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Jury Deadlocked in Parker Trial, 9/11 Remembrance

Denny Chimes
Denny Chimes at the University of Alabama

The jury has deadlocked in the civil rights trial of former Madison police officer Eric Parker. They will continue deliberating this morning.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala instructed the jury to come back today and re-evaluate the evidence and testimony presented in the case. Parker is charged with violating the civil rights of Indian grandfather Sureshbhai Patel when he threw the man to the ground during a police stop. Patel was seriously injured in the fall and remains partially paralyzed.

Parker testified that Patel resisted and was uncooperative during the stop. Testifying through an interpreter, Patel explained that he didn’t understand Parker’s orders because he speaks very little English.

The felony civil rights abuse charge could put Parker in jail for up to 10 years if convicted.

It was 14 years ago this morning when planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001.

Almost 3,000 people were killed in separate attacks on New York and Washington D.C., and a plane crash in Pennsylvania.

Stephen Schwab is an adjunct assistant professor in History at the University of Alabama. He is also a former member of the CIA before coming to Tuscaloosa in 2001. He recalls where he was during those events.

“I was watching television when I saw one of the planes fly in to the first tower and then I saw the plane fly in to the second tower. Although I was here at the University of Alabama I felt as though I was practically there.”

Throughout the day, the University of Alabama’s Denny Chimes will play patriotic music in remembrance of the lives lost.

Tailgates will be in full force in Tuscaloosa tomorrow as the University of Alabama hosts Middle Tennessee State University in their first home game of the 2015 season.

The second-ranked Crimson Tide is 1-0 on the season after defeating Wisconsin 35-17 last week.

Coach Nick Saban says the Blue Raiders caught his attention after putting up 70 points last week in MTSU’s opener against Jackson State.

“They do a great job. They go fast on offense and [they've] got really good concepts and schemes in what they do. Good quarterback and lots of returning players on both sides of the ball. So this is a game that, you know, I feel like will be a challenge for us.”

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is 3 PM and will be televised on the SEC Network. Auburn hosts Jacksonville State in the Tiger’s home opener at 11 AM, also on the SEC Network.

A 15-year old from Hueytown has been arrested after live-streaming threats to attack the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.

AL.com reports that just after midnight this morning, the Bessemer Police Department was flooded with 911 calls from people watching the threats live. The teen was using the app Periscope to show off an arsenal of weapons and reveal that he had been recruited by ISIS and was going to attack the airport.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security tracked the broadcast to the boy’s home in Hueytown. Federal agents discovered the cache of weapons were actually airsoft guns and fake grenades. Hueytown Police Chief Chuck Hagler says the video was most likely a prank, but the weapons shown looked extremely authentic.

The boy has been charged with making a terrorist threat and remains in juvenile detention.

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