Top 5 Live-WURD Friday June 12

1. Judge Backs Charges Against Cleveland Officers in Killing of Tamir Rice

 Acting under a rarely used provision of Ohio state law, a judge found probable cause Thursday to charge Cleveland police Officer Timothy Loehmann with murder in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice last year.

Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Ronald Adrine also found cause to support negligent homicide charges against Officer Frank Garmback, Loehmann’s partner, who is accused of standing by after Loehmann shot Tamir in November at a recreation center, where Tamir was playing with a pellet gun.

Adrine agreed with local activists known as the “Cleveland 8″ who took the unusual step of independently seeking charges because, they said, they’d lost confidence in the grand jury investigation.

 

2. Chief: Rush for details fed false police-shooting narrative

 The Philadelphia Police Department’s rush to provide the public details on an officer-involved shooting was to blame for a false narrative that the man killed was reaching into a car for a gun, Commissioner Charles Ramsey said Thursday.

The department, Ramsey said, was attempting to satisfy the media’s thirst for information on last December’s shooting of Brandon Tate-Brown.

“We’re caught in the middle,” he said. “The media’s asking, ‘what happened, what happened, what happened?’ The people want to know. We give you what we have at that moment.”

The city released surveillance videos and interviews transcripts Tuesday that showed Tate-Brown, 26, running around the back of the car, a few feet from the passenger side, when Officer Nicholas Carrelli fired.

 

3. Massive Hack Went Undetected For More Than a Year, Sources Say

The massive hack into federal systems announced last week was far deeper and potentially more problematic than publicly acknowledged, with hackers believed to be from China moving through government databases undetected for more than a year, sources briefed on the matter told ABC News.

“If [only] they knew the full extent of it,” one U.S. official said about those affected by the intrusion into the Office of Personnel Management’s information systems.

It all started with an initial intrusion into OPM’s systems more than a year ago, and after gaining that initial access the hackers were able to work their way through four different “segments” of OPM’s systems, according to sources.

As ABC News previously reported, the 127-page forms — known as SF-86’s and used for background investigations — ask applicants for personal information not only about themselves but also relatives, friends, and potentially even college roommates.

 

4. Prison worker charmed by escapee ‘thought it was love’

Joyce Mitchell, the New York prison worker being questioned in the escape of two murderers, was charmed by one of the inmates and planned to be their getaway driver until she got cold feet, sources familiar with the case told NBC News.

One of the inmates, Richard Matt, established a relationship with

Mitchell over a couple of months, the sources said.

“She thought it was love,” one said.

Instead of being the getaway driver, Mitchell went to the hospital and checked herself in, the sources said. As NBC News has previously reported, Mitchell checked in on Saturday, the day the inmates were reported missing, with “a case of nerves.”

 

5. With break looming, Council OKs many bills but holds off on NE Philly land buy

 City Council acted on a heap of legislation Thursday but did not address one controversial issue – the purchase of land which officials have said would be ideal for a new prison.

Councilman Bobby Henon said that he had support on Council for it to pass. But at the last minute, he pulled the measure back, saying one Council colleague had voiced concerns.

Henon said the bill would have passed without the support of that Council member, whom he declined to name, but that he delayed the vote out of courtesy.

Council has one more session before its summer break.

“It lives another week as they say,” Henon said. “And I look forward to next week and calling it up for a vote.”

Click here to read these stories on 900amWURD.

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Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon