| Suspected shoplifter dies after being detained at California Walmart Jun 5th 2012, 15:52 By Msnbc.com staff and wire A suspected shoplifter died at a Southern California Walmart store last Friday after fighting with store security workers who caught him in the parking lot, police said. The man's name was not available as of Sunday because his family had yet to be notified, Lt. Joe Bale of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Police found the suspect restrained by security workers and appearing to need medical attention, Covina police Lt. Holly Francisco told The Associated Press. "While being detained in the parking lot, the suspect began fighting with the loss prevention personnel," Deputy Peter Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's bureau said in a written statement obtained by the Tribune. "When the (police) officers arrived, the suspect was being restrained by loss prevention officers," Gomez said, according to the report. "The Covina police officers saw the suspect appeared to be in medical distress and called for paramedics to respond." Police called paramedics, but the man was pronounced dead at the hospital. It was unclear whether his death was a result of the struggle or due to a pre-existent condition. Police told the AP the man was accused of stealing clothing and body wash. An investigation that includes an autopsy and a review of surveillance video is under way to determine the cause of death. Wal-Mart Stores spokeswoman Dianna Gee said in a statement that the security workers involved in the altercation are currently suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. “Any time there’s a loss of life, it’s a sad situation," Gee's statement read. "We don’t know all of the facts right now, but we are cooperating with law enforcement and providing any information we have to assist in the investigation." The Associated Press contributed to this report. More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook | | Crossbow attack wounds TV weather man in Tennessee Jun 5th 2012, 15:49 By Gil Aegerter, msnbc.com A television meteorologist in Tennessee was shot with a crossbow by a man who had threatened to kill him and vandalized his car, according to media reports. Robert William Batot, 43, known on the air for WJHL as Rob Williams, was wounded early Monday when Gerald D. Taylor, 53, broke into his home in Johnson City, the Johnson City Press reported, citing court documents and police. WJHL reported that Williams and Taylor had shared a house but Williams got a restraining order against him on May 29.
The Press report said that police were called to Williams' house early Monday and found him with the bolt, or arrow, fired from the crossbow sticking from his chest. Williams told police that Taylor broke into the house and shot him with the crossbow, then fired a pistol at him as he tried to escape. Police said that they found Taylor sitting on a dock by the house and holding a pistol, and that after a brief standoff, officers used a Taser to subdue him, the Press reported. The Press reported that in seeking the protection order, Williams alleged that Taylor had slashed his car tires and put water in his gas tank, and threatened to slander Williams and kill him. The source of the dispute was not apparent from the reports. In a statement on WJHL's website, Williams said: I wish to thank everyone for their concern as I recover. I am working with police as they continue their investigation into this matter. I’m looking forward to returning on air very soon. Taylor was due in court on Tuesday morning on charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated burglary and violation of a protection order, WJHL reported. More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook |  Zimmerman lawyer delays second bond motion in Trayvon Martin case Jun 5th 2012, 15:33  Joshua C. Cruey, Orlando Sentinel / AP After his bond was revoked, George Zimmerman returns to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, Fla., Sunday, June 3, 2012. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. By NBC's Jamie Novogrod SANFORD, Fla. -- George Zimmerman’s legal defense team said Tuesday it would hold off for “a couple of weeks” filing a motion for a second bond motion for its defendant in the Trayvon Martin shooting case. The delay announcement comes a day after defense attorney Mark O’Mara acknowledged on his case’s website that Zimmerman misled a Sanford, Fla., court about his finances but vowed he would seek a new bond hearing based on his client being “forthright and cooperative” in all other aspects.
No reason was immediately given for the delay, but O’Mara said he would file a motion “well in advance of the hearing.” Zimmerman's next bail hearing has not been set yet, but his legal defense team said it was not expected for a couple of weeks. Key events in the Travyon Martin case Zimmerman, 28, surrendered to authorities Sunday, two days after Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bond that was granted April 20. Prosecutors demonstrated that Zimmerman had at least $135,000 that he did not disclose in a special PayPal account he had set up to pay for his defense. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Martin, 17, as he walked through a gated residential community in Sanford, near Orlando, on Feb. 26. On Monday, O'Mara said in his statement: "We feel the failure to disclose these funds was caused by fear, mistrust, and confusion. The gravity of this mistake has been distinctly illustrated, and Mr. Zimmerman understands that this mistake has undermined his credibility, which he will have to work to repair. "At the point of the bond hearing, Mr. Zimmerman had been driven from his home and neighborhood, could not go to work, his wife could not go back to a finish her nursing degree, his mother and father had been driven from their home, and he had been thrust into the national spotlight as a racist murderer by factions acting with their own agendas. None of those allegations have been supported by the discovery released to date, yet the hatred continues." See more msnbc.com coverage of the Trayvon Martin case Follow NBC's Jamie Novogrod on Twitter here. Msnbc.com's Jim Gold contributed to this article. Follow him on Facebook here. Watch the George Zimmerman being escorted back into prison More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook |  Routine traffic stop reveals toddler holding a handgun, Chicago police say Jun 5th 2012, 15:18 By Marty Watson, NBCChicago.com Chicago police received a surprise this week when they reportedly found a three-year-old girl holding a handgun during a routine traffic stop.  Queshawn King was stopped last week in Chicago. Police pulled a car of six people over in East Garfield Park, a community in the west side of Chicago, last Wednesday night . Two children were seated inside, with no car seats or seat belts, police said. When the officer approached the vehicle, he saw the 19-year-old driver, Queshawn King, making "furtive" downward movements to the three-year-old, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing police. An officer then asked the man, who was described as "nervous," to step out of the car. He heard King yell to the toddler by her nickname, "Fatty" multiple times. Read more on the toddler on NBCChicago.com A police sergeant approached the front passenger side of the car and saw the child holding the handgun. When he tried to retrieve it, she threw the 9 mm weapon to the floor. It was loaded with eight rounds, but did not discharge, police said. King was charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon for having a loaded weapon inside the vehicle, misdemeanor endangering the life and health of a child, and misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a valid FOID (Firearms Owner's Identification) card. Besides King and the young girl, four other people were in the car, including another child, the 3-year old's mother, grandmother and a man who was behind the wheel. The other occupants of the car reportedly told the police the gun did not belong to them, the Tribune reported. King was subsequently taken to Cook County Jail Thursday after a judge set his bail at $50,000, according to the Cook County sheriff's office. More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook |  3 jurors chosen so far in Jerry Sandusky trial Jun 5th 2012, 12:30 Jury selection began today in the sex-abuse trial of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky. NBC's Brian Mooar reports. By msnbc.com staff and news services Updated at 1:10 p.m. ET --Jury selection got under way Tuesday inside a central Pennsylvania courthouse, where former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky will stand trial on charges of sexually abusing children. "I need you to all have an open mind," Judge John Cleland told jurors, according to PennLive.com. "This defendant is charged with sexual abuse of children." Sandusky, who had been laughing as Cleland made a few jokes with jurors, immediately looked down at that point, PennLive's reporter wrote from the courtroom. By midday, three of the 12 jurors had been picked, a defense lawyer told the Associated Press. One of two middle-aged women selected told the court she's been a Penn State football season-ticketholder since the 1970s and that her husband works for the medical group where the father of key witness Mike McQueary previously worked. A 24-year-old man was also selected.
The jury selection officially started later than scheduled with 240 prospective jurors out of the 600 who were called. The pool will be narrowed to 12 jurors and four alternates. The initial pool of 600 was narrowed down via an at-home questionnaire, PennLive.com reported.  Patrick Smith/Getty Images Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky walks into the courthouse before jury selection begins in the child sex abuse trial on June 5, 2012 in Bellefonte, Pa. Sandusky is a former Penn State assistant football coach charged with sexually abusing children. The 240 potential jurors will be divided into groups of 40 for more questions, followed by one-on-one questioning for those who are not dismissed. The process could take days, reported AP, but the judge said he wants the trial to start Monday. Cleland also told the prospective jurors what their duties would entail. According to reports from the court, the jurors will not be sequestered. Jurors are being chosen from among people who live in the State College area, where Penn State's main campus is located, AP reported. TV trucks surrounded the courtroom, as potential jurors began slowly filing into the front door of the courthouse around 8 a.m. One man wore a gray Penn State sweatshirt, AP reported. Sandusky and his lawyer, Joe Amendola, made no comments as they arrived on Tuesday. He has repeatedly denied the charges. Sandusky, 68, faces 52 criminal counts for alleged abuse of 10 boys over 15 years. Some of the alleged victims are expected to testify. The defense also presented a list of some 60 possible witnesses that includes: the son and wife of the late coach Joe Paterno; former Penn State President Graham Spanier; and PennLive.com reporter Sara Ganim. Previous report: Sandusky accusers must use real identities at trial On Monday, the alleged victims were told they would have to use their real names when they testified. Lawyers for five accusers had requested their clients be allowed to use pseudonyms. Penn State, for its part, released a statement on the trial that read: "We are further hopeful that the legal process will start to bring closure to the alleged victims and families whose lives have been irrevocably impacted and that they can begin the healing process." This is a developing story. Check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report. More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook | |
