matt gutman joining us now. even though the suspect is still in custody, there are still growing concerns in the jewish community. >> reporter: growin concern, and jewish leaders tell me palpable fear. they are at their highest levels of alert. lapd has increased controls here. this a say they have been warning about this for months, that hate speech leads to hate crimes. whit? >> matt gutman, thank you. >>> we are getting news that four u.s. troops and a service dog were wound in the syria, in an operation that resulted in the death of a senior isis leader. here's stephanie ramos at the white house. >> reporter: tonight, four american special operations forces and their military dog wounded in syria after their helicopter raid on a top isis leader ended in an explosion. >> the troops and the working dog are in stable condition. they're being treated at a u.s. military facility in iraq. >> reporter: the raid targeting isis senior leader hamza al homsi, who oversaw the group's deadly terrorist network in eastern

>> all right, matt gutman tonight. thank you, matt. >>> back in the east this evening, and to the shocking murder of a new jersey councilwoman, an apparent targeted attack. the 30-year-old wife and mother shot dead while sitting in her car, just feet from her home. tonight, the fbi is now involved, and here's our investigative reporter aaron katersky tonight. >> reporter: tonight, a desperate search in new jersey for whoever shot dead a young councilwoman in an apparently targeted burst of gunfire that has horrified the state. >> it's just a shocking, shocking development. >> reporter: 30-year-old eunice dwumfour, a rising star in local republican politics, is the first sitting elected official to be shot and killed in new jersey in recent memory. >> i, eunice k. dwumf >> reporter: she had only recently taken office and was discovered wednesday night in her suv of multiple gunshot wounds, shot while sitting behind the wheel. law enforcement sources told abc news she had just dropped smeone off at her home and was headi

matt gutman joining us now. matt, even though the suspect is still in custody, there are still growing concerns in the jewish community. >> reporter: growing concern, whit, and jewish leaders tell me palpable fear. they are at their highest levels of alert right now. their security being bolstered by lapd's increased patrols. they say they have been warning about this for months, that hate speech online leads to hate acts and crimes. whit?an, thank you. >>> we are getting news that four u.s. troops and a service dog were wound in the syria, all part of an operation that resulted in the death of a senior isis leader. here's abc's stephanie ramos at the white house. >> reporter: tonight, four american special operations forces and their military dog wounded in syria after their helicopter raid on a top isis leader ended in an explosion. >> the troops and the working dog are in stable condition. they're being treated at a u.s. medical facility in iraq. >> reporter: the raid targeting isis senior leader hamza al hom

>> all right, matt gutman tonight. thank you. >>> back in the east this evening, and to the shocking murder of a new jersey councilwoman, an apparent targeted attack. the 30-year-old wife and mother shot dead while sitting in her car, just feet from her home. tonight, the fbi is now involved, and here's our investigative reporter aaron katersky tonight. > reporter: tonight, a desperate search in new jersey for whoever shot dead a young councilwoman in an apparently targeted burst of gunfire that has horrified the state. >> it's just a shocking, shocking development. >> reporter: 30-year-old eunice dwumford is the first sitting elected offical to be shot and killed in new jersey in recent memory. she was discovered in her suv, shot while sitting behind the wheel. law enforcement sources say she had just dropped someone off from her home and was heading out. >> i heard, boom, boom, boom, boom. and i'm like, oh, shot, that is gun fire. >> reporter: authorities saying more than ten gunshots were fired. she was recently mar

matt gutman reporting. >>> another scare at the airport. this time, newark. two passenger jets clipping wings. one plane full of passengers. >>> the stunning and unexpected jobs report tonight. president biden celebrating the numbers. the unemployment rate not this low since 1969. so, how does this complicate steps by the fed moving forward? rebecca jarvis, as always, breaking it down. >>> the alex murdaugh double murder trial. the defense team, and what a ballistics expert acknowledged today. and tonight, the story of alex murdaugh's housekeeper dying in a fall at the home. what the family says they never knew. prosecutors say murdaugh got a $5 million payout from a policy that covered the housekeeper's fall. but will the jury hear about it? eva pilgrim reporting. >>> robin roberts tonight and her epic jump. robin from new zealand, the birthplace of the bungee jump. you'll see her jump from the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. tonight, the lesson on conquering fear. >>> good evening. it is great to have you with us on a friday night. almost to th

matt gutman tonight, thank you. >>> now to the scare at newark airport. two passenger jets clipping wings. gio benitez is there. >> reporter: tonight, travelers shaken after an aircraft clipped another plane's wing while it was getting ready to take off for orlando, filled with passengers. >> all of a sudden you hear and feel a jolt. >> reporter: united says the orlando plane was sit at a gate, preparing to leave newark when its left wing was struck by another united plane. that plane empty and being toed to a nearby gate. rebecca bloom was on board. >> the wing of a larger plane had clipped our wing. >> reporter: you can see the damage in these photos obtained by abc news. the port authority police, aircraft rescue firefighter unit carrying a piece of the wing. >> i think we were thinking, what was that? but we all saw it and i think our jaws dropped. >> reporter: the incident happening weeks after a near miss at jfk. a delta jet coming within second of slamming into an american airlines plane that was crossing the wrong runway. >> reporter: david, the f

matt gutman in california with the new storm hitting already in the west. >> reporter: tonight, that unending whiteout in the west. drivers snowblind in the sierras where i'm standing right now is i-80, one of the most trafficked east-west thoroughfares in the entire country. but right now, it is closed to all traffic, completely socked in with this snow coming down at a rate of almost a foot an hour. in southern california, san bernardino county, officials declaring a state of emergency due to blocked roads as they brace for even more snow. meanwhile, on the east coast, the other extreme. hardly any snow. our trevor ault in hartford, connecticut. >> this is the region's biggest sow storm of the season and it's still not all that bad. here in hartford we had about half a foot. and even after that, the city is still going to be in a two-foot snow deficit for this point in the season. >> reporter: back in the west, a mudslide in the mountains above beverly hills knocking out a retaining wall. that home evacuated as a precaution as they brace for even more rain in southern california. a

matt gutman reporting from los angeles. >> reporter: tonight, the los angeles sheriff's department saying they have a suspect in custody in connection with the shocking murder of a beloved catholic bishop david o'connell. >> the person of interest was identified as carlos medina, a 65-year-old male hispanic. this is the husband of the bishop's housekeeper, and the suspect had previously done work around the bishop's residence. >> reporter: the suspect's home raided by s.w.a.t. teams overnight. on saturday afternoon, the 69-year-old was found murdered in his bed at his home in hacienda heights about 20 miles east of los angeles, a single gunshot wound to his chest. >> holy mary mother of god, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen. >> reporter: originally from ireland, o'connell was ordained to serve the l.a. archdiocese in 1979, working extensively with the immigrant community, serving as chairman of a task force coordinating help for immigrant families from central america. >> he wanted to have justice and peace for all races of people. >> reporter: he was known for h

matt gutman. >> it came punching through this house obliterating the back three bedrooms and firefighters telling us it spilled into the property on the other side. that concrete-like mud, five feet deep. >> reporter: in northern california aup new to seven fee snow in the sierras. this was one night, one tornado in norman, oklahoma, and now dozens of hopes are completely destroyed. the larson family rode it out inside their home. it is completely shifted off the foundation. the roof, the fence, trash is everywhere. if you can believe it, they survived. they are now living in a hotel and they are very concerned about the next round of storms set to hit the region in just a few days. david. >> we're just glad they're okay, mireya, thank you so much for that. >>> we turn to that new report on the origins of covid-19. the u.s. energy department now differing from some other government agencies. now saying this covid may have originated from a chinese lab leak but their findings, they acknowledged were reacheditnf w. es differingwhite house saying opinions. rachel scott at the white house. >>

matt gutman in the hills north of los angeles. >> that deluge bringing down that entire hillside. hundreds of tons of mud came punching right through this house obliterating the back three bedrooms. now, firefighters telling us it spilled into the property on the other side. that concrete-like mud, five feet deep. >> reporter: in northern california, a new system dumping up to seven feet of additional snow in the sierra nevada mountains. this storm set to head all the way east. david, this was one night, one tornado in norman, oklahoma, and now dozens of homes are completely destroyed. the larson family, they actually rode out the storm inside their home. it has completely shifted off the foundation. the roof, the fence, trash is everywhere. if you can believe it, they survived. they are now living in a hotel, and they are very concerned about the next round of storms set to hit the region in just a few days. david. >> we're just glad they're okay, mireya, thank you so much for that. >>> we're going to turn now to that new report tonight on the origins of covid-19. the u.s. energy

we want to go back to matt gutman. good morning, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, george. for hours yesterday the lapd was scrambling to connect the dots after a man in his 70s was shot after leaving this synagogue. that came barely 24 hours after another man in his 40s was shot leaving another synagogue in this very neighborhood. late last night the lapd and federal agents tracking the suspect down in a nearby county saying he was likely responsible for both of these shootings. they say he had a, quote, history of animus against the jewish people and they're now classifying this as a hate crime. that as the adl is reporting a record number of attacks against jewish people and late last night i spoke with a jewish leader here who said that this community is on edge and it is rattled. they have beefed up security everywhere they can across dozens of locations in the city and, of course, are grateful for the stepped up patrols by the lapd as well. michael? >> all right, thank you so much, matt. >>> we turn now to americans owing a record amount on their credit cards as infla

our chief national correspondent matt gutman has the story. good morning, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, robin. kim williams and elliot blair were both lawyers at the public defenders office in orange county, california. they had it all planned out. they had bought a house. they were planning on having two kids and they went to a resort in mexico to celebrate their one-year anniversary when elliot suffered a mysterious death and mexican authorities concluded that this was an accident but kim and her attorney now insist that elliot was murdered. we have to warn you that some of the images you're about to see are graphic. >> he was my rock, my everything. >> reporter: this morning, the wife of california public defender elliot blair breaking her silence about the mystery surrounding her husband's death in a mexican resort last month. >> i still can't go in a bed. i can't -- i sleep on the couch because the last time i was in bed i was woken up to find my husband dead. >> reporter: elliot and his wife kimberly williams were celebrating the

chief national correspondent matt gutman is in l.a. with the latest this morning. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, juju. when police entered the apartment on the 18th floor in that building behind me, what they found. >>> th-- they found, they told was the perfect sniper's nest. multiple high-powered rifles, some with sophisticated scopes load and ready to fire and positioned by a window that opened up with full view to public spaces and the street below. overnight that army vet seen in court suspected of making threats at the heart of hollywood. this arsenal of high-powered weapons allegedly found in his apartment. 25-year-old braxton johnson was charged with making threats, solicitation of murder, and weapons charges. he pleaded not guilty. the lapd saying concerned neighbors alerted building security about the threats that johnson was allegedly making. >> had residents not alerted the security in the building, and had they not alerted your patrol officers, what might have happened here? >> i hate to think about that. it could be worst case scenario

matt gutman was in the arena when it happened and joins us now from los angeles. good morning, matt. you didn't have to pay because that was some heavy price for tickets to that game, matt. >> reporter: it was like $1,250. no, we did not have to pay and inside, you know, it was an unimportant game and a forgettable season, but there was the electric feel of a championship game. every time lebron touched the ball the crowd roared and the 38-year-old scoring 38 points in just three quarters to clinch one of the most hallowed records in all of sports. >> lebron james, a shot at history. >> reporter: overnight that fadeaway jump shot. the roar of the fans. lebron james sailing across the court, arms in a "v," notching the all-time nba scoring record and cementing his status as perhaps the greatest ever. >> i would never, ever in a million years dreamt this, it's even better than. thank you, guys. >> reporter: lebron putting his hands on his knees taking it all in moments later getting the game ball from another laker great, kareem abdul-jabbar, whose record he overtoo

matt gutman is in colfax, california, for us. good morning, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, robin. this part of the sierras in california has had 440 inches of snow. that's 36 feet this season. but this is the snowstorm that people are most concerned about, they're calling this is an extremely dangerous blizzard. the first blizzard warning here in two years. they're predicting about six feet of snow, whiteout conditions. in southern california, san bernardino county there is a town that is completely cut off. more snow is headed their way. the i-08 sign behind me, it's going to be closed for about four days because of this storm and authorities are begging people to stay off the road. this is the kind of storm that you get stuck in your car you're going to be there for a long time. robin. >> got to keep that in mind. that's out west. ginger is in central park as new york city sees its most significant snowfall of the season. good morning to you, ginger. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. this is our most significant s

matt gutman is on the scene. good morning, matt. >> reporter: george, good morning. the family here thought they were being hit by a earthquake, that mud obliterated the back three bedrooms of this house. you can see a rock punched a hole right through that wall there. it was a landslide over t weekend, 11 inches in los angeles, as much as l.a. received the entirety last year. all around the mountains of los angeles, painted white, 93 inches of snow in nearby wrightswood, that's a massive amount. there's concern that this new system pushing in bringing a couple of inches of rain could loosen already saturated earth. lots of concern about that in the coming days. robin? >> absolutely a lot of concern. matt, thank you. >>> the storms are on the move, so, let's bring in ginger with the forecast in what has been a rare event, this snow in the northeast. >> good morning, ginger. >> reporter: in new york city we have only had .4 inches of snow this entire year. good morning to you. we are going to get snow tonight, and as are so many people that have been in this ridiculou

a suspect is in custody this morning and chief national correspondent matt gutman is in l.a. with the latest. good morning, matt. >> reporter: and good morning, michael. for 36 hours the bishop's murder was a mystery. he was shot in his bed. there was no sign of forced entry in that house. but a critical tip and surveillance video from outside the house led the sheriffs to carlos medina, a man would -- who had worked at the bishop's house and whose wife was the bishop's housekeeper. this morning, l.a. sheriff revealing beloved bishop david o'connell found murdered in his bed knew his assailant. >> a firearm was not recovered at the scene and there was no forced entry into the bishop's residence. >> reporter: o'connell served parishioners in l.a. for 45 years. rl monday, s.w.a.t. teams arresting 61-year-old carlos medina describing him as the husband of bishop o'connell's housekeeper. >> the suspect had previously done work around the bishop's residence. >> reporter: investigators saying surveillance video led them to notice a certain compact suv and then they got a critical t