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San Bernardino Shooting Is Deadliest Since Newtown

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With 14 reported killed so far, and about 17 more wounded, Wednesday's gun attack at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, goes down as one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern American history, NBC News reported.

It's the worst shooting since 27 were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, and, so far, only four other attacks in the U.S. have ended with larger body counts. The worst took place on the campus of Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, when student Seung-Hui Cho shot 32 people to death and wounded 17 more.

The Inland Regional Center shooting may be unique, though, because of the number of shooters. The vast majority of mass shootings have been carried out by lone gunmen; up to three people are suspected in San Bernardino.



Photo Credit: Micah Escamilla/Los Angeles News Group via AP

2 Killed in Gun Battle Near Mass Shooting Scene

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Police shot dead two people in an SUV in Southern California as part of a massive manhunt after a shooting left more than 14 people dead and 17 wounded Wednesday morning.

The man and the woman had assault weapons and were killed after a gun battle, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarron Burguan said. They are suspected of shooting up the Inland Regional Center, a social services provider where a bomb was later found.

Much of the country was watching as police in more than one military-style vehicle cautiously approached the bullet-ridden SUV following the gunfire, and President Barack Obama was being briefed on the violence. He had, earlier in the day, called for "common-sense gun safety laws" to help limit the number of mass shootings in the country.

Officers were seen hunting for another suspect in the area, and Burguan later said a third person was detained who was seen running way from the shootout, but it wasn't clear if they were connected to the shooting.

The 14 people killed in Wednesday's shooting make it the deadliest violence in the U.S. since the mass shooting at an elementary school in Sandy Hook, Connecticut in 2012, where 27 died.

The day began at 11 a.m. PT, when bullets flew at the Inland Regional Center, a social services facility that serves more than 31,000 people with developmental disabilities.

Authorities searched for hours for up to three gunmen before they apparently made contact with suspects. The man and woman who were killed were dressed in "kind of assault style clothing," Burguan said.

One officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to a department spokeswoman. 

A reporter for the Riverside Press-Enterprise was caught up in the pursuit of the dark-colored SUV, he wrote.

"As I was going down San Bernardino, I heard a thundering sound. I didn’t recognize the sound as gunfire. Then I heard something strange, a whizzing sound go by my car," David Danelski wrote.

He began taking pictures of police running with guns drawn before an officer ordered him to clear the street.



Photo Credit: KNBC

Video Shows Moments Inside Building After Shooting

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Video taken inside Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino Wednesday shows the tense minutes as people were evacuated from the building after up to three shooters entered the building and killed at least 14 people and injured 17.

Gabi Flores shared the video with NBC Los Angeles' media partner, KPCC.

It shows a group of people being directed by a law enforcement officer on how to leave the building.

Two suspects in the shooting, a man and a woman, are dead following a police chase and shootout, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said Wednesday evening. The pair were wearing "assault-style" clothing and armed with assault rifles and handguns, Burguan said.

Wednesday's shooting at the social services facility east of Los Angeles marked the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

Full coverage of the shooting can be found here.



Photo Credit: LA Times via Getty Images
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Moment of Silence at Capitol

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Speaker of the House Paul Ryan called for a moment of silence during Wednesday night's Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, following a mass shooting in San Bernardino in which at least 14 people were killed and 17 others were wounded.

"Before we begin, I just want to say that we are all thinking about the current and ongoing tragedy in California today," Ryan said before lowering his head. "And I would like to have a brief moment of silence now for those who are affected."

Wednesday morning, gunfire erupted during a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, which serves people with developmental disabilities, police said. Hundreds of people were inside at the time.

Two suspects armed with assault rifles and handguns were killed in a standoff with police Wednesday afternoon, and a third person was detained after running away from officers during the shootout, authorities said. 

"Please keep the victims and their families in your prayers right now," Ryan said outside the Capitol, before the tree lighting ceremony began.

The tree, a 74-foot spruce, traveled 4,000 miles from Alaska's Chugach National Forest and arrived in Washington on Nov. 20. The tree is decorated with thousands of ornaments created by children from the state.

It's the first Capitol Christmas Tree to come from Alaska.

The tree will now be illuminated nightly between dusk and 11 p.m. through New Years Day.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Car Crashed Into Vernon Barber Shop

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A car crashed into a barber shop in Vernon on Wednesday afternoon and managed to avoid any injuries. 

An 84-year-old Tolland driver of a red sedan crashed into the front of the barber shop at Risley Plaza on Talcottville Road and Green Circle, according to police, and there are no injuries. The car went through the front glass wall of the barber shop.

Vernon police, fire and EMS personnel responded at about 1:02 p.m.

Customers and barbers were in the shop at the time, but no one was injured.

Vernon's building official inspected the barber shop and determined there wasn't serious structural damage to the plaza building because most of the damage was contained to the front of the shop.

Police established the crash was accidental and don't plan on filing motor vehicle charges against the driver.



Photo Credit: Vernon Police

Police Investigate Shooting in Hartford

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Hartford police are investigating a possible shootin near a Hartford deli.

Hartford police, fire and EMS personnel responded to 154 Matther Street, Willys Deli, after receiving reports of someone shot at about 2:19 p.m. on Wendesday. 

A man was shot in the area, police said. He has a very minor gunshot wount to his right ankle, police said.

Crews provided first aid to him at the scene until EMS could arrive.

The man was transported to St. Francis Hospital. His injuries aren't life-threatening.

Police recovered evidence in the area.

They are looking for two possible male suspects, who were described as wearing all black.

Police have the area taped off and several police cruisers are on scene.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Route 32 Closed in Stafford After Car Crashes Into Guardrail

Connecticut Experts Weigh in on San Bernardino Deadly Mass Shooting

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To find out why the mass shooting in San Bernardino occurred, law enforcement must first find out who was behind and security experts in Connecticut believe the attackers used sophisticated tactics.

Those experts said tracking down the gunmen and eliminating the threat of more violence is only the very beginning of what could be a very lengthy quest for answers.

“This is a major undertaking," said Kenneth Gray, a lecturer in the Criminal Justice Department at the University of New Haven.

For twenty four years, Gray was a special agent with the FBI.

“Until you actually know who the shooters are, you're not going to know why they selected this target," Gray said.

From very preliminary information about the investigation, Gray said it appears that this could have been a carefully orchestrated attack on a very ‘soft’ target.

“If they had long weapons and body armor on, that shows a degree of sophistication," he said. "It shows that this was something actually planned out. Enter, do your shooting, get out.”

Matthew Schmidt, assistant professor of National Security & Political Science at the University of New Haven, agreed.

“It takes a lot of practice and time and resources to be able to operate in a combined manner and that has apparently happened in California," Schmidt said.

Another interesting note from experts in the security field is that the majority of mass shootings are not carried out by multiple attackers, indicating the possibility of a higher level of planning and coordination in this case.



Photo Credit: LA Times via Getty Images

Newington Police Seek 3 Burglars Caught on Security Footage

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Three burglars are caught on camera after Newington police say they tried to break into a home and found more than they were looking for.

"You just can't imagine because you think it won't happen to you, but it did. I was terrified," said homeowner Gloria Brown.

Part of that terrifying ordeal was caught on a home security camera. A dark blue, four-door Honda Accord drives by, and three minutes later, three men flee from the home on Adrian Avenue.

"I just saw his leg trying to get through," said Brown.

Around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, Brown said one of the men used her back deck to lift himself up to her open second-floor window as two others waited near the locked door. She heard the commotion, grabbed a knife, and they scrambled to escape.

"They ran and left the guy hanging in the window," said Brown.

As the three men ran away, the first guy looked directly at the camera. The other two hid their faces and Gloria headed outside where she hears the men screaming at one another.

"They were telling him, 'You forgot the car! You forgot the car!' So then he came back. So they were really amateurs to me because you don't leave the car," said Brown.

Soon after, the vehicle speeds away and Gloria runs to try and read the plate. She managed to capture a partial plate beginning with the letters "AB."

"I want to know why they targeted my house," Brown said.

She says the incident left her feeling violated, and she wants the men caught. Brown's counting her blessings she wasn't hurt.

For the suspects, it was bad luck and bad timing. Brown installed her security camera just last week. She plans to increase her security while reminding others to do the same.

"I'll tell anybody to have all windows secured and alarmed because if they want to get in, they'll get in. Trust me," said Brown.

If you know who the men caught on camera are, call Newington police.

Wallingford Police Seek Man Suspected in Credit Union Robbery

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Walingford police is looking a male suspect in a credit union robbery.

A man vaulted the counter at Wallingford Municipal Credit Union on Wednesday and emptied money out of the cash drawer, police said. It happened at about 3:19 p.m. at the 88 South Main Street credit union.

The robber ran down Prince Street and escaped in a dark sedan that didn't have visible license plates on it, police said.

The suspect was wearing dark clothes, white sneakers and gloves and was carrying a messenger bag, police said.

The suspect didn't show a weapon.

No one was injured.

Police ask anyone who witnessed the robbery to call Wallingford police at 203-294-2805.



Photo Credit: Wallingford Police Department

Suspect in Shooting Caught on Camera Taken Into Custody

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Waterbury police have a suspect in custody in a shooting caught on surveillance footage Friday afternoon.

Police took a male juvenile into custody at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

On Friday, shots were fired near 352 Walnut St. at around 3:08 p.m. on Nov. 27 and surveillance video shows a group of about seven people standing outside a building in the area and a car parked alongside the road with at least one person in the front passenger seat.

In the video, the suspect, who police identify as the male shown in a black hoodie and black Adidas pants, initially has his back to the camera and is talking to a couple people. One of them goes inside the building and then the person who appears to be the one who was talking to the suspect comes outside.

As he walks through the group of people parted outside, the hooded suspect walks toward him, calmly with his hands in his pockets, and then all of a sudden pulls out a gun and fires two successive shots at him, as shown in the video. The suspect backs up, starts to turn and then turns back to fire one more shot before walking away with at least two others, going out of the view of the camera, the video shows.

Another vantage point shows the victim put his hands up in front of him after a shot is fired in an apparent effort to shield himself and runs a few strides before limping away.

Moments later, officials from Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury reported that a man came in seeking treatment for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the left leg.

Police noted in the video that witnesses are seen kicking shell casings into the nearest sewer. Then at least two people get into the car that has at least one person waiting inside before other people come into the camera view, walking down the sidewalk.

Waterbury police ask that anyone with information contact them at 203-574-6941 or Crimestoppers at 203-755-1234.

Police haven't identified the suspect because he is under 18.

Waterbury police did note that they were able to find him because "of the overwhelming response from the citizen of this City who provided vital information as to the identity of the shooter."



Photo Credit: Waterbury Police
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Britain Launches Airstrikes on ISIS in Syria

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British warplanes carried out airstrikes in Syria early Thursday, hours after Parliament voted to authorize air attacks against Islamic State group targets there.

Four Royal Air Force Tornados took off from a British air base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, shortly after the 397-223 vote by lawmakers in the House of Commons.

A Ministry of Defense spokesman told the AP the planes had conducted strikes in Syria, and details about their targets would be provided later Thursday.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give his name when discussing operations.

The RAF has been launching strikes against IS targets in Iraq since 2014. The decision to expand the campaign to Syria came after an emotional 10 1/2-hour debate in which Prime Minister David Cameron said that Britain must strike the militants in their heartland and not "sit back and wait for them to attack us."

Opponents argued that Britain's entry into Syria's crowded airspace would make little difference, and said Cameron's military plan was based on wishful thinking that overlooked the messy reality of the Syrian civil war.

Cameron has long wanted to target IS in Syria, but had been unsure of getting majority support in the House of Commons until now. He suffered an embarrassing defeat in 2013 when lawmakers rejected a motion backing attacks on the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The mood has changed following the Nov. 13 Paris attacks, claimed by IS, that killed 130 people. Both France and the U.S. have urged Britain to join their air campaign in Syria, and Cameron said Britain should not let its allies down.

He said Britain was already a top target for IS attacks, and airstrikes would reduce the group's ability to plan more Paris-style carnage.

"Do we work with our allies to degrade and destroy this threat and do we go after these terrorists in their heartlands, from where they are plotting to kill British people?" he said. "Or do we sit back and wait for them to attack us?"

He said that attacking IS was not anti-Muslim but "a defense of Islam" against "women-raping, Muslim-murdering, medieval monsters."

Cameron was backed by most members of his governing Conservative Party — which holds 330 of the 650 Commons seats — as well as members of the smaller Liberal Democrat party and others.

Labour, the main opposition, was divided. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn — who represents the left wing of the party — spoke against what he called a "reckless and half-baked intervention." But more than 60 Labour lawmakers, including senior party figures, voted in support of airstrikes, a move likely to make fissures between the right and the left of the party even worse.

Labour foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn said Britain could not "walk by on the other side of the road" when international allies were asking for help against IS "fascists."

Britain already conducts airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq, and in August launched a drone strike that killed two British IS militants in Syria.

British officials say Royal Air Force Typhoon and Tornado fighter jets, armed with Brimstone missiles capable of hitting moving targets, would bring the campaign highly accurate firepower and help minimize civilian casualties.

President Barack Obama welcomed the British vote to join the air campaign in Syria, saying the Islamic State group "is a global threat that must be defeated by a global response."

Critics claim British airstrikes will make little practical difference, and that ground forces will be needed to root out IS. Britain has ruled out sending troops, and critics of the government have responded with skepticism to Cameron's claim that there are 70,000 moderate Syrian rebels on the ground.

Cameron stood by that claim Wednesday, though he conceded, "I'm not saying that the 70,000 are our ideal partners."

Karin von Hippel, who was chief of staff to U.S. Gen. John Allen when he was the United States' anti-ISIS envoy, said force alone would not defeat the militants — but neither would diplomacy by itself.

"The Brits have expertise and capabilities," she said. Their involvement "brings moral authority and legitimacy to the fight."

The British vote came as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said NATO members were ready to step up military efforts against the Islamic State group — and held out hope of improved cooperation between the West and Russia to end Syria's four-year civil war.

A day after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the United States would deploy a new special operations force to Iraq to step up the fight against the militants, Kerry said other countries could provide assistance that did not involve combat. He said the effort to expand operations would require more medical facilities, intelligence-gathering, military support structure, refueling operations, aerial defenses and other action.

The German Cabinet has approved plans to commit up to 1,200 soldiers to support the anti-IS coalition in Syria, though not in a combat role.

Despite talk of increased international cooperation, tension has soared between Russia and Turkey after the shooting down of a Russian military jet by Turkish forces last week.

On Wednesday, Russia's deputy defense minister, Anatoly Antonov, accused Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of benefiting from illegal oil trade with Islamic State militants.

Erdogan called the claim "slander" and said Turkey would not "buy oil from a terror organization."

Russia and the United States also disagree about tactics in Syria, with Moscow backing Assad and Washington saying he must go.

But Kerry, speaking after NATO meetings in Brussels, said that if Russia's focus on fighting IS was "genuine," it could have a constructive role in bringing peace. He didn't say whether the U.S. might be willing to bring Russia into its military effort against the group, as some members such as France have proposed.

The top NATO commander in Europe, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, said the bulk of Russia's air operations in Syria are still directed against moderate anti-Assad opposition forces, not Islamic State positions.

U.S. officials had hoped Russia would change its bombing focus after the Oct. 31 attack on a Russian airliner over Egypt, which killed 224 people.

Asserting that the "vast majority" of Russian sorties targeted moderate groups, Breedlove said coalition forces were "not working with or cooperating with Russia in Syria" but had devised safety routines to make it easier for both groups.

The British debate was sometimes bad-tempered as opposition lawmakers demanded Cameron apologize for remarks, reportedly made at a closed-door meeting, in which he branded opponents a "bunch of terrorist sympathizers."

Cameron did not retract the comments but said "there's honor in voting for, there's honor in voting against" the motion to back airstrikes.

From the passionate speeches in the House to the anti-war protesters outside Parliament, the debate recalled Britain's divisive 2003 decision to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq on what turned out to be false claims about Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. Many lawmakers came to regret supporting the war and ensuing chaos, and blamed then-Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair for lacking a plan for post-war reconstruction.

Labour leader Corbyn said that "to oppose another reckless and half-baked intervention isn't pacifism. It's hard-headed common sense."

Labour's Shabana Mahmood — one of the few Muslim lawmakers in Parliament — called IS "Nazi-esque totalitarians who are outlaws from Islam," but said she opposed the strikes because "we cannot simply bomb the ground, we have to have a strategy to hold it as well."

But Cameron said doing nothing was a worse option.

"The risks of inaction are greater than the risks of what I propose," he said.

Lawless reported from London. Associated Press writers Danica Kirka and Gregory Katz in London, Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Deb Riechmann in Washington, Jamey Keaten in Brussels and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: AP

Holiday Lighting Comes at a Cost

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It’s a holiday tradition for millions of Americans, but oftentimes, illuminating our homes with flashing lights and moving displays comes at a high cost.

People tend to go all out on their holiday light displays but having the brightest house on the block doesn’t come cheap and folks get a monthly reminder in their energy bill.

“There are some amazing displays out there, that’s a lot of lights and the LED’s will help contribute to hopefully a lower electric bill,” said Mitch Gross, Eversource spokesman.

Eversource experts actually took the time to break it down to dollars and cents. Here’s an example: if you keep your lights on for five hours a night for the entire month of December that amounts to about 150 hours.

“Incandescent mini lights, they’re going to use about 40 watts each,” said Gross.

That’s only for three strands of lights. LED use a lot less.

“They use less than five watts of power and over the same time period it’s only going to cost you 50 cents,” said Gross.

LED lights almost always cost more though so we did some research on Lowes’ website.
For a 100 count of GE brand incandescent lights it will cost you about $4. For the LED version you’re looking at about $20.

“They’re going to save you money, they’re cooler to the touch, they last years and years longer and they’re basically a better investment over the long run,” said Gross.

Eversource also says investing in a timer like this one is also a really big money saver that way you don’t forget to turn off those lights in and outside your home.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

Man Charged With Sex Assault After Suspected Inappropriate Sexual Relationship With Underage Girl: Police

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A man is facing risk of injury to a child charges because Plainfield police say he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with an under-age girl.

Officers arrested Luis A. Cruz, 37, of Wauregan, on Wednesday at 10:35 a.m. on a warrant.

Cruz is accused of having sexual contact with a female who was underaged in October of 2015, police said.

Authorities charged him with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child (illegal sexual contact), police said.

Police held Cruz on a $25,000 bond pending his appearance in Danielson Superior Court scheduled for Thursday.

California Mass Shooting Hits Home for Connecticut Police

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The images coming out of San Bernardino after a deadly mass shooting are tough to escape and  that's no exception for police officers in Connecticut. Even though the mass shooting is unfolding roughly 3,000 miles away, for many the tragedy hits home.

“Unfortunately this has become a reality for law enforcement,” Cpl. Stanley Parizo of the Willimantic Police Department said. “It goes back to the Connecticut lottery shooting, the HDI and the tragedy at Sandy Hook.”

Cpl. Parizo says with each tragedy comes a lesson that is vital as police departments prepare for the unthinkable. The Willimantic Police Department debriefs on every mass shooting and will discuss what happened in California in the coming days.

“It’s about what we can do as law enforcement nationwide to make sure if this does happen here, how we can do it better,” Corp. Parizo said. “The days of it can’t happen here are over.”

Since the school shooting at Sandy Hook, there is more training for police officers in Connecticut including active shooter drills to SWAT team challenges. Police officers in Willimantic attend active shooter training on a monthly basis, and were one of about dozen departments who attended training in Groton Wednesday.

Gov. Dannel Malloy says Connecticut has learned a number of lessons from the school shooting at Sandy Hook. He called California Gov. Jerry Brown Wednesday to offer his help.

“We have a level of expertise on handling these mass shootings that we have been asked to share with people in the past,” Gov. Malloy said.

As a precaution, Governor Malloy has called for more state police patrols outside of Department of Disabilities facilities in Connecticut.
 



Photo Credit: Micah Escamilla/Los Angeles News Group via AP

Malloy Steps Up State Police Patrols After California Mass Shooting

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Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has ordered increased state police patrols at Connecticut Department of Developmental Services facilities Wednesday in the wake of a fatal mass shooting at a facility serving people with developmental disabilities in San Bernardino, California.

“This is yet another heartbreaking situation, and yet another day during which families are holding their breath hoping – and praying – that their loved ones are coming home. And it’s our most vulnerable communities who are suffering today. Unnecessary gun violence is plaguing America, and we must step up and act to protect our neighbors, our families, and communities across the nation," Malloy said in a statement. “In light of today’s events, we will have enhanced State Police patrols at DDS facilities out of an abundance of caution. Our hearts are with this community tonight.”

Malloy spoke with California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. to express condolences and offer help.

"...I want to say I just completed a call to Gov. Brown out in California where I expressed condolences on behalf of the people of Connecticut towards the people of California and those expected by the shooting and offered to be of any assistance we could be," Malloy said in an early evening press conference in which he also addressed the state budget. "We both commiserated about these kinds of situations taking place in our country and during our respective terms.... o We had fruitful discussions and I think given the excruciating detail the speaker went into, answering your questions, I agree with him."

Malloy later added, “We are mourning for the San Bernardino community, for the families who lost loved ones, and those with loved ones who’ve been victimized. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families on this day and the first responders and others who will be impacted by these events."

State government officials have already addressed the shooting on social media.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) tweeted just after 4 p.m., "In 30,000 tragic deaths every year — and now #SanBernardino — Congress is effectively complicit for its inaction."

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) also chimed in, tweeting, "Oh god. Not again. #SanBernardino."

Later on, another post-San Bernardino tweet he posted garnered some attention. He tweeted, "Your 'thoughts' should be about steps to take to stop this carnage. Your 'prayers' should be for forgiveness if you do nothing - again."

Meanwhile, U.S. Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (D-5), was simultaneously calling on the U.S. House to "advance commonsense proposals to reduce gun violence," she tweeted. The live feed of the House proceedings going on now can be seen at houselive.gov.

Gov. Malloy tweeted at about 4 p.m., "@RepEsty is right, it is time for Congress to vote on commonsense gun safety legislation."



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

2 Suspects Dead in SoCal Shooting

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Two suspects, one male and one female, are dead following a shootout with police and a third person has been detained after a massive manhunt for gunmen who opened fire in a social services facility east of Los Angeles on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and wounding 17 others, authorities said. 

The rampage shooting at a holiday party by gunmen described as "on a mission" marked the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since Newtown where 27 children and staff were killed in 2012.

"We all should go home tonight with our loved ones and just understand that this can happen at any time," said Loma Linda Medical Center spokeswoman Briana Pastorino, at the end of a press conference.

"We hear of these mass shootings all over the country. And I believe you would all agree that this hit a little bit to close to home. It is home," she said.

Sources have confirmed to NBC4 of Los Angeles that one of the attackers was Syed Farook. It was not clear if Farook was one of the suspects killed in the shootout with police.

Another source told NBC News that another attacker is believed to be Farook’s brother. The identity of the woman suspect remains unclear.

"This is truly a tragedy in our country," FBI Los Angeles Director David Bowdich said. Bowdich did not rule out that the shooting could have been a terrorist attack, saying "It is a possibility but we don't know this yet."

In the afternoon, authorities swarmed a bullet-riddled SUV in San Bernardino during the manhunt for the suspects. The two suspects killed by police -- a man and woman -- were "dressed in assault style clothing" and armed with both handguns and assault rifles, San Bernardino police chief Jarron Burguan said in a press conference later in the day.

The bomb squad continues to search the Inland Regional Center slowly after they found a suspicious device they believe could be an explosive, the police chief said.

SWAT teams are also working to clear a home in the city of Redlands where police first made contact with the now-dead male and female suspects. 

Gunfire erupted about 11 a.m. at the Inland Regional Center in the 1300 block of S. Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino (map), which serves people with developmental disabilities, according to the San Bernardino Police Department. Hundreds of people were inside at the time.

The police chief said that he had heard there was a dispute at the party inside the facility and one person left angrily because of it but it is not known if there was a connection between the incident and the shooting. 

"They came prepared to do what they did, as if they were on a mission," said Burguan.

A tip led police later in the day to the home in Redlands where the suspects then led police on a chase.

Multiple agencies, including the FBI and ATF, were assisting with the investigation.

"They were dressed and equipped in a way to indicate that they were prepared, and they were armed with long guns, not handguns," Burguan said. "We have no information at this point to indicate that this is terrorist related in the traditional sense that people may be thinking. Obviously, at a minimum, we have a domestic terrorist-type situation that occurred here."

Images from the scene showed law enforcement personnel armed with rifles and wearing protective gear fanning out across the area, as emergency responders treated multiple victims in the street.

"They were being carried on trucks… They were shot, they were injured. Some of them did not survive," said NBC Los Angeles reporter Tony Shin, describing victims he saw being brought to the triage area.

The Inland Regional Center serves more than 31,000 people with developmental disabilities in San Bernardino County and neighboring Riverside County, according to the center's website. According to the site, the facility is the largest of California's regional centers, and is "a nonprofit, private community-based agency that is proud to help obtain services and support for our constituents."

One man at the scene said his daughter, who works at the center with the mentally disabled, had texted him. She was hiding in a closet with other people, he said. 

Another man told NBC4 Los Angeles his sister has cerebral palsy and attends the center.

NBC Los Angeles photographer Alex Vasquez made his way to the Inland Regional Center soon after the shooting and said he saw many people with severe injuries, and that he spoke to some who were in shock.

"They heard many gunshots. A lot of people were just yelling for their loved ones," he said.

Nearby schools, city and county buildings were locked down during the search for the suspects. The area near Waterman Avenue and Park Center Circle was closed to traffic. Drivers were advised to avoid the area.

President Barack Obama said California's massacre reminded him of a pattern of mass shootings in the U.S. that "has no parallel anywhere else in the world."

California Gov. Jerry Brown issued a statement saying in part, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families and everyone affected by the brutal attack. California will spare no effort in bringing these killers to justice."

San Bernardino is about 60 miles from Los Angeles.

Refresh this page for updates on this developing story.

Jason Kandel and Asher Klein contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
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Road Rage Caught on Camera

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Miami Police are investigating a road rage incident that took place on Nov. 26.

It happened at approximately 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of Northeast 2nd Avenue and 13th Street where a man was shot.  

According to detectives, an earlier car-to-car argument escalated as both drivers approached a red traffic light at the intersection. It appears the driver of a black Rolls-Royce exited the vehicle, approached the driver of a two-door black Mercedes C-Class and continued arguing.

Both parties began fist fighting, but as the traffic light turned green, the driver of the Mercedes drew a firearm, pointed it at the victim and shot him, striking him in the chest.

Police said the shooter sped off westbound on Northeast 13th Street.

Miami Fire Rescue transported the victim, 34-year-old Edward Zapata, to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where he underwent emergency surgery and was listed in stable condition. 

Miami Police are in search of the shooter who is described as a white Hispanic male in his 20s.

For now, police said the motive appears to be road rage that apparently may have stemmed between both parties before they approached the traffic light.

If you know anything about this case, call Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

Pedestrian Hit on I-95 Ramp in Stratford

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A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on an Interstate 95 off-ramp in Stratford, according to state police.

Police said the car hit the person on the exit 30 ramp to Lordship Boulevard.

No additional information was available.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Newly Elected Mayor of Juneau, Alaska, Died of Natural Causes

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The police chief in Alaska's capital city defended his department's response after the newly elected mayor was found dead at home, bruised and bloodied, and speculation ran rampant as to the cause of his death.

But on Wednesday, preliminary autopsy results indicated that Stephen "Greg" Fisk, 70, died of natural causes and that the injuries he sustained were consistent with falling or stumbling into objects. 

The speculation was fueled — and the attention surrounding the case grew — when police did not immediately rule out foul play in the death of Fisk, who went by Greg. 



Photo Credit: City of Juneau, Alaska
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