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Dolphin found dead on a Louisiana beach with bullets in its brain, spinal cord and heart
A bottlenose dolphin was found shot to death on a Louisiana beach last month and now authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information that aids their investigation into the incident. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement said the dead dolphin was found on West Mae’s Beach in the state’s Cameron Parish with multiple bullets lodged in its brain, spinal cord and heart.
The dolphin was found on March 13 by a member of the public, who called Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline, NOAA said in a news release on Tuesday. The Audubon Aquarium Rescue took the animal to New Orleans for an animal autopsy, which concluded the dolphin died from the trauma that occurred near or at the time of death.
NOAA says “harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild dolphins is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act,” and its law enforcement office is now asking the public for any information about who may have been involved in the incident. Violations of the act are punishable by up to a year in jail and up to $100,000 in fines.
Audubon Aquarium Rescue via NOAA
Anyone with information about the incident can call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964 and can leave tips anonymously. However, to receive the $20,000 for providing pertinent information that leads to a criminal conviction, you must leave your name and contact information.
Any other reports of injured marine animals can be sent to the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline, NOAA says.
West Mae’s Beach is on Barataria Bay, the largest estuary in Louisiana, where bottlenose dolphins live year-round – but the population there is threatened, according to the Marine Mammal Commission. After the 2010 Deep Horizon oil spill, the dolphin population in the bay declined by 45%, with many suffering reproductive failure and other diseases caused by exposure to the oil.
There are about 31 bay, sound and estuary – or BSE – dolphin populations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Barataria Bay population is the largest. Still, as of 2019, there are only an estimated 2,000 dolphins in the bay, according to the commission.
Another threat to the population is the the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project which is diverting water and sediment from the Mississippi River into the bay to rebuild eroding marshland. These dolphins, however, live in salt water, and the large amount of freshwater being pumped into the bay is affecting their habitat. More than 500 dolphins died within the first year of this project, according to the commission.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.