3 men die in bowling-alley shooting
TORRANCE, Calif. -- Three men were fatally shot late Friday and four injured when a brawl at a popular Los Angeles-area bowling alley and karaoke bar broke out into gunfire.
Police in the coastal city of Torrance responded shortly before midnight to calls of shots fired at the Gable House Bowl, which offers bowling, laser tag and an arcade. They found seven people with gunshot wounds.
Three men were pronounced dead at the scene and two were taken to a hospital, Sgt. Ronald Harris said. Two other men were struck by gunfire but "opted to seek their own medical attention."
Authorities have not identified the victims or suspects or released details about what led to the shooting. But witnesses said it stemmed from a fight between two large groups.
Dwayne Edwards, 60, of Los Angeles said he received a call from his nephew that his 28-year-old son Astin Edwards was one of those killed. His nephew told him his son was attempting to break up a fight when a gunman "just started unloading."
A grieving mother told KABC-7 her 28-year-old son, Robert Meekins, was among the victims killed. She said her son was a friend of Astin Edwards, and she believed he also tried to help break up the fight.
The third victim was 20-year-old Michael Radford, his sister Latrice Dumas told the Torrance Daily Breeze.
Probe looks into birth to disabled patient
Police in Phoenix have opened an investigation into allegations that a woman in a vegetative state at a private nursing facility was sexually assaulted and gave birth to a child last month, authorities said Friday.
Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a spokesman at the Phoenix Police Department, said detectives were looking into the case at the facility, which provides long-term care for people with intellectual disabilities. Thompson declined to elaborate on how long the investigation had been open or other specifics about the case, which was reported Thursday by KPHO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Phoenix. The woman has not been publicly identified.
A spokesman at the Arizona Department of Health Services said the agency was aware of the allegations and had sent inspectors to check on patients at the institution, which is about 7 miles south of downtown Phoenix. The facility is part of Hacienda HealthCare, which its website describes as an organization for some Phoenix-based health care programs and services.
A Hacienda HealthCare spokesman said Friday that the organization "stands fully committed to getting to the truth of what, for us, represents an unprecedented matter."
E-cigarette sparks fire on U.S. airliner
CHICAGO -- American Airlines says a passenger's electronic cigarette caused a small fire on a flight from Las Vegas to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
American Airlines spokesman Leslie Scott said the e-cigarette's battery overheated shortly after Flight 168 landed Friday night. Scott said flight attendants stamped out the fire.
No one was injured. The 138 passengers and crew of six taxied to a gate.
The U.S. Transportation Department has banned e-cigarettes from checked bags because of the potential for them to catch fire. Passengers may put them in carry-on bags, but cannot use them aboard planes.
Scott said the incident was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, which tracks such events.
'00 desertion suspect arrested in Indiana
CLINTON, Ind. -- A man who was accused of deserting the U.S. Army in 2000 had been living in a small western Indiana city under a fake name, didn't have a car and worked jobs that paid cash, according to police.
Clinton officers recently discovered Robert Brodbeck, 46, had been accused of deserting the Army 18 years ago after he went into the police station to talk to them about an altercation with a co-worker, The Indianapolis Star reported. Officers became suspicious of Brodbeck when he gave a false name, said Larry Keller, the Clinton Police Department's records clerk.
Brodbeck eventually gave officers his real name, and they learned he had warrants out for his arrest in Texas and that he's been living under the radar in Clinton for 17 years, Keller said.
"He worked jobs in things where he was paid in cash," Keller said. "Nothing that ever required a Social Security number. He lived in a low-rent apartment. He walked everywhere and never had a driver's license. He was really no trouble."
When he voluntarily went to the Clinton police station, Brodbeck had been working as a dishwasher at an Italian restaurant, Keller said.
Brodbeck is being held at Vermillion County jail while awaiting extradition by the U.S. Marshals Service.
A Section on 01/06/2019