Windsor Locks police have arrested a man accused of breaking into a local church in September.

Tyler McKinstry, 27, is accused of breaking into the New Life Assembly of God Church on Sept. 9. Police said McKinstry set off a burglar alarm during the incident and was located by officers nearby.

Police did not initially have enough evidence to hold McKinstry, but DNA found at the crime scene matched after forensic analysis, police said.

McKinstry is charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief. He has been previously arrested for similar incidents and is currently incarcerated at the Department of Correction, according to police.

A day after Election Day in Connecticut the numbers show there are several close races, some separated by fewer than 100 votes. In a stunning result, one of those races involves the current speaker of the house for his seat as state representative in Berlin and Southington, a seat he’s held for 14 years.

Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz feels he headed back to the general assembly for another term after Connecticut Democrats once again secured the majority in the State House.

Although there is no official winner declared, Aresimowicz is claiming victory. The Secretary of the State’s office data shows him leading the 30th House District race by just 37 votes.

“I believe Ned Lamont lost my district by over 2,000 votes,” he said. “I believe Matt Corey beat Chris Murphy in my district by a large margin. I think I’m a rock star.”

His opponent, Republican Michael Gagliardi, entered the race only a few weeks ago after the other GOP candidate dropped out. Gagliardi is not quite ready to concede.

“It was tight,” Gagliardi said. “We kind of knew it would be. I thought it would be an uphill battle since I entered the race only three weeks before Election Day. As we saw the results come in, we saw how tight it would be.”

The race may not be over. In Connecticut, if the margin of victory is less than half of one percent of all votes cast an automatic recount is triggered which would be the case for this race.

“I think I owe it to the voters on such a close race to double count the ballots,” Gagliardi said.

“My district is tough,” Aresimowicz said. “I, as the speaker of the house, have to take some positions that are out of line with my district but in line with my caucus.”

It’s still unclear how many of the other close races may require a recount.

With Jeff Sessions now out as attorney general, President Donald Trump's choice to fill his shoes, at least temporarily, is in the position to have a significant impact on the scope of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, NBC News reported.

Matthew Whitaker, who has served as Sessions' chief of staff since late 2017, has been tapped to become acting attorney general and will therefore take over the role of overseeing Mueller's probe from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Sessions had recused himself from overseeing the probe because of his involvement with the campaign, but Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Flores said on Wednesday, "The acting attorney general is in charge of all matters under the purview of the Department of Justice."

For months, Trump publicly attacked Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing the probe, and blamed his decision for allowing Rosenstein to appoint a special counsel. Now, with Whitaker at the helm, Trump has someone leading the Justice Department who has already suggested that Mueller's probe should be reined in.

"If he was selected because he doesn't think it's an appropriate investigation, then I'm deeply concerned," said Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney and general counsel at the FBI.

There was a political upset in the 26th Senate District after 22-year-old Democrat Will Haskell unseated Republican Toni Boucher, who was first elected in 2008.

Boucher held other offices prior to her election to the 26th Senate District and has essentially served the state legislature for as long as Haskell’s been alive. But the senator-elect said someone needed to challenge the sitting incumbent, especially in a district where Hillary Clinton won by more than 20 percentage points.

“I decided this is a moment in my life but also in the nation’s history to do something that’s difficult, perhaps a little unusual, because that’s what this moment requires,” Haskell said.

More needs to be done in Connecticut about gun violence and getting young people to stay in the state, according to the senator elect, who’s concerned the financial condition of Connecticut is forcing too many young people to move away.

“I’m going to be a forward-thinking legislator. Somebody who’s willing to work across the aisle to invest in transportation because people my age, they don’t want to take a car to work, they want to take mass transit, if possible. I want to revitalize our cities,” Haskell said.

The 22-year-old received the endorsement of former President Barack Obama, and interned with Hillary Clinton for America and the Capitol Hill offices of Congressman Jim Himes and Senator Chris Murphy, who was with him Wednesday in Bethel thanking supporters and volunteers.

“I want Connecticut to be a state where lots of 22-year-olds want to start a career. I don’t want it to be unusual that I decided to move back home.” Haskell said.

Haskell grew up in Westport where he attended Staples High School and just graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University. He put plans for law school aside to take on his newest roll.

“There’s a lot of proud teachers here to see one of our students take such civic pride and at such a young age, be able to make a difference,” said James D’Amico, principal of Staples High School.

D’Amico was the chair of the social studies department when Haskell was in school and said he knew one day Haskell would take on a roll where he could try to make a difference.

Many young people helped get him elected. Haskell’s campaign manager is his college roommate from Georgetown.

He also made sure to meet the people voting for him.

“I knocked over 4,000 doors. Our team knocked far more. I had 142 meet and greets,” Haskell said, who knocked on George Pagano’s door.

“I think someone who is young and willing to try new things and kind of having a different view,” said 27-year-old Pagano, who voted absentee in Connecticut.

He just took a job in Boston and said he voted for the Democratic ticket.

Many voters who spoke with NBC Connecticut said they did the same, citing a want to change the political climate.

“It’s so needed to have the youth and millennials speaking up and really taking charge,” said a Wesport resident.

NBC Connecticut reached out to Toni Boucher, who said in an email her district had the greatest number of new Democratic voters in the state.

She released a statement: “I would like to congratulate Will Haskell for running a strong campaign and wish him much success in his new role as State senator for the 26th district. It is a big responsibility and I am sure he will devote his energies to serving the people well. I am deeply thankful to the voters for having given me the rare and extraordinary honor of serving them here at home, on local boards and in the legislature in Hartford. I have always put every ounce of passion, commitment and energy into these roles with the ultimate objective of serving my constituents well. Coming here as an immigrant with no money, education and not speaking a word of English at the age of 5, CT has had an incredible positive impact on my life and I am forever grateful. Thank you also to my family, wonderful husband and the many volunteers who stuck with me through this tough campaign season and over the years. I could not do this without you. You have my eternal gratitude. Thank you.”

A 27-year-old man died after the stolen motorcycle he was driving collided with another vehicle on Franklin Avenue in Hartford Wednesday, according to police.

Police identified the motorcyclist as 27-year-old Brian Rivera Morales, of Hartford. They said he was driving a 2006 Honda CBR600 that was reported stolen to the New York Police Department on Tuesday and collided with another vehicle in the area of Franklin Avenue and Elliott Street.

When crews arrived, the motorcycle and part of the other vehicle were on fire.

Morales was not wearing a helmet, suffered severe injuries and died at Hartford Hospital, police said. His license had been suspended on May 11, according to police.

The driver of the second vehicle involved remained at the scene and was taken to the hospital for evaluation. The Hartford Police Crime Scene Division is investigating. Franklin Avenue was closed in the area but has reopened.

Hartford police said a lot of people witnessed the crash and many tried to help.

"The incident was captured on our C4 cameras in the city and we do have our accident reconstruction teams here. They're going to look at a lot of things, speed, weather, traffic conditions, vehicular traffic, pedestrian traffic, if there was alcohol or drug intoxication that may have been a part of it as well so it's going to be a long road, long process in regards to coming to a proper conclusion, determination as to why the accident occurred," said Hartford Police Lt. Paul Cicero.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Lt. Jay Lee at 860-757-4341.

A Woodstock woman is accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Plainfield company.

Cheryl Hicks, 59, faces a first-degree larceny charge. Plainfield police allege that Hicks, while working as the office manager for Concrete Floors Company, inflated her salary for years. Hicks is also accused of using company credit cards and other company accounts for personal purchases.

Authorities said in total she stole nearly $500,000.

Hicks turned herself into police Wednesday and was released on a $10,000 bond. She is due in Danielson Superior Court on Nov. 19.

After 23 years with the Vernon Police Department, Steven Chipman retired and opened his own private investigation company. But earlier this year, at the age of 50, everything changed when he suffered a cardiac event at home and a brain injury.

"Realizing the brain injury was not going to get better we had to transition to the idea of organ donation," said Chipman's wife, Kate Rooney. "He was the best husband and the best father in the world."

More than seven months later, Rooney and her two boys stood next to Lydia. Lydia is one of the many people Rooney's husband helped with his organ donation.

Lydia was just 19 when she went on dialysis. For the last 42 years that was her life until Chipman gave her another.

"She doesn't have to go to dialysis anymore, and that is a grueling, grueling process to be on dialysis. She says she can travel now. She's not stuck at home," Rooney said.

To celebrate and honor Chipman and his gift, Wednesday evening his two sons, 11-year-old Jake and 13-year-old Hunter, raised a “Donate Life” flag outside Saint Francis Hospital. Everyone there hopes their example will lead others to register to be a donor.

"One donor can help the lives of more than 75 people because of the tissues and other things like corneas that can be donated in addition to organs," said Dr. David Shapiro, vice chair of Surgery at Saint Francis Hospital.

"A lot of people are organ donors, but you never believe that day is going to come and being the person to make that ultimate decision for them," said Rooney. "We had discussed it in the past, and it's not an easy process. But knowing what the outcome could be really helped guide us."

Rooney says Saint Francis Hospital made a difficult decision as easy as it possibly could be.

There are 118,000 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants across the country, according to Donate Life America.

Lydia no longer has to wait. The former police officer and father of two worked to save lives on the job and long after.

"There's nothing we could do to change this outcome. It does give a little peace that somebody's life was able to be enhanced," said Rooney.

For those interested in becoming a donor, you can register at Registerme.org.

Shapiro says in addition to that, it's important to have the discussion about organ donation and what your wishes are with your family.

During the final hours of Election Day, frustration filled New Haven’s City Hall as last-minute voters waited in long lines, including for Election Day registration.

“I would like to vote,” Sam Howard from New Haven said. “I think I have the right to vote and I don’t understand why this process is stretched on for so long.”

In each city and town, the state only allows for one designated polling location for same-day voter registration. That is part of the reason the lines were so long in New Haven, which is one of the state’s largest cities and it has a big college student population.

Defeated Republican candidate for governor Bob Stefanowski decided not to move forward with the legal challenge concerning same-day registration voters rushed through to meet the state’s 8 p.m. deadline in New Haven and in Mansfield near UConn.

“Given where the results came out plus 10,000 it’s not enough to really influence anything, so we’ll let that go,” Stefanowski told reporters Wednesday morning. “Ned’s won this thing fair and square.”

Yale University student Alikiah Barclay said he had hoped to vote in his home state of Florida.

“But they had a change in policy where absentee ballots now required an affidavit that I would have to send them for them to send me their ballot,” he explained, “and then I would need to get them back my ballot by today.”

After encountering a long line in the morning for Election Day Registration, Barclay returned in the late afternoon to find even longer lines.

“Aldermen telling folks look it’s a four hour line, look if you don’t make it all the way you might wait in vain,” he said. “Essentially, there was a sign up that said as much.”

“We all could have done better,” New Haven election monitor Kevin Arnold said.

But Arnold told NBC Connecticut even if there were more properly trained staff on hand, long lines may have been inevitable late in the day.

“I don’t think no matter how many people we had, we had enough to handle the crowds that came in at one time,” Arnold said.

Stefanowski said Governor-Elect Ned Lamont and his team should look at ways to improve Election Day registration.

“I think it should be more organized,” he said. “I don’t think it’s helpful that we get lines out the door at 7:59. Somehow we need to facilitate it so people aren’t scrambling to get their vote in. Everybody who wants to vote should get the chance to vote.”

Arnold suggested one fix to make sure this does not happen again in November 2020.

“Let’s make sure other people are registered and get to vote and not wait to the last minute so these things don’t happen,” he said.

The ACLU of Connecticut would like to hear from eligible voters who intended to vote in New Haven, but were unable to do so.

“New Haven's repeated failure to staff its polling places with enough workers to ensure people's rights to vote is practically inviting a lawsuit. The long lines and discouraged voters we saw (Tuesday) were a completely avoidable situation,” ACLU of CT legal director Dan Barrett said.

Secretary of the State Denise Merill said Wednesday morning that some of the “wet ballots” from people coming into polls from the rain were in New Haven and that contributed to delays in counting the votes.

Democrats in Connecticut are celebrating after huge gains in the Connecticut General Assembly and victories across all statewide offices.

Governor-Elect Ned Lamont had a crowd of supporters cheering, chanting, “Yes!” when he asked if they would support him in his next role as Connecticut’s 89th governor.

“Tomorrow’s a fresh start for the state of Connecticut,” Lamont said during remarks at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, site of his election night function, which turned into a post-election victory headquarters.

Lamont’s victory over Bob Stefanowski was the exclamation point on an evening that saw Democrats tighten their grip on state government in ways few could have predicted heading into Election Day.

Republicans had picked up 41 legislative seats since 2010, and appeared to have growing momentum behind their gubernatorial nominee, who managed to harness the frustration of many voters with his anti-tax message.

But, it was Democrats who overperformed, stealing numerous seats from the GOP in Fairfield County and beyond.

Democrats started the evening with 80 seats in the Connecticut House of Representatives and are projected to start the January legislative session with 92.

For the past two years, the Connecticut Senate had been tied 18-18, but Democrats flipped six seats and gave back none, providing them with a veto-proof supermajority in the chamber.

Senator Martin Looney, (D-New Haven), the top member of the Senate, said the gains showed that the Democratic candidates’ won on other issues in addition to the economy over their Republican counterparts.

Looney said while there is still deep division in the state with so many votes being cast for Republicans, ideas will only be a consideration moving forward.

“They didn’t win the election,” Looney said. “We did. And they trust us to go forward with it, and that’s what’s happening.”

House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, (D – Berlin) struck a more conciliatory tone, saying the issues Republican Bob Stefanowski raised during the campaign about cost of living and tax burdens were legitimate concerns, and was even open to speaking with the former GOP nominee.

“I would meet with Bob Stefanowski tomorrow if he has ideas if he wants to lay out his plan, just like Ned offered,” Aresimowicz said. “When you close your mind to other people’s ideas, you’re doing the state a disservice.”

The Democrat who emerged with a level of swagger following the elections was outgoing Gov. Dannel Malloy.

The two-term incumbent, who announced last year that he would not seek a third term in office, was the primary focus of attack across all Republican candidates.

He had a simple response to the attacks against him.

“The strategy was just stupid,” he said. “Whoever was responsible for that should raise their hand and never be hired again.”

Malloy said the decision to focus on a governor who was leaving office didn’t make sense to him. He also said the strategy was suspect when Democrats were campaigning with attacks against Republicans, tying them to President Donald Trump, who has as many as six more years left in office.

He said the fact that Connecticut voters sided with Democrats shows they have more optimism about the state’s future, than the Republicans who attempted to place all of Connecticut’s problems on its outgoing governor.

“If people are as unhopeful about Connecticut’s future as Republicans say they are then we should have lost a lot of seats. Instead, we gained a lot of seats. I think people in Connecticut are smarter than we give them credit for,” Malloy said.

Outside a Hartford Board of Education workshop Wednesday a small group of protesters tried to send a loud message to Hartford Public School’s superintendent: reinstate Freddie DeJesus at the Renzulli Gifted and Talented Academy and make him the school’s leader.

“The issue is a man of color who speaks Spanish who has been at the school for a while is being replaced by a white person. A lot of people are upset about it because there’s no reason to have that man replaced,” said Hartford community activity Cornell Lewis.

DeJesus was a longtime teacher and leader at Renzulli, but recently the school district opted not to appoint him the school’s vice principal, choosing someone from outside instead. Parents said they respected DeJesus and want his leadership back.

“He’s well-respected. He’s the heart of the school. And we want somebody who looks like us in that position,” Renzulli parent Latia Maldonado said. “We want Mr. DeJesus reinstated to his position and we want more teachers of color in the Hartford school system, people who look like us and can represent us.”

The protestors weren’t allowed to speak to Superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, so they instead stood silently in Wednesday’s school board meeting, then took their grievances to the school district’s spokesperson.

One parent said to have a Latino principal that is a privilege that should not be taken away. Others said DeJesus was like a father figure, and removing him hurts the students.

The district’s spokesperson said the superintendent has taken the concerns of the families seriously, but the matter is settled, and Dejesus will not be the school’s leader.

“They’re passionate and they’re committed to their school. And the district is committed to this program and growing this program and to those families who we view as partners in this process,” said spokesperson John Fergus. “There was a process that was conducted and it selected a candidate and that is the decision,” he added.

The protestors told NBC Connecticut they have gathered around 300 petition signatures in support of Freddie Dejesus, and while the district said the issue is decided, those protestors said they’re willing to take further action to keep the fight alive.

People took cover under tables and smashed windows in a desperate attempt to escape from a crowded Southern California bar where a gunman opened fire Wednesday night, killing 12 people, including a sheriff's sergeant who responded to the call for help.

The gunfire began about 11:15 p.m. during a college night party at the Borderline Bar & Grill, said Capt. Garo Karedjian, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Many in the crowd came from local colleges such as Pepperdine, Moorpark and Cal State Channel Islands.

The attacker, identified as a 28-year old veteran from the area, was found dead in an office at the bar after shooting himself, investigators said.

Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said his agency received multiple calls of shots being fired at the bar, which has a large dance hall, pool room and eating and drinking area. About 150 to 200 people were inside at the time, Dean said.

"It's a horrific scene in there," Dean told a news conference in the parking lot of the bar.

Minutes after the first rounds were fired, sheriff's sergeant Ron Helus and a California Highway Patrol officer went in to respond to the gunshots. Helus, a 29-year veteran looking forward to retirement soon, was speaking with his wife on the phone when he told her he needed to respond to an emergency.

"He went in to save lives," Dean said, his voice cracking. "He went in to save other people."

Witnesses told the Associated Press the hooded gunman used a smoke bomb and was wearing all black with his face partly covered. He first fired on a person working at the door, then appeared to open fire at random.

The shooter was identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long. Deputies were searching his Thousand Oaks house early Thursday in connection with the shooting. Neighbors told NBC4 he lived at the home with his mother. 

The weapon was a legally purchased Glock 21 .45-caliber handgun equipped with an extended magazine, Dean said, adding that the department has had "several contacts" with Long over the years. The most recent was in April when he was irate and acting irrationally, prompting a mental health crisis intervention team's involvement, Dean said. He was not taken into custody.

It is believed the gunman shot himself, he added. The body was found in an office next to the entrance.

Some witnesses reported breaking through windows and ducking under tables to escape the fusillade. Sarah Rose DeSon of Whittier, a communications major at Cal State Channel Islands in Camarillo, was celebrating a friend's birthday at the bar when she heard the gunfire and noticed what appeared to be a smoke bomb.

"All I remember was standing there with my friend and I heard the shots," she said. "I'm pretty sure I saw him. I'll never get that picture out of my head. We dropped, heard gunshots, a lot of gunshots.

"Everyone was under the table so it was hard to get under there. By the grace of God I got to the front door."

She ran down the stairs, got in a car, and circled the area, yelling her friend's name. She found her friend safe, hiding in the bushes.

A bomb squad was combing through the scene after some reported smoke bombs going off during the gunfire. There was no word on what motivated the shooting.

Mitchel Hunter, 19, from Simi Valley, said he saw the gunman. He said he had a short-barreled semi-automatic pistol with a big magazine.

He said he emptied the magazine and reloaded. The shooter was armed with a single handgun, according to a law enforcement source.

"I saw him walk in," Hunter said. "And he started shooting."

Hunter said his friend, Tim Munson, 19, also from Simi Valley, was hospitalized.

He didn't know his condition. Hunter said he heard some 20 shots and it seemed to take awhile before the police arrived.

"It took forever to get the cops there," he said.

Carl Edgar, a regular at the bar, said his mind was spiraling out of control.

"I'm grateful I wasn't there, but at the same time I wish I could've been there to help," Edgar said. "I don't have enough hands to count how many friends I have in there tonight.

"It's been a bad night. Wednesdays (are) the most popular because it's college night, just a bunch of lively kids, different colleges all the way from Ventura, all the way down to the Valley."

Edgar said his friends are OK, but other family members were still waiting for word on their loved ones, including Jason Coffman. His 22-year-old son Cody was still missing Thursday morning.

"I'm in the dark. They don’t have any information here," Coffman said at a family reunification center. "We're all freaking out. I don’t think his mom could do the waiting thing here. Hospitals are saying nothing. They’re chaotic right now, too."

Coffman said he plans to visit hospital, searching for his son.

The massacre was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since 17 classmates and teachers were gunned down at a Parkland, Florida school nine months ago. It also came less than two weeks after a gunman killed 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Beverly White, Jonathan Gonzalez, Robert Kovacik, Stephanie Marroquin and Oleevia Woo contributed to this report.

After her historic win, Jahana Hayes sat down with NBC Connecticut as she prepares to represent the state’s 5th Congressional District.

First up is getting used to being called “congresswoman-elect.”

“Crazy, when I heard it for the first time this morning, it just sunk on me. Wow. Still processing it,” said Hayes.

On Tuesday, the Democrat beat Republican Manny Santos for the seat.

“I think this 116th Congress is going to be tremendous. I think we’re going to have some very difficult conversations in a very robust way with people who have very different perspectives than what has been there,” Hayes said.

Hayes is set to become the state’s first black congresswoman.

This has been a whirlwind 24 hours for the political newcomer including returning an overwhelming number of congratulation messages. She said some of the most touching were sent by former students.

“It works and it happens, we can do the same thing. So, seeing those kinds of texts I think are more important than even from members, and congress people or legislators. But when young girls are saying maybe, I could try.”

Inspiring younger generations is nothing new for this 2016 National Teacher of the Year. Now she’s preparing to leave her current job with Waterbury Public Schools.

“The city has been so incredibly supportive of me. That’s going to be a difficult conversation but advocating in a different way,” she said.

It’s been an extraordinary path for Hayes who grew up in a housing project and then went on to graduate from universities with advanced degrees.

Now she’s ready to head to Washington, D.C., and will bring lessons she picked up on the campaign trail.

“I refused to go in a negative direction and wasn’t sure how that would work. So l learned that it does work and it can work and just be the change you wish to see.”

Hayes tells us sometimes you have to do what’s right, even if it’s not popular. Now she wants to get to work on issues such as school safety and healthcare.

Stamford closed the Westover Magnet Elementary School indefinitely due to mold and will relocate students to the former headquarters of Pitney Bowes.

The city previously announced that the remediation process to clean up the mold in the Westover Magnet Elementary School building will be extensive and will likely take until the end of the school year.

Students will be relocated to the building at 1 Elmcroft Road and classes will resume Tuesday.

A statement on the school department’s website says all students will start their day at Chelsea Pier and be transported to the new facility.

“I would like to recognize the herculean effort of the various city and community organizations over the past week to get Westover Elementary School relocated,” Mayor David Martin said in a statement. “I believe that this new location will provide a wonderful opportunity for teachers to educate and for students to learn in a cohesive educational community.”

At least 13 people are dead, including a sheriff's sergeant and the gunman, after a shooting during college night at a bar late Wednesday night in Thousand Oaks, California, authorities said.

The Borderline Bar & Grill shooting is the deadliest such attack since 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February. It's also the second mass shooting in less than two weeks. On Oct. 27, a man opened fire at a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people.

And Wednesday's shooting comes two days after the one-year anniversary of the deadliest church shooting in U.S. history, a massacre in Sutherland Springs, Texas, that left 25 dead.

Below, find more information on the deadliest mass shooting incidents in the United States this year.

October — Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
A prayer service was underway at the Tree of Life synagogue on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 27, when a man with an assault rifle opened fire, killing 11 people throughout the house of worship and injuring four police officers before he was taken into custody. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history and authorities said the gunman ranted about the religion during the shooting.

The accused gunman pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal charges including murder and hate crimes and remains in jail.

September — Bakersfield Rampage

Over nearly 40 minutes on Sept. 12, a man in Bakersfield, California, fatally shot five people in several locations, including his ex-wife, before killing himself when a deputy had chased him down. The victims appeared to be targeted and included a man and his adult daughter.

Investigators said a divorce may have motivated the gunman.

May — Texas High School Shooting
A student at Santa Fe High School, southeast of Houston, opened fire on fellow students and staff with a shotgun and revolver on the morning of Friday, May 18, killing 10 people and wounding over a dozen more.

Authorities have said the student confessed to the rampage and was indicted on charges that include capital murder.

February — Parkland High School Massacre
A 19-year-old former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed 17 students and staff members and wounded 17 more with a semi-automatic rifle on Valentine's Day before being taken into custody about a mile away, authorities said.

It was the worst school shooting since 2012 and prompted a nationwide gun control movement led by Stoneman Douglas students. The accused gunman remains in jail on 17 charges of murder and 17 more of attempted murder.

Kayla Simmons was enjoying college night with friends at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks when gunfire broke out.

They were dancing when they saw someone walk in and begin shooting.

"It was such a blur, it just happened," she said.

Her friend Summer said he was shooting everything.

"And we just saw smoke and we saw the shots taking off so we just tried to get down as fast as we could and get out of there."

They were among scores of people at the bar Wednesday night when a gunman threw what many thought were smoke bombs and fired bullets. Eleven people were killed along with a Ventura County Sheriff's sergeant who responded to the emergency.

The gunman was also reported dead. As sheriff's detectives, the FBI and emergency personnel converged to investigate yet another mass shooting, victims told about the harrowing ordeal.

Mitchel Hunter, 19, from Simi Valley said he saw the shooter.

"I saw him walk in, and he started shooting," Hunter said.

Cole Knapp, a freshman at Moorpark College, told The Associated Press that the shooter was wearing a black beanie and black hoodie and holding a handgun. 

"I tried to get as many people to cover as I could," Knapp said. "There was an exit right next to me, so I went through that. That exit leads to a patio where people smoke. People out there didn't really know what was going on. There's a fence right there so I said, 'Everyone get over the fence as quickly as you can, and I followed them over." 

He said that he saw a highway patrol officer nearby and yelled at him, "There's a shooter in there."

Sarah Rose DeSon, a communications major at Cal State Channel Islands from Whittier, was celebrating a friend's birthday when they heard shots. 

"I'm pretty sure I saw him. I'll never get that picture out of my head," DeSon said. "We dropped, heard gunshots, a lot of gunshots."

Other people who were at the bar broke windows and jumped out of them to escape the bar. 

"I know some people went in and knocked out, with a stool, through a window," Summer said.  

Summer said she spent time in the military years ago and instantly knew that what she heard were gunshots. 

"I heard 18 to 20 rounds at a time before I got out," she said. 

Summer and Kayla said their main concern was to take cover. They crawled behind a wooden stage inside the bar and waited until they heard more shots. 

As they were trying to hid from one place to another they got separated, but ended up finding each other again. 

"All we tried to do was get ourselves out safe and get everyone else out safe," Summer said.

The goal behind No-Shave November is to raise cancer awareness and the Windsor Locks Police Department is taking part for the good cause.

A school bus crash on Interstate 91 South in New Haven backed up traffic for around three miles this morning. 

The crash happened between exits 7 and 6 around 8:45 a.m. and first responders blocked the right lane. 

State police said they did not know if students were on that bus but said there were no injuries to anyone involved.

Dozens of CT Transit drivers have reported that they have been assaulted on the job by passengers, according to CT Transit incident reports obtained by NBC Connecticut Investigates. The reports, along with on-board surveillance footage obtained by NBC Connecticut Investigates through a public records request, detail what drivers say they have endured over the last several years.

Video from one incident in November 2017 shows a passenger throwing a swift punch to the face of a CT Transit bus driver. According to the driver, the passenger landed the punch then ran out of the bus, leaving the driver stunned and bleeding.

In another situation in December 2017, a CT Transit bus driver described getting a bottle of ice tea thrown at him from the back of the bus.

Another report includes a passenger sticking her arm in between the closing bus doors to spray mace in the face of a driver. Bus drivers also reported multiple instances of passengers spitting on them.

"The level of respect; there is none anymore," said Desiree Martone, a CT Transit operator for the last 15 years. She said she can recall one particular day more than the rest. "It bothered me," said Martone. "It still does today, that that happened."

In May of 2018, Martone said she told a pair of women they could not have their ice cream on board because it is against bus policy. You can see on surveillance video that while Martone is in the driver's seat, one of the women dumps the dessert onto Martone's head.

"It hurts, though, when you're out there doing a public service and the people attack you for doing your job," Martone said.

In April 2017, another CT Transit driver reported an incident involving an angry passenger who spit at the driver and then tried to leave. With the doors still closed, the passenger can be seen grabbing a wooden block to smash the bus windows several times.

"You're always concerned for the safety of your employees," said Cole Pouliot, General Manager of CT Transit. "Certainly it's not normal," Pouliot said of the assaults reported. "Nobody expects somebody to behave this way."

With thousands of passengers riding CT Transit every day, Pouliot said the 42 reported on-board assaults since 2016 is a relatively low number. Still, the incidents are worrisome, he said.

"I get concerned every time I see something like that," Pouliot said. "These are public servants out there."

CT Transit driver Chris Beichner described what he said happened to him in October 2016. He reported an angry passenger approaching him with drink in hand.

"And before she got off, she just dumped it over me," he said.

Other CT Transit drivers said that what they endure on the job is not always physical.

"You have customers coming at you daily threatening you, degrading you, using vulgar language," said CT Transit driver Staci Davis.

According to the records NBC Connecticut Investigates obtained, of the 42 assaults reported, only five resulted in arrests or charged. CT Transit said that is up to drivers to decide if charges should to be filed after an incident. Employees also have access to assistance programs and time away from work, if they feel the incident was serious enough to need it.

Suffield police said they have made two arrests after investigations into unrelated allegations that mandated reporters failed to comply with mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect.

Police said they have obtained warrants for 68-year-old Karen Berasi, of Suffield, and 58-year-old Cynthia Fisher, of Windsor Locks. 

Both have been charged with report of abuse of neglect by a mandated reporter and turned themselves in to police today.

They were both released on promises to appear and they are due in court on Nov. 20.

Check back for updates.