for finding that most large police agencies donât require body cameras for off-duty officers working in uniform, leaving a hole in policies designed to increase oversight and transparency. http://bit.ly/2ti9N7I
for obtaining, through an open-records request, exclusive and surprising details about the man charged with killing two Iowa police officers on Nov. 2: He had written a letter days before the shootings referring to police as âabsolute heroes.â http://dmreg.co/2g0u3E8
for strong accountability reporting in showing how police in the Long Island suburb of Brentwood stayed silent about the disappearance of Hispanic teenagers last winter until bodies of the teens began turning up in September. http://bit.ly/2erNMih
for filing a FOIA to force the town of Latta to disclose why the stateâs first female and openly gay sheriff had been suspended for five days. http://bit.ly/2bVpxEm
for an exclusive analysis of all gun violence cases over the past two years found that the holiday period between Christmas and New Year's Day is the deadliest for shootings that are accidental. http://apne.ws/2i1zHaN
The tragic stories pop up frequently in local media: a curious toddler gets hold of a gun and accidentally shoots himself or someone else. But how often does that happen? Under what circumstances? And what children are most at risk?
In a new investigative partnership, a team of reporters from the AP and USA TODAY Network spent six months seeking answers to those questions and others about accidental shootings involving minors. What they discovered is horrifying: A child dies every other day of an accidental shooting in the United States. What's more, the federal government significantly undercounts the problem.
for scoring an exclusive interview with the brother of the gunman in the deadly Fort Lauderdale airport shootings, in which he said U.S. authorities knew about the gunmanâs mental state: http://www.lfpress.com/2017/01/06/airport-shooting...
for hustling to get the first photo of a body being removed after a fatal nightclub shooting. He also shot video and sent color and details for the text story. http://bit.ly/2olltEP
for exclusively obtaining documents showing that New York City's newly named top investigator of police misconduct was himself accused of inappropriate workplace behavior, including making a joke about a colleague's backside and referring to an area where Hispanic employees sit as "el Barrio." http://bit.ly/2qKKD4F
for a joint investigation by the AP and USA TODAY Network that found accidental shootings involving young children often go unpunished, even when adults recklessly store loaded guns within easy reach. http://apne.ws/2rAJ9JO http://apne.ws/2qWZiGV http://apne.ws/2qX4ydz http://apne.ws/2qhlBpw
for a story on law enforcementâs use of a practice known as âFacebook shaming,â where suspects who havenât yet been charged, tried or convicted are publicly ridiculed on social media platforms. http://abcn.ws/2u6DA6n
led APâs comprehensive all-formats coverage in the aftermath of the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket. In the week that followed the racist attack, the team on the ground captured the sorrow and outrage of the cityâs Black community, even as they reported on court appearances and press briefings.The team delivered sensitive and compelling enterprise pieces, including a chronicle of the victimsâ last day, personal stories of grief and anger, how residents might find healing, and what the loss of the areaâs only supermarket means to the fabric of the community.That work by the Buffalo team was complemented by a sweeping array of insightful stories from AP journalists around the country.Read more
New York City police reporter Colleen Long was taking the elevator at police headquarters on a quiet Friday afternoon before the Fourth of July weekend when she overheard a couple of patrol officers suddenly talking with alarm. âOh my God,â one of them said. âSomethingâs going on at Bronx Lebanon Hospital. I think an active shooter.â
Long got off on the next stop and immediately called a source as she took the stairs down to her office in the second-floor press room, known as âthe shack.â By the time she got to the desk, she had enough information to call the New York City bureau with a barebones APNewsAlert: âNEW YORK (AP) â Police are responding to a report of shots fired inside a New York City hospital.â
So began a bureau-wide reporting effort on a story that would unfold in unusual detail, even in the long litany of American gun violence. For leading a team effort that put the AP out front and kept us there, Colleen Long wins the Best of the States Award and the $300 that goes with it for the second week in a row.
for a cross-country, all-formats response to the mass shooting that left three dead at the Gilroy (Calif.) Garlic Festival. Rod Jussim, Washington video producer, leapt into the story, moving 10 video edits, including gripping user-generated clips, followed with live video from the scene at sunrise. Meanwhile, freelance photographer Noah Berger captured images that led local media outlets for hours and also shot aerials of the scene, something no other agency had, as San Francisco reporter Martha Mendoza, interviewed witnesses and getting good early descriptions of the scene. https://bit.ly/2ZjdnPq
mobilized on July Fourth to deliver fast, multiformat coverage of the mass shooting at a parade in Highland Park, Illinois, that ultimately resulted in seven deaths and dozens wounded. Local and regional staffers responded quickly with all-formats coverage in the Chicago suburb while colleagues across the U.S. and into Mexico stepped in to assist with reporting, writing and editing.Mondayâs efforts laid the groundwork for coverage in the days that followed, including more breaking news updates, victim profiles, a narrative on how the events unfolded, explainers, an investigative piece on how the suspect was able to get weapons despite Illinoisâ red flag law and more.The mainbar story trended near the top on AP platforms for much of the week and made the front page of newspapers across the country.Read more
teamed up to provide fast and effective coverage of a June 25 mass shooting during an LGBTQ Pride festival in Oslo, Norway, that left two people dead and more than 20 wounded.When the news broke in the middle of the night that a gunman had opened fire in the Norwegian capital, quick decision-making, a rapid response and even a bit of luck enabled AP to produce a fast, comprehensive all-formats report that was widely used by clients worldwide.Read more
for obtaining exclusive details and interviews in seeking to hold police accountable for the death of a man caught growing 10 pot plans on public land. The man was run over by a bulldozer commandeered by state police as they searched thick brush for him, a slow-speed âchaseâ described by an expert on police procedure as âoutlandish.â Rubinkam learned that police had privately apologized to the family for the incident, and he had first word of a federal civil rights lawsuit against state police and others. https://bit.ly/2FBXj3G
APâs U.S. staff has a lot of practice in responding to mass shootings. But two major events in 24 hours tested even the most experienced staff.
They rose to the challenge.
Soon after noon Central time on Saturday, Aug. 3, reports began to surface about an active shooter at an El Paso, Texas, mall. A local news station initially reported that 18 people were shot inside a Walmart â a number which by Monday would rise to 22 dead and two dozen injured.
The quick reaction of AP staff around the country and beyond â in the office, at home and even on vacation â ensured the AP was fast, accurate and leading the way on what would become one of the biggest stories of the year. Text, photo and video staffers converged on El Paso, while colleagues around the country worked sources, contributed to the stories and managed the coverage.
Among the standout reporting was an early interview with a woman who told the heartbreaking story of her sister who died while shielding her 2-month-old son â just a small part of the terrific cross-format continuing coverage.
As the Texas team was just catching its breath, reports of another massacre emerged overnight, this time in Ohio. APâs initial alert was followed four minutes later by the alert that a shooter killed nine people, including his own sister, before police shot him dead. The East Desk immediately dispatched Ohio staff and others to Dayton.
AP beat competitive agencies with photos and numerous live shots, as well as an incredibly compelling interview with a man who watched his father die in his arms. Elsewhere, many of the same supporting cast already working the El Paso story from afar stepped in on Ohio as well, complementing the coverage on the ground.
For its quick, nimble response, precise reporting and robust, cross-format content on two highly competitive breaking stories, the U.S. staff is recognized with this weekâs Best of the States award.
for obtaining two exclusive police reports that revealed surprising details behind Parisâ deadliest fire in more than a decade â one involving an argument involving a resident said to have a history of psychiatric problems who has been accused of arson, and a second detailing the womanâs arrest after she tried to set a car on fire. Hinnantâs well-placed sources put AP far ahead of other news organizations. https://bit.ly/2DK7NMa
From the very beginning of Jim Mustianâs stellar reporting on the death of Black motorist Ronald Greene, he has been driven by two main questions: What really happened to Greene on the night of his 2019 arrest? And was this a pattern of how Louisiana state troopers treated Black motorists?
Mustian answered the first last month when he obtained body camera video showing troopers stunning, choking, punching and dragging the unarmed Greene as he apologized and begged for mercy.
And he began answering the second this past week when he exclusively reported that the Louisiana State Police has convened a secret panel to investigate whether Troop F — the same unit involved in Greeneâs arrest — was systematically targeting other Black motorists. Mustianâs detailed reporting and solid sourcing turned up new cases and new video, and he landed the first-ever interview with one of the victims.
His scoop scored with heavy play and strong engagement. For dogged reporting to keep the AP ahead on a searing case of racial injustice and its continuing fallout, Mustian earns this weekâs Best of the States award.
