Category: Crime

  • Attorney for Rob Reiner’s son resigns but says his client is not guilty of murder under state law

    Attorney for Rob Reiner’s son resigns but says his client is not guilty of murder under state law

    LOS ANGELES — The high-profile private attorney for Nick Reiner resigned from his case Wednesday for reasons he said he could not reveal, and he later told reporters that under California law his client is definitely not guilty of murder in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.

    “Circumstances beyond our control and more importantly circumstances beyond Nick’s control have dictated that, sadly, it’s made it impossible to continue our representation,” lawyer Alan Jackson said as he stood with his team outside a Los Angeles courthouse.

    But, Jackson added, after weeks of investigation, “what we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that.”

    Jackson would not specify what he meant and took no questions at the brief news conference, but it was the first direct statement from a Nick Reiner representative about his guilt or innocence in the 3 1/2 weeks since the killings.

    He spoke after a hearing where Reiner was supposed to be arraigned and enter a plea to two charges of first-degree murder. Instead, after meeting with the Judge Theresa McGonigle in chambers, Jackson, at his own request, was replaced by a public defender and the plea hearing was postponed to Feb. 23.

    Jackson does not say why he has to quit case

    Jackson said that for legal and ethical reasons, he could not reveal why he had to resign. He first appeared in court representing Nick Reiner at a hearing a few days after the beloved actor-director and his wife of 36 years were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles. Jackson did not say how he was hired — or who hired him. Generally, defendants use public defenders when they can’t pay for a private attorney.

    Jackson has become one of the most prominent defense attorneys in the nation in recent years after his defense of clients including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Karen Read at her intensely followed trials in Massachusetts.

    Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene took over as Reiner’s attorney during the hearing.

    “The Public Defender’s Office recognizes what an unimaginable tragedy this is for the Reiner family and the Los Angeles community,” LA County Public Defender Ricardo D. Garcia said in a rare public statement on a case from the office. “Our hearts go out to the Reiner family as they navigate this difficult time. We ask for your patience and compassion as the case moves through the legal process.”

    A Reiner family spokesperson said in a statement after Wednesday’s hearing that “They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings.”

    Nick Reiner appears in jail clothes, without suicide prevention smock

    During Wednesday’s hearing, Reiner stood behind glass in a custody area of the courtroom wearing brown jail garb and with his hair shaved. Two deputies stood behind him. Jackson and his team stood in front of him on the other side of the glass. At one point, Reiner stood on his tiptoes to peer over the lawyers’ heads to look at the audience. He spoke only to agree to the delayed arraignment.

    McGonigle approved the use of cameras inside the courtroom but said photos and video could not be taken of the defendant. Reiner did not wear the suicide prevention smock he had on at his initial court appearance on Dec. 17.

    Reiner, 32, the third of Rob Reiner’s four children, has been held without bail since his arrest hours after his parents were found dead on Dec. 14.

    Jackson says he ‘dropped everything’ to represent Reiner

    Jackson, a former LA County prosecutor, had given no indication of the plans for his defense.

    He said that just hours after Nick Reiner’s arrest, he and his team were in New York when they got a call about representing him. He did not say who called him.

    “We dropped everything,” Jackson said. “For the last three weeks, we have devoted literally every waking hour to protecting Nick and his interests. We’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front.”

    He said they remain “deeply, deeply committed” to him and said, “We’re not just convinced; we know that the legal process will reveal the true facts.”

    Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed early on the morning of Dec. 14, and they were found in the late afternoon, authorities said. The LA County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that they died from “multiple sharp force injuries.” A court order has prevented the release of more details. Police have said nothing about possible motives.

    Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty for Nick Reiner.

    Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally …,” during whose production he met Michele Singer, a photographer, and married her soon after.

    A decade ago, Nick Reiner publicly discussed his struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, “Being Charlie,” that was very loosely based on their lives.

  • An attempted package theft in Feltonville turned into a police shootout

    An attempted package theft in Feltonville turned into a police shootout

    Philadelphia police are searching for a man they say tried to steal a package from the front steps of a Feltonville home, then exchanged gunfire with both the homeowner and responding officers before fleeing Sunday evening.

    Security camera footage from a home in the 400 block of East Rockland Street shows a man approaching the front steps and attempting to take a package, police said. The homeowner, a 50-year-old man, came outside carrying a handgun and confronted him, police said.

    The homeowner fired a shot into the ground, police said, prompting the man to run. As he fled, the man fired a gun at the homeowner, they said.

    Officers who had been called to the area after reports of a crowd and a person with a weapon on the 4900 block of D Street heard the gunfire and ran toward it, police said. When they encountered the man, police said, he fired his weapon at one of the officers, and the officer fired back.

    The man escaped, police said. Officers later recovered a .40-caliber handgun and a jacket on Rockland Street.

    Police described the suspect as light-skinned with a stocky build, and a possible goatee. He was last seen wearing a brown coat, black pants, and gray sneakers.

    Police ask that anyone with information about the man or the shooting call or text police at 215-683-1866.

    The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

    The officer who fired his weapon has been placed on administrative duty, as is customary, pending an internal investigation, police said. His name has not been released.

  • Ardmore Lululemon burglarized for second time in two years

    Ardmore Lululemon burglarized for second time in two years

    Two burglars broke into Lululemon at Ardmore’s Suburban Square shopping center early Tuesday morning, according to the Lower Merion Police Department.

    In surveillance footage shared by 6abc, two masked suspects are seen using a sledgehammer to smash one of the storefront’s glass doors. The men grabbed an unknown amount of merchandise from the men’s section, including coats, Lower Merion Police Sgt. Ian Thornton said. One man ran out of the store before coming back in to grab more merchandise.

    Authorities told reporters the men loaded the merchandise into a U-Haul, which was last seen on Bryn Mawr and Woodbine Avenues.

    An investigation is underway.

    Lululemon is a high-end athletic-wear retailer with eight stores in the Philadelphia region. The company did not respond to written questions about the Tuesday morning burglary.

    Lower Merion Police Superintendent Andy Block told 6abc that Lululemon merchandise is a “highly sought-after item.”

    The Suburban Square store was targeted in May 2024 during a string of robberies at Lululemon locations in Ardmore and Center City.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Police release video of Roxborough High School vandalism suspect

    Police release video of Roxborough High School vandalism suspect

    Philadelphia police seek to identify the suspect responsible for recent vandalism at Roxborough High School.

    A person painted racist and antisemitic slogans across the exterior walls of the school building Sunday, which included a swastika and racial epithets.

    Surveillance video caught the suspect vandalizing the walls around 5:25 a.m. Police describe the suspect as a white male, wearing an orange scarf, a green and black winter hat, a gray hooded jacket, gray pants, and a gray and black backpack.

    Cameras captured the person on Jan. 4 approaching the school on foot, coming eastbound from Fountain Street toward Pechin Street. The suspect was last seen heading toward Ridge Avenue

    Police asked people to call 911 if the suspect is seen. Information about this crime or suspect can also be shared with Northwest Detective Division by calling 215-686-3353

    The public can also submit tips by calling 215-686-8477 or using the online form. All tips remain confidential.

    Members of the Roxborough High community chalked positive messages outside the school on Ridge Avenue after racist and antisemitic graffiti was scrawled at the school.

    After officials painted over the vandalism over the weekend, Roxborough High School countered the hateful messaging with peaceful messages of their own, written in chalk.

    Principal Kristin Williams Smalley said the act of hate didn’t represent the school body.

    “We are deeply disappointed by these actions,” Williams Smalley wrote in a letter to the community. “We wish to remind everyone that we have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment or hate speech of any kind, and we will investigate all matters involving racist remarks and other hate speech.”

    On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission condemned the “acts of hate and discrimination” and praised Roxborough’s respons as a testament to the community’s dignity, respect, and shared values.

    “Racism and antisemitism are not isolated acts. These acts harm entire communities,” commission executive director Chad Dion Lassiter said. “The response at Roxborough High School shows what is possible when people refuse to be divided and instead stand together to affirm humanity, belonging, and respect. That solidarity is a powerful counter to hate.”

  • Lenny Dykstra formally charged with drug possession

    Lenny Dykstra formally charged with drug possession

    Former Phillies star Lenny Dykstra has been charged with misdemeanor possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop just after midnight on New Year’s Day in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

    Matthew Blit, lawyer for Dykstra, said in a statement that the 62-year-old Scranton resident was not arrested or taken into custody at the scene, and was accused of being under the influence.

    Blit said that “the actual driver,” whom he would not name, was taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence.

    “Lenny Dykstra was merely a passenger in a vehicle that did not belong to him,” Blit said.

    Blit said the charges against Dykstra “will be swiftly absolved.”

    Thomas Mincer, another lawyer for Dykstra, said in a statement that “we firmly assert that the alleged narcotics in the vehicle did not belong to Lenny.” Dkystra “was not knowingly in possession of or under the influence of any narcotics,” the lawyer said.

    Just after midnight on Jan. 1, Dykstra was a passenger in a 2015 silver GMC Sierra truck in the area of Route 507 and Robinson Road in Greene Township, Pike County, when the vehicle was stopped by the Pennsylvania State Police for a motor vehicle code violation, the state police said in a report.

    “During this investigation, the passenger was found to be in possession of narcotics and narcotic related equipment/paraphernalia,” the state police report said. “Charges to be filed.”

    The state police report identified Dykstra as the “arrestee,” but the court record showing the charges says Dykstra was issued a summons.

    Dykstra has a preliminary hearing in Pike County scheduled for Feb. 3.

    Dykstra played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball in center field, spending the first four with the Mets — including as part of the team that won the 1986 World Series — before being traded to the Phillies during the 1989 season. He retired with the Phillies in 1996.

    Nicknamed the “Dude” and “Nails,” Dykstra was a celebrated member of the 1993 Phillies team that made it to the World Series, but lost to the Toronto Blue Jays.

    After his baseball career, Dykstra ran afoul of the law multiple times. He spent time in prison after pleading guilty in federal court for bankruptcy fraud and pleading no contest to grand theft auto in California.

  • A Philly man whose murder conviction was overturned is now a suspect in two more homicides and a shooting, police say

    A Philly man whose murder conviction was overturned is now a suspect in two more homicides and a shooting, police say

    A Philadelphia man whose murder conviction was overturned because of its connection to disgraced former homicide detective Philip Nordo is now a suspect in two new homicides, and he was arrested this weekend after authorities say he committed yet another violent crime.

    Arkel Garcia, 32, had been on the run since November, when police said he beat an elderly acquaintance to death inside an apartment complex in the city’s Stenton section. Authorities described that crime as a robbery, and issued an arrest warrant for Garcia on murder charges.

    Weeks after that, authorities in Florida said they were seeking to question Garcia in connection with another killing there, on Nov. 28 in St. Lucie County. The sheriff’s office said a victim — whom it did not identify — died from blunt force trauma and smoke inhalation after a residence was intentionally set ablaze. Authorities did not provide many additional details about the crime, but said Garcia was considered a person of interest “based on evidence recovered at the crime scene and witness interviews.”

    The most recent incident occurred Sunday afternoon, when police said Garcia, back in Philadelphia, shot a 34-year-old man in the arm inside a residence on the 5200 block of Germantown Avenue. Another man, age 37, then stabbed Garcia, police said, and began struggling with Garcia over his firearm, at which point the gun went off and struck Garcia.

    Responding officers found Garcia suffering from gunshot and stab wounds in a nearby parking lot and took him to a hospital, where he was to be treated before being arraigned on murder charges. He had not been arraigned as of Tuesday afternoon.

    The string of crimes occurred about a year after Garcia was released from prison after the collapse of his earlier murder case — an outcome prosecutors said was necessary because of Nordo’s misconduct.

    In 2015, a jury had found Garcia guilty of fatally shooting Christian Massey, a 21-year-old man with special needs who was killed in Overbrook over a pair of Beats by Dre headphones. Garcia was sentenced to life in prison.

    But four years later, District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office charged Nordo with raping and sexually assaulting male witnesses he met on the job. And as part of that investigation, prosecutors said they uncovered emails and recorded phone calls showing that Nordo had pursued secret sexual relationships with key witnesses while seeking to compile evidence implicating Garcia.

    A confidential informant who spoke to Nordo about the Garcia case later told The Inquirer Nordo sexually assaulted him and also failed to protect his identity in the neighborhood. The informant was later convicted of killing someone after he said he was threatened because of being labeled a snitch.

    In 2021, prosecutors persuaded a judge to overturn Garcia’s murder conviction in the Massey killing, and Krasner’s office declined to retry him.

    But Garcia was not released from prison right away. After being found guilty of Massey’s murder, he fought with a sheriff’s deputy in the courtroom and was later convicted of aggravated assault. A judge sentenced him to five to 10 years in prison for that crime, and he remained incarcerated for it until he was paroled in October of 2024.

    (Nordo, meanwhile, was convicted of sex crimes in 2022 and sentenced to 24½ to 49 years in prison.)

    Late last year — while Garcia was still on parole — police said he fatally beat 68-year-old David Weinkopff inside an apartment on the 4900 block of Stenton Avenue. Weinkopff was wheelchair-bound, authorities said, and neighbors told police they’d seen Garcia going into and out of the building before the crime.

    About two weeks after a murder warrant was issued in that case, authorities in Florida announced they were seeking to question Garcia over a homicide in Fort Pierce, a coastal city about an hour north of West Palm Beach.

    Detectives there believe Garcia may have come to the area to visit estranged relatives, but are not sure how or why he killed the 51-year-old victim found dead on the 600 block of South Market Avenue. By the time authorities said they were seeking to question Garcia, they said he may have been attempting to return to Philadelphia by bus.

    Still, Garcia remained on the lam until Sunday, when police said he got into an argument with several people inside a residence in Germantown.

    Witnesses said the episode turned violent when Garcia fired his gun, according to Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore, and officials said Garcia was the only one with a firearm.

    Vanore said Garcia was expected to face charges including aggravated assault, illegal gun possession, and reckless endangerment — in addition to the murder charges he will face for the killing on Stenton Avenue in November.

    A relative of Massey’s, who asked not to be identified to discuss Garcia’s new arrest, said she and her relatives had felt “let down” by the system — and were heartbroken that Garcia, whom she still believes killed Massey, had been freed to hurt other people.

    “This is a violent individual,” she said. “How is that not clear?”

  • Police release name of Philadelphia cop who shot knife-wielding man

    Police release name of Philadelphia cop who shot knife-wielding man

    The Philadelphia Police Department on Tuesday released the name of the officer who shot and wounded a knife-wielding man on New Year’s Eve in Strawberry Mansion: Nicholas Jones.

    Jones, 26, a four-year veteran of the department, shot 31-year-old Keith Freeman once in the chest, police said.

    Jones and another officer — whose name has not been released — were called to a house in the 1800 block of North Bailey Street, police said, after a 911 caller had reported hearing a woman screaming.

    A 9-year-old child opened the door, police said, and inside the officers saw a 30-year-old woman lying on the floor. Standing over her, knife in hand, they said, was Freeman. The woman had not been injured.

    According to police, Jones and the other officer told Freeman to drop the knife. Instead, police said, Freeman leapt over a sofa and charged the officers, and Jones shot him.

    Freeman was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment. He was charged with aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person.

    Freeman and the woman know one another, police said.

    A police spokesperson said Tuesday that Jones has not previously been involved in an on-duty shooting. He has been placed on administrative duty, as is customary, pending an internal investigation.

  • Camden reaches its lowest homicide total in 40 years

    Camden reaches its lowest homicide total in 40 years

    The city of Camden last year reached its lowest homicide total since 1985, police said.

    In 2025, Camden recorded 12 homicides, the same number as in 1985. Homicides dropped down from 17 in 2024, and the declining year-end total comes after Camden experienced its first homicide-free summer in 50 years.

    Camden saw an overall 6% drop in violent crime in 2025 compared to the prior year, including a 32% decrease in sexual assaults and 12% decrease in robberies, according to police.

    “The consistent engagement with residents and community policing efforts have helped to build trust within our community,” said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen in a statement. “There is still plenty of work yet to be done, but through this collaborative effort we are building a safer and healthier Camden.”

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    Leaders have attributed the shift largely to the disbandment of the city of Camden’s police department in 2013. Since then, the replacement Camden County Police Department and the city have embraced more community policing strategies, paired social workers with officers, and supported programming that provides better opportunities and care for at-risk youth.

    Homicides have dropped by 82% since 2012, the last full year of the former police structure. But leaders have also credited the city’s investments in third spaces and infrastructure in recent years, like $100 million in parks over the past five years and repaving streets.

    Thirteen years ago, “a homicide-free summer would have been a pipe dream for us,” Louis Cappelli Jr., director of the Camden County Board of Commissioners, said in a statement.

    Center for Family Services lead counselor Lyzza Tyson (left) works with Camden County Metro Police Capt. Vivian Coley (center) and Lt. Luis Gonzalez (right) talking with an unhoused person living in the park at Waterfront South Raingardens in July. Some of the department’s new social workers are stationed inside the downtown police headquarters for walk-ins while others are deployed in the field alongside officers doing door knocks, engaging transients at encampments, and making referrals for social services.

    Camden’s homicide and violent crime rates match national trends of decline after having surged during the pandemic. Philadelphia experienced its lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years in 2025, and other cities historically marked by higher rates of violence like Baltimore and Chicago have also seen major homicide declines.

    Crime researchers have been unable to identify any singular cause behind the nation’s drop in violence, but they theorize that cities, like in Camden, have broadly shifted toward greater investments in violence prevention programs and infrastructure, as opposed to traditional policing.

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    For Derrick Gallashaw, life in Camden today feels much different than it did when he was growing up there in the 1980s and ’90s. It was more dangerous back then, and the community’s relationship with police was more strained.

    “It feels like the city is safe now,” he said.

    Gallashaw is the regional director of Mighty Writers, a nonprofit offering afterschool writing programs for youth and food distribution. The Camden County police credited its partnership with Mighty Writers and other groups for helping to reduce violence.

    Gallashaw is a believer in the strategy, too. He said the community policing initiative, paired with support for programs like his, have made a major impact on reducing violence. They are able to reach more people in need and address the conditions that often lead to crime.

    “You give them options and you’re providing a need. If someone is hungry, you’re not giving them a reason to have to go out and steal something to eat. We’re finding a resource for you right now,” he said.

    As Camden resets its violence statistics at the new year, Gallashaw said sustaining the city’s success would require leaders to continue listening to community members about their needs and not impose solutions from the top down.

    It’s not just the city and police who are responsible for keeping the numbers low — he wants groups and community members to continue filling people’s needs as well.

    “We all have to get together because it expands that reach,” he said.

  • A man died in Philadelphia police custody after he was arrested for firing a gun into a Mayfair front lawn

    A man died in Philadelphia police custody after he was arrested for firing a gun into a Mayfair front lawn

    A man died Sunday night after being placed in the back of a Philadelphia police cruiser that was parked on a Mayfair road, police said.

    Officers were called to the 4000 block of Hellerman Street after the man, whose name and age have not been released, fired his legally owned gun several times into the ground outside a home he had just left, a police spokesperson said Monday.

    Moments earlier, the spokesperson said, the man had argued with a relative during a party at the house.

    No one was injured by the gunfire, police said.

    When officers arrived, they took the man, who they said appeared disoriented and resisted arrest, into custody. They placed him in the back of a police vehicle, “where he became unresponsive,” the spokesperson said.

    Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead shortly before midnight at a nearby hospital.

    The police released no additional details about the incident and said the cause of the man’s death has not yet been determined.

    On Monday afternoon, no one answered the door at the home where the party had taken place. There was no visible sign of gunfire on the front lawn, which was crowded with lawn ornaments and a sign warning dog owners to clean up after their pets.

    Two neighbors who were reached for comment at their homes said they had slept through the incident.

  • Racist, antisemitic graffiti scrawled outside Roxborough High School

    Racist, antisemitic graffiti scrawled outside Roxborough High School

    Vandals scrawled racist and antisemitic graffiti outside Roxborough High School over the weekend.

    Philadelphia Police Department officials and State Rep. Tarik Khan (D., Philadelphia) confirmed the existence of the graffiti, which included a swastika and a racial epithet written multiple times.

    After officials painted over the messages on Sunday, school administrators and community members gathered to counter the hate, chalking positive messages onto the sidewalk.

    “Welcome. Peace. Love. RHS,” people wrote in blue and yellow chalk Sunday afternoon. “Strong. Brilliant. Beautiful. Capable.”

    Several members of the group said they also plan to be outside Roxborough High on Monday morning, welcoming students back to school after a long winter break.

    “Let me be clear: targeting students in the middle of the night is cowardice, and it does not define us,” Khan wrote in a message shared on social media Sunday. He also came to the school to chalk messages. “Our community is bigger than a racist. … Our students are bigger. … Every student deserves to feel safe and respected when they walk into school, not have to deal with hate meant to scare and intimidate them.”

    Kristin Williams Smalley, Roxborough’s principal, informed the school community about the graffiti in a letter sent Sunday afternoon.

    “We are deeply disappointed by these actions,” Williams Smalley wrote. “We wish to remind everyone that we have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment or hate speech of any kind, and we will investigate all matters involving racist remarks and other hate speech.”

    Kristin Williams Smalley, principal at Roxborough High School, is shown in this 2023 file photo speaking at a mural dedication for Nicholas Elizalde.

    Roxborough — and the district — are diverse communities, and that’s a point of pride, Williams Smalley said.

    “We all play a role in supporting a positive and supportive school culture. We encourage you to speak with your children and have conversations about the seriousness and potential consequences of these unacceptable behaviors.”

    Students — whether alleged victims or not — should report bullying, harassment or discrimination, the principal said.

    “Please keep in mind that the young people around you are watching and listening,” Williams Smalley wrote. “We encourage all of us to be the role models they deserve. Words are powerful and we truly believe that if you work to build bridges of empathy and understanding, and demonstrate respect, our young people will follow and will create a community where everyone feels valued, seen and heard.”

    ‘No person needs to see that’

    Marge LaRue, whose grandson, Nicholas Elizalde, was shot and killed outside Roxborough in 2022, was also among the group that gathered. She and her daughter Meredith Elizalde, Nicholas’ mother, have remained involved with Roxborough staff and students since Nick’s murder.

    Members of the Roxborough High community chalked positive messages outside the school on Ridge Avenue after racist and antisemitic graffiti was scrawled at the school.

    LaRue and Elizalde’s immediate concern was making sure the mural, memorial garden, and scoreboard dedicated to Nick were not defaced. They were not.

    But they also wanted to show up for the students and staff.

    “That’s Nick’s community, the Roxborough community,” said LaRue. “Those hateful messages — I don’t know where they came from. No school, no person needs to see that, on their school, in their community.”

    Roxborough High supporters, including Meredith Elizalde, Eric Chappelle, State Rep. Tarik Khan, and Megan McCarthy-May, the school’s assistant principal, stand outside the school after chalking positive messages to counter racist and antisemitic graffiti.

    Police responded to the vandalism Sunday, a spokesperson confirmed, but no further information was available. School officials said city police and the district’s school safety office were investigating the incident.