The nation in brief: Drive-by shooting kills teen at bus stop

Church in Utah mandates temple masks

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday that masks will be required inside temples to limit the spread of covid-19.

Church leaders said in a statement that masks will be required temporarily in a bid to keep temples open. The message was the latest in a series of statements from church leaders encouraging masking and vaccination efforts against covid-19.

"As cases of covid-19 increase in many areas, we want to do everything possible to allow temples to remain open," the church said in a statement. "Therefore, effective immediately, all temple patrons and workers are asked to wear face masks at all times while in the temple."

In Utah, where the church is based, a summer surge of the virus among unvaccinated residents has continued to grow while vaccination rates have slightly increased.

Data from the Utah Health Department showed that in the past 28 days state residents who are unvaccinated are 5.9 times more likely to die from covid-19 and 7.2 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who are vaccinated.

About 64% of Utah residents ages 12 and older were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, state data showed.

Drive-by shooting kills teen at bus stop

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A drive-by shooting at a school bus stop means as the youths waited at the bus stop just west of downtown Louisville, authorities said.

A person in a car drove by and shot at the waiting students, some of whom were not injured, Louisville Metro Police Maj. Shannon Lauder said during a news conference. No suspects were in custody Wednesday afternoon.

[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » arkansasonline.com/923shooting/]

Police put a photo of a dark gray Jeep SUV on social media and asked for the public's help in finding it. The vehicle had Illinois license tags, with the plate number BD91644.

The bus stop near the city's downtown was for students of Eastern High School. The bus arrived shortly after the shooting, which occurred around 6:30 a.m., school officials said.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the shooting violated a "sacred space."

"And a teen that should be at school today will not be there and will never be there again," he said.

While Police Chief Erika Shields suggested the shooting could be gang-related, she said she did not believe the victim was involved with gangs.

Officer facing trial in shooting over bat

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma district judge has ruled that a suburban Oklahoma City police officer will face trial in the fatal shooting of a man who refused to drop a baseball bat as he approached the officer.

The Village officer Chance Avery is charged with second-degree murder, or in the alternative, first-degree manslaughter in the July 2020 shooting death of Christopher Pool.

District Judge Cindy Truong on Tuesday reversed an earlier ruling by Special Judge Lisa Hammond that prosecutors did not present evidence that Avery committed a crime. Truong said excessive force arguments "are questions of fact for the jury to decide."

Defense attorney Gary James said Avery legally used deadly force, and he is considering appealing Truong's ruling.

Avery was called to the home by Poor's wife, who was collecting personal belongings, when Poor ran inside carrying the bat and was shot by Avery after refusing to drop the bat, police said.

A probable cause affidavit said the level of force utilized by Avery "exceeded the level of force appropriate for the victim's actions."

Staffers charged in death of woman, 86

DENVER -- Three assisted living facility workers are being prosecuted in the death of an 86-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease who authorities alleged was left outside in sweltering weather for six hours, officials said.

Jamie Johnston, 30, Jenny Logan, 50, and Letticia Martinez, 27, were charged with negligent death of an at risk person and criminally negligent homicide, both felonies, in the death of Hazel Place at Cappella Assisted Living and Memory in Grand Junction on June 14, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Tuesday.

Johnston and Martinez were also charged with a misdemeanor, accused of forging patient records, according to court documents describing the charges.

Weiser's office, which investigated Place's death through its Medicaid fraud unit in conjunction with Grand Junction police, did not provide details about how Place died. National Weather Service data shows that the high temperature in Grand Junction that day was 102 degrees F.

Cappella Assisted Living and Memory said in a statement that it reported the circumstances surrounding Place's death to regulators and conducted an internal investigation, which led to the dismissal of two of the workers. The third worker was placed on "investigatory leave," the statement said.

Upcoming Events