Crime & JusticeDevelopingUpdated 3 hr ago

Suspect in fatal St. Louis-area freeway shooting investigated in a second shooting

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all left-leaning.

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

NBC News, The Guardian and TheGrio report that Willie Herndon is accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Alyssa Wilson on Interstate 170 near St. Louis on October 14, while she was driving to a Halloween event. The outlets give his age as 42 or 43. According to a federal complaint cited by the outlets, a shell casing found near a vehicle struck by gunfire on Interstate 55 on October 11 bears the same manufacturer headstamp as one recovered in the Wilson investigation. No injuries were reported in that earlier shooting. The outlets say lab testing is underway to determine whether ballistic evidence ties the two shootings together, and that the potential link has not been confirmed. NBC News and TheGrio say Herndon is being investigated in connection with the earlier shooting, while The Guardian says he has been charged in it.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

Willie Herndon is accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Alyssa Wilson on October 14 as she drove on Interstate 170 near St. Louis.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft3See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News, The Guardian, TheGrio
A federal complaint says a shell casing found near a vehicle struck by gunfire on Interstate 55 on October 11 bears the same manufacturer headstamp as one recovered in the Wilson investigation.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News, TheGrio
Lab testing is underway to determine whether ballistic evidence ties the two shootings together; the potential link has not been confirmed.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News, TheGrio
No one was reported injured in the October 11 shooting.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News, TheGrio
Reports differ on whether Herndon has been charged in the October 11 shooting or is only being investigated in connection with it.
One side only: the leftReported byLeft3See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News, The Guardian, TheGrio

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

Herndon has been charged in the October 11 shooting on Interstate 55.
The Guardian says he has been charged in a second shooting incident. NBC News and TheGrio say he is being investigated in connection with it, and the potential link has not been confirmed.
Herndon’s age.
NBC News and TheGrio give his age as 42. The Guardian gives it as 43.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that Willie Herndon is accused in Alyssa Wilson’s fatal freeway shooting and that a shell casing ties him to an earlier shooting, though the link is unconfirmed. Their coverage centers on that second shooting, and reports differ on whether he has been charged in it or only investigated.

the left
3 outlets
Headlines put the second roadway shooting at the center, presenting Herndon as investigated in it, while The Guardian’s headline says he was charged in it.
Suspect in St. Louis teen’s fatal freeway shooting investigated in another roadway attack
NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
No coverage yet
No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 3 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

the possible link to a second roadway shooting
the teen victim’s life and plans
evidence described in the federal complaint

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

TheGrioLeft
Suspect charged in Alyssa Wilson’s fatal freeway shooting investigated in second roadway attack
Federal investigators are examining whether Willie Herndon, charged in Alyssa Wilson’s fatal freeway shooting, is linked to another roadway attack
3 hr agoRead at TheGrio (opens in a new tab)
The GuardianLeft
Suspect in shooting death of teen on Missouri highway charged in second road incident
Man accused of shooting teen, who was driving to a party, has also been linked to shooting of a vehicle days earlier A man accused in the shooting death of a Missouri teen has been charged in a second shooting incident – both of which involve firing into cars on the highway. …
8 hr agoRead at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
NBC NewsLeft
Suspect in St. Louis teen’s fatal freeway shooting investigated in another roadway attack
The suspect in the fatal freeway shooting of a high school girl just outside St. Louis is being investigated in connection with a second roadway shooting, court documents show.
19 hr agoRead at NBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
First to report
NBC News, Oct 24, 11:23 PM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

NBC NewsLeftOct 24, 11:23 PM EDT
The GuardianLeftOct 25, 10:16 AM EDT
TheGrioLeftOct 25, 2:59 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Suspect in fatal St. Louis-area freeway shooting investigated in a second shooting

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Where accounts differ

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

Side by side

From the left

Suspect charged in Alyssa Wilson’s fatal freeway shooting investigated in second roadway attack

Suspect in shooting death of teen on Missouri highway charged in second road incident

Suspect in St. Louis teen’s fatal freeway shooting investigated in another roadway attack

From the center

From the right

How the coverage built up

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