SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Mike Rowe, whiskey lover, champion of America’s working class and all-around great guy, has opened the new season of his show “How America Works” with a salute to the good men and women of the Wilmington, NORTH CAROLINA, Police Department.
We’ll let Mike explain why North Carolina is in all caps: In a Facebook post on Monday, Rowe, who has 5.9 million followers, clarified that he and crew had NOT filmed in Wilmington, Delaware, as he had erroneously told the nation earlier that day on a “Fox and Friends” segment:
“Contrary to my claims on Fox and Friends this morning, the season premiere of How America Works does NOT take place in Wilmington, Delaware, as I sleepily announced, but rather, in Wilmington, NORTH CAROLINA!”
Rowe continued:
“If I were the type to make excuses, I’d blame my incoherence on the insanely early hour, a lack of caffeine, a problematic Skype connection, and a question involving a proposed $30 minimum wage that I wasn’t expecting.
But since I’m not the type to make excuses, I’ll simply apologize to the excellent police officers featured on tonight’s show for misidentifying their fair city, and encourage the rest of you to watch the Season Premiere of How America Works on Fox Business Prime, tonight at 8PM.”
He said the show was “an unapologetic tribute to law enforcement, as our cameras follow a few good cops over the course of a few days on the job in Wilmington, NORTH CAROLINA.”
Rowe then used the bulk of the post to address a social climate that has taken hold in the United States that has proven deadly for law enforcers. He explained:
Rowe concluded the post by noting the importance of America’s Thin Blue Line:
“Law Enforcement is the first episode of Season 2, because without it, none of the other vital industries we explore this year could exist. There’s a line between civilization and anarchy. It’s thin, and it’s blue, and tonight, you see what it looks like in Wilmington, NORTH CAROLINA!”
Not surprisingly, the post was loaded with comments from police officers and their supporters. As of Wednesday, the post had received 3.9 thousand comments, 5.2 thousand shares and 60 thousand likes. A handful of the comments follow.
From Roland Tower:
From Jen Lopez:
From Linda Gurley:
From Patrick Willis:
Phoenix police release body camera footage showing the moment an officer was ambushed and shot
February 18, 2022
PHOENIX, AZ – According to reports, Phoenix police have released graphic and disturbing body-camera footage showing the moment a Phoenix officer was shot during an ambush that left nine officers wounded.
The incident, which left the suspect dead after he fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, happened around 2 a.m. on February 11th when officers were called to the area of 54th Avenue and Elwood Street on reports that a woman had been shot inside the home.
The first officer to arrive on scene was invited into the home by the suspect, since identified as 36-year-old Morris Jones, who opened fired on the officer, striking him just outside the door.
The video clip, which is 26 seconds long, shows the officer asking Jones who else is in the house. Jones said, “Just me.” When referring to the woman who called 911, Jones said:
“She’s choking on her own blood! Come on, bro.”
Jones the fired off several rounds, hitting the officer in the arm. The officer is heard shouting, “999! 999!,” which is reportedly code for “officer down or in need of immediate assistance.” He yelled:
“I’ve been shot!”
Body-cam shows start of shooting that hurt 9 Phoenix police https://t.co/kzKV8bTleP
— KTSM 9 News (@KTSMtv) February 18, 2022
Police spokesman Sgt. Any Williams said another officer on scene returned fire, prompting Jones to scramble back inside before firing more shots toward the officers. Williams added that Jones tried to flee the scene by ramming a patrol car with a vehicle, but failed to escape.
Footage obtained by KPNX-TV showed that as backup officers surrounded the home, another man suddenly appeared carrying a baby girl. The footage showed him placing the infant on the ground and raising his arms to surrender as he backed away from the home. Watch below:
Four officers who moved in to take the baby to safety were ambushed by Jones as he opened fire again. Williams said that all four officers were struck by gunfire and another four officers were wounded by shrapnel and ricochets.
Two officers immediately returned fire as Jones barricaded himself inside the home. After that, Jones was found dead inside of the home. Police confirmed that Jones’ ex-girlfriend, identified as 29-year-old Shatifah Lobley died later. The baby remained unharmed and is now in DCS custody.
Police said that Jones and Lobley were formerly in a relationship and that the baby was theirs. In a media briefing, Mayor Kate Gallego expressed her support for the officers, saying:
“A baby is safe today because of our officers. To every officer on the team, I say thank you.”
Williams added in a statement:
“I am incredibly proud of our officers and I am proud to serve the community.”
South Phoenix shooting: Police release bodycam video showing moments leading up to standoffhttps://t.co/Wj1PB66RVx
— wake1up (@n2oneness) February 18, 2022
The other man inside of the house is believed to be Lobley’s brother and as of this writing, investigators have not yet said whether he will face any criminal charges. All of the injured officers are reportedly recovering. Police precinct commander Derek Elmore said in a statement:
“A miracle that we had that many people actually struck by gunfire and all of them are out of the hospital … less than a week later.”
A woman who identified herself as the mother-in-law of Jones said that her daughter and the suspect have been married for a few years. She said in a statement:
“A lot of lives have been affected by what has happened.”
The woman said that her daughter recognized that Jones was struggling through issues and pressures of life and had made an appointment for a mental health evaluation just days away. The woman added:
“She recognized it as life became harder for him, she recognized, ‘You know what, this is an issue, this is a problem. We need to fix this.'”
To get through the tragic events, the woman said her family will be supporting her daughter and kids while also recognizing others affected by the tragedy, including the officers, their families, the people who were inside the house, and their families.
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