COPS FACE MURDER CHARGES
Five police officers face charges of second-degree murder and aggravated assault following the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who was left in critical condition following a traffic stop on Jan. 7 in Memphis, Tenn., according to the Memphis Police Department. Three days after being hospitalized, Nichols died. The Memphis Police Department released footage of the incident, showing graphic material of the brutal beating.
TWO DAYS, TWO SHOOTINGS
Two mass shootings took place in California in the span of 48 hours. On Jan. 21, a 72-year-old gunman opened fire at an Asian-American dance hall, Star Dance, in Monterey Park, Calif., murdering 11 and wounding nine, according to the Associated Press. The suspect was identified as Huu Can Tran, who took his own life after a standoff with police in Torrance, Calif. Just a few hours later, in the quiet agricultural town of Half Moon Bay in Northern California, a 66-year-old man opened fire at two locations, wounding eight and killing seven, according to the Associated Press. The suspect in the Half Moon Bay shooting, Chuli Zhao, was later arrested and admitted to the killings.
EARTHQUAKE HITS SOCAL
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake rattled Southern California on Jan. 25 at 2 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 10 miles off the coast of Malibu. Several aftershocks followed. Initial reports indicated that the earthquake was felt as far as Fullerton.
TOM BRADY RETIRES “FOR GOOD”
After a 23-year career, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady took to Twitter on Feb. 1 to announce his official retirement from football saying, “I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me.”