What to Know
- An NYPD detective was shot and killed while responding to a robbery at a cellphone store in Queens in what officials called 'friendly fire'
- The notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman was found guilty on all counts in an international drug distribution trial in NY
- Millions of Americans could face a shocking tax season
Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019
Happy Wednesday! The snow and rain is gone, but the wind is sticking around. Expect highs in the low 40s. As always, get the latest forecast at nbcnewyork.com/weather.
1. NYPD Detective Killed by Friendly Fire During Queens Robbery
An NYPD detective was shot and killed while responding to a robbery at a cellphone store in Queens, and NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill says it appears to be "an absolutely tragic case of friendly fire."
Det. Brian Simonsen, 42, was killed after being hit by gunfire at the T-Mobile store at Atlantic Avenue and 120th Street in Richmond Hill, according to a preliminary investigation, O'Neill said.
Simonsen was a 19-year veteran.
Local
Read more here.
2. 'El Chapo' Found Guilty on All Counts, Faces Life in Prison
The notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has been found guilty on all counts in an international drug distribution trial in New York.
Jurors convicted Guzman on all 10 counts that are likely to put him behind bars for the rest of his life. He is set to be sentenced on June 25.
New York jurors whose identities were kept secret reached a verdict after deliberating six days in the expansive case, sorting through what authorities called an "avalanche" of evidence gathered since the late 1980s that Guzman and his murderous Sinaloa drug cartel made billions in profits by smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana into the U.S.
Read more here.
3. Millions of Americans Face Lower Tax Refund Check
Millions of Americans could face a shocking tax season.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, a drop in federal reimbursement stems from President Trump’s new tax bill. New figures from the IRS reveal the average tax refund dropped 8.4 percent from $2,035 in 2018 to $1,865 in 2019.
According to the IRS, 30 million Americans will be writing checks, rather than cashing them, which is 3 million more than if Trump’s tax law had not passed.
Read more here.
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