Dozens of cats found living in squalor in a Hartford home are available for adoption through several agencies.

Police found the cats inside the home at 118 Banister Street on the afternoon of Jan. 10 when they conducted a well-being check.

Inside the house, they found the body of Anthony J. Arena, 50. Police said they believe he died of an accidental overdose but are continuing to investigate.

Authorities also found several dozen poorly maintained cats and some birds.

In the days after first responding to the home, Hartford Police Animal Control Officer Sherry DeGenova and one of Arena’s relatives captured and rescued two birds and 43 cats from the home.

The birds have been placed with new owners, but the cats have been placed in various shelters throughout Connecticut and need new homes.

The cast range in age from approximately 3 months old to 10 years old, they a variety of colors and breeds and all have tested negative for Feline Leukemia/AIDS and are in good condition.  B

The following agencies are providing help to shelter and find new permanent homes for the animals.

• Whiskers Animal Shelter, 342 Lathrop Rd, Plainfield, CT 860-564-7138
• Protectors of Animals, 144 Main St, East Hartford, CT 860-569-0722
• Our Companions, 46 Floeting Rd, Ashford, CT 860-477-0988
• Animal Nation, Norwalk, CT,  Email: PurrSouls@gmail.com
• CT Humane  Society, 701 Russell Rd Newington, CT 860-666-3337
• Wolcott Animal Control, 775 Boundline Road Wolcott, CT 203-879-2579
• Tolland, CT Animal Control Division 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 860- 871-3676

Anyone interested in adopting one of these cats should call the above listed agencies directly.

New Haven police have arrested one of the three men suspected in a violent home invasion and robbery in which a gun was pointed at children and their father was assaulted, then locked in the trunk of his own car.

Police responded to a home on Stevenson Road at 11:27 p.m. on Jan. 14. and the 38-year-old homeowner relayed the violent events, police said. He later admitted to knowing one of the assailants.

The victim said he was home with his 2-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son when he heard footsteps and a masked man with a handgun demanded money.

The victim said he handed over the cash he had and two other men entered the room.

When the victim told the men he did not have any more money, one of the intruders pointed his gun at the man’s children, police said.

The intruders beat the homeowner with a pistol and he insisted that he did not have more money, but then said he had cash in his car.

The intruders then brought the two children into the bathroom before taking their father to the garage, police said.

The victim then gave the intruders cash and the men locked him in the trunk of his car.

After a few minutes, the victim freed himself from his car.

Police have apprehended Michael Hamilton, 34, of West Division Street in New Haven and said the homeowner admitted to knowing Hamilton personally.

As officers were searching Hamilton's home at 334-336 West Division Street, they recovered two loaded handguns, items taken during the home invasion, a box of ammunition and a pound of marijuana, police said.

Hamilton has been charged with home invasion, conspiracy to commit home invasion, first-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary, criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit second-degree assault, second-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit second-degree larceny and two counts of risk of injury to children.

Police provided the following descriptions: 

One tall man had an average build. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a black face mask and was carrying a handgun.

Another man was 5-feet-9 and thin. He was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt.

The third man was husky and in his early thirties. He wore a gray hooded sweatshirt and carried a revolver.

There have been several daylight burglaries in the Morris Cove section of New Haven over the last couple weeks and police are issuing a warning.

In the past 10 days, there have been about seven residential burglaries, according to police.

"We arrested someone last week for burglary, however it appears he wasn't the only crook out there," Sgt. Vincent Anastasio said in a statement. "We want to make sure our residents know we are giving this a great deal of attention. It's important people report suspicious people and vehicles to us."
 
Police advise residents to use outdoor lighting at night and alarms, as well as to secure doors and windows.
 

A shooting inside a Philadelphia high school has left two students shot. Police say one suspect has been taken into custody, but that they are still searching for at least one other juvenile.

"Two kids, a male and a female, both shot in the arm" is the call that went out over police radio minutes after the shooting on Thursday afternoon.

The shooting happened just before 3:30 p.m. at the Delaware Valley Charter School at 5201 Old York Road in the Olney section of the city, Philadelphia Police say.

A teen boy, who attends the school, pulled out a handgun inside the school's gymnasium and then the weapon fired. Police say it's currently unclear if the shooting was intentional or accidental.

Two 15-year-old students -- a boy and a girl -- were injured in the shooting, which took place near the gymnasium, police said. The boy was hit in the arm and the girl appears to have been grazed by the same bullet, police tell NBC10.

Both victims were rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center, which is just a block north of the high school.

The girl was discharged from the hosptial around 6 p.m., but the boy remains hospitalized.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey says there were seven students inside the gym when the shooting happened and that the entire incident was caught on surveillance video.

THE SUSPECTS

Ramsey says officials were able to quickly identify at least one alleged suspect using the video. They then pulled his records and sent officers to his home along the 2200 block of Bucknell Street in South Philadelphia -- which about 10 miles south of the school.

Once there, Ramsey said SWAT officers took the unidentified suspect custody. The teen's uncle said he boy didn't even make it into the home before police grabbed him.

"We had good response and were able to lock this down very, very quickly and get information very quickly as to who the suspect was and be able to locate that person very quickly and so this one worked out for us," the commissioner said.

Family members outside the suspect's home say he is 15-years-old and a "straight A student." That same family, who wished to remain anonymous, said his involvement in the shooting must be some kind of mistake.

The commissioner said police at first believed that student was the shooter, but through interviews have determined that he may have just been with the shooter.

"It's just like any other investigation, now we're able to talk with the people that were shot, the victims, able to talk with some of the kids that may have seen what took place," Ramsey said. "We have one person in custody that was part of it, at least with an individual that had a gun, if not the shooter himself, and we're looking for a second person, perhaps a third."

The gun has not been recovered. Police say they believe the suspects may have taken SEPTA's Broad Street Subway and a bus to get home. SEPTA Police are searching trash cans and station concourses along the line for the weapon.

THE SCHOOL & SHOOTING RESPONSE

Delaware Valley Charter School is one of 87 charter schools in Philadelphia. Charter schools are independent of the School District of Philadelphia. The school serves more than 600 students in grades 9 through 12.

The school was placed on lockdown following the shooting and was quickly secured. Officials say students were searched and then released on a one-by-one basis. The school was completely cleared at 5:30 p.m.

Parents told NBC10 reporters on the scene that there have been several fights at the school recently and that they had concerns about safety.

Police say the school does have security. The building is also equipped with metal detectors, so investigators are trying to figure out how the student was able to get the gun into the school.

Check back for more on this developing story.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

Fairfield police have arrested a Rocky Hill man accused of setting up a fake modeling agency and then extorting want-to-be models for sex and money.

Anand Amin, 24, of Catherine Street in Rocky Hill posed online as a female talent scout for the fictitious "Gucci Top Modeling" company, according to police.

Applicants were promised large amounts of modeling work, but had to submit nude or semi-nude photos of themselves and biographical information and pay a fee to apply, police said.

After applying, several people were coerced into more money and/or perform sexual acts with Amin to prevent him from giving the revealing photos to friends, parents, university officials and law enforcement.

Police said there was no legitimate modeling aspect, victims never received modeling work or refunds, police said.

Police learned of the alleged scheme when a former Sacred Heart University student reported being a victim for the last two years. She told police Amin posed as another female college student -- a friend of a friend who has toes to modeling  -- so she did not think anything of it.

“She thought that they had a mutual friend.  She thought that it was a legitimate modeling company.  All the while, he was portraying himself to be an agent or a representative of the modeling company,” Sgt. Sue Lussier, of Fairfield Police, said.

Then, Amin started sending the victims e-mails from the fake modeling agency and asked for money and photos to advance her modeling career.

The victim sent money, but Amin asked for more and asked for images that were more revealing than she was comfortable with, so she realized this was a scam and  tried to get her money back, police said.

However, Amin threatened to send the risqué photos to family and friends, so the the woman went to Fairfield police.

The tip led police to execute search warrants at Amin's Rocky Hill home and evidence not only corroborated the victim's account, but led police to determine that there might be more than 40 victims, police said.

Investigators said they found laptops, DVDs and other evidence.

After a five-month investigation, Fairfield police arrested Amin and charged him with larceny in the first degree by extortion and criminal attempt to commit larceny in the first degree. .

Amin was held in lieu of $100,000 bond and is due to appear in court on Jan. 30.

Police are asking additional victims who police have not already been contacted to contact the detective bureau at 203-254-4840.

Amin was arrested on a first-degree criminal trespassing charge in Fairfield in 2010, according to court records. The Fairfield Citizen reports that he was arrested after visiting Sacred Heart University. He had been dismissed from the school and Bridgeport

Bridgeport police arrested three women on Wednesday night during a sting operation at an illegal massage parlor, called the American Asian Modeling Studio.

The officers, dressed in civilian clothes, went to the Asian Modeling Studio at 3853 Main Street at about 10 p.m. on Thursday to conduct an undercover operation.

They said they spoke with to a woman through a barred door and received a price quoted price for massage and sexual services, but were told to come back because the woman working that night was busy with another client, police said.

The officers returned later, went into the salon and arrested Yongyul Kim, 75, and Jo Hall Kum, 53, who were charged with promoting prostitution and for failing to have a state massage establishment license.

Chuyoung Jang, 46, was charged with prostitution and with state licensing violations.

Their bonds were set at $2,500 each.
 

A Torrington woman who police said fired shots into a wall of her Torrington home this morning has been taken to Charlotte Hunderford Hospital to be evaluated, according to police.

Police searched for Laura Perez Shaw, 49, for hours and the incident led to precautionary school lockdowns.

No one was injured when shots were fired, police said. and Shaw did not have a weapon when she fled from her home.

Police became involved when Shaw's ex-husband went to the police department around 11 a.m. to report a domestic disturbance in the morning at the home the former couple shares, police said.

He told officers he was having a conversation with his former wife inside their residence at 130 Berry Street and Shaw became extremely excited and depressed. At one point, she reportedly fired several rounds from a handgun into a wall of the home, police said.

Police said they have recovered the handgun.

Police found Shaw in the Roosevelt Avenue at 2:15 p.m.

The investigation is ongoing.

The National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary information from its investigation into the recent landing of a Southwest Airlines 737 at the wrong airport in Missouri.

The pilots indicated in interviews the bright lights and runway orientation led to confusion on Jan. 13, when they mistakenly landed at a smaller airport seven miles away from their intended one.

The captain, who has been with Dallas-based Southwest since 1999, told investigators it was his first flight to Branson Airport. The first officer has been with Southwest since 2001 and told investigators he had flown to Branson Airport once during daylight hours.

During NTSB interviews, the pilots told investigators that the approach had been programmed into their flight management system, but that when they saw the airport beacon and the runway lights of M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport in Hollister, Mo., they mistakenly identified it as Branson Airport.

The pilots explained to NTSB investigators the bright runway lights and the fact that the runway was oriented in a similar direction led them to believe they were landing at Branson Airport.

They told investigators they flew a visual approach into what they believed to be Branson Airport and that they did not realize they were at the wrong airport until they landed.

The pilots say they had to brake heavily to bring the aircraft to a stop and then advised the Branson Airport tower that they had landed at the wrong airport.

The NTSB says it has analyzed data from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. According to the cockpit voice recorder the Southwest crew was informed by air traffic control that they were 15 miles from their intended target, which was Branson Airport.

The crew responded that they had the airfield in sight and the control tower cleared Southwest Flight 4013 for a visual approach and landing on runway 14 at Branson Airport.

According to the cockpit voice recorder, the landing was uneventful and it was not until shortly after landing that the crew realized they had landed at the wrong airport.

No one was injured in the landing at a small airport built for light jets and private planes, but passengers smelled burning rubber as the pilots braked hard to stop near the end of the runway, which gives way to a steep drop-off.

The manager of the Taney County Airport, which opened in 1970 and doesn't have a control tower, said no 737 had ever landed there.

The two pilots, each with at least 12 years at Southwest, were placed on paid leave after the incident. A dispatcher who was authorized to sit behind the captain and first officer on the flight was also placed on paid leave.

A review of the case involving a 4-year-old boy found dead in a Times Square apartment after he was abused and starved has revealed several improvements needed in the child welfare system, Mayor de Blasio said Friday.

De Blasio said some of the changes will be enacted immediately, while others may need legislation. Any mistakes made by child welfare workers were more "missed opportunities" rather than violations of procedure, the city said.

"Our duties are to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again," he said.

One change will be to require a final Family Court appearance in all abuse and neglect cases that get closed. 

The child who died, Myls Dobson, had been known to child welfare authorities since 2011 when a neglect case was brought against his mother, sources close to the investigation told NBC 4 New York.

The child was living with his grandmother when his father, Okee Wade, petitioned for custody of the child, the sources said.

Wade was granted custody in August of 2012 but on the condition that child protective services visit the boy twice a month for one year. Those visits stopped the following summer, right around the time a warrant was issued for Wade's arrest following an racketeering indictment in June for allegedly siphoning money from bank accounts in Atlantic City.

Wade left his son in the custody of a caregiver on Dec. 18 and was shortly after arrested in the New Jersey case.

The 27-year-old caregiver has been accused of abusing and starving him in the weeks before he died.

De Blasio said the city would also seek state legislation that would allow child welfare officials to better track and supervise parents who are not the subject of a child welfare investigation but who care for a child under agency supervision. 

Further, the mayor said the city wants child welfare authorities to have greater access to criminal court cases. Currently they can access information about convictions, but not active arrests that have yet to lead to a conviction, he said.

A suburban Chicago couple who lost their teenage daughter in a car crash last year feels as if they were victimized again after receiving a letter from OfficeMax Thursday.

The envelope was addressed to Mike Seay, but the second line read "Daughter Killed in Car Crash."

Seay's 17-year-old daughter, Ashley, was one of two teens killed in a crash last April when their SUV veered off the road and slammed into a tree in Antioch.

Seay says he thinks about his daughter "10,000 times a day," and was shocked to see the insensitive letter.

"Why would they have that type of information? Why would they need that?" Seay told NBC 5. "What purpose does it serve anybody to know that? And how much other types of other information do they have if they have that on me, or anyone else? And how do they use that, what do they use that for?"

Seay asked his Facebook friends how he should handle it, and eventually decided to contact the OfficeMax call center.

"The manager told her that it was impossible, that this can't be happening," Seay said.

NBC 5 reached out to Naperville-based OfficeMax, who blamed it on a third-party mailing list provider. The corporate affairs office released the following statement:

"We are deeply sorry that Mr. Seay and his family received this mailing from us, and we are reaching out to Mr. Seay to convey our sincerest apologies on this unfortunate matter. This mailing is a result of a mailing list rented through a third-party provider. We have reached out to the third-party mailing list provider to research what happened. Based on a preliminary investigation today we believe this to be an inadvertent error; and we are continuing the investigation. -- " -- Nicole Miller

Every time we think the National Zoo's beyond-adorable panda cub, Bao Bao, couldn't get any cuter, she proves us wrong. Fortunately, you don't have to wait any longer to see her in person.

The almost-five-month-old cub went on display to her adoring public for the first time Saturday morning, and the National Zoo is prepping for big crowds. They've extended hours for the panda house, which will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Why do people come to see Bao Bao?

Starting Tuesday, the panda house's hours will be 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Friends of the National Zoo will be able to make special appointments to see her before 10 a.m.)

Visitors will be allowed into the building in small groups to avoid overcrowding, zoo officials said.

Bao Bao may be visible inside or outside, depending on the day, curators said. The amount of time she and her mom, Mei Xiang, will be on view will depend on their behavior each day.

They'll also have access to a private den if they choose to hide out from the paparazzi.

Bao Bao should be socially savvy already -- she spent a morning with the media rock-climbing and following her mom. She's turned out to be a calm and relaxed panda cub, more subdued than older brother Tai Shan, curators said.

"Tai Shan was a little more vocal when we did things like weigh him, where she seems kind of relaxed about it," Smith said. "She's like her dad. Tian Tian is very relaxed and kind of goes with the flow. So I'm thinking she got that from him."

Born by surprise Aug. 23, Bao Bao first weighed in at just 4.8 ounces. She's done a lot since then: meeting Hugh Jackman, having a naming ceremony that featured video tributes from two nations' first ladies, and famously squealing her way through a vet visit.

Bao Bao's also been spending more time exploring her surroundings lately, and keepers are working on training her and are offering her a variety of enrichment items.

"She's gone from kind of crawling to walking, and she's so playful, so energetic," Smith said. "She's such a great little girl."

Are you planning to see Bao Bao when she makes her public debut? Share your experiences and photos with us on Twitter @nbcwashington using the hashtag #baobao!

A car connected to a man missing since the deadly Christmas Eve shooting of his fiancée and brother outside a San Diego mall was found in Riverside, Calif., on Friday, officials confirmed. Inside the trunk, police found the body of a yet-to-be-identified man.

According to the San Diego Police Department, the 2004 green Toyota Camry tied to missing Tierrasanta resident Gianni Belvedere, 24, was found at 12:30 p.m. in the 19500-block of Van Buren Boulevard by Riverside police officers.

On Friday night, the website of the Riverside County coroner's office listed the person in the trunk as 24 years old, adding that the person was the "victim of a homicide." The man's name has not yet been released.

Police said a passerby called authorities around 11:45 a.m. and told dispatchers a vehicle was parked in the area and there was a foul odor coming from the trunk area.

When officers arrived on scene, they met with the caller, who pointed out the vehicle. When officers popped open the trunk, they the man's body inside.

After running the license plates on the vehicle, officers learned the car was connected to the missing person case of Gianni Belvedere out of San Diego.

San Diego Police Department homicide detectives were called to the city north of San Diego County to investigate. They are now working alongside the Riverside Police Department on these latest developments.

As of 8:30 p.m. Friday, police had not yet released the identity of the man inside the trunk, nor the specific manner of his death. That information will be officially released at a later time by the coroner's office, police said.

On Dec. 24, 2013, at around 1:15 a.m., San Diego residents Ilona Flint and Salvatore Belvedere were critically shot by an unknown suspect in a parking lot outside a Macy’s department store at Westfield Mission Valley Mall.

Flint was shot in the head but still managed to call 911 to report the shooting, telling dispatchers she was injured near the mall. Salvatore was shot in the head and torso.

Officers located the wounded duo inside a vehicle in the 1600-block of Camino Del Rio North. Flint was pronounced dead at the scene shortly thereafter, while Salvatore was transported to a local trauma center with life-threatening wounds. His death was confirmed by the SDPD and Belvedere family on Dec. 27.

Both Flint and Salvatore were 22 years old. Flint was Gianni's longtime girlfriend-turned-fiancée, while Salvatore was Gianni's younger brother.

Following the shooting, police released a vague description of a possible shooting suspect described as a man wearing tan pants, between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11. Police also said a possible vehicle of interest in the case is a 2008 to 2011 dark gray Honda sedan.

A couple of days later, police and the Belvedere family confirmed that Gianni was missing and that loved ones hadn't heard from him since the fatal shootings of Flint and Salvatore.

San Diego police said Gianni has been missing since the night of Dec. 23 and was last seen at his Tierrasanta home just hours before shooting. The Belvedere family has said that Gianni may have been at the mall with Flint and Salvatore in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve.

Over the last few weeks, police have said there was no trace of the missing man. On Jan. 9, SDPD Lt. Mike Hastings confirmed Gianni’s cell phone and credit cards had not been used since he vanished.

At that time, Lt. Hastings also told NBC 7 that police had been in constant contact with the Belvedere family as investigators continued searching for leads in both the slayings and Gianni’s disappearance.

The Belvedere family has pleaded for Gianni’s safe return too, offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to their loved one.

Police issued a missing person bulletin for Gianni describing him as an Italian-American man with brown hair and brown eyes. He’s 6 feet tall, 165 pounds and likely driving a four-door, dark green 2004 Toyota Camry XLE with the Utah license plate B154VZ.

On Friday, police confirmed the car featured in that missing person bulletin was the vehicle discovered in Riverside. Detectives had not yet determined how long the car had been parked in that lot.

Meanwhile, San Diego police have yet to name a suspect in the slayings of Flint and Salvatore but investigators have said it does not appear the mall parking lot shooting was tied to any sort of robbery.

Last week, Lt. Hastings told NBC 7 that this is one of the most unusual cases he’s seen in his 20-year career. Though the Belvedere brothers and Flint are originally from Utah, Lt. Hastings said he had no reason to believe that Gianni had ever left California.

On Saturday, Riverside officials said an autopsy on the man found in the trunk would not be performed until next week, possibly on Wednesday.

A pre-dawn stampede killed 18 people Saturday as tens of thousands of people gathered to mourn the death of a Muslim spiritual leader in India's financial capital, police said.

At least 40 other people were injured in the stampede when mourners thronged the home of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the head of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community, Mumbai Police Commissioner Satya Pal Singh said.

Burhanuddin died Friday at the age of 102.

Thousands of white-clad mourners had thronged the streets of Malabar Hill, an upmarket neighborhood in south Mumbai. Many were wailing and crying as they inched forward through the narrow road.

Singh said the stampede occurred when the gates leading to the spiritual leader's house were closed at about 1 a.m. The crowds surged forward, with many people getting crushed near the gates and with no way to escape.

Singh acknowledged that crowd management around the Syedna's home was poor and said police at the scene were badly outnumbered by the huge number of mourners.

"We didn't think the crowd would be so great," Singh said. "Also, it's an emotional occasion when police cannot take harsh measures to push back the crowd."

The Syedna had succeeded his father in 1965 and led the community for nearly five decades. He was well known as a promoter of education and spiritual values in his community.

Tens of thousands of Dawoodi Bohra Muslims from all over India and several other countries headed to Mumbai for his funeral later Saturday.

Across Mumbai, shops and businesses owned by Bohra Muslims were closed Saturday in homage to their leader.

Deadly stampedes are fairly common during India's often-chaotic religious gatherings and festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety or crowd control measures.

In October, more than 110 people were killed in a stampede at a Hindu festival in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. More than 220 people were killed in a 2008 stampede at the Chamunda Devi Hindu temple inside Jodhpur's picturesque Mehrangarh Fort.

Authorities are investigating after a minivan and tractor-trailer collided in Manchester shortly after midnight Saturday.

Police said the tractor-trailer was turning left from Knox Street to Center Street when it was struck by a minivan traveling westbound on Center Street.

The driver of the minivan was extricated and taken to Hartford Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The truck driver was not injured, according to police. Neither person has been identified.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation but police said speed or driver impairment was likely a factor.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Manchester police Officer Steven Koss at 860-645-5560.

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Authorities said Levelle Shabazz, 22, was sneaking through the front yard of a home on Peck Avenue in West Haven when a neighbor spotted him crouching behind a car and called police.

Officers arrived to find Shabazz armed with a “robbery kit” that included a black pellet gun, two box cutters, a gravity knife, face mask and two pairs of black gloves. Police said Shabazz had tried to get away from the responding officers and threw the pellet gun under a car before he was arrested.

He was charged with carrying dangerous weapons, interfering with police, breach of peace and criminal trespassing.

Police said they believe Shabazz could be connected to other crimes and are continuing to investigate.

Shabazz was held on bond.

Three people were injured, including a pregnant woman, early Saturday morning after a gunman opened fire into an SUV that broke down along a Chicago expressway, officials said.

Illinois State Police said a 2008 Buick SUV broke down just before 1:30 a.m. on a southbound ramp to 71st Street off of Interstate 94.

While the Buick was waiting for help, a black Dodge Charger with orange stripes pulled up and began to shoot inside the Buick, police said.

The 27-year-old driver of the car was shot four times in his upper extremities while two female passengers in the car, one of them pregnant, were struck several times, police said.

A 19-year-old woman in the back of the car was shot six times in her lower body and a 24-year-old pregnant woman was shot three times in her lower body, police said.

The three victims were taken to John H. Stroger Hospital and Advocate Christ Medical Center in stable condition, police said.

A fourth passenger in the front seat of the car was not harmed.

The exit ramp to 71st Street was shut down following shooting but was reopened just before 7 a.m.

The Illinois State Police is asking anyone with information regarding the shooting to call the ISP Chicago District at (847) 294-4400.

At least two people have been killed and four others injured in shootings across Chicago since Friday.

A 65-year-old Avon man is facing charges after investigators found more than 3,000 child pornography files at his home, according to police.

The arrest came about after state police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which discovered that one of Kevin Brownell’s email accounts may have been associated with child pornography, authorities said.

Investigators searched Brownell’s home on Lakeview Boulevard and found more than 3,000 child pornography pictures on his electronic devices, according to police.

Brownell was arrested Friday evening and charged with possession of child pornography.

His bond was set at $85,000. Brownell appeared in court Jan. 17.

Brownell is a former NBC Connecticut employee.

Detectives in Montgomery County, Md., have charged a mother with the deaths of her two children.

Police charged Zakieya Latrice Avery, 28, of Germantown, with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. She is currently being held without bond.

The deceased children are identified as Norell N. Harris, 1, and Zyana Z. Harris, 2.  The other two children are still hospitalized.  They are identified as Taniya Harris, 5, and Martello Harris, 8.

Police were called to the 19000 block of Cherry Bend Drive Friday morning and discovered the victims. Avery attempted to run from officers, but was apprehended quickly.

“Cases like this are heartbreaking,” said Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims along with the 911 operators, police officers, evidence technicians, and fire and EMS personnel that responded.”

A neighbor called 911 on Friday saying he saw a blue car with its door open and the knife on the sidewalk outside the house. Police who responded to the scene saw a blue car with its door open. The keys were in the ignition and there was blood in the car.

Police also found a knife on the sidewalk outside. Police believe the red-handled knife may be one of the weapons used in the attack.

Officers had to force their way into the home and found the victims inside in a "very bloody" crime scene. The children were found in the bedrooms and may have been asleep at the time of the attack.

Witnesses described seeing the officers bring out the victims. "I did see a police officer holding a child ... it was a little kid," said one neighbor, who did not want to be identified.

The injured children are being treated in Children's Hospital in northwest Washington.

A band of heavy snow pounded parts of western and northwestern Connecticut Saturday with reports of 9" of snow in the town of Norfolk. 

There was a sharp gradient between heavy snow and very little snow. In Torrington 2 inches of snow was reported while a few miles north in Winchester 7.5" of snow fell.

The storm has pulled away and skies will slowly clear this evening, according to Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan.

State police said heavy snow in western Connecticut lead to many accidents and dispatchers received numerous calls from motorists stuck on snowy roads.

In Danbury, Newtown and Ridgefield between 1" and 3" of snow fell. Just to the north near Candlewood Lake nearly 5" of snow was reported in New Fairfield and Sherman. In New Milford 5" of snow fell with 5.5" in Warren and 6" in Litchfield. 

In Hartford and New Haven while some snow fell little accumulation was reported. In the Farmington Valley up to 2" of snow was reported in portions of West Simsbury and Granby, Hanrahan said.

Bradley International Airport reported a few flight delays and one cancellation. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for updated flight information.

A few flurries are expected on Sunday and Monday but significant accumulations are not in the forecast. Temperatures will become much colder next week with high temperatures in the teens both Wednesday and Thursday.

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A suspect in a Philadelphia school shooting that sent two students to the hospital turned himself in Saturday afternoon.

Police say the 17-year-old boy was involved in a shooting on Friday shortly before 3:30 p.m. inside the gymnasium of the Delaware Valley Charter High School on the 5200 block of Old York Road.

Police say an 18-year-old female student was shot in the rear of her left arm. The bullet went through her bicep and then struck a 17-year-old male student in the shoulder, according to investigators.

Philadelphia Police quickly responded to the scene and immediately secured the school to determine whether it was an active shooter situation. Police say the suspects involved in the shooting fled from the building after the two victims were struck. The school was still placed on lockdown however until police and the SWAT team determined the scene was safe. They then evacuated all students from the building. The SWAT team and Canine officers conducted another sweep of the school after all the students were released.

Both victims were taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center. The girl was later released while the boy still remains at the hospital in stable condition.

Police say school security and officials provided descriptions and identities of possible suspects in the shooting. Based on the information, police took a 15-year-old boy into custody immediately after the incident. Police later concluded however that security officers provided inaccurate information and determined that the boy was not involved in the incident. He was released from custody and will not be charged.

Investigators say the shooting was captured on the school’s surveillance system. After examining the video and conducting several interviews, police were able to identify two suspects, including a 17-year-old boy. Police executed search warrants for the first suspect’s home on the 5600 block of N. Syndenham Street as well as the 17-year-old's home on the 7400 block of Rugby Street.

Police say the first suspect turned himself in to the Northwest Detective Division on Friday. He was later released on Saturday after questioning. He has not been charged at this time.

The second suspect, the 17-year-old boy, turned himself in Saturday afternoon. He is being charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault and other related offenses. Investigators have not yet revealed whether he will be charged as a juvenile or as an adult. 

The suspect's attorney claimed that the shooting was "not intentional." The attorney also said that his client did not have a prior record and "stays out of trouble."

Delaware Valley Charter School is one of 87 charter schools in Philadelphia. NBC10 reached out to Thomas Monson, the president of the school's Board of Trustees, for comment.

"We along with Philadelphia Police are investigating these events and will provide you with details as they become available," Monson said.

Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.