Weapons & Guns

Ja Morant is doing "good" as his fate hangs in the balance after again flashing a gun on social media ... so says teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. who believes the Grizzlies superstar will come back with a vengeance!

"He's good," 23-year-old Jackson said Monday on Paul George's podcast.

"He's I think just growing up with this much attention on you, especially being this young. It's a lot to deal with."

Of course, Morant, outside a short, prepared statement, has been silent since the controversial video ... a moment Jaren clearly believes doesn't accurately portray the 23-year-old NBA superstar.

"Dude's great. People always gotta understand that everybody human. That's my brother though, no matter what. I stand my brother and I think that's the lesson everybody should take away from this."

Morant's going to be suspended -- the only question is for how long. After the Denver-area strip club incident, the NBA sat Ja down for eight games. The incoming punishment will presumably be much more severe.

But, Jackson -- who's played with Morant since 2019 -- wholeheartedly believes Ja will come back with a chip on his shoulder, and be better than ever.

"He works hard. He's smart as hell. He should've been MVP the other year," Jackson says, adding ... "The dude is high-level."

A brazen gunman is on the loose in NYC after going on a wild west style rampage through a restaurant, taking down one victim ... and it was all caught on security video.

The shocking footage starts out calmly with customers scanning food trays at a hot bar inside Boishakhi Restaurant Saturday afternoon in Queens.

Suddenly, the red-hoodie-wearing assailant dashes into the joint, brandishing a handgun and chasing after a man in a red shirt while firing shots at him.

The video, first obtained by the NY Post, shows others ducking for cover ... including a terrified family that scooped up their child and ran down a flight of stairs to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, the suspect continued to pursue the man, circling the hot bar and firing his handgun as he went. He eventually struck his target once ... in the butt, and then fled.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. No one else was injured.

By the time cops got on the scene, the shooter was long gone.

Keenan Anderson, cousin of BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, died because of cocaine and an enlarged heart ... according to the coroner's office, which was investigating his death following a controversial LAPD arrest.

Body cam footage of Anderson's arrest sparked protests in L.A. earlier this year -- LAPD officers had used a taser on him for 42 seconds, according to Cullors. However, the L.A. County Coroner's autopsy report, released Friday, says Anderson's cause of death might have been the effects of cocaine use on his enlarged heart.

The report notes that a manner of death has not yet been determined.

The police video showed officers tasering Anderson -- who had been a high school English teach -- at least 6 times while he was on his stomach.

In response to Anderson's death, LAPD Chief Michael Moore said the department would be taking a closer look at taser deployment.

Ja Morant will have to wait at least a couple more days to learn his fate following his second gun video ... Adam Silver said Thursday the NBA will not announce anything regarding the Grizzlies superstar until after the Finals.

The commish spoke at length about Morant with reporters just before Game 1 of the Nuggets vs. Heat series ... and he made it clear, the league has basically wrapped its probe into the 23-year-old.

But, he said they don't want to announce any of their findings just yet ... out of respect for the Denver/Miami championship.

"We probably could have brought it to a head now," Silver said, "but we made the decision -- and I believe the Players Association agrees with us -- that it would be unfair to these players and to these teams in the middle of this series to announce the results of that investigation."

Silver added that because it's the offseason -- and Morant has already been suspended indefinitely by Memphis -- he didn't see any need expedite a ruling that could possibly overshadow the Finals.

"It seemed better to park that at the moment," he said.

Silver did not indicate whether or not Morant would be receiving a hefty suspension -- though he did say "the history of prior acts" and "the individual player's history" would factor into any sort of punishment.

Of course, Morant has already been suspended once for flashing a gun on camera back in March ... and many expect a more lengthy ban to be coming following his most recent gun incident.

"My sense now is that shortly after the conclusion of the Finals," Silver added, "we will announce the outcome of that investigation."

Memorial Day turned violent at a popular Florida tourist destination ... nine people were shot and injured, including four minors, in Hollywood Beach.

The bullets started flying Monday afternoon when two groups got into a heated argument and decided to settle their differences using guns.

Several videos circulating online caught all the chaos. One clip shows the moment shots were fired, causing people to scatter on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk -- a busy promenade filled with restaurants and shops.

Other footage captured paramedics giving first aid to victims at the scene.

Police said five adults and four minors were treated at hospitals for gunshot wounds -- and one had to undergo surgery. Yet, all nine victims -- ranging in age from 1 to 65 -- were listed in stable condition.

Hollywood Police Department spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi said investigators detained one person of interest and were searching for a second possible suspect.

Ralph Yarl, the Black teen who was shot in the head after walking up to the wrong house last month, was at a charity event for a good cause ... helping others who have ended up in situations similar to his in one of his first outings since the near-death experience.

The 17-year-old Missouri student was at the “Going the Distance for Brain Injury” run-walk event in Kansas City Monday -- the same city where he was shot 2 times -- including in the head -- just over a month before by 84-year-old Andrew Lester.

Ralph's mom, Cleo Nagbe, told local outlet KMBC she's extremely grateful for the outpouring of support she's been receiving for her son. In regards to the event, she says, "Socially it’s still hard for him. So, I’m glad he was able to overcome this. I pray that he will overcome most of his social hurdles after doing this."

You'll recall, Ralph was attempting to pick up his siblings when he mistakenly approached Lester's home, resulting in Lester shooting the teenager twice ... he's since been dealing with a serious brain injury but is luckily alive after the terrifying incident.

Lee Merritt, attorney for the Yarl family, told TMZ the part of Ralph's brain that deals with emotion and stress was damaged, so his doctor didn't give him the green light to return to school due to all the social interactions.

Ralph also got an invite from Ahmaud Arbery's mom, Wanda, to join her at a 5K race earlier this month, but his fam didn't think the time was right to be in a social setting, especially after the school denial.

A North Carolina bus driver got into a shootout with a passenger while traveling along a designated route ... and the violent encounter was caught on video.

David Fullard was behind the wheel of a Charlotte Area Transit System bus when Omarri Tobias approached and asked to be let off between stops. The two began to argue after Fullard said Tobias would have to wait until the next stop, prompting each to whip out guns.

Check out surveillance footage from inside the bus, which shows the men aiming their firearms at one another and squeezing off shots at close range.

Tobias was hit in the stomach, but he managed to crawl to the back of the bus. Fullard, who was struck in the arm, stopped the bus and continued to fire at Tobias. But, Tobias was able to slither out the side door to safety.

Both men were treated for their injuries and expected to make a full recovery. Two other passengers aboard the bus were unharmed.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police arrested Tobias and charged him with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, communicating threats and carrying a concealed firearm.

Fullard has not been criminally charged ... but he was fired by RATP Dev, which employs transit system bus drivers in the region.

The Charlotte Area Transit System said Fullard failed to follow proper procedure, explaining he should have de-escalated the situation by allowing Tobias to exit the bus before arriving at the next stop.

A wild shootout at a New Mexico motorcycle rally left at least 3 people dead and 5 injured ... and TMZ has obtained video of the violence erupting.

Check out the footage, which shows a woman walking behind a pick-up truck standing in traffic and carefully peering around the side of it.

Suddenly, she turns around and moves swiftly away, crossing the road. She then breaks into a trot when the crackle of gunfire is heard nearby. A motorist repeatedly yells to her, "Get out of the way!"

In another clip, people inside a vehicle are filming the aftermath of the Saturday shooting at the Red River Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally. A rescue truck with lights flashing can be seen parked outside a building as bikers ride down the street.

Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun told NBC News ... "I can confirm 3 dead and 5 injured. One person died at the hospital."

New Mexico State Police said the 5 wounded were being treated at hospitals, but their conditions and the extent of their injuries were not disclosed.

Calhoun said motorcycle gang members were involved in the bloodshed, which ended with several arrests. Upwards of 28,000 bikers attended the rally.

High school hoops star Mikey Williams has lost his partnership with a sports technology company, TMZ Sports has learned ... one month after he was arrested in Southern California.

As we previously reported, Williams -- who committed to play for the Memphis Tigers last November -- was jailed on April 13 after authorities alleged he was involved in a shooting near his San Diego County home in March.

Lace Clips, one of the first companies to ink the basketball player to a name, image and likeness deal, told us they will no longer work with Williams after the arrest.

"We are not continuing our partnership with Mikey Williams," said Jonathan Nussbaum, the president of Lace Clips.

Nussbaum also claims that Williams wasn't holding up his end of the bargain after they gave him a multiyear contract in 2022 ... adding that their relationship was deteriorating even before his arrest.

"He is not someone that will be associated with our brand going forward," Nussbaum said.

We're told Williams' partnership with the sports tech company -- which makes wearable smart activity trackers that attach to shoes -- will cease at the end of May.

Reports of bomb threats made to several Target stores over three different states have now been classified as a hoax -- and it seems someone was trying to plant a false flag.

Target locations in Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- spanning the greater Cleveland, Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh areas -- reportedly received correspondence Friday threatening to blow up several sites ... and all the emails sent referenced the Pride Month display controversy.

At first, it seemed the threats were coming from folks boycotting Target for supporting Pride Month -- but, Cleveland 19 News published a screenshot of the email in question, and it actually appeared to come from an LGBTQ+ ally angry about Target's decision to back down.

The note -- which was sent by someone named Alsan Akhmedov -- reads in part, "Target is full of cowards who turned their back on the LGBT community and decided to cater to the homophobic right wing redneck bigots who protested and vandalized their store."

It continues, "We won't stand idly by as the far right continues to hunt us down. We are sending you a message, we placed a bomb in the following targets." Four Targets in OH and one in PA were referenced ... the Utah stores were not mentioned in this specific message.

All of those stores -- plus some in Utah, which also received bomb threats -- were evacuated ... but after preliminary investigations, cops are now saying this whole thing is fake.

Some law enforcement agencies have reportedly said the email looks to have originated from overseas, and that there was no credible threat upon inspection at the Targets mentioned. Cops in Utah -- where the stores also appear to have been sent a similar email -- said the same thing ... calling the bomb threats "bogus." In other words, disinformation.

Takeoff's alleged killer, Patrick Xavier Clark, has just been formally charged with murder in the Migos rapper's shooting death

A Texas grand jury indicted Clark on murder charges Thursday ... the Harris County District Attorney's Office told KHOU.

As you know ... Takeoff was shot and killed back in November outside a Houston bowling alley, where he was partying with Quavo. What started out as a celebration turned into an argument, which led to a physical altercation and ultimately a fatal shooting.

Houston PD arrested Clark in December, accusing him of firing the fatal shots.

Remember ... the coroner's report said Takeoff was shot in the head and the torso. Police say Takeoff was not armed and he was an innocent bystander when he was hit by gunfire.

As we reported ... Clark was released from the Harris County Jail in early January after posting $1 million bond.

TMZ broke the story ... Clark has already asked a judge for $5,000 to hire a private investigator to properly prepare his defense, claiming he's financially unable to cover the costs of hiring a P.I. on his own.

Nike might not be distancing itself from Ja Morant over his recent gun-flashing incident after all -- the shoe giant just released his latest signature sneaker on Thursday ... and it sold out in minutes.

The scheduled Ja 1 "Hunger" colorway drop was seemingly up in the air after Nike erased all his shoes off its site last week ... which led to speculation about whether the brand was potentially going to suspend the sale -- or even its relationship with the All-Star guard altogether -- due to his off-court issues.

Luckily for sneakerheads, the kicks still dropped on Nike's SNKRS app ... and quick-acting fans were able to purchase them for $110 before they sold out, as reports claim there was an incredibly small supply.

Despite all the controversy, the shoes were clearly a hot commodity ... with a ton of people going to Twitter to express their frustrations over missing out on the drop.

In fact, one fan tweeted a photo claiming their size was sold out within three seconds of launching on the app.

Of course, hopeful buyers can always go to reseller sites like GOAT and StockX ... but they'll end up paying a bit more than the retail price. Right now, the shoes are selling for around $200.

Nike has been radio silent following Ja's second video ... which is a stark contrast from the Swoosh's statement in support of its athlete following his initial incident in March.

Ja signed a multi-year deal with Nike in 2019 ... and was introduced as its first Gen Z signature athlete.

Houston Rockets star Jalen Green wants his fans to know he's no Ja Morant ... assuring his followers he didn't have a gun as he vibed out to NBA YoungBoy on Instagram Live on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old guard was riding in his car and listening to the rapper's "Bitch Let's Do It" as thousands of fans tuned in ... and given the eerie similarities to Ja's most recent gun-flashing video, plenty of users begged Green to not pull out a weapon.

"Don't flash no gun," one follower said ... as another added, "Don't pull a Ja and pull the gun out."

Jalen noticed the comments and laughed ... before putting all concern to rest by letting everyone know he wasn't strapped.

"Everybody's commenting, 'Don't pull no pistol out,'" Green told a passenger in the car. "They wildin', my n****, man."

"I don't got no gun."

The clip comes as Ja faces serious backlash for his second gun-related video in three months ... which has resulted in a suspension from all Grizzlies activities and an NBA investigation.

Hours before Green's live stream, Morant posted a cryptic message on his Instagram ... which had fans concerned over his well-being and led to cops making a welfare check on the All-Star.

Police tell TMZ Sports officers did a welfare check on Ja Morant following his cryptic social media posts on Wednesday ... and, thankfully, they discovered he is not in any danger.

A spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said cops went to the NBA star's home in Tennessee shortly after Morant shared the concerning messages on his Instagram page ... and they say he told them simply "that he is taking a break from social media."

"He is fine," the spokesperson added.

In Morant's posts, he shared pictures of him with his mom, dad, and daughter ... before writing a caption that said nothing more than "bye." The posts were deleted a short time later.

Of course, given the turmoil that's surrounded him since he was seen brandishing a gun on video for the second time in less than three months ... his fans expressed big worry for the 23-year-old basketball player.

Fortunately, though, seems everything is OK.

Morant has said very little publicly since the second gun video was posted ... releasing just one statement that read, in part, "My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself."

An NBA investigation into the clip remains ongoing.

Ja Morant has fans concerned over a cryptic note shared to his social media account on Wednesday ... after the Memphis Grizzlies star showed love for his family before simply saying, "bye."

The messages were quickly deleted from the All-Star's Instagram page just minutes ago ... but screenshots have been shared all over, which have sparked thoughts and prayers being sent from his supporters.

Ja posted four different Instagram stories ... with tributes to his mom, dad and daughter before sharing the farewell note.

It's unclear if the post is a goodbye to social media or something much more serious ... as there's speculation he could be on hard times following his second gun-flashing video in just a few months.

23-year-old Morant was suspended last weekend after the second video surfaced ... and the NBA is currently investigating the matter. There's belief he could be facing a lengthy punishment from the league.

Commissioner Adam Silver said he was "shocked" by Morant's actions ... and while the league's still looking into the video, he's "expecting the worst."

We've reached out to reps for Morant, as well as local authorities -- so far, no word back.

Bryan Kohberger has officially pled not guilty in his quadruple murder case in which he’s accused of killing 4 University of Idaho students last year ... a plea that was entered by default as he chose to "stand silent" to the murder charges.

Kohberger was in court Monday morning in an Idaho courtroom where he was arraigned on 4 counts of first-degree murder.

Kohberger answered "yes" to the judge as he read statements about rights and identity, but when it came time to officially enter a plea, Kohberger's attorney said they'd "stand silent" -- so the judge entered a default "not guilty" plea.

Last week, a grand jury indicted Kohberger for the murders as well as 1 count of burglary. If convicted, he could face the death penalty ... although, prosecutors have not announced whether they will be seeking it.

After his arrest, the judge ordered Kohberger held without bail ahead of his trial.

As we've reported, Kohberger's being accused of sneaking into the off-campus home of the University of Idaho students ... and killing Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle.

A search for the killer went on for weeks before Kohberger was eventually arrested in December at his parents' home near Scranton, PA. Police had asked the public to be on the lookout for a white Hyundai Elantra that belonged to him.

Investigators later revealed they were hot on Kohberger's tail for several weeks, saying they had a description of him from one of the surviving victims -- not to mention cell phone records that showed him on the move the night of the killings.

They also say they found some of his DNA on a leather sheath found at the crime scene.

According to a search warrant, Kohberger had knives, a gun, masks, and gloves in his family's Pennsylvania home when the FBI searched the place. Authorities also say they found another knife and a shovel in his car.