Family of California cop says widow had ‘good conversation’ with President Trump, releases new video of him with son

The brother of a California police officer who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant the day after Christmas told Fox News his widow had a “good conversation” with President Trump as the family continues to grieve.

Reggie Singh appeared on ‘Fox & Friends’ Friday as the family of Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh shared a new video of the fallen officer playing with his five-month-old son before his death.

“He was waiting for the son to talk, walk. It just breaks my heart he will never be able to see that,” Singh said.

 

Trump called Singh’s widow yesterday to praise her husband’s service and to offer condolences to her, Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson and other law enforcement officials impacted by his death, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

The Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers Foundation is now trying to raise enough money to pay off the family’s $300,000 mortgage. Its chairman and CEO said Friday on ‘Fox & Friends’ that they are just $50,000 short.

“They came here to live the American dream,” Frank Siller said. “Let’s show them the greatness of America and let’s take care of this family.”

 

Reggie Singh described the fundraising effort as a “huge relief.

“Unfortunately bills still need to be paid and this means a lot to Ron and his family,” he said.

The illegal immigrant suspected of killing Singh — Gustavo Perez Arriaga – has had his case delayed until he undergoes a mental health evaluation. He is set to return to court early next month.

The incident has generated fresh criticism of California’s sanctuary laws, which put limits on communication between police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

“We are being handcuffed by policies and laws and this was a preventable tragedy,” Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Friday. “If we were able to turn this suspected killer over to immigration we wouldn’t be sitting and having this interview right now.”

 

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/family-of-california-cop-releases-new-video-of-him-with-son-says-widow-had-good-conversation-with-president-trump

5 children from church group believed to be on way to Disney World among 7 killed in Florida crash, police confirm

Five children from a Louisiana church group believed to be on their way to Disney World were among seven people killed during a fiery Florida interstate crash, state highway patrol has confirmed.

The crash occurred about a mile south of Alachua, near Gainesville on Thursday after a big rig and a car collided in the northbound lanes of the highway and went across the guardrail into the path of another big rig and a church van in the southern lanes of the highway.

“Once those semis struck, they both caught fire,” Lt. Patrick Riordan said during a press conference. Amid the fire, fed by about 50 gallons of diesel, a fifth vehicle hit people who had been ejected, he added.

 

Flames engulf vehicles after a fiery crash along Interstate 75, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019, about a mile south of Alachua, near Gainesville, Fla. Highway officials say at least six people have died after a crash and diesel fuel spill sparked a massive fire along the Florida interstate.

Flames engulf vehicles after a fiery crash along Interstate 75, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019, about a mile south of Alachua, near Gainesville, Fla. Highway officials say at least six people have died after a crash and diesel fuel spill sparked a massive fire along the Florida interstate. (WGFL-Gainesville via AP)

The police confirmed that six to eight people were hospitalized due to injuries.

The children were as young as eight, police said, and were from a Louisiana church group in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana.

A representative of the Avoyelles House of Mercy told The Town Talk earlier on Friday that members of the group were indeed involved in the crash, but didn’t reveal more information.

The authorities are treating the crash as a homicide investigation, though it remains unclear the reasons why.

A worker looks at a charred semi-truck after a wreck with multiple fatalities on Interstate 75, south of Alachua, near Gainesville, Fa., Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019. Two big rigs and two passenger vehicles collided and spilled diesel fuel across the Florida highway Thursday, sparking a massive fire that killed several people, authorities said.

A worker looks at a charred semi-truck after a wreck with multiple fatalities on Interstate 75, south of Alachua, near Gainesville, Fa., Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019. Two big rigs and two passenger vehicles collided and spilled diesel fuel across the Florida highway Thursday, sparking a massive fire that killed several people, authorities said. (Lauren Bacho/The Gainesville Sun via AP)

Some people passing through the interstate described some of the scenes after the crash. Nicole Towarek, a student who was on a holiday trip from Fort Myers to Atlanta, told The Gainesville Sun that the scene completely changed after the crash, with black smoke billowing and people being laid out near vehicles.

“We kept seeing these little explosions and fire,” she said. “The heat, it was insane.”

“We kept seeing these little explosions and fire. The heat, it was insane.”

— Nicole Towarek

A spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol told the Associated Press that the top priority at the moment is to verify the deceased victims. It remains unclear if the victims died as a result of the crash or the fire that came after the collision.

“There’s going to be families that need to be notified that their loved ones have perished,” said Lieutenant Patrick Riordan.

 

Riordan previously told the Sun that some of the fatalities “were in at least one of the passenger vehicles.”

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office dispatched earlier a helicopter to look for potential victims in the woods off the highway.

Thursday’s crash was the worst incident on the interstate in Alachua county since January 2012 when 11 people died in a crash.

Following the crash, officials at the time installed cameras, sensors and large electronic signs to prevent crashes like that from ever happening again.