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2 women found dead on same road within days in Indianapolis were killed “in the same manner,” police say
Authorities are investigating a pair of similar murders in Indianapolis that happened within days of each other in the same area last week.
Although there are “a number of commonalities” between the two killings, no evidence directly indicates that they were related, the Indianapolis Police Department said in a news release. But authorities have still made note of the similarities in both cases, including the fact that both victims were White women in their 50s who were killed “in the same manner.” Their bodies were found on the same road, and each had ties to the city’s far east side, according to police.ย
Police have not shared details about how either woman was killed, nor have they identified a suspect or suspects despite characterizing both cases as homicides.ย
At a Friday news briefing, which the police department said was held “out of an abundance of caution,” Acting Police Chief Chris Bailey asked that anyone with information potentially connected to either case contact the department, CBS affiliate WTTV reported.ย
“We need the community’s assistance to understand what these women were doing before they were killed that may help investigators move this case forward,” said Bailey.
The first woman was found dead the morning of Jan. 27, in the parking lot of a dentist’s office on Indianapolis’ east side, according to police and WTTV. Just days later, on Feb. 1, a second woman was found dead behind a strip mall nearby. The victims were respectively identified as 58-year-old Shannon Lassere and 52-year-old Marianne Weis, WTTV reported.ย
Justin Smith, Lassere’s son, told the station that his mother had gone out for a walk the night of Jan. 26 and never returned home, and suggested the two killings were not a coincidence. CBS News contacted the Indianapolis Police Department for more information but did not receive an immediate response.ย
“It’s just weird that it is two different people, two different days, and it seems similar. It’s absolutely weird,” Michael Adams, who lives near the sites of the killings, told WTTV.
Indianapolis police said they are stepping up officers’ presence in the area where the bodies were found “in the interest of public safety to prevent this type of violence in our community.”
“Residents should expect to see more uniformed officers patrolling the area, in vehicles and on foot, and detectives will be canvassing the area in the coming days,” police said. “In addition to our homicide unit, IMPD will have multiple units working these cases.”
The police department said it is working with a county forensic services agency to determine whether meaningful forensic evidence can be pulled from the scene and asking others in the area to check any private surveillance footage “to see if they saw anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.”
NEW YORK โ 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.”ย
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”ย
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.ย
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.ย
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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.ย
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.ย
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.