Hamas responds to Trump’s ‘last warning’ that laid out stark ultimatum to release hostages
The Hamas terror group on Thursday dismissed President Donald Trump’s latest threat and refused to release more Israeli hostages without a permanent ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the “best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages” is through negotiations on a second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which lasted 42 days, ended on Saturday. A second phase was supposed to begin in early February, though only limited preparatory talks have been held so far.
Hamas’ response comes after Trump met with eight former hostages in Washington and posted what he called a “last warning” to Hamas on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
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“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose,” the president’s post began. “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.”
Trump added that he is “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job,” and that “not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.
“Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages,” the president wrote. “If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”
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Hamas is believed to still have 24 living hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that led to the ongoing war. It is also holding the bodies of 34 others who were either killed in the initial attack or in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in the 2014 war.
Hamas terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and took a total of 251 people hostage. Most have been released in ceasefire agreements or other arrangements. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens more.
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Israel’s military offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
Senior diplomat ousted for what he said about Trump after Oval Office spat with Zelenskyy
New Zealand’s most senior diplomat to the U.K. was fired after seeming to question President Donald Trump’s understanding of history and his handling of Russia. The incident took place during an event hosted by Chatham House, a think tank in London.
Phil Goff, who was serving as New Zealand’s high commissioner to the U.K., apparently tried to draw a contrast between Winston Churchill’s handling of Nazi Germany and Trump’s approach to Russia.
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The New Zealand official said he was re-reading a famous Churchill speech from 1938 in which the British leader blasts then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s decision to sign the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler.
“President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?,” Goff asked Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, referencing the bust seen during President Trump’s heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Valtonen seemed uncomfortable with the question, saying she would “limit” herself in her response. Rather than saying anything about Trump, the Finnish official said many of Churchill’s remarks were “timeless.”
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When speaking with media, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who fired Goff, called the diplomat’s question “deeply disappointing.” He also said that it made “his position as high commissioner to London untenable.”
Peters called Goff’s firing “one of the most difficult” things he has had to do in his career. He also said that had the former high commissioner made the statement about any other nation, he would have been “forced to act,” implying that the firing was not because Goff specifically insulted Trump.
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“When you’re in that position, you represent the views of the government and the policies of the day – you’re not able to free-think, you are the face of New Zealand,” Peters told the press on Thursday.
Goff has had a storied political career and has served as foreign minister, a Labour Party leader and mayor of Auckland. He was appointed to his position as high commissioner to the UK in 2022.
Democrats turn on each other over stunts during President Trump’s address
Democrats displayed their internal party divisions in the wake of President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress.
Democrats who are a part of leadership or more aligned with the establishment are clashing with progressives, many of whom heckled Trump throughout his more than 90-minute speech on Tuesday. The party is facing pressure from grassroots organizations to take a more combative approach – in lieu of decorum – to the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal bureaucracy.
While moderate Democrats are frustrated over the progressives’ disruptions, progressives complained about a lack of direction and clear strategy ahead of Trump’s first joint session address to Congress since he began his second term.
“People are pissed at leadership too,” one senior House Democrat told Axios. “Everyone is mad at everyone.”
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Rep. George Latimer, D-N.Y., told Axios he believed the outbursts were “inappropriate.”
“When a president — my president, your president — is speaking, we don’t interrupt, we don’t pull those stunts,” he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, escorted out of the chamber after the Democrat repeatedly jeered at Trump, waving his cane during the speech. Some Democrats had warned their colleagues against protesting Trump, with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., saying they should let him “stew in his own juice.”
Democrats protested nonetheless, including remaining seated as Trump celebrated his policies, and held up signs reading “false,” “lies,” “Musk steals,” and “Save Medicaid.” Some female Democratic lawmakers wore pink suits in protest of policies they claim are anti-woman, while other Democrats were heard jeering Trump throughout the speech.
A centrist, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, told Axios, “I didn’t take that approach myself, so obviously I don’t condone it.”
“If anyone is thinking that it was an effective strategy, they’re probably in an echo chamber,” Golden added. “My take is that the average American thought the optics were pretty bad.
“I think it was a big mistake,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., told Axios of the disruptions. “I’m an old school traditional type guy, I think we should be treating the president with deference. So I think it was inappropriate.”
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., took to X to condemn the “sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance.”
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“It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained,” he wrote of the Democrats’ outbursts. “We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to – and it may not be the winning message.”
“I don’t think that’s the way forward,” Fetterman added to Axios.
DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old boy who survived cancer, stole the show Tuesday evening when Trump introduced him to the audience and officially swore him in as a member of the Secret Service. Daniel received a standing ovation from a majority of the crowd, although some Democrats were seen sitting at various times while Trump was speaking about the 13-year-old.
“Not standing for Trump would have been a fine strategy, but you need to separate him from the kid with cancer,” another centrist House Democrat told Axios, condemning his party’s messaging.
“It would be a compliment to call it a strategy,” the lawmaker added, noting the progressives’ signs were edited online to read “TDS,” referring to the term known as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Progressives, meanwhile, argued that a lack of direction from leadership forced them to develop their own approach.
“There was definitely frustration about lack of guidance [or a] plan,” one progressive member of Congress told Axios.
“People are super pissed that we didn’t get more direction from leadership,” another progressive added.
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Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., is planning on bringing a resolution Thursday to censure Green for “breach of proper conduct,” and some Democrats, including Golden and Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., have not ruled out supporting it, Axios reported.
“What [Green] did was inappropriate — and he became the story, not the price of eggs,” a centrist House Democrat told Axios.
Dem mayor tries defending ‘welcoming’ Venezuelan gang members and cartels to his city
Democrat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is being blamed for giving violent, illegal gangs and cartels a “safe harbor” due to the city’s “weak immigration laws.”
Johnston is one of four sanctuary city mayors who faced a high-stakes hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday to address the effects of those policies on their cities.
When Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., asked Johnston if he considers Denver a sanctuary city, he responded, “we don’t use that definition.”
“You don’t use the definition so you’re not a sanctuary?” Perry asked.
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“We call ourselves a welcoming city,” Johnston said.
Perry then questioned what criteria they use to determine who they welcome into the city.
“Well, we’re welcoming everybody. We don’t keep folks––,” Johnston answered.
“So you’re welcoming criminals that you don’t have any idea of what their crime background is. And you’re good with that?” Perry questioned.
“No. We aggressively pursue violent criminals,” Johnston explained.
One of the major issues plaguing the Mile High City, along with neighboring Aurora, is the rise in the presence of the violent Venezuelan immigrant gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).
“The illegal immigrant gang Tren de Aragua targeted Denver to be their American HQ because of weak immigration laws,” Republican Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans told Fox News Digital.
Evans explained that because of sanctuary state policies, public safety budgets have been cut to afford “immigrant influx,” among other issues.
“Local hospitals have taken a hit, Denver schools are overwhelmed, fentanyl and tusi are flooding into Colorado communities – Colorado is the third most dangerous state,” Evans shared.
“As a police officer for over a decade in the metro area, I saw firsthand what was contributing to these problems and a significant percentage of the blame lays on sanctuary city and state policies that allow violent transnational criminal organizations and cartels to come into our community and find safe harbor.”
Evans added that a TdA gang member was also recently released from custody because of Colorado’s sanctuary policies.
On Wednesday, the City of Denver released a video showing an ICE agent chasing down and arresting a TdA gang member who had just been released from jail.
Due to sanctuary city policies, he was released and fled upon seeing ICE agents. ICE said he assaulted an agent while being taken into custody.
Johnston reportedly reached out to ICE and is asking to sit down with them to discuss “best procedures” moving forward.
Last April, Johnston announced $45 million in funding for programs to help deal with the skyrocketing number of migrant arrivals Denver was facing, resulting in over $8 million in budget cuts for the police department.
The $45.9 million package, which Johnston said was to fully fund programs for “newcomers” for 2024 and avoid worst-case scenarios projected by the city, was in addition to $44 million in spending already secured for the program through previous budget moves.
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A spokesperson for Johnston previously rejected descriptions of the cuts as “defunding” the police and the 1.9% cut was less than the average of 2.5% cuts to all city agencies. The cuts would have no impact on public services and result in no officers being taken off the streets, the spokesperson said.
“The City of Denver’s adjustment to the Denver Police Department’s budget was carefully crafted with safety leaders and Mayor Johnston to ensure there would be no impact to the department’s public services. And no officers will be taken off the streets,” spokesperson Jordan Fuja said.
In January, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested roughly 50 illegal immigrants, many of whom had ties to TdA, which the Trump administration now classifies as a foreign terrorist organization.
Johnston previously pledged to resist Trump’s immigration policies and emphasized Denver’s commitment to protecting illegal migrants and maintaining its sanctuary city status, saying it would not be “bullied.”
AURORA MAYOR BLASTS DENVER COUNTERPART FOR CITY’S TREN DE ARAGUA AND MIGRANT CRISIS
“We’re not going to sell out those values to anyone,” Johnston told the Denverite in a previous interview. “We’re not going to be bullied into changing them.”
When asked if he was prepared to go to jail for standing in the way of policies enacted by the administration, Johnston said he was not “afraid of that.”
“Yeah, I’m not afraid of that, and I’m also not seeking that,” Johnston told the Denverite. “I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people [on] how to solve hard problems.”
A former assistant director of the FBI told Fox News Digital that Johnston, and the other three mayors who spoke before Congress – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu – are “not doing their cities any favors whatsoever.”
“Cartels are powerful and they infiltrate into any city where there’s lax law enforcement. The Trump law enforcement will get after the cartels in a big way, but they have a 50-year head start and, particularly over the last four years have become polycriminal organizations, branching out into smuggling people, extortion, fraud schemes and many other activities that are destructive to society in general,” Chris Swecker said.
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Swecker added that on top of the trouble with cartels and drugs, all four mayors are also hiding their true crime statistics.
“The departments game the system and they are not participating in the FBI’s new crime stat capture system called National Incident-Based Reporting System. NIBRS captures more crime stats in a more granular way. Many of the blue cities don’t want that and claim that they don’t have the technology to implement the system. As a result, crime reporting is grossly understated,” Swecker said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Denver police union and Johnston’s office for comment.
Former NBA star has blunt message for America after China’s ‘war’ warning
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom warned the U.S. on Wednesday after China vowed to “fight till the end” against President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Tuesday, saying it was ready for any “type” of war with the U.S. It pushed back against tariffs levied against the Chinese government that Trump bumped up from 10% to 20% earlier this week over Beijing’s failure to address the flow of fentanyl entering the U.S.
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Kanter Freedom, who has been outspoken for the last few years against the Chinese government, sounded the alarm about the threat in a post on X.
“No embassy issues this type of statement without the capital’s approval,” he wrote. “Wake up America.”
Kanter Freedom was one of the only NBA players to speak out against Chinese President Xi Jinping and the detention camps holding Uyghur Muslims. He also criticized the NBA for having a partnership with the NBA while the atrocities were occurring.
“If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in the statement. China has already responded to the tariffs by imposing a 15% tariff on American agricultural goods.
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Jian’s statement, which was quoted by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, argued that the fentanyl issue is a “flimsy excuse” to raise tariffs on Chinese imports. Jian cautioned that “intimidation does not scare us” and “bullying” would not work.
“Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China,” Jian said. “Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating.”
The tariffs against China went into effect on Tuesday. Trump increased the tariffs on Monday with an executive order that stated the Chinese government has failed “to blunt the sustained influx of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, flowing from [their country],” and that such failure constitutes an “unusual and extraordinary threat.”
The Chinese government has opposed the tariffs since they were announced.
The Trump administration is already imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, which were announced last month and also went into effect on Tuesday.
Kanter Freedom played in the NBA from 2011 to 2022. He averaged 11.2 points per game in 748 career appearances. He last saw the court with the Boston Celtics before he was traded to the Houston Rockets and later waived.
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Since then, he has been an outspoken critic of China and Turkey.
Democrat blasts own party for ‘unhinged petulance’ during Trump’s address
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called out his own party the day after President Donald Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress, warning that the Democrats are becoming like a blaring car alarm that people ignore.
“A sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance. It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to—and it may not be the winning message,” the senator said in a post on X.
Some lawmakers held signs up during Trump’s speech with messages including “FALSE,” “SAVE MEDICAID,” “PROTECT VETERANS” and “MUSK STEALS.”
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Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the chamber after being disruptive.
Some Democrats opted not to attend the address and a few others who did attend chose to walk out.
“The Democrats should lose the Midterms based on their behavior at last night’s Joint Address to Congress,” Trump declared in a Wednesday post on Truth Social.
Trump declared that “Republicans should utilize the footage provided on the total disrespect they showed to all of those that were honored that night, including young ladies who were killed by illegal migrants, people with terminal cancer, etc. They didn’t even have the common courtesy to stand, smile, or applaud. This could be, on analyzing the full tape of this Historic Event, your full CAMPAIGN TO VICTORY! In other words, Republicans can take what happened last night, and win any Race in the Country.”
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Fetterman on Wednesday agreed with Trump’s strong warning toward the terror group Hamas.
“You can choose. Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” Trump declared on Truth Social. “I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.”
“This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”
Fetterman, a staunch supporter of Israel, approved of Trump’s warning.
“Free all the hostages or start killing Hamas members again. I fully agree with @POTUS,” the senator tweeted.
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An agreement between the terror group and Israel called for negotiations regarding a second phase during which hostages would be freed in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and Israel pulling out of Gaza, according to the Associated Press.
Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said that the “best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages” is via negotiations regarding that phase, the AP reported.
How Trump’s tariffs will impact the housing market and lumber prices
President Donald Trump’s tariffs have caused a rise in lumber prices, which homebuilders have warned will increase construction costs and translate into more expensive housing for U.S. consumers.
Lumber prices hit their highest level in two-and-a-half years this week and lumber futures are up more than 14% year to date as of Wednesday amid the worries over tariffs. Those developments come after Trump signed an executive order earlier this week launching a national security investigation into “vulnerabilities in the wood supply chain from imported timber, lumber, and their derivative products being dumped onto the United States market.”
That investigation could result in higher anti-dumping tariffs on Canadian lumber being imposed later this year. That would be in addition to the 14.5% anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariff on Canadian softwood lumber that was in effect prior to Trump returning to the White House in January, and the 25% tariff on Canadian imports, including lumber, that took effect on March 4. Taken together, that pushed the overall tariff on Canadian lumber to nearly 40%.
Though Trump has also issued an executive order to expand domestic logging, the higher tariffs on Canada – the dominant source of U.S. lumber imports – have raised concerns among homebuilders about higher materials costs impacting the affordability of housing for Americans.
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The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) noted that the U.S. imported about $8.5 billion in sawmill and wood products in 2023, with nearly 70% of those imports (or $5.8 billion) coming from Canada.
NAHB Chairman Carl Harris issued a statement on Trump’s tariffs that read: “On President Trump’s first day in office, he issued an executive order directing departments and agencies to deliver emergency price relief by pursuing actions to lower the cost of housing and increase housing supply. This move to raise tariffs by 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods will have the opposite effect.”
“Tariffs on lumber and other building materials increase the cost of construction and discourage new development, and consumers end up paying for the tariffs in the form of higher home prices,” Harris explained, adding that the Trump administration should reconsider the tariffs and instead eliminate barriers that make housing more costly and constrain production.
LUMBER, CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL PRICES COULD RISE DUE TO TARIFFS
The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book – a regular report that examines current economic conditions around the country through the Fed’s 12 regional districts as well as a national summary – was published on Wednesday and included comments that highlighted businesses’ concerns about higher lumber costs due to tariffs.
“Construction activity declined modestly for both residential and nonresidential units. Some contacts in the sector also expressed nervousness around the impact of potential tariffs on the price of lumber and other materials,” the Fed’s national summary noted.
TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER TO RAMP UP US TIMBER PRODUCTION HAILED AS A WIN BY LOGGING INDUSTRY LEADER
Four of the 12 regional banks, including Richmond, St. Louis, Kansas City and San Francisco referenced concerns over higher prices for lumber and other building materials in February as they anticipated tariffs taking effect.
“Contacts in residential real estate construction highlighted discussions of escalation clauses during negotiations in recent weeks, as builders and investors sought protections from anticipated materials cost growth in lumber and metals, which they attributed to changes in trade policy,” the Kansas City Fed’s summary explained.
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“Similarly, lenders reported they became more attentive to risks associated with potential increases in materials costs during their underwriting process,” it added.
Fire chief shares theory about Gene Hackman, wife’s deaths after sheriff confirms misstep
SANTA FE, N.M.– Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya is sharing his opinion about when Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa died on Feb. 26.
Moya told Fox News Digital, “Just because both bodies were in similar ways where we, as experts, sad to say that we know a lot about how people die and how long people are dead for – both bodies are in a similar manner that it could be a similar timeframe.”
Although Moya was not a first responder to the 911 call to Hackman’s home, he was told that the property sprawled over 9,000 square feet and consisted of three structures.
The fire chief explained that his paramedic told him once he returned from the Hackman residence that Gene, Betsy and their dog — who was later identified as Zinna — were found in the “same building.” According to Moya, the property had three separate structures.
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“They checked every residence for gas leaks,” he said. Hackman and Arakawa tested negative for carbon monoxide, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed at Friday’s press conference.
At the press conference, Mendoza also confirmed the last recorded activity on Hackman’s pacemaker occurred on Feb. 17. Authorities assumed this was Hackman’s last day alive, as the Oscar winner’s body was not discovered for nine more days.
“Just because both bodies were in similar ways where we, as experts, sad to say that we know a lot about how people die and how long people are dead for – both bodies are in a similar manner that it could be a similar timeframe.”
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Moya told Fox News Digital that since he’s been chief, which has been for three years, the Santa Fe Fire Department and emergency medical services (EMS) have not responded to any calls at the Hackman residence.
WATCH: Gene Hackman and his wife’s deaths ‘could be a similar timeframe’: fire chief
According to Moya, the Santa Fe Fire Department was last involved with the investigation on Thursday, Feb. 27, and the case is in the Sheriff’s Department’s hands at this point.
Circumstances surrounding the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa remain a mystery to Santa Fe, New Mexico, authorities as they work backwards and piece together evidence to figure out how the couple died.
New Mexico officials found Hackman, Arakawa and one of their dogs dead in their home one week ago. Detectives described their deaths as “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.
Hackman and Arakawa were found by maintenance workers Jesse Kesler and Roland Lowe Begay. Kesler, who worked as a personal contractor for the couple for 16 years, made the frantic 911 call on Feb. 26.
Detectives recovered two cellphones, an orange prescription bottle and a 2025 planner while inspecting the residence, the search warrant affidavit stated.
Officials also revealed that Arakawa’s body was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet. Per the search warrant affidavit, the deceased dog was found “10-15 feet” from Arakawa in a closet of the bathroom.
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Hackman was also found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife. According to the search warrant affidavit, Deputy Thomas suspected Hackman had “suddenly fallen” at the time of his death.
WATCH: First responders haven’t had any calls to Gene Hackman and his wife’s home in over three years: fire chief
Recently, sheriffs confirmed a misstep in the investigation after wrongly identifying the dog found dead in the Hackman home.
The dog that was found dead near Arakawa’s body was misidentified by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation, Fox News Digital confirmed.
The owner of Santa Fe Tails, the pet care facility that took in Hackman’s two other surviving dogs, explained that the dead dog was a different breed than what is listed in the search warrant affidavit.
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Zinna, a mixed breed, was found in a kennel in a bathroom closet near Arakawa. However, investigators initially noted the discovery of a “deceased brown in color German-Shepard canine,” the search warrant stated.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila acknowledged that deputies initially misidentified the breed of the deceased dog.
“Our deputies, they don’t work with canines on a daily basis,” she said, according to The Associated Press.
Arakawa and Hackman did have two German Shepherds: Bear, 4, and Nikita, 7.
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