HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — It could be weeks before we get a complete picture of the deaths caused by Hurricane Beryl.
At least 13 people in the Houston area are believed to have died as a result of the dangerous hurricane, and many are afraid more people will die in the coming days as residents continue to struggle with power outages and damage.
Multiple agencies track storm deaths, but the final number will come from the medical examiner, who will look at several factors.
The Shaw family has been without power since Beryl hit last Monday.
ABC13 was there Saturday as the family surrounded 89-year-old Mary Shaw.
Even under a nurse’s care, Mary died the next morning.
“Her body was so hot. I just started putting wet towels, ice, putting it on her, putting it around her,” her daughter, Monica Shaw, said.
“We called for her to be moved to facilities,” added her other daughter, Lisa Shaw. “Facilities were full, so we couldn’t even take her anywhere.”
Mary had suffered from dementia and heart disease for years.
Her family may never know what impact, if any, the heat had on her health.
All they know for sure is that she died in discomfort, hot, and panicked.
“My mom is gone, but I’m going to live in the strength that she has because that’s what she instilled in her kids,” Lisa said. “Reminds me of the ‘Old Lady and the Shoe.’ She had six kids of her own, she raised six across the street, she has another adopted son down the street and an adopted daughter that’s been in our life for almost 45 years.”
The close-knit family is now worried about the health of other relatives and neighbors as they all go into their second week without power.
“They forgot about us, but they don’t forget to get paid every month,” niece Kimberly Rubit said. “I’ve never missed my bill, so yes, I’m blaming them.”
In the wake of Hurricane Beryl, Houston’s food-and-beverage industry has been significantly impacted by ongoing power outages. Some operators have resorted to parking lot pop-ups and other quick fixes to pay their rent and staff. Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee, who suffered his own Beryl-related loss, is spearheading a class action lawsuit against CenterPoint Energy on behalf of several Houston restaurants.
Buzbee announced on Instagram that his firm is filing the lawsuit due to CenterPoint’s repeated failures to “do what any reasonable and competent electricity provider would do and should do.” He stated that the restaurants involved, some of the most celebrated and revered in the Houston Galveston area, have lost substantial time and money due to “negligence and gross negligence,” including inadequate equipment maintenance, insufficient personnel training, and a lack of a competent storm plan.
“All of the restaurants suing lost power initially as a result of Hurricane Beryl, but that loss inexplicably continued due to the incompetence and utter dereliction of CenterPoint Energy,” Buzbee said. “The problems at CenterPoint continue, and likely will continue, despite the accusations and condemnation from all levels of government. The restaurants filing this case, and the class of plaintiffs they seek to represent, are fed up. None of us in this area has a choice as to who provides us electricity.”
Highlighting CenterPoint’s 2023 profits of $6.54 billion and its monopoly in the Houston area, Buzbee emphasized that the lawsuit aims to compel CenterPoint to improve its services. “This lawsuit is being filed not for the want of money, but to force CenterPoint in court to do what the administrative, legislative, and executive system has failed to require.”
Restaurant owners, such as Ryan Lachaine of Riel Restaurant in Montrose, have voiced their frustration. Lachaine’s business was without power for a week, leaving his 20 employees unable to work. “Restaurants are difficult at the best of times, and when something like this happens, it is absolutely devastating,” Lachaine said. “We all knew this was going to happen, something was going to happen. And it’s kind of frustrating when we’re supposed to be ready all the time, and hunker down or do this or do that, and when it comes time for someone else to do their job, nobody’s ready.”
Robin Wong, owner of Luloo’s in Garden Oaks, echoed this sentiment. “Being a city that’s as large as Houston is, we can’t keep having these problems. It needs to be fixed,” Wong said. “Losing power in these storms just long enough to lose all the food in your walk-in is just enough to where you have to start over.”
Buzbee explained that the lawsuit will focus on restaurants that have been in business for over a year and lost power for at least 48 hours. “CenterPoint doesn’t know their grid,” Buzbee said. “They have clearly not invested in infrastructure to prevent things like this.”
The restaurateurs involved stress that they are not seeking a handout but can no longer endure the status quo without speaking out. “Being a small business owner,” Lachaine added, “we’re kind of sick of being pushed around.”
ABC13 has reached out to CenterPoint for a response to these claims and will update the story once the company responds. Buzbee mentioned that a file-stamped copy of the lawsuit will be distributed publicly once available.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott toured NRG Arena on Monday to assess the 250 beds established for Houstonians who have been discharged from area hospitals but lack a safe place to stay following Hurricane Beryl.
The state set up the operation at NRG Arena to ensure healthcare access and provide ready-made meals, water, ice, and shelter for those who lost power during the storm.
With Houston Mayor John Whitmire by his side, Abbott emphasized Texas’s commitment to assisting residents directly impacted by the storm and those still without power. Abbott also addressed the response from CenterPoint Energy, expressing his dissatisfaction and demanding answers.
“If CenterPoint does not respond to my request, I will be issuing an executive order imposing, what I think, are the appropriate standards,” Abbott stated. “The standards I want to impose on CenterPoint would be far more costly than what they may be coming up with. If they don’t comply with my request, we’re going to completely re-evaluate the current status of CenterPoint in our area.”
On Sunday afternoon, Abbott criticized CenterPoint for its failures in restoring power to Houstonians and the broader area. “The failure of power companies to provide power to their customers is completely unacceptable,” Abbott said.
Back in the state after an economic trade mission to Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, Abbott joined Lt. Governor Dan Patrick at a news conference Sunday afternoon at Gallery Furniture. He stressed the ongoing hurricane season and the necessity for CenterPoint to address key issues to prevent future power outages.
“I will give CenterPoint until July 31st to provide my office with specific actions they will take to improve power reliability,” Abbott announced. He outlined several demands, including the removal of vegetation threatening power lines and the pre-staging of sufficient workers to address power outages immediately.
Governor Abbott made it clear that the state would reassess CenterPoint’s presence in Texas if these demands are not met. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick added that hearings would take place next month in Austin to investigate the prolonged power outages in Houston.
“A freight train is coming,” Patrick warned. “You better be prepared.”
Former President Donald Trump has picked Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate, placing a young, ideological ally alongside him on the Republican 2024 ticket.
Trump announced Vance would be his running mate on Monday, writing on Truth Social that the Ohio Republican is “the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States.”
The decision caps off months of speculation and sees Trump elevate a 39-year-old first-term senator whose roughly year and a half tenure in the Senate has seen him emerge as a staunch ideological ally of the former president.
Sen. JD Vance speaks to reporters in the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Vance rose to fame through his 2016 book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” He evolved from a “never-Trump guy” to one of Trump’s strongest surrogates in an eight-year span.
Vance was born in Middleton, Ohio, and served in the Marine Corps. He later attended Ohio State University and eventually graduated from Yale Law School.
He was a corporate lawyer and then worked in the tech industry as a venture capitalist.
In 2016, Vance released his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which shared his story of growing up in poverty in America’s Rust Belt and being surrounded by violence and addiction.https://d-1785231272202427365.ampproject.net/2406131415000/frame.html
Vance eventually became an emissary between the media and those in the Rust Belt during the 2016 election, discussing the issues important to those who had a similar background to him.
In August 2016, he told ABC News that he didn’t see Trump “offering many solutions.”
But Vance would eventually align with the former president, praising his time in office and apologizing for his attacks on him during an interview with Fox News in July 2021.
“I’ve been very open about the fact that I did say those critical things, and I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy,” Vance said on Fox News in 2021.
His apology came around the same time Vance entered the race for the open Ohio Senate seat, which became one of the most competitive GOP primaries of the 2022 election cycle. Trump endorsed Vance for the job, which helped him win both the primary election and general election against Ohio Democrat Tim Scott.
In his role as senator, some of his most notable work has been responding to the East Palestine train derailment in his home state. He has also stayed true to his tough conservative brand, including opposing aid to Ukraine.
In 2024, Vance has been a reliable surrogate for Trump — appearing at campaign events, defending him in television appearances and helping the former president raise money for his campaign.
The U.S. Secret Service has added additional security to former President Donald Trump’s detail ahead of the Republican National Convention, the agency’s director, Kimberly Cheatle, said in a statement on Monday.
“In addition to the additional security enhancements we provided former President Trump’s detail in June, we have also implemented changes to his security detail since Saturday to ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign,” Cheatle said.
The former president will have additional tactical officers, including SWAT, added to his detail, along with other updates, a law enforcement source told ABC News.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A second suspect has been arrested and charged for his alleged role in the shooting death of a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
On Sunday, Gonzalez shared that Dremone Francis was charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting death of Deputy Fernando Esqueda.
Francis’ arrest comes days after 44-year-old Ronald “Ronnie” Palmer Jr. was arrested in the case.
On Wednesday, July 10, officers responded to an aggravated assault call at a Little Ceasars Pizza on Wallisville Road. According to police, the suspect, identified as Palmer, became upset with his order and verbally assaulted and pistol-whipped an employee before fleeing.
The employee then described the suspect’s vehicle, including the license plate, which deputies tracked to an address on the 13200 block of Italian Cypress Road.
Esqueda, one of several deputies working overtime to patrol streets after Hurricane Beryl, responded to the area and notified team members over the phone once he noticed the suspect’s vehicle.
At that point, HCSO said Esqueda was ambushed while speaking with other members and was shot. Officials note that the deputy was in his undercover vehicle at the time, which was riddled with bullet holes.
The deputy, who has been with the department for five years, was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
On Thursday evening in northeast Harris County, Palmer was taken into custody by a fugitive task force without incident at a residence that belonged to an acquaintance of an acquaintance.
He had been there for about two hours and was steadily on the move since the shooting, officials said.
Ronald Palmer is seen surrendering in new video hours after Harris County Deputy Fernando Esqueda was killed.
By 11 p.m. that evening, Palmer was charged with capital murder.
Palmer waived his initial court appearance on Friday. As a judge read off charging documents, it was revealed that there was another person with the suspect the night the employee was assaulted.
Palmer is expected to appear in court Monday morning after having his bond set at $100,000.
There is no word on the second suspect’s court appearance.
MIAMI, Fla. — Argentina won its second straight Copa America championship, overcoming Lionel Messi’s second-half leg injury to beat Colombia 1-0 Sunday night on Lautaro Martínez’s 112th-minute goal.
Messi appeared to sustain a non-contact injury while running and falling in the 64th minute and covered his face with his hands as he sat on the bench and sobbed.
Martínez later ran to that bench to hug his captain after the goal that propelled Argentina to its record 16th Copa title.
In a match that started 1 hour, 22 minutes late because of crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won its third straight major title following the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup and matched Spain, which won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships around the 2010 World Cup.
Argentina also stopped Colombia’s 28-game unbeaten streak dating to a February 2022 loss to the Albiceleste.
Martínez entered in the 97th minute and scored from Giovani Lo Celso’s perfect through pass after Leandro Paredes stripped the ball from a Colombian just short of the center stripe.
Just inside the penalty area, Martínez sent a right-foot shot through the upraised arms of sliding goalkeeper Camilo Vargas for his 29th international goal, his tournament-high fifth.
Appearing to be limping after the final whistle sounded well past midnight, Messi beckoned for his senior teammates to lift the trophy with him: 36-year-old Nicolás Ottamendi and Ángel Di María, who is retiring from the national team.
As white confetti cascaded, the trio hugged.
“The truth is, it’s hard to describe,” Di Maria said. “It was written like that. I told the guys last night at dinner that I dreamt it. That’s why I said it was my last Copa America. I dreamt we made it to the final and we won it so I could go out this way.
“I’ll be always grateful to this generation who gave me everything, helped me win what I always wanted and today, I am leaving like this,” Di Maria said. “It could not be better.”
Making his 39th and possibly last Copa America appearance at age 37, Messi had one goal in the tournament. He went down after an ankle was stepped on in the first half but remained in the game.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner looked to the bench as soon as he fell to the field in the second half, appearing to know his tournament was over. He took off his right boot as he walked off and slammed it frustration, and his ankle appeared to swell. With his right foot bare, he stood by the bench and raised his arms while teammates ran onto the field when Martínez scored.
The start was delayed from 8 p.m. EDT to 9:22 p.m. because of crowd control issues outside the stadium, including troves of fans breaching security gates at a venue to be used for the 2026 World Cup.
Days after Uruguay players were involved in a brawl with Colombia fans following their semifinal match in Charlotte, North Carolina, video showed fans climbing fences and railings to get inside the championship match, with officials unable to keep track of who had purchased tickets and who didn’t.
Colombia was more aggressive and forced goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez to make four saves in the first half, but Argentina began to threaten more in the second.
Nicolás Tagliafico thought he scored in the 75th minute but was ruled offside. Nicolás González, who replaced Messi. was stopped by Vargas in the 95th minute.
Numerous players lost their footing during the second half of Sunday’s match. The grass was heavily watered with sprinklers following the halftime performance by Colombian pop star Shakira, which caused an extended halftime break.
Colombia’s James Rodríguez was selected best player of the tournament.
Argentina, reigning champions of both the World Cup and the Copa América, and Colombia, unbeaten in 28 matches dating back to 2022, face off Sunday in the final of the 2024 Copa América at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Colombia’s unbeaten streak continued throughout their run to the final with Los Cafeteros going 2-1-0 in the group stage before beating Brazil on penalties, crushing Panama 5-0, and eliminating Uruguay with a 1-0 win in the semifinals. The last team to beat Colombia? Well, that would be Argentina, whose 1-0 win over Colombia in the 2022 South American World Cup qualifiers was part of the reason they didn’t make it to Qatar that year.
Now the two sides meet in a Copa América final for the first time in the tournament’s 108-year history. An Argentina win would secure a record-breaking 16th Copa América trophy while Colombia is looking for just its second championship.
Follow our live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates from the match:
Halftime score: Argentina 0-0 Colombia
It’s halftime and it’s 0-0.Remember, halftime is about 25 minutes tonight thanks to a Shakira concert. That could be good news for a limping Lionel Messi. His stride hasn’t been right for the past 12 minutes or so.
BUTLER, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump called for unity and resilience Sunday after an attempt on his life added fresh uncertainty to an already tumultuous presidential campaign and raised sharp questions about how a gunman was able to open fire from a rooftop near a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
A full day after the shooting, the gunman’s motive was still a mystery, and investigators said they believe he acted alone before being fatally shot by Secret Service agents. President Joe Biden ordered an independent security review of the attack, which killed a bystander and critically wounded two others. The FBI was investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism.
The attack shook the firmament of the American political system, causing a reassessment and a detente — at least temporarily — of the heated 2024 presidential campaign that has grown increasingly vicious.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said the upper part of his right ear was pierced by a bullet. His aides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well, and he headed to Milwaukee to the Republican National Convention that begins Monday.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he wrote on his social media site. “Much bleeding took place.”
In a subsequent social post Sunday, Trump said: “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”
The rallygoer who was killed was identified as Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief from the area, according to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who added that Comperatore “died a hero.”
“His wife shared with me that he dove on his family to protect them,” Shapiro said. The two other bystanders who were wounded were listed in stable condition.
Biden spoke briefly with Trump and was to address the nation Sunday evening. The president said the country would continue to debate and disagree, but stressed: “We must unite as one nation to demonstrate who we are.”
The FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting.
The gunman had his father’s AR-style rifle and was perched atop a nearby roof when some rallygoers pointed him out to local law enforcement, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal probe.
A local law enforcement officer climbed to the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the rifle at the officer. The officer then retreated down the ladder, and the gunman quickly fired toward Trump, the officials said. That’s when U.S. Secret Service gunmen shot him, the officials said.
Questions abounded about how the gunman could have gotten so close in the first place. Kevin Rojek, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said “it is surprising” that the gunman was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him.
Bomb-making materials were found inside both Crooks’ vehicle and at his home. The FBI described the devices as “rudimentary.”
His motive remained unclear. Crooks wasn’t on the FBI’s radar, and he was believed to have acted alone. Investigators combed through his social media feeds and his home but found no immediate threatening writing or posts. His family was cooperating. Crooks’ relatives did not return multiple messages seeking comment from the AP.
Crooks’ political leanings were also not clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in as president.
The absence of a clear ideological motive added to the deepening questions about the shooting, denying the public any swift or tidy conclusions about the shocking crime.
Biden urged Americans to stay patient. “I urge everyone — everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations,” he said.
Most serious assassination attempt since 1981
The attack was the most serious attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It drew new attention to concerns about political violence in a deeply polarized U.S. less than four months before the presidential election.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said agents have seen increasingly violent rhetoric online since the rally, along with people posing online as the dead shooter.
“We’re also focused on the continuing efforts — which were already substantial, given that they’re national security special events — to conventions in Chicago, in Milwaukee,” he said.
Biden on Sunday ordered a security review of operations for the Republican National Convention, which is proceeding as planned. The Secret Service said it was “confident” in the security plan for the RNC, and no additional changes were planned.
Biden, who is running against Trump, said the two men had a “short but good” conversation Saturday night. Biden returned to Washington from his Delaware beach home where he met with leaders in the Situation Room about the attack. He said during an address Sunday afternoon that “there is no place in America for this kind of violence.”
“We cannot allow this to happen,” Biden said.
Yet many Republicans quickly blamed the violence on Biden and his allies, arguing that sustained attacks on Trump as a threat to democracy have created a toxic environment.
It’s not clear yet whether Biden will be forced to recalibrate a campaign that’s largely focused on Trump as a threat to democracy. It is a situation the U.S. has not seen since Teddy Roosevelt was shot a month before the election in 1912 while campaigning to regain the White House as a third-party candidate.
A rally disrupted by gunfire
Trump was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when the gunfire began after 6:10 p.m. Saturday.
As the first pop rang out, Trump said “Oh” and raised his hand to his right ear and looked at it, before quickly crouching to the ground behind his lectern. The people in the stands behind him also crouched as screams rang through the crowd.
Someone could be heard near the microphone saying, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as agents rushed to the stage. They piled atop the former president to shield him with their bodies as other agents took up positions on stage to search for the threat.
Afterward, voices were heard saying, “Shooter’s down” several times, before someone asked, “Are we good to move?” and “Are we clear?” Then someone ordered, “Let’s move.”
Trump got to his feet moments later and could be seen reaching with his right hand toward his face, which was streaked with blood. He then pumped his fist in the air and appeared to mouth the word “fight” twice to his crowd of supporters, prompting loud cheers and then chants of “USA. USA. USA.”
His motorcade left the venue moments later. Video showed Trump turning back to the crowd and raising a fist right before he was put into a vehicle.
Witnesses heard multiple gunshots and ducked for cover
When the firing began, “everybody went to their knees or their prone position, because we all knew. Everyone becoming aware of the fact this was gunfire,” said Dave McCormick, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, who was sitting to Trump’s right on stage.
As he saw Trump raise his fist, McCormick said, he looked over his shoulder and noticed someone had been hit while sitting in the bleachers behind the stage.
Eventually, first responders were able to carry the wounded person out of a large crowd so he could get medical care, McCormick said.
Reporters at the rally heard five or six shots, and many ducked for cover, hiding under tables. After the first two or three bangs, people in the crowd looked startled, but not panicked. An AP reporter at the scene reported the noise sounded like firecrackers at first or perhaps a car backfiring.
When it was clear the situation had been contained and Trump would not return to speak, attendees started filing out of the venue. Police soon told everyone to leave the venue, and Secret Service agents described the site as “a live crime scene.”
Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, who represents the area where the shooting occurred, attended the rally with his wife and grandchildren and was just behind Trump when he was wounded. Kelly said he was “in a state of bewilderment of how and what has happened to the United States of America.”
“I just wish people — tone it down,” he said. “Quit trying to find, to blame somebody. The blame lies somewhere in the psyche of America.”
ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines is changing its employee uniform policy following a turbulent ride through a social media storm started by an X user’s outrage over two flight attendants who were photographed wearing Palestinian flag pins.
The uproar over the July 10 post on X, which described the Palestinian pins as “Hamas badges,” led Delta to ban its employees from wearing pins representing any country or nationality besides the U.S. The rule will take effect Monday.
“We are proud of our diverse base of employees and customers and the foundation of our brand, which is to connect the world and provide a premium experience,” the Atlanta-based airline said in a statement “We are taking this step to help ensure a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment for all.”
Delta’s policy shift reflects the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, which has triggered high-profile protests that, among other things, have roiled college campuses.
Both attendants pictured wearing the pins were in compliance with Delta’s previous policy giving employees more flexibility with uniform accessories.
Before Delta announced its new policy, one of its employees escalated the situation by posting a reply on X asserting the attendants wearing the Palestinian pins were violating company rules and sympathizing with passengers who might be “terrified” by it. That post has since been deleted but was captured in a screenshot shared by the American Muslim rights group CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Delta apologized in a post and said the employee responsible for the reply had been removed from handling its social media communications.
“What happened with Delta is just the latest example of anti-Palestinian racism,” Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy executive director of CAIR, told The Washington Post. He said the group welcomed Delta’s apology. “And my hope is that this incident will begin to slowly, slowly move the needle in a different direction.”
