South Carolina
Gabbard’s long-shot presidential bid over
COLUMBIA — Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard suspended her presidential campaign on Thursday, ending a long-shot effort that saw her feuding with Hillary Clinton and raising fears among Democrats that she would mount a third-party 2020 bid.
In an email and a Twitter video, Gabbard offered her full support to former Vice President Joe Biden, saying “it’s clear that Democratic primary voters have chosen” him to take on President Trump in November.
Noting their political differences, Gabbard said she respected Biden and had confidence in the motivations of his campaign effort.
“Although I may not agree with the vice president on every issue, I know that he has a good heart, and he’s motivated by his love for our country and the American people,” Gabbard said. “I’m confident that he will lead our country, guided by the spirit of aloha respect and compassion.”
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Minnesota
Jury acquits sheriff’s deputy in shooting
STILLWATER — A Minnesota sheriff’s deputy was acquitted of second-degree manslaughter Thursday in the 2018 fatal shooting of a suicidal man who held a gun to his own head as he knelt in the street during a 40-minute standoff with police.
Prosecutors said Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Krook acted with culpable negligence and created an unreasonable risk when he shot 23-year-old Benjamin Evans on April 12, 2018. Defense attorneys argued that Evans, an emergency medical technician and probationary firefighter, wanted to die and knew that he would live if he just put down his weapon.
Minnesota Public Radio News reported that the jury reached its verdict after deliberating for seven hours.
Benjamin Evans’ parents, Bill Evans and Kim Porter, said the verdict left them “devastated,” and they worry about the message the verdict sends — “that the police can shoot people whom they are called upon to help,” the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
Florida
Police use old DNA to arrest 1985 suspect
PENSACOLA — A Florida police department says it solved a 35-year-old homicide by using DNA to find a relative of the alleged killer and then created a family tree to track him down.
Pensacola detectives arrested 57-year-old Daniel Wells on Wednesday and charged him with the slaying of Tonya McKinley, 23, whose body was found before dawn on New Year’s Day 1985. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted, according to the Pensacola News Journal. She left behind an 18-month-old son.
“This was a case that spanned three generations of detectives,” said Pensacola police Capt. Chuck Mallett, who led the investigation. “I know it took a long time, but it was one of those cases we never gave up on.”
Police say DNA recovered from a cigarette butt Wells discarded matched McKinley’s killer.
Tennessee
Country music singers to perform from home
NASHVILLE — The Academy of Country Music had to postpone their upcoming awards show because of the spreading coronavirus, but CBS will air a new television special featuring country stars performing from their homes.
The academy announced Thursday that in place of their postponed awards show April 5, “ACM Presents: Our Country” will feature conversations and at-home acoustic performances from country artists.
Wire reports
