Passengers at the airport were left in the dark when the lights went out at around 1 p.m. The outage halted all out- going flights, and arriving planes were held on the ground at their point of depar- ture. International flights were being diverted, officials said.
Mayor Kasim Reed
tweeted Sunday night that all passengers had been safely de- planed.
Pulitzer Prize Winner Fired For Alleged Harassment
Stephen Henderson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning manag- ing director of opinion and commentary at the Detroit Free Press, was terminated on Friday, Peter Bhatia, Free Press editor and vice presi- dent, announced, the newspa- per reported after allegations of sexual harassment.
Henderson, 47, who also has a daily Detroit radio show and a weekly television show, is one of the most celebrated African Americans leading a mainstream editorial page. In 2014, he was the National As- sociation of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year.
“At a Dec. 6 press confer- ence, Detroit minister W.J. Rideout, III mentioned Henderson and two other members of the local media as individuals who had engaged in acts of sexual harassment.
“Rideout did not cite any evidence or specifics about
Pulitzer Prize winning man- aging director at the Detroit Free Press Stephen Hender- son, right, has been fired, says he is ‘stunned’.
Henderson and this week the minister’s radio show was sus- pended over that lack of evi- dence.
The Free Press immediately launched an investigation and subsequently uncovered ex- amples of inappropriate be- havior by Henderson with female colleagues dating back several years,” according to the Free Press account.
PAGE 20 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017