L.A. House Party Shooting Cops Don't Believe NFL Player Involved ... Alleged Gang Cover-Up

Mulholland Drive Party
SHOOTING IN THE HILLS
@gabrieldaactor323 / Instagram

There were no NFL players involved in the fatal shooting at a raging house party in a swanky Los Angeles mansion, contrary to reports ... at least according to cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... they believe the Mulholland Drive mansion party that ended when shots rang out was a gang-related bash for the 8-Tray Gangster Crips, and they say they don't have any evidence to support an NFL player being there.

Mansion Party 8/4/20
MAD HOUSE
FOX 11

The fatal shootout went down early Tuesday morning, ending the wild party and sending three people to the hospital, one of whom is now dead. The other two gunshot victims are in critical condition.

Mulholland Shooting EMTs
EMTs ON THE SCENE
RMG News

While a man who claimed to be the head of security told CBS L.A. the party was in celebration of a player recently getting drafted by an NFL team, our law enforcement sources say cops believe the NFL player scenario was a cover story if any trouble happened. It's maybe not the brightest excuse -- the NFL Draft was held in April and rookies are already in training camps.

Video shows the moment gunshots ring out on the property, which was crawling with hundreds of people, many of whom were dropped off in buses. The driveway was also packed with luxury cars.

Our sources say the party had cake, balloons, decorations and loads of Crips ... but to their knowledge, no NFL players.

Mulholland Shooting Cop Cars
HEAVY POLICE PRESENCE
ANG News

Parties of any size are banned in Los Angeles county due to the pandemic, and so far cops say no arrests have been made.

Breonna Taylor Graces O Magazine Cover ... First Time in Mag's HISTORY Without Oprah

Breonna Taylor posthumously made history by landing on the cover of Oprah's Magazine ... the first time EVER in the magazine's 20-year history O herself was not front and center.

Oprah stepped aside for one of her final print editions ... dedicating the September cover with Breonna's image, declaring, "If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it." These words are emblazoned on the cover ... "HER LIFE MATTERS."

O dropped the news on Insta ... where she gave a touching tribute to Breonna ... "She was just like me. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter."

Oprah went on, "I think about Breonna Taylor often. Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping. And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem. What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of @oprahmagazine."

Ex-College Football Player Shot In Liquor Store Fight ... Terrifying Video

A former Buffalo State football player is fighting for his life after being shot during an altercation at a liquor store Monday ... and cops have released the shocking footage in hopes of catching the suspect.
FISTS TO FIREARMS
NYPD Crimestoppers
UPDATE

1:21 PM PT -- The NYPD says it apprehended the shooting suspect late Wednesday afternoon.

UPDATE

"Great investigative work done by the 105 Precinct Detective Squad, Queens South Homicide, Sergeant Castle, Detective Covatti & the rest of Team Castle from Regional Fugitive Task Force for apprehending Jeffrey Thurston in less than 48 hours," NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said.

A former Buffalo State football player is fighting for his life after being shot during an altercation at a liquor store Monday ... and cops have released the shocking footage in hopes of catching the suspect.

NYPD officials say a fight broke out between Malachi Capers -- a former D-end at Buff. State -- and another man after the two bumped into each other inside 136 Deli & Grill in Queens.

You can see in surveillance footage of the incident ... Capers brushed up against the man's shoulder -- and then the two exchanged words.

Eventually, fists started flying ... and that's when the former football player tackled the guy to the ground outside the store.

When the man was able to free himself from Capers' grasp ... you can see in the video, he pulled out a firearm and shot the 20-year-old in the stomach.

Capers is now reportedly in the hospital battling critical injuries.

Now, the NYPD says it's looking for the gunman -- who officials ID'ed as Jeffrey Thurston -- and is asking for any help in finding his location.

Buffalo State head coach Christian Ozolins, meanwhile, released a statement to multiple media outlets regarding the shooting ... saying, "Malachi was a well-liked member of our football family during his freshman year in 2018 and has remained a friend to many in our program as he has continued his education at Buffalo State after leaving the team due to on-going injury issues."

"We have him in our thoughts as we wish for a speedy and full recovery."

Originally published -- 7:32 AM PT

50 Cent Apologizes to Meg thee Stallion For Mocking Gun Incident

50 Cent's doing what he hardly ever does after one of his troll jobs -- he's saying sorry ... and it's none other than to Megan Thee Stallion, who made it clear his jokes were hurtful.

Fitty hopped on the Gram Monday to issue a mea culpa following Meg's tearful video, writing ... "👀Damn I didn’t think this shit was real,🤦‍♂️It sounded so crazy @theestallion i’m glad your feeling better and i hope you can accept my apology. I posted a meme that was floating around. I wouldn’t have done that if i knew you was really hurt sorry. 🤷🏽‍♂️"

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

The apology comes on the heels of Megan herself going into more detail about the gun incident, which left her with bullets in both her feet and required surgery.

During her IG Live sesh, Meg was fighting back tears as she tried speaking about it ... explaining it was a serious situation, and she didn't appreciate all the jokes and mocking from scores of people on social media in the immediate aftermath.

That includes 50, who put up two different memes making fun of the scenario. One of them portrayed Meg running away from a car as Tory Lanez chased her in a car -- a screengrab from a scene in 'Boyz n the Hood' with Meg and Tory's faces Photoshopped in -- and another showed Tory as MiniMe from 'Austin Powers' holding a gun. Both have been deleted.

071520_lanez_stallion_exit_kal_vF JULY 2020
EXITING THE VEHICLE
TMZ.com

It's rare that Fitty ever apologizes or takes back his jokes -- which he often makes at the expense of others. Looks like this one was serious enough to make him do a double-take.

Osundairo Bros. Get Stuff Back from Jussie Case ... But Not Ski Mask and Hat

Jussie Smollett's alleged "attackers" picked up some of their possessions seized by cops over a year ago -- including a large gun -- but the judge said they still gotta wait for a couple more infamous items.

Abel and Ola Osundairo were granted permission by the court to get back many of their belongings no longer considered to be pertinent to Jussie's case ... including a shotgun, a safe, household supplies and their clothes.

However, according to legal docs ... authorities are still holding several items connected to the 2019 alleged fake attack on Smollett -- most notably a black face mask and a red hat.

022119_brothers_shopping_kal
TOOLS FOR THE CRIME
TMZ.com

As you'll recall, the brothers were seen on security footage buying some of the items the day before the "attack" on Jussie.

The brothers' attorney, Gloria Rodriguez, says they both went to the Chicago PD evidence pickup spot earlier this month to get their stuff ... but left with less than they thought they'd get.

Abel and Ola Osundairo
ASSETS RETURNED
TMZ.com

As you can see ... Abel's carrying 2 gun cases, but we're told one is empty. That's because, according to Rodriguez, another shotgun was misclassified in the paperwork, but they hope to get that back soon.

Also, Rodriguez says there's a third firearm -- a 9MM -- the cops kept because it was in the brothers' safe. According to the legal docs, prosecutors and Jussie's defense are allowed to review the contents of the safe before they go back to Abel and Ola. The brothers did already get back the actual safe.

We're told Smollett's camp has not been given a chance yet to review the remaining safe items for his upcoming criminal trial.

As we've reported ... Jussie's still facing 6 felony counts for allegedly lying to cops.

Portland Protests Feds Pepper Spray Vietnam Vet ... Point-Blank in the Face

Vet Pepper Sprayed
BETRAYAL
@andrewkimmel / Twitter

A Vietnam veteran took a nozzle-full of pepper spray right to the face as he confronted federal officers in riot gear who've now taken to the streets of Portland.

The incident was captured Saturday night by journalist Andrew Kimmel, and it shows Mike Hastie peacefully confronting the authorities -- some of whom are said to be Homeland Security Border Patrol agents recently deployed by the White House.

Mike is telling them about his service in 'Nam, where he says he was a medic ... and where Americans committed atrocities against the Vietnamese people, something he says the agents and their generation know nothing about. He was keeping his distance and being peaceful -- simply voicing his opinion to the squad in front of him. Not being threatening at all.

And yet, that didn't stop one of the agents from pepper spraying him right in his face, point-blank and walking off like nothing happened. It went down almost like a hit of sorts.

Mike retreated -- clearly injured by the spray, which was all over his face and eyes -- but he kept up his rant, continuing to get his message across as the officers shipped out. We gotta say for someone who just got a dose of that in their eyeballs, the dude stood tough.

This is just a small example of the chaos that has overtaken the streets of Portland over the past week or so -- where cops and feds alike are deploying tear gas and pepper spray to break up the civil unrest that's been unfolding. In most cases, like this, the method is completely unnecessary and a blatant use of excessive force ... which can be heinous.

The problem ... because of how wild it is right now, there's little to no accountability. And, a lot of these officers are wearing gas masks, fatigues and riot gear, so it's hard to identify them.

Black Lives Matter Austin Protest Ends in Gunfire with One Dead

A man was shot dead Saturday night during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin.

The protest was largely peaceful, with cops there monitoring the scene, when a confrontation erupted and 5 gunshots rang out.

Before opening fire, the shooter, who was driving a car, sped at the protesters in an apparent attempt to strike them.

The victim, identified as Garrett Foster, reportedly was protesting, carrying a rifle and approached the shooter's car, and that's when he was struck.

Foster's mother, Sheila, claims her son was pushing his fiancee in a wheelchair before the shooting. She says, "This gentleman got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times."

The suspect has been arrested and is in custody. Cops say he's cooperating.

The victim reportedly was carrying a rifle and came up to a vehicle. The man inside the car shot the victim.

Megan Thee Stallion Doctors Operated on Her Feet ... Treated for 'Gunshot Injury'

Megan Thee Stallion's injuries to her feet, after Tory Lanez allegedly shot her, were so bad she had to go into the operating room ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... the rapper's hospital records show she was treated for a "gunshot injury" when she was admitted to L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Hospital. That was shortly after police pulled over Tory's chauffeur-driven SUV around 4:30 AM on July 12.

We're told, Megan told doctors she was barefoot when she heard a loud noise and immediately felt pain in both feet, and said she initially thought it was from stepping on glass.

Instead, our sources say Meg underwent a surgical procedure to remove bullets, or bullet fragments, from her feet.

As we've told you ... Megan says the incident has left her "hurt and traumatized," and the LAPD is still investigating Lanez for assault with a deadly weapon, but so far, he has not been charged.

071520_lanez_stallion_exit_kal_vF JULY 2020
EXITING THE VEHICLE
TMZ.com

As we reported, video of the ordeal showed cops pulling over the SUV -- with Lanez lying face-down on the street and Megan tip-toeing gingerly ... leaving bloody footprints with each step.

Our sources say Tory allegedly shot Megan in the feet as she exited the SUV, on the heels of an argument that erupted in the SUV. He was arrested and booked for possession of a concealed weapon ... the handgun cops found in the vehicle.

It's unclear if police have seen the hospital records yet, but if so ... it could be a big step toward charging Tory in the shooting.

Johnny Ortiz Cops Say He's the Drive-By Driver ... In Attempted Murder Case

"American Crime" actor Johnny Ortiz is facing a real-life attempted murder charge for his alleged role in an L.A. drive-by shooting ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Ortiz and another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, allegedly tried to kill a man named Brian Duke in a gang violence-related incident. Though Navarro's the one accused of pulling the trigger, prosecutors also hit Ortiz with an attempted murder charge ... now we know why.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... witnesses on the scene gave a description of the car, which was pulled over about an hour later in L.A. with 4 people inside, and Ortiz driving.

We're told all 4 were taken into custody, but the D.A. only charged Ortiz and Navarro ... the other 2 were released.

Our sources say prosecutors have some video evidence linked to the shooting.

Ortiz has also costarred in "McFarland, USA" with Kevin Costner, and with Aaron Paul in "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie." He was arrested in late May and is still locked up, being held on $1,120,000 bail.

He pled not guilty, and his family insists he's innocent and has been trying to raise his money through crowdfunding for his bail and other legal expenses. His next hearing is set for September.

NFL's Ed Oliver Prosecutors Dropping Charges ... In Drunk Driving Case

Great news for Ed Oliver ... the Buffalo Bills' rising star is getting his DWI and gun charges dropped because of insufficient evidence, prosecutors confirmed to TMZ Sports on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old former first-round pick -- who had a rock-solid rookie season for Buffalo last year -- was arrested back on May 16 in Montgomery, Texas after cops say he was drunk driving.

Officers claim witnesses told them they saw Oliver swerving and driving dangerously at around 9 PM ... and they say when they eventually caught up to Ed, he was doing 80 mph in a 45 and illegally passing people.

Cops say when they pulled Ed over, they noticed a "moderate" odor of alcohol and said Oliver had bloodshot and glassy eyes.

The officers also say Oliver had an open can of Bud Light in the driver's side door ... and claim the guy bombed sobriety tests.

Cops also say they found a pistol in his car after searching his ride.

Eventually, Oliver was arrested and charged with class B misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and class A misdemeanor "unlawful carry weapon."

But, prosecutors told us Wednesday they filed a motion to drop the charges after the testing for drugs/alcohol came back negative.

Oliver's attorney, Gary E. Patterson, elaborated to Fox 26's Mark Berman, saying, "The charges against Ed Oliver are being dismissed by the district attorney in Montgomery County (because of) the lack of evidence."

"The blood results came back and they were totally negative. He had no drugs at all in his system..So everybody know it's not the attorney that's getting him off. They had no evidence."

As for the gun charge, Patterson told Berman, "It gets automatically dismissed because it's only illegal to have a pistol in your vehicle if you're intoxicated or if you get charged with another criminal act. So when the DWI is dimissed, it's not illegal to have a pistol with you."

Oliver himself weighed in on the news, writing on his social media page, "Now y’all go back and read this article knowing that all my blood work came back clean!!!but I had a beer can between my legs get the f*** out of here how does a 5’8 officer see inside a window above his head anyway how do 5 cop cars show up before I take a sobriety test huh"

Oliver is expected to have a huge role on the Bills' defense this season ... he logged 5 sacks and started 7 games as a rookie in Buffalo last season.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Son Sued By Alleged Stabbing Victim ... You Fractured My Skull!!!

UPDATE

7:26 AM PT -- Adam Abdul-Jabbar's counsel Shawn Holley tells TMZ Sports, "Mr. Winsor has given several different and inconsistent stories about what happened that night to various television media outlets."

UPDATE

"What he has conveniently failed to mention in each of them is that he provoked the incident by physically attacking Adam first."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's son is now being sued after he was accused of stabbing his neighbor in June ... with the alleged victim claiming he suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed in the attack.

We broke the story ... back on June 9, cops in San Clemente, Calif. arrested 28-year-old Adam Abdul-Jabbar after they say he attacked his neighbor during an argument.

The neighbor -- ID'ed as 60-year-old Raymond Winsor -- claims in the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, the whole incident went down after he urged Abdul-Jabbar to help his elderly grandmother with chores.

Winsor says Abdul-Jabbar exploded on him ... claiming in the lawsuit, Abdul-Jabbar told him, "Shut your f'**king mouth or I'm gonna stick this knife through your teeth and cut your throat out."

Winsor says Abdul-Jabbar then stabbed him seven times in the head, neck, back and side -- and caused MAJOR damage.

Winsor says he suffered a skull fracture and a subdural hematoma ... and was forced to stay in the hospital for three days after the altercation

Now, Winsor is suing Abdul-Jabbar ... claiming he's suffering from shock, anxiety, worry, sleeplessness, depression and much more -- and he wants Abdul-Jabbar to pay up for his medical expenses plus additional damages.

We've reached out to Abdul-Jabbar's reps for comment, but so far, no word back.

However, we're told multiple people connected to the situation have said Winsor has been "needling" Adam for a while -- and the tension had been building for "a long time."

We're also told Adam is the person who called 911 -- and was cooperative with police.

As for the criminal case against Abdul-Jabbar, no formal charges have been filed yet.

We reached out to law enforcement for an update on that process, but no word back yet there either.

Originally Published -- 12:30 AM PT

Ukrainian Bus Siege Hostage Situation Ends With Movie Rec ... The Joker Meets Speed!!!

Ukranian Hostages
UNHARMED
Антон Геращенко / Facebook

A hostage situation in Ukraine ended safely when the country's president met one of the gunman's odd demands -- posting a video encouraging folks to watch a Joaquin Phoenix movie.

Here's the deal ... a heavily armed man took 13 people hostage on a bus in western Ukraine, leading to a tense, day-long standoff Tuesday with police.

The gunman told cops he rigged the bus with explosives and was holding the passengers hostage, and gave the government a list of demands. Sounds a lot like the plot of "Speed," right?!?

The hostage-taker, later identified as 44-year-old Russian-born Maksym S. Kryvosh, finally surrendered and freed all 13 people after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky fulfilled one of the demands -- posting a video on his official Facebook account recommending folks watch the 2005 documentary, "Earthlings."

Can ya believe it? The guy didn't even request "The Joker."

Volodymyr Zelensky
MEETING THE DEMANDS

The documentary, directed by Shaun Monson and narrated by Joaquin, focuses on human exploitation of animals. Ukrainian officials explained Zelenskyy reached an agreement with the hostage-taker during a 15-minute phone call, with the gunman surrendering once Zelenskyy posted on Facebook.

Once the gunman was detained and the hostages were safe, Zelenskyy deleted the movie suggestion from his Facebook page.

No word if Joaquin plans to turn this true story into his next big movie.

Police Use of Force Shoots Black Man With Bean Bag Rounds ... As He Lay on Ground

Man Shot In Front of Kids
WHY SHOOT?!?

A black man with his arms up in the air was shot with bean bag rounds by cops, and then shot twice more as he lay on the ground.

It went down in Mesa, Arizona. Lorenzo Jones was arguing with his girlfriend and her sister, while 5 children watched nearby.

The video starts when the SWAT team is giving Jones commands. Jones was supposed to appear in court earlier in the day but failed to show, so an arrest warrant was issued. Jones tried telling the cops he had indeed shown up at the courthouse.

The cops gave orders for Jones to surrender, and when he put his hands up, one of the officers fired a bean bag round that squarely hit Jones, as he fell to the ground in pain.

As Jones lay on the ground, SWAT fired 2 more rounds, hitting him both times.

The Mesa Police Dept. is investigating, but there are signs the Police Chief thinks the force was warranted. Chief Ken Cost said, "They [the cops] felt that he was armed and dangerous." Thing is ... Jones was shot when he had his hands up in the air and when he was laying on the ground.

The Chief added, "Less-lethal tools are exactly that, less lethal, and were developed to prevent violent actions, protect the public, save the lives of suspects as well as officers."

They threw the book at Jones, arresting him for aggravated assault on an officer, 3 counts of aggravated assault on a minor, resisting arrest, marijuana possession, assault causing fear of physical injury.

Megan Thee Stallion I'm 'Hurt and Traumatized' ... Cops Investigating Assault with Deadly Weapon

UPDATE

2:49 PM PT -- Megan just spoke out on the incident and says she's "hurt and traumatized."

UPDATE

In an emotional tweet, MTS says ... "Black women are so unprotected & we hold so many things in to protect the feelings of others w/o considering our own."

UPDATE
UPDATE

Meg also takes a shot at people cracking jokes online, saying ... "It might be funny to y’all on the internet and just another messy topic for you to talk about but this is my real life and I’m real life hurt and traumatized."

LAPD is now officially looking into the allegation Megan Thee Stallion suffered gunshot wounds ... and they're taking a hard look at Tory Lanez as the potential trigger man.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... detectives have now opened an assault with a deadly weapon investigation into what allegedly happened early Sunday morning shortly before cops pulled over Tory's chauffeur-driven SUV in the Hollywood Hills.

As we reported, sources connected to the investigation say Tory allegedly shot Megan in the feet as she exited the SUV, on the heels of an argument that erupted in the SUV.

071520_lanez_stallion_exit_kal_vF JULY 2020
EXITING THE VEHICLE
TMZ.com

Remember, Tory was arrested and booked for possession of a concealed weapon ... a handgun found in the SUV. Upgrading the investigation to assault with a deadly weapon could mean new charges are coming.

Tory hasn't been named a suspect, but our law enforcement sources say cops are lasered in on him.

Now, sources connected to Tory say it seems he will claim it was accidental ... IF he's charged for the shooting. The fact LAPD is investigating it as assault with a deadly weapon -- as opposed to attempted homicide -- could mean they, at least in theory, believe it was accidental.

Right now, law enforcement sources tell us cops are still having trouble getting witnesses to cooperate, which could make it difficult to prosecute Tory.

Originally published -- 11:49 AM PT

Megan Thee Stallion Tory Lanez Allegedly Shot Her But Witnesses Not Cooperating

Tory Lanez allegedly opened fire on Megan Thee Stallion early Sunday morning after arguing with her and her friend ... according to sources directly connected to the investigation.

We're told the argument started after the group left a Hollywood Hills party together in the chauffeur-driven SUV, and at some point, Megan and her friend, Kelsey Nicole, wanted out of the vehicle.

Our sources say Tory opened fire from inside the vehicle, and allegedly hit Meg in the feet twice. TMZ broke the story ... LAPD pulled over Tory's ride a short time later. Megan's feet were clearly bleeding on the sidewalk as she followed police instructions to exit the vehicle.

071520_lanez_stallion_exit_kal_vF JULY 2020
EXITING THE VEHICLE
TMZ.com

Tory was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon. As for why he hasn't been booked for the alleged shooting?

Well, sources connected to Tory say there are mitigating circumstances. Based on what we know, we believe he's going to say it was an accidental shooting.

Also, the initial report to cops was someone had fired a gun into the air, not at someone. Megan initially told police she had cut her feet on glass, but remember ... she's the victim in this case -- as police had listed her from the start. It's entirely possible she felt intimidated as an alleged domestic violence victim.

There's also this complication -- witnesses are not cooperating with police up to this point, according to law enforcement sources ... and without witnesses who are willing to testify it might be hard to prove the case against Tory.

However, we're told police have been notified that there is cell phone video of the shooting. Our law enforcement sources tell us they have not put eyes on that video yet -- again, witnesses have been difficult -- but, obviously, if they do see it ... it could dramatically change the case.

Masked Gunmen Shoot Man on Brooklyn Street ... He Miraculously Survived!!!

Masked Gunmen
AMBUSHED
NYPD

Masked gunmen were caught on dash cam hopping out of a car, firing several shots at a man and making a clean getaway -- and the shocker here is ... the victim lived through this.

NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison shared this scary video showing several unidentified suspects exiting 2 vehicles in Brooklyn Tuesday night and opening fire. The crazy scene plays out very much like a mob hit in the movies -- and these hitmen hit their target 5 times.

As you can see ... the armed men, who were all wearing face masks, all escaped in 2 getaway vehicles -- a red car and a white SUV. Cops say the white vehicle had stolen plates.

The 28-year-old shooting victim survived the hit, and is in stable condition.

NYPD is asking anyone with information on the brazen attack to call Crime Stoppers.