Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
One Student Killed in North Carolina School Shooting
A North Carolina high school freshman is now being charged with first-degree murder after he shot and killed a fellow student on Monday. According to officials, the shooting occurred during a fight between two students that was the result of “bullying” and a conflict that “started several days” ago. “And as fear took over, a young person bought a gun to solve the problems,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox said.
Aside from the victim, 16-year-old Bobby McKeithen, no one else was injured. CNN reported that within minutes of the fight’s commotion, two police officers and a school resource officer entered the school and were told by a teacher who the suspected shooter was. Jatwan Craig Cuffie, also 16, was taken into custody.
After the fatal incident, Butler High School went on lockdown only to continue classes later that day. According to Wilcox, “dozens if not hundreds” of students witnessed the shooting before fleeing in panic. He defended the controversial decision of resuming classes by saying that the school wanted to make sure students had safe transport before they could go home.
Police have not disclosed what sort of gun was used.
Suspected Mail Bomber Had List of 100+ Additional Targets
Cesar Sayoc, the man suspected of mailing 14 pipe bombs to leading Democrats, critics of President Trump, and CNN, reportedly had a list of more than 100 other potential targets. Senior law enforcement officials told NBC that Sayoc was researching political figures, journalists, and entertainers. The FBI said it is warning anyone who may have been a potential target, especially since it’s not known if any undelivered pipe bombs are still in the postal system.
The news came on Monday, the same day that Sayoc’s initial hearing took place in Florida federal court. He’s facing five federal charges — interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives, threats against former presidents and other persons, threatening interstate communications and assaulting current and former federal officers — and could receive up to 48 years in prison if he’s convicted.
However, Sayoc’s lawyers told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday evening that he intends to plead not guilty. “He remains innocent. And nobody has been able — in a court of law — to say that those were bombs that he sent,” said Daniel Aaronson, one of Sayoc’s attorneys. “Therefore there is no reason why he should speak or possibly have any information to impart.”
Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooter Appears in Court
Robert Bowers, the gunman accused of killing 11 people and injuring six others at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday could face the death penalty, according to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Bowers made his first court appearance on Monday, where he was seen in a wheelchair after reportedly being injured during the shootout with police. He was ultimately charged with 29 felony counts, which included 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder and 11 counts of obstruction of the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death. Bowers is also facing 11 state charges.
Pittsburgh-based US Attorney Scott Brady “has begun the process of seeking the death penalty” for Bowers, CNN reported. Sessions would have to give final approval, though. On Monday, he called the shooting a “murderous rampage.”
“This was not just an attack on the Jewish faith,” Sessions said. “It was attack on all people of faith, and it was an attack on America’s values of protecting those of faith. It cannot, it will not, be tolerated.”
What to look for…
(Free) food near you. Halloween is Wednesday, and a number of companies are giving away food for free or at a discounted rate.