Left To Die: Off Duty EMTs In Question Suspended

NEW YORK (CBS) ― In Brooklyn the FDNY is investigating two emergency medical technicians for allegedly not rendering aid to a woman who ended up dying. Witnesses said the two EMTs didn't help because they were off duty.

Cynthia Rennix wants to know why the two off-duty emergency medical technicians walked away from her daughter and allowed her to die.

"I think it was unfair and unjust and very heartless," Rennix said.

Dead is 25-year-old Eutisha Rennix, who was six months pregnant. She was a cashier at a bakery in downtown Brooklyn, near the fire department's headquarters.

The victim's family said Eutisha Rennix suffered shortness of breath and collapsed with two off-duty EMTs in the store buying breakfast.

"After she collapsed they asked for help. They were told, call it in … because they were on a break. They got their bagels and coffee and left," Cynthia Rennix said.

Records show the first 911 call resulted in an ambulance from Long Island College Hospital dispatched at 9:13 a.m. and arriving at 9:24. But with Eutisha Rennix's condition worsening a fire department ambulance was also dispatched at 9:22, arriving at 9:28. At an area hospital she was declared dead at 10:17. Her baby was delivered, but died two hours later.

A source close to the investigation said the two EMTs were Jason Green and Melissa Jackson, who are dispatchers but were trained as EMTs. The EMTs have since been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

Union spokesman Bob Unger said this about the conduct:

"We never condone activity by our members that could harm the public. If these members are found to have violated department protocols, the FDNY has a process to deal with that."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's reaction was swift.

"There's no excuse whatsoever," he said. "Just normal human beings. Drop your coffee and go help somebody if they're dying. Come on."

A source within the union said, "If the charges are true, why should we go out on a limb to defend these two and hurt our own good reputation?"

Eutisha Rennix and her baby were buried on Friday. The family is considering legal action against the two EMTs.

911 Caller Arrested in Georgia Mobile Home Slayings

BRUNSWICK, Georgia (CNN) -- Guy Heinze Jr., the son of one of the victims of last week's killings of eight people in a southeast Georgia mobile home, has been arrested on eight counts of first degree murder, police said Friday.

"This arrest is the result of a compilation of physical as well as testimonial evidence," a police statement said. More details were expected at a police news conference set for Friday evening.

Heinze, who is unemployed, told police he was not home when the killings occurred.

He had been arrested on charges of having a controlled substance and marijuana, as well as tampering with evidence and making false statements to a police officer, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said.

According to the earlier arrest warrant, Heinze provided "investigators with false and misleading information about his whereabouts and involvement in the circumstances leading up to him calling 911 to report the deaths of his family members."

The arrest warrant also said he removed a shotgun from the residence and hid it in the trunk of his car.

A man identified as Heinze reported the slayings. He told an emergency dispatcher when he called Saturday, "I was out last night. I got home just now, and everybody's dead. ... My whole family's dead. It looks like they've been beaten to death."

Seven of the eight victims will be buried Saturday, as a 3-year-old who was injured struggles to survive at a Savannah hospital.

The toddler's grieving grandmother, Diane Isenhower, who lost four of her children in the rampage, said the child is on life support.

Police said seven of the victims died in the mobile home, and the eighth died Sunday at a hospital.

The funeral for Joseph L. West, 30, is to be held at mid-month.

For the other seven, viewing was scheduled for Friday night, and a funeral is to be held Saturday afternoon at Youngs Island Church in Eulonia, Georgia.

West was the boyfriend of Chrissy Toler, 22, who died along with her father, Russell D. Toler Sr., 44, and three siblings: Michelle Toler, 15; Michael Toler, 19; and Russell D. Toler Jr., 20. Michael Toler had Down syndrome.

Russell Toler Sr. and Isenhower were divorced.

Also killed were Guy Heinze Sr., 45 and Brenda Gail Falagan, 49, police said.

Clint Rowe, whose wife is Isenhower's sister, said the family was having trouble coping with the losses and noted that police, too, were affected.

"They're the ones who walked in on that, so you know it wears on the police as well," he said. Referring to Isenhower, he added, "It has been a long week for her. She's lost all of her family, so naturally it would be."

"They're just as nice as they could be," Rowe said of the victims. "Friendly folks. Down-to-earth folks."

Russell Toler Sr., who worked at a nearby factory, was a generous man who allowed relatives facing financial and health problems to live with him. There were 10 people in the mobile home, and their combined salaries were low, Rowe said. Among them was Toler's sister, Falagan, who was in a wheelchair.

Police have not said how the victims died, although autopsies were completed Monday.

The bodies were discovered Saturday at New Hope Plantation mobile home park, north of the Atlantic coastal city of Brunswick. Police have released few details of the crime scene.

Doering acknowledged that there is fear in the community but said that releasing details of the slayings won't allay it.

"We, too, have that same fear. We're the ones that have to get out there and try to make people feel better as best that we can," he said.

Stepmom Charged in Boy's Fatal Injuries

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Police have charged an Albuquerque woman in the death of her 3-year-old stepson who died from being hit hard enough to tear his small intestine.

The boy died Aug, 27, and police arrested Chiara Anton-Williams after the Office of the Medical Investigator ruled the boy's death a homicide cause by internal injuries. Anton-Williams, 27, was charged with child abuse resulting in death.

“That child suffered blunt trauma,” Albuquerque Police Department Officer Nadine Hamby said.

Police reported the case began when an Albuquerque Public Schools officer spotted a frantic Anton-Williams in the parking lot of the S.Y. Jackson Elementary School just after classes dismissed. She was with her stepson, whom the officer said looked gray and was having trouble breathing.

He called for an ambulance, and the boy died at University of New Mexico hospital later that day.

An autopsy showed the child died from blunt-force trauma to the abdomen that resulted in several tears in his small intestine. Investigators said the fatal injuries happened within that hour.

Police began questioning Anton-Williams who was with the child an hour before he died. The stepmother told police during that time she had been rough with the child after he defecated on the floor in their home as they were leaving to pick up her biological children from school.

The stepmom told police she grabbed him put him in the shower but said that was all she did. Police said her story doesn't match up with the boy's injuries.

“Somebody had to actually have seriously put some trauma to this kid, and it didn't happen by you just grabbing his arm and taking him somewhere,” Hamby said.

The state Children, Youth and Families Department reported there is no record of prior abuse allegations against Anton-Williams. However directors at the daycare the boy went to told police the child showed up once with a black eye and another time with a swollen eye.

Anton-Williams told the daycare directors the boy fell the first time, and the second time she said he was sick, according to a criminal complaint.

The daycare’s director declined to comment. The boy's father is not being investigated.

The child had two step-siblings. It is not known who is caring for them.

Anton-Williams was being held on a $150,000 cash or surety bond. She posted that bond just after noon on Thursday.

Fort Worth Taser Death Ruled A Homicide

This pisses me off. If he's a diagnosed schizophrenic then I'm sure his mother would've specified that when the police got to the house, and 49 seconds is seeming like a VERY long time to pump those kind of volts into someone. It's nearly a full minute!!

FORT WORTH- The Tarrant County Medical Examiner said the in-custody death of a mentally disabled man was a homicide. The ruling came on the heels of a series of CBS 11 News reports highlighting the case of Michael Jacobs Jr.

It's another black eye for the Fort Worth Police Department.

But, the Jacobs family did not comment on the ruling. They said they would speak on Friday, at a press conference to be held at their house.

On Thursday night, the house was quiet, though Michael Sr. marked a birthday. It was his own. There was little to celebrate on the day that the Medical Examiner ruled Michael Jr.'s death a homicide. The family only recently spoke of their pain. "We're in living Hell. I mean, I have a lot of good days and a lot of bad days," Charlotte Jacobs said.

"We just keep expecting him to walk through the door but," Michael Sr. said, his voice trailing off.

On April 18, Michael Jr., who suffers from schizophrenia, was off his medication. Charlotte Jacobs called 911.

Charlotte: "He's out there cursing and carrying on, jamming on stuff."
Dispatcher: "He's outside the house?"
Charlotte: "Yeah, we had to put him outside of the house."
Dispatcher: "Is he violent?"
Mother: "Hmm! Y'all better bring enforcement."

According to the Medical Examiner's report, police used a Taser on Jacobs twice. The first Taser deployment lasted 49 seconds. Then, there was a one second pause. The second taser deployment lasted five seconds.

Police Chief Jeff Halstead held a press conference soon after the Medical Examiner's ruling. "First and foremost, we wanted to extend our condolences to the family of Michael Jacobs," Halstead said.

Halstead added that, since 2001, the department has used Tasers 1,360 times. Four people died. Jacobs was the only one ruled a homicide.

Halstead would not take any questions or make any comments about the police officers involved because the case is going to a grand jury. "I can't make any comments about specifics of our investigation and I can't comment on the past behaviors of any employees," Halstead said.

City officials made statements of their own.

Mayor Mike Moncrief said, "We will continue to watch this case closely."

City council member Kathleen Hicks said, "I believe the grand jury will be able to make a final and unbiased decision."

City council member Frank Moss said, "If the chief's investigation finds that adjustments are needed, the community will count on him to make the necessary changes."

Any changes will be too late for the Jacobs family, who only wanted police to take their son to the hospital.

Accused Drunk Driver Pleads Not Guilty To Mowing Down Two Brothers

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (WPIX) - An accused drunk driver, described by his lawyer as a decorated Marine staff sergeant who served time in Iraq, pleaded not guilty Monday on charges he mowed down two brothers as they crossed an East Meadow street this past weekend.

James Farr, 33, of Garden City pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter and one count of DWI at his arraignment in Frist District Court in Hempstead.

According to authorities, a breathalyzer revealed that Farr had a blood-alcohol content of 0.21 - more than double the legal limit - when he got behind the wheel of his BMW and drove on the Hempstead Turnpike at around 4 a.m. Sunday. Farr stuck and killed Thomas Occhiogrosso, 27, and Joseph Occhiogrosso, 28, as they were attempting to cross the street near Conti Square Boulevard, police said.

Thomas Occhiogrosso, who was an inactive reservist with the U.S. Navy, was pronounced dead at the scene, while brother Joseph Occhiogrosso, who worked as a plumber, was transported to Nassau University Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.

A lawyer for Farr claims the brothers "darted out of nowhere."

Far was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Monday. Prosecutors said charges against the defendant may be upgraded pending the results of an investigation.

Baby Delivered in Toilet Blamed on Wrong Drug

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – A couple is suing St. Mary’s Medical Center saying the hospital’s negligence caused their daughter to be born prematurely and suffer brain damage.

The lawsuit says Tesome Sampson was given a drug to expel dead fetuses or speed up labor. As a result, her baby girl was born two months early.

Sampson was on bed rest to prevent a premature deliver. St. Mary’s Medical Center admitted her in August. On September 4th, she was given the drug Prostin.

The lawsuit says that drug should have never been administered to her. After receiving it, Sampson complained of intense abdominal cramping. After four hours of intense pain, she gave birth to her daughter in the toilet.

Traniya Guy is brain damaged and suffers other health problems. She was transferred to another hospital and remains in the hospital on a feeding tube. The lawsuit says medical expenses have already hit three-point-five million dollars.

Tesome Sampson and Frank Guy are seeking an unspecified amount of damages for what happened to their daughter. They are suing St. Mary’s Medical Center, Tenet Healthcare and the healthcare professionals involved.

There was a similar case that same night. Sharee Davis was also at St. Mary’s and was given Prostin. She was on bed rest for twins who were four months along. When she was given Prostin it sped up her labor and the twins died.

At the time St. Mary’s released a statement expressing the hospital’s sympathies and regrets to both families. It read in part: “St. Mary’s, along with its physicians, pharmacists and nurses, are working together to more fully understand the cause of this occurrence, and are talking the necessary steps to prevent something like this from happening again. We have reported this to the appropriate agencies and will fully cooperate with their review of these events.”

St. Mary’s did not return calls for comment on the lawsuit being filed.

So Sad. And Scary Video.

The exact moment when a tourist helicopter collided with a small plane over the Hudson River Saturday was captured by a tourist on a boat.

WASHINGTON - The air traffic controller at Teterboro Airport was on the phone with his girlfriend during the mid-air collision over the Hudson River.

His supervisor had wandered off and wasn't even in the tower.

Horrified officials called their actions "unacceptable," even though they were not blamed for Saturday's crash.

Both controllers - who were not immediately identified - have been suspended and will likely be fired.

Crash probes by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration revealed the two controllers seriously deviated from their assignments at the time of the collision.

...."The controller gave Altman two choices of route, and he chose a straight shot down the Hudson.

NTSB chairwoman Debbie Hersman has said the controller told Altman to switch his radio over to the Newark tower - and gave the correct frequency - but Newark never made contact.

The controller was also on a separate line with his girlfriend.

"The handoff was never made," an aviation source said.

Mayor Bloomberg was alarmed by the development.

"If true, this is an unacceptable breach of the trust we put in those who watch the city's sky," he said.

New clues to the crash may be contained in a dramatic tourist video of the tragedy that surfaced Thursday on NBC News.

The footage, taken from a boat on the river, shows Altman desperately trying to lift his left wing to avoid hitting the helicopter.

Meanwhile, the remains of the five Italian tourists were welcomed home to Bologna by a large, emotional crowd of friends, relatives and mourners.

Silvia Rigamonti, who lost her husband and youngest son, threw herself at her husband's casket.

Diane Schuler's Family's Attorney Blames Blood Alcohol Content 2x Over Limit Due to An Over Counter TOOTH Pain Creme.

NY Daily News- A private investigator claimed Thurshay Taconic death driver Diane Schuler stopped at a convenience store to buy pain medication on the tragic trip.

Thomas Ruskin, who was hired by Schuler's family, says he has video footage that proves the Long Island mom made the pit stop - and a statement from the shopkeeper.

"The counter guy positively identified her as Diane Schuler. He said she appeared normal and he could swear that she was absolutely sober," Ruskin told the Daily News.

Authorities say Schuler was drunk and high behind the wheel when she crashed her minivan into an SUV, killing eight people, including four children.

Her family has been desperately trying to clear her name, suggesting that a mystery illness - not 10 shots of vodka and pot - were to blame for her wrong-way driving on the Taconic State Parkway last month.

Ruskin said the video - which he did not release - shows Schuler entering the Liberty, N.Y., store and speaking with the person at the counter.

"He said she asked him for Tylenol or Advil and he didn't have any - so the question becomes what was bothering Diane Schuler?" Ruskin said.

Relatives of the three men killed in the SUV have decried the Schuler family's efforts to contradict the autopsy results.



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