Happy Thursday! The prosecution rested their case against Lori Daybell on Wednesday, and we're learning about more students at UArizona and ASU that have had their visas revoked.
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Thursday, April 17; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From the ABC15 Weather team - Cooldown begins, rain chances tomorrow!
We'll start to cool off today! It'll be sunny in the low 80s for our high. Then, big changes tomorrow. A chance for some showers in the Valley, breezier conditions, and highs only in the 70s. Back to our warmer and sunny conditions though by Easter Sunday!
Watch Kidcaster Patrick give you today's Valley forecast:
14-year-old student detained amid potential school shooting threat in Glendale
Glendale police say a 14-year-old student was detained on Tuesday after a staff member alerted an Independence High School resource officer about a possible shooting threat.
Police say the staff member reported the student had been researching mass shootings, including the 2019 Walmart shooting in El Paso, Texas and the Uvalde school shooting in 2022.
"He was specific when it came to explaining which school shootings or which mass shootings he researched," a Glendale police spokesperson said. "The Uvalde school shooting was one of them, as well as the El Paso Walmart shooting."
Officials say the student had been upset after a female classmate rejected his romantic advances.
Audit finds extreme Phoenix PD overtime, lack of control
The Phoenix Police Department lacked oversight and control over officers’ overtime, allowing some cops to rack up “extreme” amounts, according to a city audit report.
The audit was released in late January and it laid out a long list of issues inside the department.
Some of the key findings:
- Overtime costs have more than doubled in recent years.
- Officers can get paid twice for the same shift by taking leave and instead working overtime.
- The top 18 officers earned over $5,300,000 in overtime collectively in about two years.
“That is a management failure. That is a complete mismanagement of staffing,” said Anna Hernandez, who will be sworn in as Phoenix’s newest councilmember later this month. “As a department, this audit is showing that the Phoenix police department is not a financially responsible department within the city.”
Watch Dave Biscobing's full report in the player above.
More than 100 ASU student visas revoked according to union, handful at UArizona
More than 100 students at Arizona State University and a handful at the University of Arizona have had their visas revoked.
The new number of revocations is according to United Campus Workers of Arizona president Michael Kintscher, who told ABC15 those numbers are expected to rise.
ABC15 obtained a copy of the Faculty Senate letter at UArizona, which said fewer than 10 students have had their visas revoked, but that number is expected to increase. The letter also noted many of those students had already left the country or self-deported.
However, when asked to confirm the number of revocations and the number of students who had self-deported, UArizona said in a statement, “The university continues to respect the privacy of our international students, faculty, and scholars, and emphasizes the importance of relying on verified information.”
The statement went on to say, "We encourage international students and scholars to contact us with any questions, as university staff are available to support their success and compliance."
Prosecution rests case after calling more witnesses on Wednesday in Lori Daybell trial
The prosecution has rested its case against Lori Daybell in her conspiracy to commit murder trial on Wednesday.
Although Daybell also said she rested her defense, she could still change her mind on Monday when the court resumes.
Day seven of Lori Daybell’s murder conspiracy trial brought another Chandler detective to the stand. Daybell is accused of killing her husband, Charles Vallow, with the help of her now late brother, Alex Cox.
Prosecutors have already called family members, former friends, and first responders to the stand. Wednesday, Detective Nathan Duncan took the stand as the state’s next witness.
ABC15's Ashley Holden was in court on Wednesday. Watch a debrief on what transpired during day seven of Daybell's trial in the player below:
