>> alex perez leading us off tonight. alex, thank you. >>> and we move onto another headline that broke late today. a verdict tonight after a police shooting that led to protests in milwaukee. the officer firing and then again after the suspect tosses his gun. tonight, the jury acquitting him on all charges. and here's abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas with the video. >> reporter: it was a deadly encounter with police, over in seconds, caught on an officer's body cam. here we see former officer dominique haeggen-brown pursuing sylville smith, a suspect armed with a gun. they race around the front of a house to an alley. there you see the gun in smith's hand. the officer fires the first shot. the suspect tosses the gun. less than two seconds later, a second and fatal shot is fired. smith dies at the scene. the incident last summer sparking riots in milwaukee. prosecutors say smith was defenseless when shot in the chest. the defense claiming the officer feared for his life. making a split-second decision. toda

alex perez is in flint this morning. >> reporter: federal investigators hunting for answer at bishop international airport in michigan, on lockdown most of the day after the suspect entered the terminal with a 12-inch knife and stabbed officer neville repeatedly in the neck and back. the fbi now investigating the incident as a possible act of terrorism. >> when the subject went up to the officer and stabbed him, he continued to exclaim allah -- and made something to the effect you have killed people in syria, iraq and afghanistan, and we are all going to die. >> reporter: the fbi saying the suspect is amor ftouhi, approximately 50 years old from canada. he legally entered the u.s. through lake champlain, new york on june 16. the 911 calls were just before 10:00 a.m. the officer was ambushed from behind. >> there was blood everywhere. it was crazy. >> reporter: passengers and airport employees evacuating to the tarmac and front terminal as authorities scrambled to detain the suspect. >> and they were taking the man in handcuffs down the other side. he had no, he was blank. he was just

alex perez, abc new, hartford, wisconsin. >> coming up.ack obama showering his friend, jay-z with praise in a special message overnight. >> the bat signal over los angeles. "the skinny" is next. ♪ or suffer excess mucus? left untreated mucus can build up causing further problems. treat mucus buildup early with #1 doctor recommended mucinex 12 hour. the bi-layer tablet immediately releases to thin and loosen excess mucus and lasts for 12 hours. learn more at mucinex.com treat excess mucus with mucinex 12 hour d enjoy living well. ♪ ♪ skinny so skinny >> okay. kicking off "the skinny" with the newest inductee into the songwriter's hall of fame. >> for the first time ever, a rapper made it in. so who might be the first hip-hop artist to be honored? >> let me reintroduce myself. >> h to the izzov to the. >> jay-z, mr. sean carter, congratulations to you. >> to celebrate, jay made an rare appearance on twitter. jay receiving heartfelt message from his bro. >> bro. >> look all of you i am a

alex perez, abc news, aaron hill, wisconsin. >> wow.ll, a wallenda has broken another dramatic record by a wallenda. erendira wallenda, wife ofik wallenda, but 300 feet over niagara falls. her stunt breaking her husband's previous record for highest suspension which he set six years ago hanging from his mouth over bronson, missouri. why by the teeth. >>> now to sports and golden state warriors can look forward to next season now that they've officially celebrated recapturing the nba title. the scene there on the bay hundreds of thousands of fans coming out for the team's victory parade in oakland. >> yes, now let's get more highlights from espn. >>> good morning, it's "sportscenter" from los angeles. stan verrett. neil everett here. you take the baseball. i'll ham golf. >> i thought he should go first. he said i should go first so i'll go first. jeff samardzjia, wait, why is jeff samardzjia batting in the top of the ninth? because the giants had run out of players trying to make a comeback coming back from eight runs down late and winni

here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: finally free.n it finally got here it was an overwhelming feeling. >> reporter: richard jones's nightmare over after tracking down another prisoner, his doppelganger, and the discovery kags doubt on h casting doubt on his guilty verdict. >> i believe it was a striking resemblance. it just blew me away. >> reporter: nearly 20 years ago jones was charged with aggravated robbery in kansas city, kansas after being accused of trying to steal a purse in a parking lot. jones had provided an alibi, and no physical evidence ever linked him to the crime. the case relied instead on eyewitness testimony. the victim told police the suspect was thin to medium build, tan with dark hair he pulled back, and out of a photo line-up of six mugshots jones was identified. that eyewitness testimony landed him behind bars. but all along jones adamantly maintained his innocence and tried to appeal his conviction. >> i couldn't let someone else's mistake make me waver in my faith and make me shy away from what was real and

>> alex perez, thank you. >>> next to the u.s. and russia. a russian flighter jet flying within a few feet of a u.s. reconnaissance plane today. and it comes after a plane was shot down. marcia raddatz tonight. >> reporter: the jets were flying high over the baltic sea. a u.s. navy reconnaissance plane suddenly intercepted by a russian fighter approaching from behind, coming just five feet from the wingtip of the u.s. jet -- an encounter the americans called unsafe. >> it came in at such a high rate of speed, and was seemingly out of control, that it really concerned the u.s. aircraft pilots. >> reporter: russian aircraft have buzzed and intercepted not only u.s. aircraft but u.s. warships in the last year. last summer, during a training exercise in the baltics with the u.s air force, our fighter jet which flew safely wing tip to wing tip with other jets, was warned by nearby russian pilots we were getting too close to their border. we're flying over estonia now. just over to the east, to the right is russia. the americans said the russians w

abc's alex perez with more. >> reporter: federal investigators working to figure out what caused thisvertising blimp to come crashing down exploding into a ball of flames. the aircraft crashing into this field about half a mile from the u.s. open tournament golf course in erin hills, wisconsin, around 11:15 thursday morning. thousands of spectators watching the competition, many finding themselves watching this instead in disbelief. >> and we saw the whole thing as it's going down and then there were three explosions on the ground. >> reporter: on board the pilot trevor thompson. rescue crews pulling thompson from the wreckage moments before several explosions. crew chief matt schmidt telling espn thompson was calling for help but he couldn't move. thompson placed on a stretcher and carried on to a waiting medevac helicopter. alex perez, abc news, erin hills, wisconsin. >> wow. >>> well, a wallenda has broken another dramatic record by a wallenda. erendira wallenda, the wife of famed daredevil nik wallenda -- how many times can we say wallenda in the story. successfully by her teeth 3

here's abc's alex perez. >> i can hear gun shots. >> reporter: it was a terror scare tonight, sending hundreds fleeing. a gunman still at large at this hour, inside a resort in manila. chaos and confusion as tourists trampled one another to get out. at least 21 injured police. ambulances rushing to the casino and hotel. police with guns drawn. as guests stream out into the street, many with suitcases. first responders, carrying the injured out on stretchers. smoke seen rising above the neon sign. these people huddling together in a back room, others in this garage. >> the next i saw, started a huge fire. >> reporter: the police chief now saying there's likely no terror link, that it was a botched robbery. authorities reviewing surveillance footage at this hour, looking for more suspects. alex perez, abc news, london. >>> we have learned tonight that fired fbi director james comey will testify one week from today. he's expected to answer questions about his one-on-one meetings with president trump and the memos he kept. special counsel robert mueller now running the investigation is no

>> alex perez tonight. alex, thank you. >>> we turn next here to president trump and what he's now saying about the special council, robert mueller, who is leading the russia investigation, and who is looking into any possible obstruction of justice. was the president sending a warning shot? corrpondent jonathan karl.ouse >> reporter: president trump today suggested special council robert mueller is tainted and politically biased against him. >> well, he's very, very good friends with comey, which is very bothersome. the people that have been hired are all hillary clinton supporters, some of them worked for hillary clinton. i mean, the whole thing is ridiculous if you want to know the truth from that standpoint. but robert mueller is an honorable man and hopefully he'll come up with an honorable solution. >> reporter: today, white house press secretary sean spicer said the president has no plans to fire mueller, but insisted he does have the power to do so. >> while he retains the authority, he has no inten

tom. >> alex perez, thank you. >>> back here in new york, a tough time seating a jury in the former drug company executive trial. he is facing charges for taking funds from one of his companies to repay in hedge funds he managed. people know him for raising the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000%, so some potential jurors are saying they can't be impartial. here's abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: tonight the so-called bad boy of pharmaceuticals, martin shkreli, getting ready for trial. >> martin, are you concerned you won't be able to get a fair trial? >> reporter: during jury selection, potential jurors have been skewering the former drug company exec. one calling him "a snake," another saying he's "the face of corporate greed in america." nearly 200 jurors dismissed. some for those strong opinions. >> they have to find people who could be fair, and that doesn't necessarily mean they have to know nothing about the case, but they certainly can't think that he's a snake. >> reporter: u.s. prosecutors accused shkreli of a ponzi-like scheme involving his drug company and a hedge fund. >>

abc's alex perez is in chicago. >> reporter: the disturbing dashcam video sparked national outrage, chicago police officer jason van dyke shooting 17-year-old laquan mcdonald 16 times, as he walked away while holding a knife. van dyke is awaiting trial on murder charges, and tonight a special prosecutor investigating the case, charging his police partner, former officer joseph walsh, officer thomas gaffney and former detective david march, with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and official misconduct. >> these defendants lied about what occurred during a police involved shooting in order to prevent independent criminal investigators from learning the truth. >> reporter: all three officers were there the night of the shooting. the indictment alleges they lied, falsely saying that mcdonald was assaulting officers, forcing van dyke to shoot him. >> while they are sworn to serve and protect as well as uphold the law, they are not above the law. >> reporter: and tom, the officers charged today have not yet entered pleas. van dyke has pleaded not guilty. tom. >> alex perez, thank you. >>> back

alex perez has more on the man who entered the country just days ago. another fundraising record, following the fundraising record, following the ballpark ambush. last night's congressional women's softball game raised more than 300-thousand dollars. that beats last year's record of 215-thousand. there was an emotional moment, as u.s. capitol police officer crystal griner was griner was just released from the hospital, after being shot during last week's ambush. crowds cheered, as she threw out the first pitch. several lawmakers spoke about bipartisan unity. the game pitted female members of congress against a team representing the media. in the end, the media team beat the lawmakers, two-to-one. emory university is out with a new list best fanbases in the nfl-- and this one is sure to start some debates. researchers looked at three categories, fan support at games, fan support on social media platforms, and fan support duing road games. and these were the results. at the top of the cowboys. the new england patriots are second, followed by the philadelp

that officer rushed to the hospital for surgery. >>> that is alex perez reporting. and tonight a montreal landlord says he was a model tenant and he's lived in the building for six years and married with children. >>> the fbi says a gunman who wounded a top republican and four others acted alone. 56-year-old james hodgkinson did not have any ties to terrorism. slater says he did not suffer from any mental health issues but did have an anger management problem. they also found a list of names of congressman in the shooter's vehicle. >> more of a piece of paper. >> officers shot and killed him shortly after he opened fire on the practice of a baseball game. whip steve scalise remains in the hospital but his condition continues to improve. he was critical for some time. republican senators plan to unveil their version of a health care bill yesterday in washington, one that likely won't look like the version passed by the house. >> it will speak for itself, it will be different and take a different approach based on these endless discussions we've had with the only peop

alex perez is in chicago. >> reporter: the disturbing dash cam video sparked national outrage as chicago police officer van dyke shooting laquan mcdonald 16 times as he walked away holding a knife. he is awaiting trial on murder charges, and a special pros kwurt charging his partner, joseph walsh, thomas gaffney and david march with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and misconduct. >> these lied in order to prevent independent criminal investigators from learning the truth. >> reporter: all three officers were there the night of the shooting. the indictment alleges they lied, falsely saying that mcdonald was assaulting officers, forcing van dyke to shoot him. >> while they are sworn to preserve and protect as well as uphold the law, they are not above the law. >> reporter: the officers charged today have not yet entered pleas. van dyke has pleaded not guilty. >>> meanwhile, three cases of the plague have been confirmed in new mexico. health authorities say two men and a woman have contracted the disease most associated with the middle ages. it is normally spread by fleas feeding on dead

. >> alex perez has the details. >> federal investigators are working to figure out what caused thistising blimp to come crashing down exploding into a ball of flames. the aircraft came crash into the field about half a mile from the u.s. open tournament golf course in wisconsin around 11:15 thursday morning. thousands of spectators watching the competition, and many finding themselves watching this instead, in disbelief. >> we saw the whole thing going down and then three explosions on the ground. >> onboard, the pilot, and rescue crews pulled him from the blimp, and thompson placed on a stretcher and carried on to a waiting medevac helicopter. and coming up, we will have more on the investigation, with your gma first look, i am alex perez, wisconsin. >>> and then a stricter rule where the california public utilities commission hopes to cut greenhouse gases emitted. utilities had not been required utilities had not been required to cut down the leaks that don't put people in danger. >>> and then the national's park last night, the squads faced off one day after a gunman open fire in

alex perez, abc news aaron hills wisconsin. ♪ your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritisfore you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain d swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have ppened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor iyou were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate, and is also ailable in a once-ily pill. ask about xeljanz

alex perez reports on the investigation. >> reporter: tonight investigators working to figure out what caused this fiery blimp crash. the multiple explosions caught on camera by fox sports during the opening round of the u.s. open golf tournament in wisconsin. >> oh, there it goes. >> reporter: the blimp deflate, then plummeting to the ground in front of thousands of fans. >> we're both saying oh my god because this is something you would be seeing on tv. then as you seen it going down and the major explosions when you realize that there's probably someone in there. >> that's the blimp, that's not good. >> reporter: rescue teams quickly rushing to the scene. >> we have a blimp down, manned aircraft down. >> reporter: the pilot going down with the blimp. >> reporter: he is injured. >> reporter: rescue crews pulling him from the wreckage just in time right before those explosions. >> we have a 200 pound male patient 40% burns on his back. >> reporter: the pilot carried off on a stretcher. the owner of a blimp air sign telling abc news they don't know yet what caused the crash but that it

. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm alex perez in chicago. >>> up next, it's can versus beasts. the life and death reason behind this container cage fight. >>> and later, katy perry chained to the rhythm. and the computer. calling off her feud with taylor swift in her 96-hour livestream. ♪ to the rhythm had a lot on m. my 30-year marriage... ...my 3-month old business... plus...what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me? so i made a point to talk to my doctor. he told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots. eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. eliquis had both... ...and that turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor r

here's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, empty shell casings from the hail of gunfire, and one of the weapons used. trying to put together what really unfolded. >> he started a huge fire. >> reporter: the fire leaving dozens dead. victims of smoke inhalation, say authorities. still pouring out of windows today. loved ones in anguish. police revelling these images of the suspects. saying the suspect took his own life, setting himself on fire. overnight, isis twice taking responsibility. >> indications point to a criminal act. >> reporter: investigators still taking every precaution. deploying bomb-sniffing dogs and scouring security cameras. this, while mourners gathered at a makeshift memorial. if this indeed was a strike by isis, it would be the third major take they've claimed responsibility for in the last two weeks. david? >> alex, thank you. >>> back here at home, the white house has asked the supreme court to weigh in on its travel ban. it has been blocked by lower courts. the administration argues the ban is about national security. the high court could decide by the end of the

abc's alex perez from the scene tonight. >> reporter: tonight, investigators trying to figure out what crash. during the opening round of the u.s. open golf tournament in wisconsin. >> oh, there it goes. >> reporter: the blimp ground in front of thousands of fans. >> it just exploded. when you see you it go down it's holy cow i can't believe it. >> that's the blimp, that's not good. >> reporter: rescue teams quickly rushing to the scene. >> we have a blimp down. manned aircraft down. >> reporter: the pilot going down with the blimp. >> the patient is out however he is injured. >> reporter: rescue crews pulling him from the wreckage just in time right before the explosions. >> we have a 200-pound male patient, 40% burns on his back. >> reporter: he's carried off on a stretcher and loaded into a waiting medevac chopper. the owner of the blimp "irsign telling abc news they don't know yet what caused the crash, but that it happened shortly after the blimp refueled. life threatening. >> alex, our thanks to you >>> when we come back here -- the nationwide manhunt at this hour. possible sight

here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, george brinkman is behind bars, suspected of killing fiveple after a puzzling murder mystery that has ohio investigators hunting for answers. police say 71-year-old rogell john and his wife roberta had just returned to their home after a vacation. when their son couldn't reach them, he came to the house to check in, calling 911. >> she's on the bed; he's on the floor, and neither one of them is responding. >> reporter: both dead of gunshot wounds, police say brinkmann had dated their daughter in the past and was house-sitting. brinkman was already a person of interest in the gruesome murders of suzanne taylor and her two college-aged daughters, taylor and kylie pifer. brinkman and suzanne taylor were longtime acquaintance. police connecting the dots moving in on brinkman, who barricaded himself in this home s.w.a.t. finally subduing him with a stun gun. brinkman in that ambulance, in custody. the suspect was actually facebook messaging with a local reporter during that standoff. they're trying to pinpoint a possible motive here. >>> when we

here's abc's alex perez.reporter: tonig, or brinkman behind bars, suspected of killing five people after a puzzling murder mystery that has s.er investigators hunting for police say 71-year-old rogell john and his wife roberta had v. when their son couldn't reach them, he came to the house to b on the floor, and neither one of them is responding. >> reporter: police say brinkman was house sitting for them and had also dated their daughter. >> he was the house sitter for . we started making a connection. >> brinkman was already a person of interest in the gruesome murders of suzanne taylor and e r er. all three women tucked in one bed. brinkman and suzanne taylor were longtime acquaintances. police connecting the dots, moving in on brinkman, who barricaded himself in a nearby home. after a nine-hour standoff, s.w.a.t. finally subduing him with a stun gun. taking him to a hospital. brinkman in that ambulance, in custody. the suspect was actually facebook mngingisathh atit w st. investigators now trying to pinpo

abc's alex perez from the scene tonight. >> reporter: tonight, investigators working to figure out whatiery blimp crash. the multiple explosions caught on camera by fox sports. during the opening round of the u.s. open golf tournament in wisconsin. >> oh, there it goes. >> reporter: the blimp deflating and then plummeting to the ground in front of thousands of fans. >> as you see it going down, a major explosion when you realize that there's probably someone in there. >> that's the blimp, that's not good. >> reporter: rescue teams quickly rushing to the scene. >> we have a blimp down. manned aircraft down. >> reporter: the pilot going down with the blimp. >> the patient is out, however, he is injured. >> reporter: rescue crews pulling him from the wreckage just in time right before the explosions. >> we have a 200-pound male patient, 40% burns on his back. >> reporter: the pilot's carried off on a stretcher and into a waiting medevac chopper. the owner of the blimp airsign telling abc news they don't know yet what caused the crash, but that it happened shortly after the blimp refueled.

here's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, new images. the casino table the attacker allegedly set on fire. empty shell casings from the hail of gunfire, and one of the weapons used. investigators, trying to piece together the confusing and conflicting accounts of what unfolded. tourists trampling each other, scrambling to find an exit. >> he started a huge fire. and then we just started running. >> reporter: the fire leaving dozens dead. victims of smoke inhalation, say authorities. it could still be seen pouring out of windows today. loved ones in anguish. in each others' arms. police releasing these images of the suspect. seven hours after it began, authorities say the suspect took his own life, setting himself on fire. overnight, isis twice taking responsibility. local police almost immediately dismissing any terror links, saying it was a botched robbery. >> indications point to a criminal act. of an apparently emotionally disturbed individual. >> reporter: investigators still taking every precaution. deploying bomb-sniffing dogs and

abc's alex perez is in wisconsin. >> reporter: tonight, millions watching the skies.severe weather on the move after a wild 24 hours. overnight, a tornado outbreak spanning four states. spawning at least 27 reported tornados. in iowa, the funnel clouds started touching down around dinner time. including a powerful ef-2 captured at the linn county fair. >> get over here! >> reporter: heavy rain and snapped trees in the twister's wake. >> it was like it just hovering, it was just slow motion and it was really dark. >> reporter: some of the worst damage west of eau claire, wisconsin. the walls of this garage ripped off. the family truck thrown into the yard. >> you're looking around and trying to figure out how this happened that quickly. just unimaginable. >> reporter: in all, more than 120 severe reports from this system, including up to baseball-sized hail in parts of iowa. and tom, we now know the tornado that ripped this home apart was 700 yards wide. ef-1 churning through at 105 miles per hour, tom? >> a massive twister. alex, thank you. we are tracking more tornad

alex perez, abc new, hartford, wisconsin. >>> coming up, barack obama showering his friend, jay-z with 12 hour. the bi-layer tablet immediately releases to thin and loosen excess mucus and lasts for 12 hours. learn more at mucinex.com treat excess mucus with mucinex 12 hour and enjoy living well. ♪ skinny so skinny ♪ skinny so skinny >> okay. kicking off "the skinny" with the newest inductee into the songwriter's hall of fame. >> for the first time ever, a rapper made it in. so who might be the first hip-hop artist to be honored? >> let me reintroduce myself. >> h to the izzov to the. >> jay-z, mr. sean carter, congrats to you. >> to celebrate, jay made a rare appearance on twitter. jay receiving heartfelt message from his bro. >> bro. >> like all of you, i am a fan. listening to jay since i was a young and hungry state senator. so i am pretty sure i am still the only president to listen to jay-z's music in the office in the oval office. that may change at some point. pretty sure that is true now. >> what? we don't think president trump is into the man? >> after the concert, hillary wa

abc's alex perez starts us off in wisconsin. od morning, alex. >> reporter: ray, good morning, robin. a lot of the damage happened after dark so many people are just now getting a chance to assess what happened. now, that powerful storm ripped right through this garage tearing down the walls and sucking this big truck out, flipping it over. [ sirens ] >> hurry, tornado. >> reporter: dangerous twisters tearing through the heartland. >> i think it's coming this way. >> reporter: 26 reported tornadoes touching down across four states wednesday from iowa to wisconsin. >> oh, it's hitting the ground now. >> reporter: the storming bringing massive hail. toppling trees and destroying homes. >> this is, you know, fury of nature type of stuff. >> reporter: one family -- >> it hit like that. >> reporter: -- narrowly escaping. this morning the massive cleanup under way. crews working to clear roads and help those who lost everything. >> just like the world had ended. >> reporter: this as wildfires wreak havoc in the west. more than a dozen

officer in the video was acquitted just days ago and now the other view from that dash cam video and alex perez is in alex, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, david. you know, this new video allows us for the first time to see moment by moment how exactly things unfolded before the shooting. we do want to warn you the images might be difficult for some to watch. this morning, our first look at the dramatic dash cam video showing philando castile's final moments. it started as a traffic stop. >> the reason i pulled you over, do you -- your brake lights are out. do you have your license and insurance. >> reporter: st. anthony, minnesota, police officer jeronimo yanez asked to see insurance and registration even that's when castile revealed he had a gun. >> sir, i have to tell you i do have a -- >> okay. >> -- firearm on me. >> okay. >> less than 40 seconds later he opens fire. >> don't reach for it. >> i'm not putting it out. >> don't pull it out. [ gunshots ] >> you just killed my boyfriend. >> reporter: yanez firing seven shots and later in that dash cam for the first time in his o w