Weapons & Guns

A pregnant woman was shot at a Walgreens after one of the workers claims to have chased her into the lot following alleged shoplifting ... which then spurred a premature delivery.

Per local reports, cops say 21-year-old Mitarius Boyd -- who's reported to have been working as the team lead on Wednesday when this horrific incident unfolded -- shot 34-year-old Travonsha Ferguson while trying to stop what he says was an active theft in progress.

Boyd reportedly told investigators that he fired his weapon at both Ferguson and another woman she was with after pursuing them to their car ... where he claims they were trying to unload a bunch of stuff they'd allegedly just jacked from inside the Walgreens.

According to him, he felt his life was in danger when one of the women started to spray him with mace -- as he says he didn't know if they had a dangerous weapon on them. In other words, he's claiming self-defense here ... and has not been arrested at this point.

Cops say Ferguson -- who's reported to have been 7 months pregnant -- was hit 8 times ... twice in each leg and four times in the stomach. She and her friend made it into the car after the gun went off, and the friend is said to have dropped her off at the ER on her own.

Doctors attended to her immediately, and she underwent 3 surgeries. During those procedures, reports say an emergency C-section was done to take out the baby ... who was miraculously not hit during all this. Both she and her child are now in critical condition.

The case is under investigation, and the D.A. is reviewing the Walgreens employee's claim -- namely, that he had to shoot in order to protect himself from imminent danger.

Shawn Kemp has been charged with first-degree assault ... a charge stemming from that March parking lot altercation where the NBA legend was seen shooting a gun.

The case had been in limbo until this week. Authorities in Washington initially arrested the SuperSonics legend, before deciding they needed more time to investigate. All the while 53-year-old Kemp claimed he acted in self-defense, saying his actions were "reasonable and legally justified."

Unfortunately for Shawn, that's not the way prosecutors ultimately saw it, and they've now hit him with a first-degree assault charge. If convicted, the charge can carry a life sentence.

We broke the story last month, Kemp -- wearing a red vest -- approached a vehicle and pointed his gun, appearing to yell something before firing at least one shot outside a Tacoma, Washington shopping mall around 2:00 PM on March 8.

Kemp claimed he was simply trying to locate his phone, which was previously stolen, when things took a violent turn, and he was forced to defend himself.

Fortunately, no one was injured.

At the time of the confrontation, witnesses told us they heard multiple gunshots before pulling their phones out to record the incident, suggesting SK wasn't the only person shooting.

Moments later, the video also seemingly captured Shawn dumping his firearm in a bush.

Witness footage also showed police locating the weapon minutes later.

Now, barring a plea, Kemp's going to have to fight for his freedom in front of a judge ... and fight is exactly what his attorney says he's going to do, saying he'll plead not guilty to the charge.

The argument between Cash App founder Bob Lee and the man accused of stabbing him to death allegedly centered around the suspect's sister ... according to prosecutors.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say Lee and Tech start-up owner Nima Momeni had a spat before the stabbing ... and a witness says it was about whether Momeni's sister, Khazar, was doing drugs or anything inappropriate.

Prosecutors say the witness claims Lee tried to talk Momeni down and reassure him about Khazar. According to the witness that convo happened at some point in the afternoon or evening of April 3.

From there, investigators have pieced together the events leading up to Bob's death using videos. According to the docs, Bob left his apartment at 12:31 AM on April 4 ... and took an 8-minute walk to Khazar's apartment. Around 2 AM, Nima shows up at Khazar's apartment, and, a few minutes later, he and Bob leave together in Nima's car and drive to a secluded area.

When they get out of the car, Nima allegedly uses a kitchen knife to stab Bob 3 times ... once directly in the heart. Again, prosecutors say they have video of the stabbing. As we've reported, surveillance video -- obtained by Daily Mail -- shows Bob at 2:35 AM, injured and bleeding and desperately looking for help.

The docs say Khazar even texted Lee after the argument, making sure he was ok -- writing "Nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you."

She added, "Thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class Love you Selfish pricks."

As we reported, Momeni was arrested Thursday for the murder of Lee ... and it turns out Momeni has a history of arrests -- including a DUI in 2004 and illegal possession of a switchblade in 2011.

New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba made a young fan's night and future -- by gifting him not only the jersey off his back, but a law school scholarship!!

The heartwarming moment went down Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Rangers.

Garden of Dreams Foundation member Isaiah Márquez-Greene, who survived the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 but lost his sister Ana in the horrific event, met Trouba, his favorite player, on the ice and got the #8 jersey as a gift.

26 people, mostly elementary school-age kids, were senselessly murdered by a 20-year-old man on December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

"I've been a fan of you since Winnipeg [Jets]," Marquez-Greene told Trouba.

The hockey defenseman was flattered and signed the jersey for Isaiah ... but he had more in store for him.

"I know your story. I feel for you," Trouba said. "You're an amazing human."

That's when Trouba surprised Isaiah -- who wants to be a lawyer -- with a full scholarship!

"From the Garden of Dreams, this is a scholarship for law school! So you're gonna graduate from college, you're going to go to law school and you're gonna have no debt coming out of school."

Trouba even gave Isaiah his phone number to stay in touch so he gets his party invitation when he graduates.

"I want an invitation to when you graduate law school," Trouba said. "And I'm gonna check in with you when you go to college next year."

According to Márquez-Greene's mother, Nelba, the 18-year-old will be heading to UConn this fall.

The man charged with fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee has a history of brushes with the law, and was once arrested for illegal possession of a knife, according to court docs obtained by TMZ.

Nima Momeni was busted Thursday for the April 4 murder of Lee, which cops say happened after they got into a heated argument while driving in Momeni’s car in San Francisco. Cops say the men knew each other, although no motive's been disclosed yet.

Momeni, the owner of a Tech start-up company called ExpandIT, was previously arrested in 2011 for allegedly carrying a switchblade, again while driving in his car.

Momeni ended up pleading no contest to driving on a suspended license in exchange for a dismissal of the knife charge.

In a separate incident from 2004, Momeni was arrested for DUI.

In the less violent/criminal department ... Momeni's also, apparently, a liar.

On his LinkedIn page, he claims he attended UC Berkeley, but a University spokesperson denies that, asserting the alleged killer never attended the prestigious school.

Momeni is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon for Lee's murder.

It's been four months since Brittney Griner was released from a Russian penal camp, but the WNBA star hasn't forgotten about the Americans left behind, vowing to continue to fight for the release of U.S. citizens being held captive in Russia.

32-year-old Griner made a surprise cameo at Al Sharpton's National Action Network's Women's Empowerment Luncheon in NYC on Thursday, where she addressed the crowd.

“I want to continue to fight to bring home every American detained overseas. That means everything to me,” Griner said, flanked by her wife Cherelle Griner and Sharpton.

Of course, Brittney was sentenced to 9 years behind Russian bars after being found guilty on a drug charge. After 10 months spent in a jail cell and penal colony, she returned home on December 8 in a high-profile prisoner exchange.

After months of negotiations, the U.S. agreed to send Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death," serving a lengthy prison sentence in the States, back to Russia as part of a trade.

At the time of her release, the government was criticized for not getting back U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been locked up in Russia since late December 2018.

On Thursday, Griner made it clear she hasn't forgotten about Whelan and several other Americans who are still overseas.

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Tamra Judge is emotionally recounting a gut-wrenching situation -- one that's far too common -- a man armed with a weapon entering her daughter's school.

Tamra shed tears Thursday as she told her IG followers about the armed suspect that was at her daughter Sophia's high school. She says the students were forced to barricade themselves in their classrooms, and were equipped with hammers in case things got worse.

Luckily, Tamra says they caught the individual, and it doesn't sound like anyone was physically harmed ... but everyone is traumatized after the close call, including her daughter ... who she says doesn't want to set foot on campus.

She also shared the heart-dropping texts she received from 17-year-old Sophia ... who filled in her mom, in real-time, about what was going down. As Tamra puts it, "The text no parent wants to get."

Courtney Clenney, the OnlyFans model accused of murdering Christian Obusmeli, is being dragged to court by her slain boyfriend's family ... they want her to pay for his funeral.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Christian's estate is suing Courtney and others for negligence related to his brutal stabbing death.

In the docs, the estate says it racked up a ton of expenses for Christian's medical care and funeral arrangements ... and they want Courtney to help foot the bill.

What's more, the estate is demanding damages from Courtney to cover past and future mental pain and suffering for Christian's family ... plus past and future loss of his future support and services to his fam.

Remember ... Courtney is charged with second-degree murder for Christian's April 2022 stabbing death.

She was arrested 4 months after the fatal incident, and while she admits stabbing him ... she claims it was done in self-defense.

All along, Christian's family has believed Courtney killed him in cold blood ... and the family has previously told us they hope she's convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

We reached out to Courtney's camp about the lawsuit ... so far, no word back.

Ja Morant is countersuing the teenager who says he was assaulted by the NBA star ... claiming the guy is lying about their July 2022 pickup basketball altercation -- alleging he's the one who was actually threatened during the incident.

The Memphis Grizzlies point guard spelled out his claims in new court documents that were filed in Shelby County, TN on Wednesday night.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Morant acknowledged getting into a tiff with H.S. basketball star Joshua Holloway during the July 26 game at his home in Memphis, but says Holloway was the aggressor in the situation.

Morant says after things "got heated" during the game, Holloway intentionally threw a basketball at Morant's face. The teen then, according to Morant, "balled up his fists and walked aggressively" toward the NBA star "as if to attack him."

Morant said in the docs he did hit the boy, but claimed it was self-defense. He added that following an ensuing skirmish, Holloway yelled that he would come back to Morant's house and light it up "like a firework show."

Morant says he -- and other witnesses at the scene -- took that as "a threat to use a gun."

But, in the countersuit, Morant says Holloway then went to cops and lied to them about the situation, telling officers he was the victim. Morant says the boy also falsely told the cops Morant had a gun on his person following the altercation.

Morant said in the docs that once the boy's fabricated story became public through the media, it caused him ridicule and humiliation.

Morant is now countersuing Holloway for slander, battery and assault. He's asking for unspecified damages.

As we previously reported, Holloway sued Morant over the incident in September -- claiming the two-time All-Star and one of his good friends roughed him up in the confrontation at the pickup game.

A scary situation for the people of Japan, as a North Korean ballistic missile launch resulted in an evacuation order on Japan's second-largest island.

The terrifying scene played out Thursday morning when North Korea fired a missile off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, headed for the sea off the coast of Japan.

Sirens blared in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, where residents were urged to seek shelter.

"Evacuate immediately. Evacuate immediately," read the initial warning from the Japanese government ... though the Japanese Coast Guard later said the missile had already crashed into the sea.

It's unclear exactly what type of weapon North Korea fired ... and there's no data yet on how far it traveled. Japan is not saying exactly where the missile crashed into the sea either.

North Korea's been firing a barrage of weapons tests lately, with the latest launch coming on the heels of Kim Jong-Un stressing the need to beef up the country's nuclear arsenal with "increasing speed in a more practical and offensive" manner.

We're now getting more details into the horror that unfolded inside a Louisville bank Monday ... as 911 calls paint a picture of panic and desperation.

The Louisville PD just released a series of calls from the attack, including one from a woman who is absolutely hysterical as she describes watching the shooting from a remote video call. The woman tells the 911 operator she was on a video call meeting with staffers inside the Old National Bank when she could hear gunshots ring out and staffers scramble.

The woman describes in terrifying detail how she witnessed the shooter enter the conference room she was chatting with, as her coworkers were shot.

Another call comes in from a bank employee hiding inside a closet as she bravely gives the operator a description of the shooter, who she recognized as a coworker. The woman is able to remain extremely calm and stay quiet as she provides extremely helpful info to operators.

The shooter's mother can be heard on another call, telling 911 she was alerted to her son's alarming behavior by his roommate ... saying he was armed and headed toward the bank. The operator informs her of a situation already happening at the bank, and tells her not to drive toward it.

Retired FBI agent Greg Shaffer says hours of training and the right mentality helped the hero cops disarm the man who was shooting up a Louisville bank.

Greg, an active shooter prevention expert with 20 years of experience at the FBI, joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and explained just how difficult it is for police officers to deal with a situation like this, where they can't see the shooter.

Shaffer says the cops clearly had what he calls a "stop the killing before you stop the dying" mindset ... noting how Officer Cory "CJ" Galloway made a split-second decision to go after the shooter, even though his partner, Officer Nickolas Wilt, had just been shot in the head.

As Greg explains, Galloway did the right thing by taking cover and exchanging gunfire with the shooter ... ultimately taking down the killer, all while knowing his partner was in dire straits.

Greg says Galloway mentally stayed in the fight until the threat was neutralized, then went to aid his partner ... telling us it's textbook police training.

Officer Wilt was only 10 days out of the police academy when he responded to the scene ... and he remains hospitalized in critical condition, fighting for his life.

The AR-15 rifle used in the mass killing at a Kentucky bank will soon be hitting the auction block.

You heard it right. Kentucky gun laws are so lax that firearms seized by law enforcement are required to be sold at auction.

There is one caveat ... the firearms can only be bought by federally licensed gun dealers, specifically holding licenses for the weapons they purchase.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg blasted the state law at a press conference Monday after Connor Sturgeon murdered 5 employees with an AR-15 at the bank before he was killed by police. Sturgeon had previously been given notice he was going to be fired from the downtown Louisville bank.

Greenberg fumed, "The laws we have now are enabling violence and murder. Think about that: that murder weapon will be back on the streets one day."

He continued, "It’s time to change this law and let us destroy illegal guns and destroy the guns that have been used to kill our friends and kill our neighbors."

Greenberg went on to say that leaders must act immediately to stop the "gun violence epidemic."

Kentucky is one of the most firearm-friendly states east of the Mississippi.

Kentucky has some of the highest gun-related death rates in the country, which some experts attribute to relaxed laws for gun purchases and a lack of training that's required for legally bought firearms.

Two of the people kidnapped in Mexico and survived say their captors tried forcing them to have sex with each other ... and their account is terrifying.

LaTavia Washington McGee and her brother, Eric Williams, sat with CNN's Anderson Cooper Tuesday to tell their story for the first time since being rescued following an abduction in March ... when the cartel took them and 2 friends, who were killed in the ordeal.

Cooper asks if there were threats or demands made of them during their time with the cartel, and the two siblings sadly say yes ... namely, that the kidnappers asked that they sleep with one another. McGee and Williams say they pushed back -- telling the cartel members they were related ... and McGee was pregnant at the time.

They never addressed what ultimately happened ... but it just speaks to how depraved these criminals are. From the way it's described, it seems like they only ordered that for their amusement.

McGee and Williams go on to describe a moment when they were being transported by the cartel members ... they say the abductors piled them into a truck with dead bodies and were moving them all over the place with the promise of eventually letting them go.

In the end, the two other Americans -- Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown -- attempted to make a run for it ... but were gunned down. The group of four was originally traveling from Texas when they were taken near the border city of Matamoros in dramatic fashion.

The cartel members held them up at gunpoint and threw them into the back of their vehicle ... but after realizing they had kidnapped the wrong people -- apparently, per law enforcement officials, they might've thought they were Haitian drug smugglers. The Cartel was trying to find a way to get the crew of 4 off their hands without facing repercussions.

Unfortunately, two people lost their lives in the drama ... and the cartel even issued an apology for how everything went down. McGee and Williams were found on March 7, and the bodies of their friends were taken back into U.S. custody following the rescue operation.

The heroic actions of the cops who put their lives on the line in Louisville as a mass shooter opened fire are now being seen by the public for the first time in newly released body cam video.

In a press conference Tuesday, The Louisville Metro Police Department released a series of videos -- including two body cams from officers Nickolas Wilt and Cory "CJ" Galloway who were first to the scene Monday at Old National Bank.

Galloway immediately grabs a rifle from the trunk of his cruiser, and both officers head up the stairs to the bank's entrance. They're met almost immediately by gunfire from the shooter inside the building, and Wilt is struck in the head ... Galloway takes cover behind a pillar.

After a few minutes, more officers arrive on the scene and try to get to Wilt to pull him to safety. The shooter opens fire on the officers again, this time breaking glass in front of the bank and giving Galloway an angle on the shooter, shooting and killing him.

The shooter, 23-year-old Connor Sturgeon, an employee of the bank, killed 5 people in the massacre -- all of which were also bank employees.

The Louisville shooter suffered multiple concussions in his youth as a star athlete -- and he continued his athletic career ... doing so by wearing a helmet in games.

25-year-old Connor Sturgeon -- who has since been ID'd as the one who shot and killed 5 people Monday in a bank -- had a history of serious injuries that he suffered while playing football ... this according to one of his ex-classmates, who talked to Daily Beast.

The former peer says Sturgeon was out of football for most of the year during 8th grade due to multiple concussions ... adding, "Then he had a couple more in high school. I’m not saying it’s the cause but I always think back to that. There were times I’d wonder, will this catch up with him? But never in this way. He’s the last person I'd expect would do this."

As a result of the concussions he suffered ... Sturgeon went on to wear protective headgear during sports he'd compete in during high school. By most accounts, he was a star -- playing on the Varsity basketball team and even running track. He was also supposedly popular.

There's an essay, unearthed from his college days as well in which he says he dealt with low self-esteem throughout his life and had hopes of bettering himself as he aged. Sturgeon wrote, "Making friends has never been especially easy, so I have more experience than most in operating alone." He also said he continues to "battle against myself."

Sturgeon worked at the bank. He's reported to have used a rifle to open fire on a crowd of people inside, which included police officers too. Sturgeon was ultimately shot and killed.