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Former pro wrestler William “Billy Jack” Haynes in custody after wife found dead in Oregon home
Former professional wrestler William Albert “Billy Jack” Haynes Jr. has been taken into police custody in connection with the death of his wife in Portland, authorities said.
Portland police said in a statement that Haynes, 70, was in police custody at a local hospital, undergoing treatment “for a medical condition unrelated to the homicide or his contact with law enforcement.”
Deborah Thomas / AP
Police said charges would be announced when Haynes is booked into jail.
Haynes was identified by police as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Janette Becraft, 85. Police said they responded Thursday to reports of a shooting in a Portland neighborhood and requested help from special teams including crisis negotiators. CBS affiliate KOIN-TV reported that Haynes was detained two hours after two hours of negotiations. Police found Becraft dead inside the home.
A police spokesperson on Monday did not answer questions about the case, including whether Haynes had been released from the hospital, citing the ongoing investigation. It was not known whether Haynes had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Police said that Becraft’s family asked for privacy.
Neighbor Brelynn Matthieu told KOIN-TV that she knew the couple.
“It’s just a huge tragedy. I was pretty decently close to both of them and loved them very much. It’s a really sad day, all around,” Matthieu said.
Haynes performed as Billy Jack Haynes during a career that included competing in the World Wrestling Federation, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment. A pro wrestling website said Haynes had an up-and-down career, wrestling against such well-known figures as Ric Flair and Randy “Macho Man” Savage during the 1980s.
“He was telling me all kinds of stories about old wrestling and I told him how I used to go watch him,” neighbor Steve Odry told KOIN-TV.
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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.