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It's been rumored for months that actress Jerrika Hinton might be taking leave of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital sometime this season, and the newest teaser for Grey's Anatomy's upcoming episode certainly paints a grim picture for her very near future on the show.

Hinton, who's played Dr. Stephanie Edwards since the series' ninth season, is the focus of this clip from TVLine, which shows the halls of the hospital swarming with police as Chief Bailey (Chandra Wilson) frantically searches for Edwards while Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) laments his decision to leave Edwards with the apparently dangerous patient she's shown wheeling around.

When it was first reported that Hinton might be leaving Grey's, the news was that she wouldn't return as a series regular, leaving open the possibility of her still coming in as a guest star. However, if this teaser is any indication, her departure might just be more final than anyone expected ... which wouldn't be too much of a surprise, given how murder-happy the Grey's writers have been with their medical staff over the years.

Hinton is expected to star in Wes Ball's new HBO dramedy series, Here, Now later this year.

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursday nights at 8/7c on ABC.

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This Grey's Anatomy Teaser Hints at [SPOILER]'s Exit - TV Guide (blog)

The "Grey's Anatomy" Season 13 finale will be "very on fire." Literally? We'll see.

Episode 24, "Ring of Fire" (hint, hint?) airs Thursday, May 18 with this synopsis: "The doctors' lives are at risk after a dangerous patient escapes the hospital room. Alex must make a hard choice in his relationship with Jo while Meredith has some big news for Nathan that brings things to a turning point."

Executive producer Debbie Allen (Catherine Avery) directed the finale, and she told Entertainment Weekly, "There's actually two events going on at the same time that are pretty big that affect the entire hospital community. You should be worried. There's cause for worry. There's an amazing cliffhanger that will have everybody thinking, 'Wow, where is this going?!'" She added that they'll "plant more seeds that fuel the fire for what is going to happen next season."

Allen added, in a separate EW interview, "I think Season 14 is going to be spectacular. We're planting some seeds that you won't see coming, but you will be waiting to see how it's all going to play out." Show creator Shonda Rhimes is the one who teased, to EW, "Debbie Allen and I like to say that the episode is on fire. That's the only way we're going to describe it. It's a pretty exciting episode that's very on fire."

Kelly McCreary (Maggie Pierce) previously teased the "event" of the finale, telling EW, "It's a great big event that will keep everyone on the edge of their seats. It really is shocking. There were so many gasps of horror and surprise at the table read. It was delicious. It was just so much fun." A while back, Kevin McKidd (Owen Hunt) told TVLine the finale would be "pretty dramatic and pretty intense. It's pretty dark and very good."

We're excited to see the cliffhangers, and what they mean for Season 14, but it's the relationship stuff with Mer, Riggs, and Jolex that really has us curious.

Before we get to the finale, we have one more episode to get through, "True Colors," which airs May 11 with this synopsis: "The doctors of Grey Sloan encounter a difficult case involving a dangerous patient. Meanwhile, Owen receives life-changing news that pushes Amelia to step up to support him, and Alex attends a medical conference after making a shocking discovery."

Jo's hubby, comin' in hot? Hmm..."Grey's Anatomy" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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'Grey's Anatomy' Finale Has 'Amazing Cliffhanger' Before 'Spectacular' Season 14 - Moviefone

Even the tiniest view of a surgical procedure can be too much for non-medical professionals, but for actual surgeons, more visibility is a real asset. But there is only so much to be seen with the naked eye, so medical navigation technology and mixed reality company Scopis has launched a new tool to give surgeons enhanced visibility when performing spinal surgery.

By merging the capabilities of Microsoft HoloLens with their surgical navigation platform, Berlin, Germany and Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Scopis has developed the Holographic Navigation Platform. By donning a pair of the HoloLens glasses, surgeons can see a 3D overlay of the pre-planned positioning of screws, allowing the surgeon to interactively align their instruments with the holographic visualization and find the proper location more quickly. Additionally, surgeons can keep their eye on the operative field, and they can also used gestures to place virtual monitors onto their visual field.

Scopis Holographic Navigation Platform is a universal solution that offers specific advantages for spinal surgeries and can also be applied in the many other areas where the highest levels of precision and speed are critical. In neurosurgery, for example, brain tumors could be located faster and with higher accuracy, Scopis CEO and founder Bartosz Kosmecki, said in a statement. The development of this holographic platform further highlights Scopis leading role in medical mixed and augmented reality.

The holographic platform also seeks to work in the place of fluoroscopy devices, which are used today to determine screw placement positioning but have the negative side effect of radiation exposure to the patients and medical professionals.

In other three-dimensional surgical technology news, Dublin-based 3D4Medical, which makes apps for medical education and fitness, unveiled its new suite of the clinical apps for iPhone and iPad collectively called Compete Consultation. The idea is to facilitate conversation and education between doctors and their patients on a range of areas including orthopedics, cardiology, internal medicine and trauma.

Previously, the company launched a version of the app in 2013, but only to the largest and most familiar hospital chains in the United States. Now, orthopedic surgeons and clinics around the world will have access, and the app is free to the general public.

With 3D technology and animations, Complete Consultation is intended to help healthcare professionals more thoroughly educate their patients, allowing them to give visual pointers on anatomy of the part of the body in question, potential pathologies and treatments (including step-by-step animations).

Maurice Neligan, director of Orthopedic Surgery at Irelands Beacon Hospital and associate clinical professor at University College Dublin School of Medicine, pointed to the technology as a significant advancement in engaging patients.

It dispenses with the need for plastic models and scribbled diagrams, replacing them with top-quality illustrations, animations, and information that are personalized to the patients pathology and treatment, Neligan said in a statement. It is well-known that better-engaged patients have better outcomes and the information generated from patient engagement with Complete Ortho allows a more robust consent process for treatment, lowering the risk of malpractice litigation and the process can be seamlessly incorporated into existing practice models with little or no increase in consultation time.

We last heard from 3D4Medical in mid-2015, when the company raised $16.4 million. 3D4Medical's flagship app, calledEssential Anatomy, is a medical reference application that displays male and female models with 11 systems and8,200 anatomical structures. Essential Anatomy also allows medical students to create customized pins with notes that they canplace anywhere on the model, slice through certain structures using a plane tool, create bookmarks, and take interactive quizzes. The company is also an Apple Mobility Partner, and in 2012, AppleCEO Tim Cookhighlighted3D4Medicalina video playedatWorld Wide Developers Conference that showeda few apps that had made an impact in peoples lives. 3D4Medicaloriginally started off as a medical stock image company, but when the iPad came outthe company started to offer educational content.

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Two companies work to demystify surgical procedures and anatomy ... - MobiHealthNews

BALTIMORE

With the number of overdoses in the state growing, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is overwhelmed with cases.

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The office recently got the go-ahead to hire more staff to help with autopsies, and another office is also seeing an increase in bodies for a variety of reasons.

After 72 hours, bodies that are not claimed are under the control of the State Anatomy Board.

The State Anatomy Board is housed in the University of Maryland Medical Center. It is where unclaimed bodies end up, and according to its director, since fiscal year 2012, the number of bodies that end up there has gone up significantly.

"The deceased come to us because maybe the families don't have the economic means to make a claim and the deceased didn't have the insurance, and hadn't made any pre-arrangements," said Ron Wade, director of the State Anatomy Board.

The number of unclaimed bodies went from 1,029 in 2012 to 1,504 in fiscal year 2016. So far this year, there have been 1,120. While the Anatomy Board can't say for sure what the cause is, the rise in crime and an opioid epidemic are not being ruled out.

"That's one factor that's brought the numbers to increase in the last couple of years -- the numbers of homicides and drug overdoses," Wade said.

If there's an increase in the number of cases at the medical examiner's office, that affects the anatomy board as well.

"If we have an increase, that effects the medical examiners, and their cases as a matter of circumstances the increase is going to affect us as far as the number of bodies coming in, because it's a very short time period," Wade said.

The bodies stay there a minimum of 14 days. After that, the Anatomy Board director can order a cremation. The ashes are then held for at least a year.

Also on the WBALTV.com:

WEBVTT THE STATE ANATOMY BOARD HOUSEDIN THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLANDMEDICAL CENTER IS WEHREUNCLAIMED BODIES END UP, ANDACCORDING TO ITS DIRECTOR, SINCEFISCAL YEAR 2012, THE NUMBER OFBODIES THAT END UP HERE HAS BEENGOING UP SIGNIFICANTLY.>> DECEDENTS COME TO US BECAUSEMAYBE THE FAMILIES DO NOT HAVETHE ECONOMIC MEANS TO MAKE ACLAIM AND THE DECEASED DID NOTHAVE INSURANCE AND HAD NOT MADEANY PRE-ARRANGEMENTS.LISA THE NUMBER OF UNCLAIMED: BODIES WENT FROM 1029 IN 2012TO 1504 IN FISCAL YEAR 2016.SO FAR THIS YEAR THERE HAVE BEEN1120.WHILE THE ANATOMY BOARD CAN'TSAY FOR SURE THE CAUSE, A RISEIN CRIME AND AN OPIOD EPIDEMIC-- OPIOID EPIDEMIC ARE NOT BEINGROLLED OUT.>> THAT IS ONE FACTOR THAT HASBROUGHT A SIGNIFICANT INCREASEIN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THENUMBERS OF HOMICIDE AND DRUGOVERDOSES.>> IF THERE'S AN INCREASE IN THENUMBER OF CASES AT THE MEDICALEXAMINER'S OFFICE, THAT EFFECTSTHE ANATOMY BOARD AS WELL.>> IF WE HAVE AN INCREASE THATAFFECTS THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'SAND THEIR CASES IT IS A MATTEROF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT THEINCREASE WILL AFFECT IS AS FARAS THE NUMBERS OF BODY'S COMINGIN BECAUSE IT IS A VERY SHORTTIME.LISA: THE ANATOMY BOARD KEEPSTHE BODY'S FOR 14 DAYS.AFTER THAT, THE ANATOMY BOARDDIRECTOR CAN CAN ORDER ACREMATION AND THE ASHES ARE HELD

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State Anatomy Board overwhelmed with unclaimed bodies - WBAL Baltimore

Credit: Richard Cartwright/ABC 2017 Disney | ABC Television Group. All rights reserved.

Greys Anatomy Season 13 has been writing Stephanie Edwards off the show for ten episodes now, but perhaps the end of her storyline will take a violent turn.

A new promo suggests Steph will be going out not with a whimper but with a splat.

Stephanie has become increasingly disillusioned with surgery, and now shes even suspended from the OR, so a career change could be nigh.

But this promo for Season 13 Episode 23 airing this Thursday, May 11 has us worried this doc will actually fall to her death.

In the teaser, we see Stephanie treating her potential murderer, a patient at Grey Sloan Memorial.

Help me, he beseeches her.

Were guessing hes the dangerous patient mentioned by ABCs synopses for both this episode and the May 18 season finale perhaps hes mentally ill.

In the next shot, the man is throwing Stephanie against a wall and pressing a sharp object to her throat.

Next, we see her hurriedly open a door with a keycard. Then, we see her stagger down a flight of stairs in his grasp, followed by a vertiginous shot looking straight down the stairwell.

Above the tense music, we hear a snippet of dialogue. It sounds like shes saying, I cant.

Then comes the scariest shot: The patient is seemingly pushing Stephanie so that shes leaning far out over the stairway railing.

The rest of this promo hypes another major plot twist. At home, Owen answers a knock at the door, and an offscreen male voice asks, Owen Hunt?

Cut to: a shot of Owen sobbing, with Amelia comforting him.

Could we finally be seeing the return of Megan Hunt, Owens sister and Nathans ex? Megan has been missing since their days serving as Army docs together she disappeared on a helicopter trip through unprotected airspace.

If youll recall, Megan discovered Nathan was cheating on her, and Owen encouraged her to board that ill-fated chopper just to get away from Nathan.

Fans have speculated that Megan is due for a reappearance, especially now that Nathan is getting cozy with Meredith. Your new boyfriend finding his ex-girlfriend after years of her being MIA? Thats peak Shondaland, if you ask us.

And we havent even mentioned the first clip of this promo, in which Bailey announces a code orange situation, which often means hazardous materials are at play.

If thehottest Season 13 finale spoilers are any indication, those hazardous materials are of the flammable persuasion

And that would mean Steph and Owen arent the only docs rocked by drama as Season 13 concludes!

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'Grey's Anatomy' Season 13 Episode 23 Promo: Stephanie Takes a Fatal Fall? - Wetpaint

It wasnt as if he hadnt tried to warn them.

For weeks, House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, had been telling anyone who would listen that the Republican majority in the House of Delegates would not go along with any state revenue or budget plan that included tax increases for the citizens of West Virginia.

Our families are struggling to make ends meet, and this is absolutely the wrong time to burden them with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional taxes Armstead said.

Apparently, neither Democratic Gov. Jim Justice nor Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, was listening. On Thursday, May 4, Justice called the Legislature into special session to consider revenue and tax reform measures aimed at passing a state budget. That revenue plan included raising the state sales tax from 6 to 7 percent, raising gasoline taxes and fees for services at the Division of Motor Vehicles and raising taxes on corporations and the very wealthy.

When the special session began at 11 a.m. May 4, the revenue bill was not ready. But by mid-afternoon, a copy of the legislation had been filed. When the House of Delegates reconvened shortly after 5 p.m. following an afternoon break, delegates took up the bill, read it a first time, then took an unexpected move they quickly rejected the proposal on its first reading by a vote of 59-36.

Three bills introduced in the Senate earlier in the day were still in play, however. Those measures would provide for a 2 percent teacher pay raise, raise gasoline taxes and DMV fees and allow for increasing tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike. But the House move to reject Justices tax reform and revenue bill effectively scuttled any attempt to reach a budget agreement on the first day of the special session. The House and Senate were set to reconvene Friday, but Armstead and others said there was little point in trying to continue business until another budget deal can be reached.

For now, I think its best we take a break and get everyone in a room and try to work out our differences, Armstead said on May 4. I encourage Gov. Justice to listen to the message the House sent tonight and work with our leadership team and our colleagues in the Senate to find a path forward that will truly work for the people of West Virginia.

Justices Plan

Justice vetoed the budget the Legislature passed in the waning hours of the regular legislative session. That bill would have made cuts to higher education and the state Department of Health and Human Resources and would have required taking about $90 million from the state rainy-day fund, a move that would have brought the balance in the fund below recommended levels and likely would have resulted in a lowering of the states bond ratings.The revenue proposals Justice presented for the special session call did not differ significantly in principle from the plan the governor presented before the regular session began in February. Justices plan included a 1 percent increase in the sales tax, temporary tax increases on the most wealthy West Virginians, a tiered severance tax system for the coal and natural gas industries that would allow company owners to pay less tax when times are bad but pay more when times are good, increasing corporate taxes and raising tolls, DMV fees and gasoline taxes to fund a massive road construction program Justice has said would create 48,000 jobs.But in a compromise negotiated between members of Justices administration and Republican leadership in the Senate, the proposal killed by the House of Delegates May 4 also included a statewide tax reform plan similar to one that had been studied in the Senate.That proposal would have allowed for lower personal income tax rates for state residents, with the possibility of eliminating personal income taxes completely. Carmichael said phasing out the personal income tax even with the hike in the sales tax would mean an aggregate $100 million tax cut for the citizens of the Mountain State.Its a win-win, Carmichael said.

Revenue projections prepared by the state Department of Revenue showed phasing out the income tax would end up costing the state more than $100 million a year in revenue following the first couple of years. Carmichael, however, is convinced doing away with personal income taxes would spur economic growth, give West Virginians an incentive to go back to work and more than make up for any short-term loss in revenue.

Opposition Builds

Armstead and other House Republicans were against the governors revenue and budget plans even before the special session was announced.On the final day of the regular session, Justice called a news conference to announce he had worked out a compromise deal with leaders in the Senate, two hours before the end of the session, to pass a budget bill containing most of the governors original proposals. A budget amendment sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Ryan Fern, R-Ohio, contained most of Justices revenue proposals except the tiered severance tax.The Ferns amendment was not the budget bill ultimately passed by the Legislature and vetoed by the governor, but served as the basis for the revenue and budget proposals planned for the special session.House of Delegates spokesman Jared Hunt said the budget negotiations between Justice and the Senate were made without the participation or knowledge of members of the House. Armstead criticized the governor several times for leaving House Republicans out of budget talks.Armstead also issued a series of statements warning Justice and the Senate that House Republicans would not go along with any tax increase. He was joined by other members of the House of Delegates.

Members of the Libertarian-leaning Liberty Caucus came out publicly against the governors revenue and budget proposals.

For years we have fought efforts to raise taxes and grow government, and the plan the governor and Senate are trying to push would do just that, said Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock. While we like the idea of lowering the income tax, the idea of offsetting it with even higher sales and business taxes will only hurt our economy particularly in border areas.

Republican delegates from many of the states border counties also opposed raising the sales tax, fearing it would hurt business.

Politicians in Charleston do not understand how easy it is for people in the panhandles to cross the border to shop, said Delegate Jill Upson, R-Jefferson. Pushing our sales tax significantly higher than our neighboring states will put our retailers at a disadvantage and drive more business out of our state.

Delegates from southern coal-producing counties also opposed the plan because of Justices severance tax proposals.

Just as President Donald Trump begins to fulfill his promise to put the miners back to work, our governor wants to shove through a tax plan thats going to put some coal mines and coal miners out of business, said Delegate Zack Maynard, R-Lincoln. The industry and our region are just now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and Im going to fight any proposal that could halt that recovery and cost us coal jobs.

Some outside observers also thought Justices revenue and budget plans were a bad idea. Sean OLeary, a policy analyst for the left-of-center West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, said the changes in income tax brackets under the revenue proposal would end up being a tax increase for 80 percent of state residents, while creating a tax cut for those in the upper 20 percent of wage-earners.

OLeary also said eliminating personal income taxes would not lead to economic growth or put people back to work.

He said states that dont have an income tax make up for the lack of revenue in other areas, such as higher property taxes or sales taxes.

The idea that somehow West Virginia is going to be different from all these other states that have tried this and failed is not borne out by evidence, OLeary said.

House opposition to Justices revenue and
budget proposals ended in a scathing criticism of his handling of the special session.

The governor knew the votes were not there to pass his tax increases and that calling this special session today was premature, Armstead said May 4. Now were here in Charleston wasting $35,000 a day and dont even have the key bill we need to consider.

If theres one thing we know taxpayers hate, its seeing the Legislature sitting around wasting time in special session, agreed Majority Leader Daryl Cowles, R-Morgan. This governor campaigned on limiting the time we could spend in special session, and now were here in Charleston sitting on our hands because he hasnt even submitted the key bill were supposed to consider.

Strategic Miscalculation?

While it is not unusual for the governor to call a special legislative session to finish work on the budget, former state Revenue Secretary Bob Kiss also a former speaker of the House of Delegates said the governor typically has a basic agreement in place with the House and Senate before calling lawmakers into session. House Minority Leader Tim Miley, D-Harrison, who also spent time as House speaker, said last year was the first time in his memory the Legislature went into special session to work on the budget without an agreement already in place.Last year was also the first time in more than 80 years that West Virginia had a Democratic governor and a Republican-controlled Legislature. But given the massive budget deficits and financial problems the state faces, Kiss isnt sure the trouble reaching a budget agreement can be pinned solely on political differences.Up until 2006, some of the minutia of funding state agencies was taken care of in the state Budget Digest, worked out after the Legislature passed the budget. To some extent, that arrangement allowed lawmakers to make general appropriations for state agencies, but leave divvying up the money to the Budget Digest.But, as complicated as the Mountain States financial situation is today, neither Miley nor Kiss thinks the continued existence of the Budget Digest would have made passing a budget any easier.A number of observers in the state Capitol believe Justice may have miscalculated his strategy for passing a budget. While they support the governors proposals, some Democrats have quietly said Justice may have picked the wrong method to get his messages across.

Some Democrats wondered if Justice, used to getting his way, may have thought he could cut a budget deal with the Senate and either shame or bully the House of Delegates into going along with the plan.

Justice spokesman Grant Herring did not respond to a request for comment.

Justices management style apparently did not win him much support with House Republicans for this round.

This is what happens when you dont listen to people or consider all sides in a negotiation, said House Finance Committee Chairman Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha. Weve wanted to talk about these items over the last couple of weeks, but the governor shut the door in our faces. Now hes called us back into session, and we learn there are still issues to work out. This is a colossal waste of time and taxpayer money.

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Anatomy of a Budget Breakdown - The Exponent Telegram (press release) (registration)

Cute kid alert!

On Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Episode 23, Nathan and Meredith will take on a case involving a wise beyond her years patient who wants to know the ends and outs of her condition and her treatment. She certainly seems to be impressing Riggs.

Meredith and Nathan appear to have their first couple's quarrel about the course of the case. Even Meredith can't help but smile at Nathan and their tiny human patient. That's a good sign, seeing as she has a brood of tiny humans herself.

Elsewhere, Alex is at a medical conference looking especially dapper in a gray suit. The question is, what is in that file of his he is carrying around and does it have anything to do with that mysterious phone call he made at the end of Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Episode 22?

Owen gets a surprise of his own when someone comes knocking at his door. It has to be about his sister, right?!

Check out the photos below and hit the comments with your theories. Need to catch up? No problem, you can watch Grey's Anatomy online here via TV Fanatic!

This young patient knows her way around an X-Ray. Is she a future doctor in the making?

It's Alex's turn to take a trip out of town for a medical conference.

Meredith interrupts while Nathan bonds with his tiny human patient.

Nathan's next case may involve saving this little cutie.

Mer and Nathan are on a case together and have a friendly debate on how to handle it.

Alex is professionally dressed with luggage in hand. What will Alex find out at this medical conference?

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Grey's Anatomy Photo Preview: Mer, Riggs, and a Kid Makes Three - TV Fanatic

San Diego police are investigating after two officers fatally shot a 15-year-old boy Saturday morning as he stood in front of Torrey Pines High School. Police say he was holding a BB gun.

Heres how the shooting went down:

AN EARLY MORNING DISPATCH

Police received a 911 call at 3:27 a.m. asking for a welfare check, said police homicide Lt. Mike Holden. The caller said there was a kid in front of the school who someone should probably check on and stated the person was not armed, the lieutenant said.

Police believe the caller was the boy himself, Holden said.

According to police radio traffic, a dispatcher asked two officers to check the welfare of someone at the school. The person was described as a white male, 15, of medium build, wearing a gray shirt and black pants. Officers said they were there about a minute later.

THE CONFRONTATION

The two officers arrived at the school on Del Mar Heights Road about the same time and saw the teen. As they got out of their patrol cars to speak with him, he pulled a handgun that was concealed in his waistband and pointed it at one of the officers, Holden said.

Both officers drew their weapons and told the boy to drop the gun, but he continued to point the gun and walk toward the one officer, Holden said.

The teen ignored additional commands, and the officers, fearing for their safety, both fired, the lieutenant said.

The teen was struck several times.

A dispatcher acknowledged shots fired and asked if any officers were injured. One officer answered negative but said paramedics are needed now. He said he and another officer were doing CPR. Another two or three minutes passed and an officer noted that CPR was still in progress.

THE DISCOVERY

The officers immediately began life-saving measures, and the boy was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he died, Holden said.

The boys gun remained at the scene to be processed as evidence. Police later determined that the gun was a semi-automatic BB air pistol, Holden said.

A small memorial of flowers and notes began to grow at the scene by Saturday afternoon.

The teen was a freshman at the Carmel Valley school and lived in the neighborhood. Police officials are declining to name him because he was a juvenile.

THE INVESTIGATION

Police are now investigating the shooting, and the community is in mourning.

Both officers had activated their body-worn cameras at some point and there is video of the incident for investigators to review.

The names of the officers involved are expected to be released in the next few days, per department protocol.

The officers have been on the force for 28 years and four years. One of the officers is on the departments Juvenile Services Team, Holden said.

Davis and Littlefield write for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Anatomy of a tragedy: Police say boy with BB gun fatally shot by officers at high school - Los Angeles Times

Well that was an intense episode of television.

It was to be expected, of course. From the beginning, Riverdale has been the type of show to go full speed ahead, no matter what. Ms. Grundy is perhaps the one notable exception, but that character and storyline were also the necessary exception. Riverdale has gone full tilt since Chapter One, so there was never any reason to expect the penultimate episode of the seasonwith the promise of the reveal of Jason Blossoms murdererwould be any different. Still, the very fact that Riverdale actually delivered on that promise to reveal the killer (without any strings attached) is a big deal. Because while it might sound like delivering on said promise is actually expected, shows like Pretty Little Liars and The Killing giving television mystery fans plenty of reason to be skeptical about such things.

Also, how amazing is it that Riverdale use The CWs event of the week structure to unveil a murderer?

But even before we get to the answer of who really murdered Jason Blossom, Chapter Twelve: Anatomy Of A Murder spends a good portion of its time asking why F.P. Jones would take the fall for Jasons death. What should be a relatively easy case to fightdue to a planted gun and F.P.s contingency planturns very quickly as F.P. takes the fall for Jasons murder. And while his story adds up, it also does so with declarations that the audience knows to be absolutely false, like the mention of the Sheriffs missing files (which wed already known Hal Cooper stole). Plus, we already know the gun was planted in his trailer. So F.P.s motivation obviously has to be that of a man protecting another person, and while I simply assumed he was being paid off to take the fall, it turns out that the actual killer threatened Jugheads life. F.P. and Jughead have obviously had a rocky relationship, but Riverdale has done a pretty good job of showing just how much they both love each other, even through all the bad times and this episode is the absolute worst time, as evidenced by the scene where F.P. coldly tells Jughead that hes a murderer and to never come see him again.

The thing is, despite the reveal that F.P. isnt a murderer, it still turns out he was responsible for the freezing and dumping of the body, as well as the torching of Jasons car, as assumedso hes still got quite a few reasons to be locked up for a long time. As for the actual murderer, that would be Clifford Blossom, with the help of his many guns. However, the reason why he killed Jason is still very much up in the air (and possibly now in the grave with him). But it needs to be said: Long before we even get to the truth about Clifford Blossom, the episode is already aces.

For starters, Chapter Twelve is easily Archies best episode and a long time coming. Hell, Archie is the one who puts two and two together to get to the bus station to look for Jughead, which is unbelievable thinking coming from him. A large part of why this episode works for Archie is that, like last week, Archies motivation and involvement in this investigation are 100% fueled by his desire to help Jughead out. Only this time, he doesnt have to betray the guy in the process. After the way this series began, Id say Archie has made good on his promise to make things up to Jughead, even if there werent a lot of hamburgers along the way. (Though, at this point, Archie is actually making up for the combination of blowing up Jugheads spot about his dad being a Serpent and Jugheads birthday party.) Id argue that the best way to look at how Archie is right now is to look at how Bettys been the entire season. Besides her friendship with Veronica, part of what made the Betty character so magnetic from the very beginning was how fiercely committed to the truth and goodness she was, while also fighting to show people she wasnt as perfect as everyone assumed or expected. Archie Andrews is far from perfect, whether its the comics or this showbut hes at his best when hes committed to that same standard of truth and goodness. While its easy to laugh at Archie when he says that Jugheads new school situation isnt fair (welcome to the world, kid), its at least a good sign that this kid truly does care about whats right and wrong. Its a big part of why the Ms. Grundy plot was such a misstep: It heavily relied on Archie not caring about what was wrong and what was right. And had test audiences not hated it so much, that version of Archie wouldve existed even longer. While Riverdale got it right from the beginning with Archie in the sense that hes just an average teenager who struggles to do the right thing, that relationship was just wrong on so many levels. It made it impossible to root for him in his struggles. Then it ended, and we were still stuck with the music of Archie But at least we can always have fun at those stories expense.

That doesnt mean Archie is no longer the slowest member of the Riverdale Scooby Gang though. He may be at the top of his game in this episode, but he still suggests early on that he, Veronica, and Betty all tell their parents whats going on. At this (awful, as it turns out) suggestion, Betty Cooper legitimately makes the greatest WTF? Why are you the way that you are? face in the history of moving pictures:

Speaking of Betty, this episode is a showcase for the character and her aforementioned commitment to truth and goodness, as she is the one personthrough all the roadblocks and supposed evidencewho never lets up on finding out who the real killer is and proving that F.P. is innocent. She also has a superb moment against Penelope Blossom, a character whos also at the top of her abusive game this episode:

Penelope: You made a grave error, little girl. Betty: No, I dont think so. And Im not going to stop until I prove it.

The confidence in that responseits another one of those moments where you see just how much Betty is her mothers daughter, and despite its brevity, its also standout moment for Lili Reinhart. Its a moment that reminds the aware and informs the unaware that Betty Cooper is the hero of this story, and what a capable hero she is. On the one hand, I suppose Reinhart will technically always be a highlight on this show simply because of her stance on Archie being the original fuckboy; but Betty remains a consistent highlight because of just how dedicated she is to the truth, her friends, her family, and to Jughead. As Kevin says, Nancy Drew strikes again, and you know what? If theres anyone on Riverdale Id want on my team when the world comes crashing down, its Betty Cooper. Betty Cooper is a role model.

Bettys confrontation with Penelope is also a moment from the single greatest scene of this episode and possibly Riverdales entirety: The Coopers bulldozing their way into Thornhill in the middle of the night, with Alice Cooper having absolutely no qualms about shouting incest to anyone who will listen and the Blossom parents having even fewer qualms about incest at all. I suppose it all shouldve been less of a shock in a way, considering how both families say grandpappy as if thats the standard nomenclature. But once Hal reveals to Alice and Betty that this Hatfields and McCoys feud theyve supposedly been living is actually an extended family version of Family Feud, Riverdale goes on to achieve heights once only imagined in the context of those darn Blossom twins. Thanks to almost everything Cheryl says and does, incest has been a popular Riverdale topic of conversation, but the fact that the show not only makes it a reality but also makes it between its own version of Romeo and (pregnant, with twins) Juliet is truly inspired in how twisted it is. After all this time comparing Riverdale to Veronica Marsincluding the concept of Polly and Jason as this series Veronica and Duncan in terms of their break-upRiverdale actually goes that extra step further and makes the threat of incest a reality. This also means that Cheryl, a character who can barely be discussed by the audience without at least a passing mention to her feelings for her brother, was screwed
out of incest. But Jason wasnt. The fact that Clifford Blossom only draws the line at brother/sister incest is basically a personal attack on Cheryl, but its also the type of faux boundary that shows you just how surreal and over-the-top the scene is. Its everything you want in a non-dining Blossom scene and more, and its here in the penultimate episode of the season.

Archie purists probably hate the reveal, but when it comes to Riverdale, its pretty much what the series promised in a way. Its sick, its twisted, and its farther than anyone could have possibly imagined or expected theyd actually go. Long live The CW. Also, as I mentioned Pretty Little Liars before, that shows own final A reveal somehow managed to gloss over what it pretty much treated as minor incest between brother (also a Jason) and sister (knowingly engaging in this relationship). So with that context, theres clearly a right and wrong way to approach this type of story.

All of this sends Cheryl into an infantile fugue state for the rest of the episode, as she tries to get the truth from her mommy and daddy, only to either be jerked around to a barn full of sticky, dark, dirty truth in syrup form or receive news that her father murdered her beloved J.J. Cheryl is absolutely out of it for this entire episode, no longer even gaining strength from all the attention she gets from people congratulating her on her brothers alleged killer being caught. Yet shes still a highlight of this episode as she attempts to navigate her familys secrets through the syrupy haze that is her state of mind. Its as though shes in a dreamlike state as the rest of the world goes on and on, and she doesnt even snap out of it as she points Sheriff Keller to her fathers location in the barn. This is the episode that made me realize just how fascinating of a choice it is that Cheryl really has no part in solving the mystery of her brothers murder. At all. Sure, she begrudgingly helped when it came to the playbook, but that was very small potatoes compared to this. So maybe deep down she realized someone in her family killed Jason, because her lack of involvement doesnt exactly line-up with someone who, at the beginning of the series, promised to lead the charge in finding Jasons killer and bringing them to justice. All talk, Cheryl Bombshell. All talk.

And Cheryl isnt just detached from the investigation; shes the complete opposite of Betty in this episode, to the point where they might just be different sides of the same coin. One might think that better describes Cheryl and the also proactive Veronica, but Riverdale has made it clear that those two are pretty much the same side of the same coin. Only, where Cheryl confronts her father in personwith the dead inside line, You did a bad thing, daddy. And now everyone knows.Veronica chooses instead to slander her fathers name around town, hoping it sticks. Betty and Cheryl both want the truth to be revealed, but while Betty knocks down doors to find it, Cheryl does all of it behind closed doors. And while Betty does it with all the energy in the world, Cheryls regular zest for life and mayhem just up and disappears within the walls of Thornhill.

With Veronica literally entering scenes demanding her father be responsible for murder and Kevins inability to realize his gang member boyfriend is a criminal even pre-clean-up reveal, this is certainly an episode that requires the mantra, Theyre just teens. Theyre just teens. Luckily, this is such a strong episode that teenage nature really cant bring it down. But trust me, the Kevin stuff here really tries. However, I wont mark this episode down because of the Kevin/Joaquin of it all, because its really the result of an overall problem with their story and not a problem that is unique to Chapter Twelve. In fact, this episode does the best it possibly can to salvage this relationship, even though it doesnt address the fact that Joaquin was put with Kevin as an assignment (though Kevin appears to get it when he says he really doesnt know Joaquin). At the same time, Kevins continued refusal to believe that Joaquin would have ulterior motives and be following the orders of his gang member boss, plus Kevins newfound realization that Joaquins a criminal (despite said gang affiliation being known from the start), is as frustrating as a typical Archie plot.

Honestly, the fact that Joaquins bus out of town is heading toward to San Junipero singlehandedly saves their plot. Thats even after Joaquin sends off with the line, Im gonna miss you, preppy, which reads of something that would have been perfect for an actual storyline where the audience got to see the beginning, middle, and end of their pairing. Its a line that feels like part of a story that doesnt exist, either because of deleted scenes or just because it was never written. As I wrote last week, hopefully Casey Cott is upgraded to series regular next season and then allowed to have full stories. Though, in the case of a series regular who has been M.I.A. lately (barring the bit of Pussycats from last weeks opening), Josies story for this season apparently ended with her terrible father... Which, while unfortunate, is at least a rather complete conclusion to a plot that has absolutely nothing to do with the major mystery.

But when it comes to real full stories, this episode tells us something we shouldve known all along, as Archies true purpose on Riverdale is revealed: to wear Jason Blossoms hand-me-downs and spark either eureka moments or strange face-stroking moments. What that means for the season finale, well have to wait and see.

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"Chapter Twelve: Anatomy Of A Murder" - A.V. Club