The president of the Stamford chapter of Babe Ruth Girls Softball has been arrested, accused of using the organization’s funds for his own use. 

Police said they arrested 62-year-old Charles Pia, the president of the organization, Friday and he has been charged with larceny in the fifth degree, failure to register as a charitable organization and misallocation of property of a charitable organization for private use. 

The City of Stamford received complaints about suspected impropriety for many years, according to police who said they arrested Pia after a year and a half long investigation revealed that he improperly utilized girls softball funds to pay for services to his personal vehicle and to pay utility bills at his home, police said. 

Pia is accused of taking just over $1,500. 

Police said Stamford Girls Softball did not file the proper documentation with the State of Connecticut to qualify as a charitable organization but Pia continued to purport on the website and conduct business as a charitable organization. They said the Internal Revenue Service revoked the organization’s federal 501(c)3 non-profit status in 2014. 

Stamford police said they are looking into other suspicious charges on the Girls Softball account and trying to determine where cash from raffles, concession stand sales and other sources was deposited. 

They ask anyone with information on the financial workings of the Stamford Babe Ruth Girls Softball organization to call Investigator Heather Bozentko at (203) 977-4407. 

Women are breaking records in 2019: six women so far are running for president, 127 women are serving in Congress and there has been a significant increase in applications to women’s colleges. 

Over the past five years, Barnard College, the women's college of Columbia University, has seen a 64% increase in applications. 

"Barnard has continued to widen its reach nationally and globally to find young women who are intellectually engaged, who want to impact the world around them and appreciate the unique qualities Barnard presents," Barnard’s vice president for enrollment Jennifer Fondiller said. 

Barnard is not the only women’s college that has seen a sharp increase in applications. Over the past five years, applications at three elite institutions in Massachusetts have also spiked: Mount Holyoke was up 23.6%, Smith 25% and Wellesley 40%. Admissions at Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania went up by 23.1%. 

Mount Holyoke President Sonya Stephens believes there are many factors that contribute to the rise, "including but not limited to a growth in interest in social movements," she said. 

Joy St. John, dean of admission and financial aid at Wellesley said, "We've seen growth in applications from every major geographic region; and among our most recently accepted class, 57% are domestic students of color and 17% are the first in their families to attend a four-year college."

Nathan Grawe, author of the book "Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education," said the surge in women's college applications "is particularly notable given that in the country as a whole, we are in a time of stable to falling numbers of high school graduates." 

He said that while changes to the admissions process can affect the numbers, "on the face of it, a surge in applications over the last five years makes you sit up and ask, 'What is causing this?'" 

A study called "What Matters in College After College" prepared for the Women’s College Coalition found that women’s colleges alumnae were more likely than any other group to complete a graduate degree. The study also found that women’s colleges receive higher effectiveness ratings than all other colleges and universities for helping students be prepared for their first job. 

These statistics do not surprise students like Barnard senior Xonatia Lee. “When women are exposed to powerful female role models, they are more likely to endorse the notion that women are well suited for a leadership role," Lee said. "It is important to invest in a women’s education and build their leadership skills." 

Students who graduate from women’s colleges have high success rates in the workforce. Barnard’s class of 2018 had a 93 percent placement rate in work or graduate schools. 

Barnard College president Sian Beilock explained, "We attract fantastic young women and then we work to make them even better and more inspired." 

Martha Casey, a lawyer who graduated from Wellesley College in 1977, said she finds women who went to women’s colleges working on Capitol Hill, in top law firms, and trade associations. 

"Wellesley grads are just everywhere. I think that they step easily into leadership positions," Casey said. “When we were running our school, dominating our own classes, and interacting with one another as undergrads, it seemed natural to us." 

Rebecca Glass, a senior at Barnard College, never thought she would end up attending a women’s college. She started her education at Penn State and decided to transfer because she felt "the social infrastructure [Greek life] relied on disempowering women." 

At Barnard, Glass said she feels constantly empowered as she is always "surrounded by women who are so ambitious, inspirational, kind, and supportive; it is the exact opposite." 

"We need women’s colleges in order to continue to bolster, strengthen, and uplift young women today, especially women who are not upper middle class and white," Glass told NBC. 

Glass is not the only woman who has had this experience. Amy Iwanowicz, a recent graduate of Smith College, a women’s liberal arts school in Massachusetts, transferred to Smith after a year at Syracuse. “At Syracuse a lot of people rallied around sports and I think at Smith people rallied around ideals,” she said. 

"Even though women have made so much progress, I think that women are still facing things like being scared to speak up in the classroom, they feel like they are overshadowed by men," Iwanowicz said. "Women’s colleges have historically served as a place to empower and inspire women." 

In the 1960s, the United States had 281 women's colleges. With the exception of Cornell, most Ivy League Schools were not fully co-ed until the 1970s. In fact, Columbia University’s undergraduate college did not start accepting women until 1983. 

Today there are approximately 34 active women’s colleges in the United States. The most predominant of these colleges are known as the Seven Sisters. Five of the seven institutions are still all-female colleges today: Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and Wellesley College. Vassar College became a co-ed college in 1969 and Radcliffe become fully merged with Harvard in 1999. 

"In a time in our world where we are talking about the importance of having women in leadership roles, having women at the table, a place that focuses on empowering women is a great place to start," said Beilock.

The FDNY is cracking down on “escape room” locations across the city over safety concerns following the deaths of five teenage girls in Poland earlier this year, according to a spokesperson.

The task force, known as “Escape Rooms in NYC,” has issued seven vacate orders in the city, with four locations being shut down and three partially shuttered, according to an FDNY spokesperson. It has also fined nine locations.

In all, 21 violation orders were given to escape room locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

The reasons for shutdowns and fines range from safety hazards, lack of evacuation routes, fire safety concerns and operating location over-capacity, the spokesperson said.

Escape rooms host groups where players are locked in a room and have to solve an interactive puzzle in order to get out. They've soared in popularity over the last year or so. 

The task force comes after the deadly fire that claimed the lives of five teenage girls in Poland during a birthday celebration on Jan. 4. They died of carbon monoxide poisoning when a fire broke out next to the locked room.

All five victims were just 15 years old. They were buried together at an emotional farewell. 

"In their friendship they were and will remain together," a reverend said at their funeral. "They were together when their lives were ending, they are together here and they will rest together in the cemetery. Forever."

It’s that time of the year again when popular brands' “new” product announcements may dupe the gullible and give others a good laugh.

Here’s a list of April Fools’ Day pranks to look out for as you scroll through social media today. 

Google Tulip

If you’ve ever wanted to know what your plants are thinking, a new Google translator has got you covered. Yesterday, the technology company unveiled the software that will allow users to communicate with their tulips. A preview of the translator demonstrated that tulips love water and they’re willing to listen to you describe your grandchildren. The Dutch university in charge of much of the project's research is also trying to communicate with cacti, but the plants’ personalities are just as prickly as their spines.

The service is only available on April 1, which is Google’s kind hint that the service is an April Fools’ joke.

Duolingo’s Real-Life Aggressive Reminders

Anyone with the language app knows just how aggressive its reminders to continue lessons can be. There are many Twitter meme threads devoted to making fun of the app’s notifications. At least the company knows how to laugh at itself. In honor of the pranking holiday, the app announced a new notification service that would take “notifications out of your phone and into the real world.” Duo, the company’s owl mascot, will appear before you to give a “subtle reminder” to continue practicing so you don’t break your learning streak. Talk about taking aggressive notifications to an all new level.

Tinder’s Height Verification Update

The popular dating app hopes to bring “the honesty back to online dating,” with an update that will verify users’ height information. The fictional update, announced two days before April 1, would put an end to “heightlying.”

Some commenters figured out the update was fake because the sample height detector skipped from 5’9 to 6’0.

Reactions to Tinder’s prank have been mixed.

Many Twitter users hoped the company would actually implement a height verifier while others called for a weight verifier, too.

The company has been so inundated with inquiries regarding the stunt that its chief managing officer, Jenny Campbell, issued a statement revealing it was all a hoax. Campbell said the company wanted to use the joke to raise awareness that “only 14.5% of the US male population is over 6’ despite the many Tinder bios claiming otherwise.”

“This caused quite a stir among our users, and while we aren’t really verifying height, we do encourage people to stand proudly in their truth when filling out their bios,” Campbell wrote. “And conversely, we encourage all Tinder users to keep an open mind while swiping. Sometimes your most unexpected match can lead to amazing things.”

McDonald’s Shake Sauce

For those who love to dip their fries, nuggets and even apple pies in their shakes, the fast-food chain plans to launch four shake sauce dips matching its milkshake flavors.

If only it weren’t an April Fools’ Day joke.

The prank reminded some Twitter users, like MSNBC’s political correspondent and “Kasie DC” host, Kasie Hunt, of their own dipping habits.

“This might be a joke but some of us have been literally going to Wendy’s for years instead so we can dip fries in our chocolate Frostees,” Hunt tweeted.

Fresh Direct’s Cauliflower Milk

Fresh Direct, a grocery delivery company, announced the launch of Caulk, its brand of cauliflower milk. The YouTube video describing the new type of milk drops clues that it might still be in the inventing stage. Each cup of Caulk has “100% of the daily requirement of vitamins A, C and D.” The voice-over announces a plethora of Caulk’s other health benefits before finally wishing viewers a happy April Fools’ Day. Watch the video to see what other jokes you can find.

Amazon’s Tiny Food Delivery Service

Good things really do come in small packages. From bite-sized burgers and “donuts too tiny to share,” Amazon will deliver your miniature food order for free today only.

This might be a joke, but you can, in fact, get free delivery on a regular size order today if you use the promo code TINYFOOD at checkout.

SodaStream

Burps are useful after all. SodaStream, the sparkling water maker brand, partnered with retired U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly on a new water bottle that can turn your burps into water. The International Space Station’s carbon dioxide removal system inspired the made-up invention.

Starbucks’ Pupbucks cafes for dogs

Now, here’s an April Fools’ prank that all dog owners wish was true. Starbucks unleashed plans for a cafe chain for dogs. Even if you’re not a fan of April Fools’ Day pranks, watch the video for the stampede of puppies and dogs frolicking through the set.

Honda’s New Pastport model

Who said you need a time machine to travel back to the ‘90s? To give drivers’ that blast from the past they’ve been yearning for, Honda outfitted its 2019 Passport mid-sized SUV with your favorite ‘90s relics. Coin holder, beeper mount, fold-out maps, disco lights and CD player included.

Toyota Water Cruiser

Toyota posted a single photo of an SUV cruising through water on its Facebook page in celebration of April Fools’ Day. The new vehicle is part of the company’s goals to take its cars off-road and off-shore.

Shuttershock Brick-and-Mortar Library

If you only read books for the pictures, this new library might just be for you. The stock photography company announced the opening of a "massive" library to put its photos backs in the people's hands. The library will feature collections like “Happy Millennials Holding Sparklers,” “Tube Sock Vectors: An Anthology” and "Portriats of Disgruntled Ostriches.”

U.S. Open Tennis’s new furry employees

In a breaking news announcement, the United States Open Tennis Championships announced that the 2019 tournament would be the first to add puppies to the ballperson team. Ballpersons retrieve and supply balls to players and officials. The ballperson teams are now accepting applications, and all breeds are welcome.

Hasbro’s Mr. Potato Head Replacement

Potatoes are so last year. Hasbro must have thought so, too, when they decided to replace the iconic Mr. Potato Head children’s toy with Mr. Avo Head. The new toy even comes with headphones, black frame glasses, a topknot and a full beard in true millennial fashion.

Chicago Bears’ Triple Digit Jerseys

In celebration of its centennial season, the Chicago Bears football team will be sporting new jerseys that add a one in front of every number.

Tom Brady’s Hour-Long Retirement

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady joined Twitter today to announce his retirement from professional football to his fans’ sadness and his rivals’ glee. The announcement came more than a week after former teammate Rob Gronkowski retired from the team.

But after about an hour, Brady tweeted again asking if that was “a bad joke.”

Los Angeles Times’ Disses New York Food Culture

In an article titled “For cramped New York, an expanding dining scene,” an L.A. Times food reporter describes New York as a “culturally bereft island.” The article also said that New York’s “scrappy culinary scene” is gradually changing the city into a “legitimate dining destination.” Before you start sending the author angry emails in defense of New York, be advised that this is a satirical commentary on a real article. In a 2018 article, The New York Times claimed Los Angeles had an “absence of strong institutions to bind it together” and that the city’s news media lack the “different voices and the kind of competition that can ensure a live civic debate.” You reap what you sow.

Would any of these April Fools’ Day pranks have fooled you?

Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a fast-rising 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, announced Monday that he raised more than $7 million since launching his presidential exploratory committee in January, NBC News reports.

"This is just a preliminary analysis, but our team’s initial report shows we raised over $7 million dollars in Q1 of this year," Buttigieg tweeted. "We (you) are out-performing expectations at every turn. I'll have a more complete analysis later, but until then: a big thank you to all our supporters."

Buttigieg was the first 2020 Democratic candidate to announce his fundraising haul for the first quarter of 2019, an important indicator of a candidate's viability in what's shaping up to be a crowded Democratic field. All of the candidates have until April 15 to release their fundraising totals from the first quarter, which spans Jan. 1 to March 31.

A popular West Hartford restaurant has closed its doors.

Owner and chef Billy Grant confirmed Grant's Restaurant and Bar on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center is closed.

Grant said they couldn’t come to a new lease agreement and that the decision to close was "bittersweet."

“We’ve been here for 18 years and we’re very blessed to have had the run that we had," he said.

Grant also owns Restaurant Bricco in the center and a second Bricco location in Glastonbury. He said both of those restaurants will remain open as he focuses on the Bricco brand.

The majority of the Grant's employees will be relocated to one of the Bricco locations, Grant said. 

The agency that regulates elections in Connecticut could decide later this week on whether candidates for higher office can use their campaign accounts to pay for childcare services.

“It’s not just about suits and dresses and high heels,” Caitlin Clarkson Pereira, who ran for the Connecticut House of Representatives last year. “It’s also about bringing a diaper bag along with you.”

Clarkson Pereira is the poster child in Connecticut on the question of whether campaign funds can be used for childcare. When she was running to defeat an incumbent in Fairfield, she found herself with a dilemma. She had to figure out how to care for her 3-year-old daughter, Parker, while also devoting the adequate time and energy toward her run.

She asked the State Elections Enforcement Commission for guidance. She didn’t like the answer she received.

“I had to read the letter multiple times,” she said. “Because, as a mother, I’m thinking, ‘are you comparing the safety and well-being of my 3-year-old to somebody’s cell phone bill?”

The agency told her that it had received numerous, similar, requests in the past, to use campaign funds for unconventional purposes like cell phone bills and automobile maintenance, but that didn’t sit well with her. She formally appealed the decision. A spokesman for the SEEC declined to comment to NBC Connecticut but said a ruling could come Wednesday.

Last year, the Federal Election Commission ruled that candidates running for Congress could use campaign funds for reasonable childcare expenses.

The chairwoman of the FEC, Ellen Weintraub, wrote a letter to the SEEC in Connecticut in support of Clarkson Pereira’s position.

Weintraub wrote, “Campaigns go to great lengths to maximize the efficiency of the candidate’s use of her time, and to free up as much of a candidate’s time as possible to directly further the campaign.” She added, “All in the name of freeing up the candidate’s time for the campaign. But if candidates are parents to one or more small children, they must provide care for those children, a time-intensive obligation that they may not ignore.”

Toward the end of her letter, she wrote, “if those funds are spent on childcare to expand the time that candidates are available to campaign, those childcare expenses directly further the candidate’s campaign for office.”

Clarkson Pereira is hopeful that Connecticut mirrors federal law. She says she won’t stop fighting if the decision doesn’t go her way this week.

“I have said from the very beginning that there’s no part of me that’s afraid of a Clarkson Pereira v. State of Connecticut situation so we’ll see if that’s a thing that we’ll have to take part in.”

There are still a lot of questions about what caused two vacant mills in South Windham and East Killingly to go up in flames early Saturday morning, within hours of one another.

Officials said the causes of both the mill fire on Machine Shop Hill Road in South Windham and the former Acme mill on Bailey Hill Road in East Killingly are still under investigation.

“I worked in the back. I was working on first aid kits for the military. That was back in the early 70s,” said Donald Barber about the former Acme mill.

Barber’s East Killingly yard gave him a clear view of the flames spewing into the air and water being pummeled onto his former workplace early Saturday.

“Mill fires are always hard to find a cause based on the size of the structure and depending on how much is involved on arrival,” said Killingly Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Director Randy Burchard.

It posed a challenge for Burchard and responding firefighters. Killing Town Manager Mary Calorio said it was difficult for him to get into the building because of the structural damage.

“The historic nature of these mills, the character of the mills isn’t something we can ever replicate,” Calorio said.

She calls it a loss for the town. The mill, which dated back to 1846 according to the town clerk’s office, is leveled.

Hazardous material was a big concern after asbestos was found in roofing material. At the time of the fire, residents were advised to remain indoors. The advisory was lifted later in the day.

DEEP said no toxic chemicals detected in the air. But debris from the fire was found on some surrounding downwind properties. DEEP mapped the debris field and spokesperson Lee Sawyer said as of Sunday, their clean-up was complete.

Killing residents concerned about fire debris on their property were encouraged to call a hotline set up by QVEC 911.

Operations Manager Travis Irons said in the first three to four hours, they received more than a dozen calls from residents about material on their property.

“Our primary concern is security for the site,” Calorio said. “It is a large site, it is a hazardous waste site at this point.”

Because of that, the property owner arranged for a fence to be put up around the mill, she added.

The owner of the former Acme mill is listed as Shennecock Realty LLC according to the Killingly Clerk’s Office. NBC Connecticut called and emailed an agent for the property owner about the fire and did not get a response by the time this story aired.

Calorio said the mill has been vacant, but the current owner was planning on developing residential units and was actively abating the property.

“It’s sad for a number of reasons,” Calorio said. “This is part of our history. We are a region of mill towns really our history is with these mills.”

Another mill, in South Windham, also caught fire Saturday morning and also had asbestos in the roofing material.

More than 80 firefighters from over a dozen departments helped battled the flames.

Sawyer said in this case, the fire debris was mostly contained to the mill site.

DEEP will continue to be involved in ongoing efforts to clean up both sites and will work closely with the owners to make sure they’re taking necessary steps to secure and clean-up the damage, according to Sawyer.

State police said neither of the fires have been determined to be criminal in nature, but major crimes is assisting.

Burchard said seeing two mill fires within hours of one another is unusual.

“New England has a large amount of mills so anything is possible,” Burchard said.

Dr. Julio Castro, who works at the Central University of Venezuela and is one of the leaders of the nonprofit Doctors for Health, told NBC News the situation in Venezuela was growing more dire as the blackouts have dragged on.

The first blackout began March 8 and lasted for several days. The second began on March 25 and has continued on and off throughout the last week. 

Castro said at least 46 people died in hospitals as a direct result of the first massive power outage. He said at least six others have died so far because of the second one.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced a plan Sunday to ration water and power for the next 30 days. The blackouts won’t stop, and the lines for water keep getting longer, according to NBC News.

Asia Johnson and her friends from Quinnipiac University rely on ride-sharing services.

“I actually find us using Ubers often,” she said, “just because we live on campus and it’s just a quick way to get around.”

When ordering a ride on Uber or Lyft, making sure you get into the right car is a must.

“When you normally get in an Uber they’ll ask you are you this person and I know because they want to be just as safe as we do,” Johnson said.

Quinnipiac University sent Uber & Lyft safety information to students Monday following the tragedy in South Carolina.

Police said University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson was murdered after she mistakenly got into the suspect’s car leaving a bar Friday morning thinking it was her Uber ride.

“She had absolutely no chance in this,” her father Seymour Josephson said. “If there's someday else in the car, there's actually a chance.”

Lt. Don DiStefano from the Quinnipiac University Department Public Safety said students should plan ahead and never take a ride alone.

“You know the old saying there’s safety in numbers and you’ll feel comfortable with friends in the vehicle,” he told NBC Connecticut.

Lt. DiStefano offered advice for students ordering rides after a night of drinking.

“Designate somebody to be the decision maker in your group that night,” he explained. “That person can make sure that the Uber car that you’re getting into is the right car and people who may be intoxicated then can rely on that sober Uber rider to help get you home safely.”

It is important to remember rides can only be requested through the app, DiStefano said.

“Never get into a car when the driver says they’re an Uber and you didn’t order on your app,” DiStefano said, “so anybody posing to be an Uber driver and offering a ride, don’t get in the car.”

Court documents obtained by NBC Connecticut in 2016 said an Iraqi refugee posing as an Uber driver picked up a Quinnipiac student from a New Haven bar and sexually assaulted her. He’s now serving his prison sentence.

“After that incident I know we did release information safety information on how to ride an Uber safely and we continuously educate our students on that,” DiStefano said.

In addition to going in groups, riders are urged to double check a car’s license plate, make & model and to make sure the driver’s photo on the app matches the person behind the wheel.

“We always check the license plate first,” QU junior Ben Persky said. “I just want to make sure that I get in the right car.”

At the University of South Carolina, they have started a campaign to keep ride share users safe, by asking drivers a simple question, “What’s my name?”

If the driver does not know, do not get in the car.

As President Donald Trump threatens to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border, farming and food distribution industries are bracing for a significant impact. 

Due to a poor season for California avocados this year, virtually all of the avocados in U.S. stores are coming from Mexico. 

According to distributors and growers, Americans would run out of avocados in three weeks if Mexican imports were halted. 

"More avocados are being consumed in the United States than ever before," said Mike Hillebrecht, an avocado farmer in Escondido. "Mexico grows so much more and has such a bigger industry." 

Hillebrecht also predicts that the price of avocados could go up significantly if the border closes. 

Trump said Friday that there was a "very good likelihood" he would close the border this week if Mexico did not stop immigrants from reaching the U.S. 

"I eat avocados almost daily," said Omar Zuniga of Point Loma. "That would be very upsetting." 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 50 percent of all imported vegetables and 40 percent of imported fruit in this country are grown in Mexico. 

The majority of limes, cucumbers and tomatoes in the U.S. also come from Mexico.

"Hamilton: An American Musical" will return to the Bushnell in Hartford for the 2020-2021 season.

The theatre did not immediately provide details on dates or ticketing, but did confirm the popular show will be back.

The show's first visit to Hartford in December 2018 had people lining up overnight to snag tickets when they went on sale months before.

For the first time Monday the forensic nurse charged in a high profile patient abuse case faced tough questions from the prosecution.

A total of 10 employees from Connecticut’s maximum security psychiatric hospital were arrested in connection with the case.

The prosecution grilled former forensic nurse Mark Cusson during a cross examination lasting just under two hours.

The questions centered around how he treated Whiting Forensic Hospital patient Bill Shehadi in March 2017. Conduct, on surveillance tape, that, among other things, allegedly shows Cusson putting a mop on Shehadi’s head.

Cusson said he was mopping urine off Shehadi’s bed, and he did not recall putting the mop on Shehadi’s head, or over his head.

Cusson had told the jury how Shehadi is known for attacking staff - groping, biting, and punching them. Yet when asked why there’s video showing him putting his buttocks right in front of Shehadi’s face, he told prosecutors “I didn’t want to get kicked in head. I didn’t want to face him square on.”

A long parade of character witnesses called after Cusson took the stand made it clear though, that there was no ordinary course of treatment for Shehadi, and they got little or no guidance from administrators on how to handle him.

The prosecution also focused on Cusson’s contention that he wrapped his legs around Shehadi to, in effect, “swaddle” him, and calm him down. It contends this was really a form of restraint Cusson employed on Shehadi that he did not document.

Chaos and confusion shattered the peaceful calm at the site of a memorial Monday night for slain rapper and philanthropist Nipsey Hussle.

A crowd that had gathered to mourn Hussle outside his store in Los Angeles' Hyde Park area rushed to get out of the area after a fight and a report of gunfire. The stampede left 19 people hospitalized.

At least one person was stabbed at the vigil, law enforcement sources told NBC News. The Los Angeles Fire Department said 19 people were taken to hospitals, with two of them in critical condition, two in serious condition and 15 considered to be non-life threatening.

Firefighters initially said the department was responding to reports of shots fired at approximately 8:30 p.m. The Los Angeles Police Department said that reports of the shots fired were inaccurate a short time later.

A witness at the vigil said there were no shots prior to the melee.

"Somebody panicked and people started to run," David Groce said. "No shots were fired, nobody was fighting, people paniched and a group of people ran."

Newschopper4 Bravo was over the scene and observed the crowd scatter multiple times, with several people visibly injured and receiving medical attention from paramedics. 

"Is the area we in," said a community member present at the vigil, "until things get better, it's going to keep happening, regardless of any situation that goes down."

Police proceeded to create a skirmish line and dispersed the crowd that had gathered to pay respects to the slain rapper..

At approximately 9:45 p.m., the LAPD issued a citywide tactical alert, NBC News reported. A tactical alert provides police departments the option of re-distributing officers to respond to a major emergency.

The crowd later dispersed, leaving memorial items scattered and trampled on the ground. Volunteers cleaned up the site and replaced items overnight. 

The memorial was held at the location where Hussle was shot Sunday, a clothing store in the neighborhood where the Grammy-nominated rapper was from. The 33-year-old's legal name was Ermias Asghedom.

Hussle "was a big figure in our community," the man at the vigil explained. "But unfortunately," he said, "everybody doesn't receive the message, or some people don't even like the message." 

"The community is killing the community," local activist Jennifer Rivers said, "and Nipsey fought against this, you know, and now he lost his life."

Late Monday, police identified Eric Holder, 29, as a suspect in Hussle's killing. He is believed to have fled in a white 4-door Chevy Cruze.

Two other people were injured in the shooting. 

NBC4's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.

A Milford, Connecticut, woman says Joe Biden touched her inappropriately at a 2009 political fundraiser in Greenwich when he was vice president.

Amy Lappos, a former aide to Democratic Rep. Jim Himes who now works as a grant writer for non-profits, alleges that Biden touched her face with both hands and rubbed noses with her. She is the second woman to share an account of an interaction with the former vice president that she said made her uncomfortable.

The story was first reported by the Hartford Courant.

Lappos said she had her run-in with Biden when she was a new staffer volunteering at a fundraiser for Dannel Malloy, who was announcing his gubernatorial run.

She said as volunteer staff she was inside while the event was outside. According to Lappos, Biden came through the room as he was leaving the event and someone pointed out that they were staff.

"He came over to tell us how much he appreciated his congressional staff and what an important role we play and we were over-the-moon excited," she said.

Lappos said there were other staff and Biden's Secret Service detail in the room, and he stopped to take pictures with them.

"He just slid his hands behind my neck and pulled me close. I was thinking … I had 10 minutes of thoughts in two seconds because I was thinking, ‘Is he going to kiss me? What is he doing?’" she told NBC Connecticut.

"Our noses touched and then he rubbed noses with me for like 10 seconds, 15 seconds, he was saying something to me - I don't remember what," she continued.

She said the whole interaction was uncomfortable, but Himes was not in the room when it happened and she didn't report it.

"He's the vice president. Who do you complain about the vice president to? I was freshman staff ... for a freshman congressman?"

Lappos said she never shared the story until she heard the story of Lucy Flores, who wrote an essay accusing the former vice president of acting inappropriately with her in 2014. She has since spoken with Himes’ chief of staff and said they have been very supportive.

"I never really thought anything of it other than it was uncomfortable and weird until I saw Lucy's story and Lucy described perfectly how she felt and how it wasn't sexual but how it was crossing a line. And I thought, ‘My gosh, that's, like, I've been trying to find the words for this for so long,’" Lappos said.

In an article published in New York Magazine Friday, Flores, a former Nevada state representative and the 2014 Democratic nominee for Nevada lieutenant governor, wrote that she and Biden were waiting to take the stage during a rally in Las Vegas before the 2014 election. She says the vice president put his hands on her shoulder and planted a kiss on the back of her head.

Lappos said she was motivated to speak out when she saw the treatment Flores was getting in response to her story.

"This is the platform for me to be able to say, ‘This happened. I believe Lucy, and hey party, we're progressive, let's not set the bar this low. Let's hold men accountable. Let's nominate men and women in our primary that represent the way we want women to be treated,’" she said.

She said that if the same thing happened to her again, she would speak out, because people need to be held to a higher standard.

"I don't feel violated. I don't feel victimized, but I do feel he crossed a line. I feel like it was wrong. I feel like he did not respect my boundaries because I'm a woman, and that disappoints me," she said.

Biden's team has not specifically addressed the Lappos allegations at this time.

Biden spokesman Bill Russo did acknowledge Lucy’s essay, saying in a statement Friday, "Neither then, nor in the years since, did he or the staff with him at the time have an inkling that Ms. Flores had been at any time uncomfortable, nor do they recall what she describes."

Russo said Biden "believes Ms. Flores has every right to share her own recollection and reflections, and that it's a change for the better in our society that she has the opportunity to do so."

Russo didn't directly respond to Lappos, instead referring to another statement in which Biden said he doesn't believe he has acted inappropriately during his long public life. The former vice president said in that statement: "We have arrived at an important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences, and men should pay attention. And I will."

NBC Connecticut has not verified Lappos’ account. NBC Connecticut did reach out to Rep. Himes’ office but has not yet heard back.

There has long been talk that Biden may decide to seek the White House, though an official decision hasn’t been announced.

Vandals damaged soccer fields in Canterbury, broke into a storage shed and set soccer equipment on fire, according to investigators. Police are trying to determine who is responsible. 

A tractor was also found stuck in mud in the middle of the field, which is located off Wauregan Road. 

While the damage is a setback, the athletic association said people are coming forward with support. 

“It's a small town, but the heart's big,” Andrew Veloce, of the Canterbury Athletic Association, said. 

He said people in town have come forward and expressed their desire to provide help. 

Anyone with information is urged to call state police.

A $250,000 lottery prize if providing a ray of light for a North Carolina man battling stage 4 cancer.

Richard Beare, of Charlotte, told the North Carolina Education Lottery that he rarely plays the lottery. But when Beare's wife asked him to buy a Powerball ticket two weeks ago when the jackpot "was so high," the retired mechanic decided to get some scratch-off tickets as well.

He asked the clerk for four Carolina Black tickets. 

"The fourth one was the winner," Beare said in a news release from the state’s lottery. "When I saw that I had matching numbers, I asked her, 'What does it mean if I match the numbers?' She said it meant I won a prize. I told her, 'Well, I guess we just won $250,000 then.' She was in shock and just kept looking back and forth to me and the ticket."

For Beare, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer, the cash prize is "a relief." He told the N.C. lottery he is planning to travel the world.

"I want to travel while I can still enjoy myself," Beare said. "My wife has always wanted to go to Italy, since that’s where her descendants are from. Now I can take her."

According to the N.C. lottery, Beare took home $176,876 after state and federal tax withholdings. 

A 29-year-old man was identified Monday night as the suspect accused of fatally shooting rapper and philanthropist Nipsey Hussle outside his clothing store. 

Eric Holder is wanted in the shooting of the 33-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Ermias Asghedom, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Two other people were wounded in the Sunday shooting outside Marathon clothing store, a business Hussle opened in the Hyde Park area of Los Angeles. 

Holder was last seen in a 2016 white 4-door Chevy Cruze with California license plate 7RJD742, police said.

The shooting took place on Sunday afternoon at around 3:20 p.m. in the 3400 block of West Slauson Avenue, police said. The suspect fled from the scene into a nearby alley where a getaway vehicle was waiting, police said.

It was not immediately clear whether there was a prior connection between Hussle and the suspect. Police have not publicly discussed a possible motive for the shooting.

A police news conference is scheduled for Tuesday morning. 

Also Monday, a vigil outside Marathon turned into chaos after a fight broke out. In the confusion, hundreds of people stampeded from the area, trampling candles and other items left in tribute to the rapper and philanthropist. 

At least one person was stabbed and multiple others injured, authorities said. 

Volunteers and residents restored memorial items early Tuesday.

Detectives are asking for the public's help to find the suspect. Anyone with information related to his whereabouts or this deadly shooting is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide at 323-786-5100. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Alternatively, tipsters can go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Police are investigating after a man was shot multiple times on Welles Street in Waterbury on Monday night.

Officers were called to Welles Street shortly before 10 p.m. after getting a report of shots fired.

When police arrived, they said they found glass on the side of the road and shell casings in the middle of the street.

Several people in the area told police they heard several gunshots and cars speeding off. 

While police were investigating on Welles Street, officers said a separate call came into dispatch reporting an adult male who was on Porter Street with a possible gunshot injury.

When officers arrived to Porter Street, they said they found a man with more than one injury reported to be from gunshots. First responders arrived and treated the man.

The man and the adult woman who called police to report someone being shot told officers that the shooting took place in the area of Bank Street and Porter Street, police said.

Investigators determined the man with the gunshot injury was involved in the incident on Welles Street, according to police. The man was transported by vehicle to Porter Street before someone called 911 to report that he was shot and needed help.

The man was transported to the hospital to be treated for multiple gunshot wounds. He is out of surgery, but remains hospitalized, police said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (203) 574-6941 or Crime Stoppers at (203) 755-1234.

Interstate 95 in Groton has reopened after downed power lines closed it for hours in both directions on Tuesday. The outages associated with the downed lines caused Groton Public Schools to cancel school for the day.

The highway was closed between exits 87 and 88 in both directions, according to Connecticut State Police. The highway has since fully reopened.

There was also a brush fire on the southbound side of the highway between exits 88 and 87, according to Connecticut Department of Transportation. Police said the brush fire has been taken care of.

Shortly after the highway partially reopened, a four-car crash was reported just near exit 89 on I-95 southbound. State Police said no injuries were reported and the crash was minor.

A crew using a crane to install new signs over I-95 hit power lines belonging to Groton Utilities, the company posted on their website.

"As a result, multiple fires have been reported, electric power lines are down and there are multiple outages in Groton," the company said. 

Groton Utilities said they are working to identify the damage and protect the public and traffic from danger.

Groton Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday due to the power outage along the highway, the school system posted on their website.

Poquonnock Bridge firefighters said they had to call a multiple alarm for what appeared to be power surges that caused odors of smoke or light hazes of smoke.

A hotel in the area had to be evacuated because there was an electrical odor and haze of smoke. Crews determined the smoke was coming from a vent. Guests have been allowed back in their rooms, but the hotel is operating on emergency power, according to firefighters.

Mutual aid has been called in from Gales Ferry, Electric Boat, New London, Mystic and Old Mystic for various alarms and odors of electrical smoke.