Police shooting update, new environment ruling, Gaetz's report: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Officer-involved shooting update, new ruling on environmental program, House Ethics Committee withholding Gaetz's report

1. Virginia Beach officer shoots and kills Norfolk man. A Virginia Beach police officer shot and killed a man Tuesday night, not far from Town Center. Police have identified the man killed in the incident as 43-year-old Brandon Closson from Norfolk.

   Investigators tell News 3 that when officers arrived, an employee at the 7-Eleven told police Closson tried to rob the store with what they called a knife.

   Police say the officer on scene saw Closson with what looked like a cutting tool and that after several times asking him to stop, he kept approaching the officer. That’s when investigators say the officer shot Closson, who died before he could be rushed to the hospital.

   Several in the community say is tragic someone died. The officer involved is on leave during this investigation. Our News 3 team has requested any body camera footage during the incident.

   Virginia Beach police officer shoots, kills man near Town Center

2. Through the years, there has been debate over Virginia's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. A circuit court judge in Floyd County has ruled Virginia cannot be removed from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, also known as RGGI, scoring a win for environmental groups but the governor is planning an appeal.

   Minutes after taking office in January 2022, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order directing his administration to take steps to remove Virginia from RGGI. His team carried that out, removing Virginia from RGGI through a regulation in the state's air pollution board.

   RGGI requires power plants to buy credits to emit carbon into the atmosphere in an effort to address pollution. Money from the credits is then given to states, who can use the money to address flooding and sea level rise. However, Youngkin has argued the costs outweigh the benefits.

   Virginia originally joined RGGI due to a law passed in the general assembly in 2020, so environmental groups sued, saying the governor and his administration don't have the power to overwrite a law. A judge has now ruled in favor of them, saying only the general assembly could remove Virginia from RGGI.

   Democrats called the ruling a "decisive victory," saying Virginia benefited from participating in the program. The fight is not over with an appeal on the way.

   Judge rules Virginia cannot be removed from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

3. House Ethics Committee withholding report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz. A House Ethics Committee report on President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general pick, Matt Gaetz, will remain under wraps for now. Gaetz, who has denied all wrongdoing, met with Republicans in Washington yesterday as he tried to bolster support for his nomination.

   Trump said this week he will not reconsider nominating Gaetz. CBS News has also learned Venmo records obtained by house investigators show Gaetz paid two women more than $10,000 in 27 payments.

   Gaetz denied he did anything wrong. Senators from both parties say they want to see the report ahead of confirmation.

   House Ethics Committee's report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz under wraps for now

This morning's weather: Chilly, windy day

Forecaster Derrah Getter says we have a chilly and windy start to the day, with high temperatures only in the mid-50s this afternoon. We have a slight chance for a couple of spot showers with building clouds late in the day.

The cool and breezy conditions will stick around as we head into the weekend. The weekend will be mainly dry. A few sprinkles will be possible on Saturday morning, but we’ll see a lot more sunshine on Sunday.

For the latest weather updates, watch Derrah live on News 3 This Morning here.

This morning's traffic:

So far this morning, there haven’t been any major traffic incidents in our area.

Interactive Traffic Map

For the latest traffic updates, watch Conor live on News 3 This Morning here.

We Follow Through: Person accused of 2022 UVA mass shooting pleads guilty

• The man accused of fatally shooting three members of the University of Virginia football team in 2022 has pled guilty. In 2022, UVA football team members Devin Chandler, D'Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. were killed in a shooting aboard a bus as they returned from a class trip to DC.

  A fourth member of the team, Mike Hollins, and another UVA student were injured in the incident, both recovered.

  Yesterday, the person accused of the shooting, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., entered a new plea deal. He plead guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, among other charges.

  Under the deal, Jones could be sentenced to five life sentences. He was originally going to stand trial in January. Jones was also a UVA student and previously had been a member of the football team.

Watch the full story on News 3 This Morning here.

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