Three teenagers arrested in brutal murder of 46-year-old man in Manhattan

NEW YORK, NY — Three young men have been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 46-year-old man in Washington Heights earlier this month, police said.

Vernard Floranda, of 601 West 160th Street, was identified as the victim in the shooting that occurred shortly after midnight Oct. 2 at West 160th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Police responded to a 911 call around 12:05 a.m. and found Floranda with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was transported by EMS to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, where he was pronounced dead.

A second victim, a 25-year-old man, was transported privately to New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the left ankle. He remains in stable condition.

Following an investigation, police arrested three suspects on October 16. An unnamed 17-year-old man, Jason Texeira, 18, of the Bronx, and Jeremiah Bascombe, 19, also of the Bronx, were each charged. with two counts of second-degree murder, second-degree assault and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The investigation into the circumstances of the shooting is ongoing. Authorities have not yet provided details on a possible motive.

ASTORIA, N.Y. — An off-duty New York City employee was arrested Wednesday evening in Queens, authorities said.

Nervin Eltawabti, a 37-year-old NYPD school safety officer, was arrested around 10:30 p.m. in the 114th Precinct, which covers part of Astoria, Long Island City and other areas of northwest Queens. Eltawabti faces charges of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree menacing.

The exact details of the incident that led to the arrest have not been released. Authorities say the charges stem from an alleged incident that occurred within the boundaries of the neighborhood, which includes a mix of residential and commercial areas.

The NYPD has not yet commented on the arrest or provided further information regarding Eltawabti’s status within the department.

No injuries were reported and the investigation continues.

In a new undercover video released by James O’Keefe and his O’Keefe Media Group (OMG), a senior engineer at Meta, Jeevan Gyawalirevealed that Meta uses strategies to “demoted” messages criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The footage, recorded during a hidden camera interaction, shows Gyawali explaining how Meta’s algorithms and content moderation practices reduce the visibility of certain political posts without informing users. He gave the example of someone posting that Harris was “unfit to be president because she doesn’t have children,” which would be automatically downgraded to prevent its attack.

BREAKING: Senior Meta Engineer Reveals Anti-Kamala Posts Are ‘Automatically Demoted,’ Admits Shadowbanning Tactics

“Let’s say your uncle in Ohio said something about Kamala Harris not being fit to be president because she doesn’t have kids, that kind of shit automatically gets demoted”… pic.twitter.com/4DSkvzvKmO

– James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 16, 2024

Gyawali then described how Meta “Integrity Team” uses tools like “civic classifiers” to shadowban posts, meaning that content is made less visible without the user knowing that their post’s engagement is being stifled. The discussion implies that Meta actively moderates posts related to disinformation or topics deemed harmful to democracy, with Gyawali confirming that posts he considers disinformation are “100% downgraded.”

In a particularly telling moment, when the undercover reporter asked if Meta had the power to influence electionsGyawali replied: “Yes”, recognizing that the company has the capacity to influence political outcomes. He also confirmed that the CEO Mark Zuckerberg fully supports these efforts to help the Democratic Party.

Another surprising revelation from the video was the mention of a Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) at Meta, created to manage “scenarios” where the platform could be exploited during political events, particularly around elections.

The video reignited debates over social media censorship and political bias, with many questioning the neutrality of big tech companies in moderating political content. Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), weighed in on the controversy with a simple but telling comment: “Hmm.” Musk’s reaction reflects growing concern about the power platforms like Meta have to shape public opinion and influence democratic processes.

This revelation sparked online discussions about the transparency of social media platform algorithms and their impact on free speech, particularly in the context of political speech. Many are calling for more oversight and clarity on how these tech giants control the flow of information.