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Fever’s Lexie Hull speaks out against attacks on players as team’s popularity grows during Caitlin Clark era

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Lexie Hull remembers what it was like playing for the Indiana Fever before Caitlin Clark arrived in town.

It’s different now. The arenas are louder, the opposing players are more motivated and social media is more volatile.

“The most challenging part is there’s just so much scrutiny. People have opinions online, and, unfortunately, that’s part of the job and the role that we play,” Hull told Fox News Digital about what’s harder about playing in Indiana since 2024.

“People need to know that everyone’s human. We’re real people. I think when things get blown out of proportion, when things get really personal and there’s personal attacks on people’s character, I think that’s where it gets over the line.”

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When asked if she has been the target of personal attacks online, Hull said, “I’m sure I have. I try not to read comments for that reason.”

Much of the controversial social media discourse about the Fever stems from heated moments on the court over the last two seasons. Clark and Fever fans often expressed outrage at times when an opposing player fouled her or delivered a physical play against Clark without a foul being called.

Hull was drafted by the Fever in 2022 and played two full seasons in a quieter, less-crowded Gainbridge Fieldhouse than the one she has played in the last two years, falling short of the playoffs both years.

But when Clark was drafted in 2024, Hull’s team became the center of the women’s basketball world.

Hull says she noticed a difference in how opposing players started to perform against her team that year, which she credits to the surge in popularity.

“Because of the fans that we’ve gotten since 2024, with the rise in, I think, like, popularity with the Indiana Fever being like a name that people know. … And there’s a million Fever jerseys and Fever shirts. I think, like, as an opposing team, you’d want to win even more because you feel there’s so many people rooting,” Hull said.

“It’s exciting to have that type of following across the country, and I think, like, for other teams, they have great fans and great people that show up for them, and they want to perform for those people, just like we want to perform for ours.”

When asked if she believes games have gotten more physical as a result, Hull said, “I think just the game itself is physical. I don’t know if it’s gotten any more physical. I think social media amplifies a lot of that.

“I think people want to win. I think people just want to win. … [The games] are all physical. … They all get chippy at times. Calls get made, calls don’t get made. That’s just part of the game.”

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During a game between the Fever and the Connecticut Sun June 17, physicality boiled into a brawl. After Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye and fellow Sun player Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the ground, Fever star Sophie Cunningham committed a hard foul on Sheldon, initiating an on-court fight that resulted in three ejections.

When asked if she believes her team is prepared for a similar incident in 2026, Hull said, “It shouldn’t get to that point.”

Instead, Hull said she is focused on helping her team win a championship. And she embraces all the attention and popularity despite the challenges that come with it.

“Growing up, I didn’t necessarily watch the WNBA as much, didn’t have dreams of playing in the league at a young age, and now girls have the ability to watch us, see us, dream about being professional athletes. And that’s what’s been the most rewarding part about it,” Hull said of the positives that come with the attention.

She came one game shy of reaching the WNBA Finals last year, leading the Fever through the playoffs after Clark and Cunningham were lost for the season with injuries. In a career-best year, Hull averaged career highs in points (7.2), rebounds (4.3), and assists (1.8) while shooting 36.7% from 3-point range and appearing in all 44 games.

In the playoffs, she averaged 10.3 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 8 games. It all came to an end in a 107-98 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals.

With Clark and Cunningham healthy and back this year, the Fever go into 2026 as a top contender for the title.

“Tasting that and being so close and feeling like we have so much more to give, I think that just changes our mindset a little bit,” Hull said.

The trio of Clark, Cunningham and Hull proved to be an efficient and gravitating force in popularity when they were all on the court at the same time last year. Along the way, they earned a mysterious nickname on social media, which they later adopted for themselves — “Tres Leches,” which translates from Spanish to “three milks” and refers to a popular Latin American sponge cake.

“We saw it on Twitter at some point, and people ran with it,” Hull said of the nickname. “It was funny.”

In terms of navigating the attention, Hull, Clark and their teammates now have two years of conditioning in that arena.

“I think everyone does a really good job of not giving the rise in attention any attention. I think we’re just showing up the same we do everyday,” Hull said.

“Knowing that there’s more eyes on us, knowing that there’s more seats in the stands, all of that is exciting, but I don’t think that necessarily changes how we go about the game, go about our relationships, go about what we post on social media. It just adds to the engagement.”

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Neighbor fatally shoots alleged gunman after 2 women shot in domestic dispute

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A Washington state man was shot and killed by a neighbor after allegedly opening fire on two women during a domestic dispute that spilled into a nearby driveway, police said.

Officers with the Puyallup Police Department (PPD) responded around 9:10 a.m. April 2, when investigators allege 47-year-old Arnino Guanlao shot two adult female relatives after a family argument escalated outside the home.

A neighbor, who had been inside at the time, went outside and intervened, fatally shooting Guanlao, according to police.

One of the victims, 23-year-old Christiannel Lyle Macapagal Maningat, died at the scene. The second woman was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

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Authorities said the case remains under investigation, including a review of the neighbor’s use of force.

Washington law allows a person to use force to protect himself or others if he reasonably believes it is necessary, but deadly force is only justified when facing an immediate threat of serious injury or death.

“That’s under investigation as to exactly how the circumstances took place,” PPD Capt. Kevin Gill said during a press briefing.

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Witnesses described a chaotic scene as gunfire erupted in the neighborhood.

“There was a girl here who was face down, and she was still breathing a little and trying to move a little, but she wasn’t doing much. And then pretty quick a cop came on scene, and he and I pulled her out, turned her over and found her gunshot wound on her abdomen,” neighbor Michelle Weingarden-Bandes told FOX 13 Seattle.

“We are all not just in shock about what we saw, those of us who were out here this morning, but that this has happened in our neighborhood.”

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Investigators said the neighbor who shot the suspect is cooperating as detectives work to determine the circumstances of the use of force, according to FOX 13 Seattle.

Detectives are also working to determine what led to the dispute and are processing multiple sites linked to the incident, the outlet reported.

Residents reported hearing multiple gunshots during the incident.

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Law enforcement officials said detectives are continuing to interview witnesses, many of whom were left distraught by the violence.

Additional reporting by Law & Crime identified Guanlao as the victims’ stepfather and said he had been firing at his adult stepdaughters when the neighbor intervened.

Authorities have not said what sparked the initial dispute.

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The PPD said detectives with its Criminal Investigations Division, along with the Metro Cities Crime Response Unit, are continuing to investigate the incident.

Fox News Digital has reached out to police for additional information.

The violence has left the victims’ family reeling.

A GoFundMe created for the family says the victims’ mother is now caring for her surviving daughters while grieving the loss of one child and remaining at the bedside of another who is still hospitalized.

The fundraiser, which has raised nearly $19,000, says the family’s lives “changed in a matter of moments” and describes the emotional toll on the two other daughters now coping with the aftermath of the violence.

Organizers said the funds will help cover funeral costs, medical expenses and basic living needs as the family navigates the aftermath of the shooting.

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Child among 4 dead as accused arsonist allegedly drank beer during chaos

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A New York City man is facing murder charges after allegedly randomly setting a fire in a Queens apartment building that killed four people, including a 3-year-old girl, and injured seven others, authorities announced.

Roman Amatitla, 38, of Maspeth, was arrested Wednesday and arraigned on multiple charges, including eight counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson, for the March 16 blaze at a three-story building in Flushing. 

He faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called the incident an “act of mass murder,” noting Amatitla’s chilling lack of motive.

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“Shockingly, the defendant had no known connection to the building or any of its occupants and selected the building at random,” Katz wrote in a statement.

According to prosecutors, Amatitla entered and exited the Avery Avenue building multiple times late that morning, at one point urinating in front of the apartments. 

He then went to a nearby gas station, where he bought a beer, stole a second one and took a pack of matches after refusing to pay for a lighter, authorities allege.

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He then entered the apartment building for a fourth and final time, authorities said, allegedly lighting a piece of paper on fire and tossing it onto trash near a stairwell. 

As smoke engulfed the street, he stayed in the immediate area to watch the building burn.

During a court hearing Thursday, Queens Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Reale said Amatitla “watched as people jumped from various windows, some of them living, one of them dying” while sipping on a beer, according to a report from the New York Post.

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Three of the people killed in the blaze, identified as Sihan Yang, 3, Chengri Cui, 49, and Chie Shin Ming, 61, were found in the building and pronounced dead from smoke inhalation. 

A fourth victim, Hong Zhao, 64, died at a hospital after suffering multiple broken bones and brain trauma when he leaped from a window to escape the flames.

Among those injured were a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) lieutenant and a firefighter who plunged into the basement when a staircase collapsed during rescue operations, resulting in thermal burns and smoke inhalation.

Four other occupants were injured jumping from the building to flee the fire, while a fifth was rescued from a second-story window by firefighters.

Prosecutors said Amatitla “had to get his rage out on someone or something,” though no official motive has been released.

New York City Police Department records note he is from Mexico, though his immigration status has not been confirmed.

The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.

Amatitla was ordered to remain in custody by Criminal Court Judge Thomas Wright-Fernandez and is scheduled to return to court April 13.

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MAN VS MACHINE: Philadelphians aren’t taking kindly to sharing sidewalks with delivery robots

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Philadelphia residents have been sharing sidewalks with robot delivery drivers for about a month, and they’re not thrilled with the change. Uber Eats held a demo March 10 showing off Avride autonomous delivery robots, which officially launched in the city of brotherly love that same week.

The robots were described as “the future of delivery,” but the humans around them quickly began resenting the automated couriers. In late March, an Uber Eats delivery robot in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood was kicked multiple times. 

The second time the autonomous delivery bot was kicked it toppled over, according to WPVI-TV, which noted that the people who attacked the robot put it on its wheels. 

The kicking incident occurred just after another viral incident in which someone sat on one of the robots.

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“When delivery robots are introduced in a new area, it’s quite common to see heightened curiosity from people around them. Some may try to ‘test’ how the robot reacts — for example, by stepping in front of it or attempting to interact with it directly,” Avride, the company that makes the robots, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

“This is a known and expected phase as people get used to the technology. These few cases of vandalism in Philadelphia did not affect our service area expansion plans.

“The robots are designed to respond conservatively. In most cases, they will simply stop and wait if someone approaches or interferes, resuming their route only once the interaction has ended. In practice, these moments are usually brief — people tend to satisfy their curiosity within a minute or so and then move on. At the same time, we do not condone intentional damage or unsafe behavior toward the robots.”

Lindsay Ouellette, a third year PhD student in social psychology who is part of Temple University’s Robot Social Navigation Amongst Pedestrians (roboSNAP) team, told BillyPenn the frustration with the robots is not new, just aimed at a new target. She said that just as pedestrians can be frustrated with fellow humans who walk slowly or are looking at their phones, they can also take issue with the delivery robots.

The delivery robots have been deployed to dozens of cities across the U.S., including Austin, Dallas and Jersey City. The robots keep the orders secure by requiring customers to unlock the cargo hatch through the Uber Eats app. Additionally, Avride is immediately notified if someone tampers with or tries to steal the device.

“The cargo compartment of each delivery robot is securely locked and can only be opened by the intended recipient through a mobile app. If anyone attempts unauthorized access or tries to steal the robot, it triggers an alert to our remote operator. The operator will immediately connect to the robot’s sensory feed to evaluate the situation and take appropriate action to secure it,” Avride said on its website.

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While the robots are able to navigate without human intervention, Avride has a remote support team that is able to control the robots in the case of “an extraordinary situation arises.”

The robotic delivery service is available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Center City, Chinatown and Old City. The robots use LIDAR sensors and cameras to navigate and are able to travel about 5 miles per hour.

Avride says its robots are able to operate in a variety of weather conditions, including rain and snow. Additionally, the company said its bots can interpret and recognize traffic light signals, giving them the ability to safely navigate busy city streets.

While customers have shown skepticism, business owners see robot delivery as an opportunity.

“I think more ability to deliver food is better for us,” Jeff Newman, owner of Hi-Lo Taco Company told WTXF-TV

“And certainly, right now, it started raining, and we see that we have a higher demand for takeout and delivery, but we also have fewer drivers.”

Uber forwarded Fox News Digital’s request for comment to Avride.

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