Crime
At least 1 dead, another injured after shooting near Riverview Terrace Apartments in Needles
NEEDLES, CA – A deadly shooting early Wednesday morning in a Needles neighborhood has left one person dead and two others airlifted to medical facilities, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBCSD).
At approximately 6:39 a.m. on July 23, emergency crews responded to reports of multiple gunshot victims in the 1900 block of Erin Drive.
Upon arrival, first responders located three victims.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were flown to area hospitals via Classic Air Medical for treatment of injuries whose severity has not yet been publicly disclosed.
Dispatch records indicate a prior call to the same block at 5:44 a.m. reporting an assault. Authorities have not confirmed whether the two incidents are related.
Due to the nature of the crime, the SBCSD Homicide Detail has taken over the investigation.
Law enforcement established a wide perimeter around the scene, including a road closure at the intersection of Erin Drive and Coronado, and urged the public to avoid the area.
The Sheriff’s Department has stated that additional information will be released following the completion of the initial investigation.
To assist in the response, the San Bernardino County Fire Department requested mutual aid from the Mohave Valley Fire Department, including two additional medics, two engines, and a duty chief.
On the Arizona side of the Colorado River, authorities temporarily closed the southeast corner of Highway 95 and Barrackman Road to establish a landing zone for air ambulances.
Residents in the neighborhood reported extensive police activity and full road closures stretching from Coronado to Earl Court, including all access points along Erin Drive.
The Sheriff’s Department has not yet released the identities of the deceased or injured.
The motive for the shooting and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under active investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department – Needles Station or submit a tip anonymously through local crime reporting services.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.