National Response Team investigates Clayborn Temple fire

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A National Response Team is heading to the historic Clayborn Temple after a devastating fire nearly three weeks ago.
The Memphis Fire Department says the more than 130-year-old church is now stabilized, and investigators can now take a look inside for clues.
ORIGINAL STORY: Fire destroys Clayborn Temple, historic Memphis church with ties to Civil Rights movement
Since the fire broke out in the early morning hours on April 29, investigators say they have been conducting extensive off-site work, like speaking with witnesses and going through video analysis.
About two weeks ago, the east wall of the building collapsed due to strong winds.
MFD has been working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to determine the cause of the fire.
Last month, WREG talked with a fire investigator who says if causes like the construction or faulty wiring were ruled out, then was the fire intentionally set?
'In that case, they may bring in accelerant detection K9s that will look for the scent of accelerants. If they alert to a spot, then they will collect samples. They'll send them to a laboratory,' said Richard Meier.
ATF, MFD search for clues after Clayborn Temple lost to fire
Now that it is safe to enter the structure, investigators will get a close-up look for any tell-tale signs.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

a day ago

• Yahoo

Raoul issues guidance for protesters

As people in Chicago, Los Angeles and cities around the nation peacefully protest unlawful policies and orders issued by the Trump administration, Attorney General Kwame Raoul released guidance to help them do so safely. Raoul's 'Know Your Rights Advisory: Safely Participating in Peaceful Protests in Illinois' is available on the Attorney General's website to help Illinois residents understand their rights and responsibilities while participating in protected First Amendment protests. Raoul also issued a guidance summary to ensure local law enforcement officials understand key provisions of the Illinois TRUST Act, which generally prohibits state and local law enforcement from participating in federal civil immigration enforcement. 'It is impossible to ignore the widespread injustice taking place around the nation at the direction of the Trump administration, and it is incumbent upon all of us to speak out and protest these egregious abuses of power. However, protesters have a responsibility to follow the law and express their views peacefully,' Raoul said. 'Acts of violence, destruction of property and obstruction of law enforcement are unacceptable, and local law enforcement is responsible for addressing such acts. Local law enforcement officers in Illinois have already shown that they are fully capable of protecting protesters, the public and free speech," he added. Raoul encouraged citizens to know their rights. "I encourage people to review the 'Know Your Rights Advisory' on my office's website before participating in a demonstration. This moment demands that we all use our voices in protest, but it is up to protesters and local law enforcement officers together to maintain public safety at such demonstrations,' he said. The right to free speech and peaceable assembly protected by the First Amendment includes the right to participate in protests, marches and demonstrations. However, protesters are responsible for expressing their views peacefully and obeying orders issued by local law enforcement. Physical violence, destruction of property, criminal trespass onto private property or other criminal activities are not protected by the First Amendment. Local law enforcement officers may take appropriate crowd management and traffic control measures if needed. Attorney General Raoul is also reminding demonstrators that it is a federal crime to assault, intimidate or interfere with an officer or employee of the U.S. government while performing official duties, or to obstruct or impede a federal civil immigration enforcement operation. Illinois' TRUST Act generally prohibits local law enforcement from participating in civil immigration enforcement. Although the law does not prevent local law enforcement officers from taking action to maintain peace and ensure public safety in their jurisdictions, officers must respect the constitutional and civil rights of all individuals at all times. Local law enforcement officers may not stop, arrest or detain anyone based solely on citizenship or immigration status. The Attorney General's 'Know Your Rights Advisory: Safely Participating in Peaceful Protests in Illinois' and 'Guidance Summary: Key Provisions of the Illinois TRUST Act' contain more information and are available to all on the Attorney General's website. Raoul urges anyone who believes their rights or someone else's rights are being violated to remain calm, document all relevant information and do not use force or otherwise resist arrest. Individuals who need to report alleged civil rights violations or alleged violations of the TRUST Act by law enforcement should contact the Attorney General's Civil Rights Bureau by calling 1-877-581-3692 or by emailing civilrights@

Yahoo

a day ago

• Yahoo

On This Day, June 21: 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Iran kills nearly 50,000

On this date in history: In 1788, the U.S. Constitution became effective when it was ratified by a ninth state, New Hampshire. In 1942, German forces, led by Gen. Erwin Rommel, took control of Tobruk, Libya, in an assault on British forces. The North African city was a key port on the Mediterranean Sea. In 1945, Japanese defenders of Okinawa surrendered to U.S. troops. In 1964, Ku Klux Klan members killed three civil rights activists -- James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner -- and hid their bodies in unmarked graves. An informer led the FBI to the three men's graves 44 days later. In 1982, John Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the March 1981 shootings of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and three other people who were also wounded. Hinckley has been in a hospital in Washington, with permission in recent years to spend time outside the institution with his family. In 1985, international experts in Sao Paulo, Brazil, conclusively identified the bones of a 1979 drowning victim as the remains of Dr. Josef Mengele, a Nazi war criminal, ending a 40-year search for the "angel of death" of the Auschwitz concentration camp. In 1990, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck northwestern Iran, killing up to 50,000 people. In 1997, Cambodia announced the capture of former Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. In 2005, a Mississippi jury convicted 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen of manslaughter in the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison and died in 2018. In 2008, nearly 1,400 people, most of them on a ferry that capsized, were killed in Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines. In 2011, a RusAir passenger plane flying from Moscow to Petrozavodsk in rain and fog crashed on a highway near an airport and broke apart in flames. Forty-four people died, eight survived. In 2020, the acoustic guitar Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain used during the band's 1993 MTV Unplugged special sold for more than $6 million. It set a new record for highest auction price for a guitar in history. In 2021, Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player in league history to come out as gay. In 2021, Laurel Hubbard made history as the first openly transgender athlete to be selected to compete in an Olympic Games, qualifying for a spot on New Zealand's weightlifting team. In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval for GOOD Meat, the meat division of Eat Just, and UPSIDE Foods, to sell cultivated poultry in the United States. It was the first approval by the regulatory body for companies to produce meat by growing cells extracted from an animal's body.

Washington Post

2 days ago

• Washington Post

Prince George's ordered to pay ex-officer $1.8 million in sexual assault case

A United States District Court judge this week ordered Prince George's County to pay $1.8 million to a former county police officer in economic damages stemming from a 2017 sexual assault that she alleged was committed by her supervising officer, an incident that Kara McMurray said in a lawsuit led to retaliation against her after she reported it. McMurray, who left the department in 2021, had already been awarded nearly $400,000 in compensatory damages by a federal jury last March after it found that her former lieutenant, Richard Tallant, and the county were liable for violating her civil rights. On Tuesday, Judge Theodore Chuang ordered the county to pay another $1,862,218 in back pay and wages she would have earned through retirement, according to court documents, bringing McMurray's total award to more than $2 million. The county will also be responsible for attorney fees, said Christopher Griffiths, an attorney representing McMurray. 'It's been a long, hard road for Ms. McMurray. She lost a job she loved,' Griffiths said. 'We're gratified that she is finally getting the compensation that she deserves.' On Friday, a county spokesperson said in a statement that 'the county is aware of the verdict and our office of law is reviewing it.' Chaz Ball, an attorney representing Tallant, who was previously found guilty of a criminal sexual assault charge stemming from the incident, declined to comment. The lawsuit stems from an incident that occurred on Feb. 10, 2017, when McMurray went to the Fraternal Order of Police Prince George's County Lodge 89 after finishing a late-night shift. That night, McMurray socialized with other officers, including Tallant, in the parking lot of the lodge after it closed. When she went into the woods to 'relieve herself,' Tallant followed McMurray and sexually assaulted her, according to court documents. Two other officers who went to look for McMurray in the woods, witnessed the aftermath of the assault that included 'seeing Tallant on the ground and McMurray appearing upset and running back to her car with her pants zipper broken open,' court documents stated. Tallant got up and left in his car. McMurray went back to work shortly after the assault and encountered Tallant. He cornered her in a police hallway and asked her if she wanted him to transfer her, according to court documents. Tallant then began to joke about the situation on several occasions in front of other officers, embarrassing and intimidating McMurray with his statements, court records state. She informed a sergeant of what happened to her a few months later. The sergeant appeared upset by the information, but warned McMurray of Tallant's connections throughout the department and the possibility for retaliation. She chose not to report the assault and transferred to another police squad in fall 2017. Two years later, McMurray told another officer of her assault, and that officer reported the case to the department's internal affairs division, which launched an investigation. Details of the probe, however, were leaked within the department, and McMurray found herself receiving insults and the subject of salacious rumors involving Tallant. She was bullied via social media and her options to transfer to other units within the department were blocked by friends of Tallant while her fellow officers refused to give backup to her during service calls, court records show. McMurray went on to file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that she had experienced a hostile work environment based on her gender. Department leadership refused to take corrective actions to mitigate the rumors and the antagonism against McMurray from colleagues, she said in court documents. She resigned in December 2021 after working as a county police officer since June 2014. According to court documents, a jury found the county liable for violating McMurray's civil rights. The department showed a 'failure to supervise and discipline officers who retaliated against McMurray,' exhibited an indifference to a custom of 'black balling' officers who report officer misconduct and engaged in a practice of subjecting officers who did report such incident to be left without backup while responding to police calls, the jury found. The jury also found Tallant, who is no longer with the department, liable for battery and false imprisonment. He was found guilty of a second-degree sex offense in 2019 and sentenced to seven years in prison before appealing that conviction and being granted a new trial. In assessing the economic damages done to McMurray, Chuang said in his opinion that he disagreed with the county's assertion that she could have found a job at another police department. McMurray 'could not reasonably be expected to seek another position as a police officer and made substantial efforts to mitigate damages' when she sought other employment positions, the judge ruled. He granted McMurray back pay, covering the period between her departure from the department and when he issued his ruling. The damages also included the amount McMurray would have earned had she continued to work for the police department through her retirement eligibility date in October 2033. She was 29 at the time she was forced to resign, according to the court documents. 'Although McMurray remains relatively young, all of her prior education and experience is related to police work, a field from which she is now effectively blackballed,' Chuang said in his opinion. Katie Mettler contributed to this report.