A Florida man was fired from his job at the London Stock Exchange Group after a viral TikTok video captured him confronting and harassing a Black teenager walking through a neighborhood. The video, which quickly spread across social media platforms, led to a public outcry that resulted in the man’s termination following an internal investigation.

The video shows the teenager walking through a Florida neighborhood while being followed by several white men, one of whom repeatedly questioned him about his presence in the area. With his phone recording the interaction, the teen calmly pushed back, stating that he was simply walking through the community. The men accused the teen of walking by their homes “over and over” and implied that he was there without permission, despite no evidence of wrongdoing.

As the video gained traction online, social media users quickly identified one of the men as Stephen Carega, an employee at the London Stock Exchange Group. The public outrage surrounding the incident led to the company’s swift response, initially suspending Carega while they conducted an investigation. The firm ultimately decided to terminate his employment, citing their zero-tolerance policy on racism, discrimination, and harassment.

In a statement shared by Bloomberg, the London Stock Exchange Group confirmed Carega’s dismissal. “The individual involved was initially suspended while we investigated the matter. The investigation has now concluded, and the individual’s employment has been terminated,” the company said. The statement emphasized their commitment to maintaining an inclusive work environment free from prejudice.

The incident, reminiscent of numerous racially charged confrontations captured on cell phones in recent years, sparked broader discussions about racial profiling and harassment in everyday public spaces. As the conversation continued on social media, many users reflected on the power of cell phone footage to hold people accountable for their actions in real time.

Pembroke Pines, Fla. — Cameron Day, a 16-year-old high school junior, died on Monday after being struck by lightning while riding his bicycle during a storm in South Florida. Authorities found him unresponsive, drenched in rain, and he was rushed to Memorial Hospital Regional with severe burn injuries to his chest and thighs. Despite efforts to save him, Cameron was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Cameron, a student at McArthur High School in nearby Hollywood, was a beloved member of the school’s marching band, known as the Herd of Sound. His dedication and leadership in the band, combined with his kindness and gentle demeanor, made him a cherished figure among his peers and teachers. He was known for his deep passion for music and for being a loyal friend.

Lightning strikes, though rare, are a deadly force of nature. According to the National Weather Service, about 20 to 30 people in the U.S. die from lightning-related incidents each year. Cameron’s untimely death is a reminder of the unpredictable danger posed by severe weather, especially in regions like Florida, which experiences frequent thunderstorms.

In the wake of the tragedy, Cameron’s friends and family have rallied around his grieving mother, launching a GoFundMe campaign to assist with funeral costs. As they mourn the loss of a young man whose life was filled with promise, they remember his quiet strength, his love for music, and the light he brought to those who knew him.

*In a dramatic turn of events on Wednesday, a St. Louis judge ruled that Maurnice DeClue, the 15-year-old charged with brutally beating fellow student Kaylee Gain, will be tried in the juvenile court system. The ruling comes after compelling testimony from a juvenile officer suggesting a broader context to the altercation that left Gain, 16, in a coma.

The case gained national attention when footage of the March 8 confrontation between Declue and Gain went viral. The clip showed DeClue repeatedly slamming Gain’s head into the pavement outside their school, resulting in severe brain injuries. Gain remained in a coma for months and only began walking again two months later. The incident led to DeClue being charged with first-degree assault and placed in juvenile detention, while authorities debated if she should be tried as an adult.

Earlier this month, a juvenile officer testified that Kaylee Gain was a serial bully who had repeatedly tormented Declue. According to the officer, Gain had been suspended just the day before for another fight, highlighting a troubling pattern of behavior. The officer also revealed that Gain had initiated the fight with Declue by throwing the first punch, reports KSDK.com.

On May 10, in response to the testimony and additional evidence, the judge decided that DeClue would remain within the juvenile justice system. This decision aligns with the officer’s recommendation and accounts for the nuanced backstory that contradicts the initial viral narrative.

The defense team highlighted DeClue’s exemplary school records, noting she was an honor student who had skipped the seventh grade due to her academic excellence. Teachers and school staff, including Spanish teacher Richard Bly, praised Declue as a “model student” who had never shown behavioral issues before the fight. Bly testified that Declue was one of the youngest in his class, further illustrating her exceptional academic performance.

Source: Black Teen Charged in Viral School Fight to Remain in Juvenile Court After Victim’s Bullying History Emerges | PicsVideo

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is leading calls for action after a Mississippi police officer killed a 17-year-old Black boy by driving over him in a police cruiser during an early morning chase last week.

Kadarius Smith died last Thursday after an unidentified officer with the Leland Police Department struck the teen as he and his friends were walking home, Crump said, citing a witness.

Smith’s mother claims her son was run over from behind as evidenced by tire tracks that were visible on his back.

Crump is calling not only for the officer to be fired but also for full transparency from the Leland Police Department, including making any video footage public immediately.

“The circumstances surrounding Kadarius’ death are truly heartbreaking for his mother and loved ones. This tragedy should have never happened and the officers involved must be held accountable. It is unconscionable that an officer would fatally run over a teenager who was running away from them,” Crump said in a statement sent to NewsOne on Wednesday.

Crump continued: “We demand that the officer who was driving the cruiser be immediately terminated, and that the unedited video footage is released to the family. Kadarius’ family deserves accountability and answers as to how and why he was killed by an officer in such an inhumane way.”

Source: Mississippi Cop Kills Fleeing Black Teen By Running Over Him With Police Cruiser, Ben Crump Says

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The fight happened last weekend, with several videos of the aftermath surfacing on social media showing one white woman yelling racist slurs and anti-Black obscenities at a group of Black people.

According to the Faulkner County prosecutor’s office, a group of adults leaving Malys Entertainment Center on Saturday, Jan. 6, started mocking a Black teenager who was outside with his hands tucked into his pants to keep warm.

A group of teenagers came to the teen’s defense, and an argument started in which someone started hurling racial slurs. The dispute escalated to an all-out fight that grew in size, with several people shoving, kicking, and punching each other. At one point, someone reportedly even pulled out a knife.

Authorities estimate that between 20 and 30 people were involved in the melee.

Even though people on both sides suffered some injuries, police records revealed that a 16-year-old Black teenager suffered severe lacerations on his lip that reportedly required 12 stitches and even lost some teeth during the fight.

His mother showed up to a city council meeting days later, saying that her son was stabbed in the face.

“I never thought I would be in this situation,” the woman said, according to KARK. “I get a FaceTime phone call, he’s screaming, ‘Mom, I need help.’”

Source: Three White Adults Arrested for Role In Massive Brawl that Started After Black Teen Racially Mocked In Arkansas Town

In 2015, Rick Chow fired several shots at a vehicle after he tried to stop someone he suspected of shoplifting, and the suspect got into the vehicle and threatened to shoot Chow, deputies said. No one was hurt.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A store owner in South Carolina charged with murder this week after shooting a teen he wrongly thought stole water has shot at suspected shoplifters two other times in the past eight years and not faced charges, authorities said.

In 2018, Rick Chow confronted a shoplifter at his Xpress Mart Shell station in Columbia and the man attacked him, Richland County deputies said. Chow fired two shots and wounded the man, who pleaded guilty to charges in the case, in the leg, investigators said.The Xpress Mart convenience store is seen on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. Richland County deputies said the store owner chased a 14-year-old he thought shoplifted, but didn’t steal anything and fatally shot the teen in the back. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

In 2015, Chow fired several shots at a vehicle after he tried to stop someone he suspected of shoplifting, and the suspect got into the vehicle and threatened to shoot Chow, deputies said. No one was hurt.

In both cases, authorities said Chow’s actions were not criminal. Self-defense law in South Carolina requires the shooter doesn’t instigate the incident, believes he is in imminent danger and has no way to avoid that danger.

Deputies decided that was not the case Sunday, when they said Chow and his son chased a 14-year-old from his store and killed him with one shot to the back. Chow is charged with murder and investigators are talking to prosecutors about possible additional charges against Chow or his son, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

Chow thought the boy had shoplifted four bottles of water. But Cyrus Carmack-Belton, who was Black, put the bottles back in the cooler. After an argument, Carmack-Belton ran off the store property and was still running away when he was killed, Sheriff Leon Lott said.

A gun was found near the teen’s body and Chow’s son told his father that Carmack-Belton was armed after the youth fell as he ran, Lott said. But the sheriff said there was no evidence the boy ever pointed the weapon at Chow or his son.

The sheriff’s department didn’t release additional information about the two other shooting incidents. They said deputies have been called to Chow’s store in suburban northeast Richland County hundreds of times over the past five years for assaults, shoplifting, personal theft, motor vehicle theft, vandalism, robbery and burglary.

Source: Store owner charged in Black teen’s murder shot at suspected shoplifters twice before, wasn’t charged

Last-minute Christmas shoppers take a break from shopping at Bridgewater Commons Mall on December 24, 2010, in Bridgewater TWP, New Jersey. | Source: Matt Rainey / Getty

Civil rights leaders were reacting with disgust and anger to what they described as a racist police response to a mall fight between two teenagers in New Jersey.

The fight, which took place recently at Bridgewater Commons Mall in Bridgewater Township, was recorded on video by a bystander and posted to social media, where it went viral this week. The video showed a 14-year-old boy identified only as Z’kye and a white teenage boy confronting each other before devolving into a full-blown fistfight. Onlookers who appeared to be fellow teenagers surrounded them as the fight spilled out of the seating area in which the fight started.

Here Are All The Racist Things Said By Ahmaud Arbery’s Killers

That’s when two fully uniformed police officers could be seen running into the frame. One, a woman officer, yanked the white boy aside. But the other officer, a man, violently wrestled Z’kye to the ground and handcuffed him as the woman officer joined in to employ a restraining hold with her knee on his back. Z’kye was compliant and did not resist.

All the while, the white boy — who was just as guilty as the Black teen — was shown sitting in the background watching unscathed. No handcuffs, no kneeling restraint, nothing.

A voice from an unidentified person could be heard saying on the video, “It’s ’cause he’s Black, racially motivated.”

That’s where the nearly one-minute-long video ends abruptly. Watch it below.

In the end, Z’kye was arrested and the white boy was not, Northeast Regional Director of National Action Network, Rev. Steffie Bartley, Sr., said in an email to NewsOne. He pointed to the disparate treatment for the same behavior and suggested racism was to blame.

“I have seen the videos regarding the excessive force incident at the Bridgewater Mall. The video that I have seen is quite disturbing and suggests implicit bias as it relates to the police officers’ response,” Bartley said in part. “Why was the young Black man on the ground with handcuffs while the young white man was sitting on the couch as if he were overseeing?”

Source: Civil Rights Leaders Rip NJ Cops Who Brutally Arrested Black Teen On Video In Mall Fight Against White Boy Not Jailed