News Briefs: June 15-28, 2017

Four dead in Potrero Hill murder/suicide

A gunman opened fire at the Potrero Hill UPS packaging plant at 320 San Bruno Ave. on the morning of Wednesday, June 13, killing three people and wounding two others. The shooter, who was identified as Jimmy Lam, an employee of UPS, then fatally shot himself as the police approached him. It is still unclear at this time what prompted Lam to go on the shooting spree according to authorities.

State officials face manslaughter charges in Flint, MI water crisis

Five Michigan officials have been charged with involuntary manslaughter for their negligent handling of Flint Michigan’s tainted water supply, which resulted in 12 deaths at the end of 2015. In addition to the five officials, the state’s chief medical officer has also been charged with obstruction of justice and lying to a police officer. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette told reporters that he is “very confident” the charges would be upheld and that the state’s case was built on “the most comprehensive investigation” in Michigan’s modern history.

Appeals court upholds block on Trump Muslim ban

Donald Trump’s ban against immigrants and refugees from six majority Muslim countries (which has been on hold since it was issued in January) was dealt another blow on June 12 the when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals turned down the administration’s request to remove the injunction blocking it. The three judge panel wrote that the president had “exceeded the scope of the authority delegated to him by Congress.” In May the 4th Circuit Court of appeals also denied the Trump administration’s request to overturn a lower court’s decision that ruled Trump couldn’t deny visas to citizens of six countries.

Venezuelan Supreme Court set ablaze by protesters

Protesters again took to the streets of Caracas following the Supreme Court’s decision on June 11 to reject a motion that would have barred President Nicolas Maduro from rewriting the constitution. Demanding Maduro’s resignation, anti-government protesters set fire to the Supreme Court on Monday, in the 12th week of increasingly violent civil unrest. At least 68 people have been killed in the past two months as the civil unrest over the nation’s economic collapse continues to intensify.