Former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith was shot eight times, according to the Orleans Parish coroner, NBC News reported. 

Smith was shot seven times in the back and once in the lateral chest wall, according to the coroner. Toxicology results aren’t expected for six to eight weeks. 

Smith family attorney Peter Thompson said Wednesday the suspect, Cardell Hayes, “actually stood over Will Smith’s dead body.” The comments were refuted by Hayes’ lawyer, John Fuller, who refused to rule out that his client was the victim of a cover-up. 

Thompson's account of the shooting was the first from the family, after Fuller suggested Hayes may have been trying to protect himself during a hostile situation after an apparent hit-and-run with Smith. 

If you think the waits at airport security are bad now, just wait until summer — that's the warning from American Airlines, the latest in a growing chorus of Transportation Security Administration critics who say the agency isn't doing enough to make sure passengers make their flights, NBC News reports.

"The lines at TSA checkpoints nationwide have become unacceptable," American spokesman Ross Feinstein said in a statement Wednesday, with the problem getting "exponentially" worse in the first three months of the year.

Airports in Washington and Georgia are considering replacing TSA personnel with private security contractors.

The uproar puts the TSA in a tough spot: make sure no terrorists get on a plane, but also avoid inconveniencing millions of law-abiding travelers while fighting budget cuts. 

A former Reuters journalist was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday for helping Anonymous hack the Los Angeles Times website, according to the Justice Department, NBC News reported. 

Matthew Keys, 29, was accused in 2013 of providing hackers with login information to a Tribune server to “disrupt” the Times website, the Justice Department said in a statement. Keys worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento. 

In December 2010, an online Times story on tax cuts was briefly altered. 

In a post on the website Medium on Wednesday, Keys said he was innocent. But the Justice Department described him as a “disgruntled former employee who used his technical skills to taunt and torment his former employer."

Keys was found guilty of conspiracy to cause damage to a protected computer and other crimes in October.

A Seattle man suspected of killing a Washington mom and dismembering her body was charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday, NBC News reported.

John Robert Charlton, 37, is being held on $2 million bond and could face 28 years in prison if he’s convicted of murdering Ingrid Lyne — and of a second charge of stealing her car, prosecutors said.

Lyne, 40, a nurse and mother of three daughters, went on a date Friday night with Charlton, whom she met online, police said.

According to court documents, investigators believe Charlton killed her at her home and moved the body to Seattle. Charlton told police he blacked out after their date and doesn’t remember what happened, the court documents said.

Charlton is scheduled to be arraigned on April 27.

Florida prosecutors will announce Thursday whether they plan to prosecute Donald Trump’s campaign manager on a battery charge in connection with former Breitbart News Network reporter Michelle Fields, NBC News reported. 

Fields said on her Twitter account Wednesday that Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg’s office told her the decision to go forward with the case against Corey Lewandowski would be announced on Thursday. 

Lewandowski turned himself in to police on a charge of simple battery after he was accused of grabbing and bruising Fields’ arm during a campaign event on March 8. He initially said he had no contact with her, but video released by police showed he did.

Politico, citing multiple sources whom it didn’t identify, said Wednesday that Aronberg will announce Thursday he won’t pursue the charge.

Police said when they observed a wanted suspect traveling on Route 118 in Harwinton, they were led on a pursuit.

On Wednesday, police saw a man, Kevin Kundert, who was wanted for a robbery driving his car at around 3:10 p.m.

When troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspect refused and led police on a pursuit. 

State police said they deployed stop sticks and one of the suspect's tires was deflated. However, the suspect continued to driver with the flat. 

When Kundert lost control of his car, he collided with another vehicle near Route 8 at exit 42. 

Police searched is car and found a loaded .32 caliber pistol and Suboxone. Kundert was transported to the hospital for minor injuries. 

The Barkhamsted man is accused of criminal possesion of a firearm, weapons in a motor vehicle, carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of narcotics, first-degree reckless driving, interfering with an officer, engaging in a pursuit and driving without insurance.

Kundert is expected to appear in court on April 14. 

Deep cuts are on the horizon for many state agencies but one family says cuts to mental health would be devastating.

For Stacey Daves-Ohlin, her daughter's upcoming high school graduation should be a moment of happiness but now there's dread. Dread that the state cuts to mental health will hurt Sydney's chances and so many others.

"She's a really good girl with a kind heart. She has an intellectual disability which requires her to have some assistance," said Stacey.

Agencies like the Department of Developmental Services help children and adults across the state. For Sydney, they're giving her important opportunities to socialize, become independent, and help with the transition from school to the workforce. If deep cuts take place, though, that may all go away.

"I want to be able to have the help to get a job and keep a job and be able to be successful," said Sydney.

"There's a time when the parents aren't going to be here, and my daughter is an only child. If we're not here and she doesn't have a place to live independently, where's she going to go?" asked Stacey.

Stacey says she knows cuts need to be made but that mental health isn't the place to do it.

"I understand that people will lose their jobs possibly in various areas. I myself just recently lost a job," said Stacey. "But at the end of the dark hallway, there is a light. If you take these services away from these kids, there is no light. There's nothing."

When Sydney first found out about the proposed cuts, she said she reached out to Governor Malloy and other lawmakers but got nowhere. Now she's scared about what will happen if services she and others depend on are gone.

"You're sacrificing these people to live a life without purpose, to basically exist, not live a life. And I don't think that's anything any of us want," said Stacey.

"Governor, I would like to ask you for a one-hour meeting because I understand at the high level you have to make these budget cuts but I don't think you understand the impact."

Sydney says she wants to get a job helping children but needs help to make that happen.

"I like helping [children], to help them grow and be successful," said Sydney.

NBC Connecticut has reached out to the governor's office.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump will be in Hartford on Friday night, his campaign confirmed. 

Trump is expected to be at the Connecticut Convention Center at 7 p.m. on Friday, Annika Deming, the communications manager at the venue said. 

The event will be standing room only and the hall can accomodate about 8,000 people. Tickets will be required and can be found on his campaign website. 

On Thursday, Trump opened his Connecticut headquarters in Berlin on the turnpike, just south of route 9. 

With Connecticut primaries looming at the end of the month, political candidates are spending their time and money to get the attention of the state's voters while delegates are still up for grabs.

"It's not surprising. Obviously, Connecticut is going to play a crucial roll in choosing the next President of the United States. Every vote will count because there are delegates up for grabs," JR Romano, Connecticut Republican Spokesperson told NBC Connecticut.

Republican John Kaisch was the first candidate to make a public appearance in the Nutmeg State last Friday. 

As for Democratic candidates, Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign has spent $765,000 on ads for Connecticut TV stations and Hillary Clinton's spent $250,000, according to FCC filings. 

"Donald Trump has run a campaign based on hatred and division. He has lied and insulted his way to the top of the Republican field. Trump's message may sit well with Chairman J.R. Romano and the base of Connecticut's Republican Party, but it will not sit well with Connecticut's women - who he has promised to punish if they seek an abortion, or with immigrants - who he has called rapists and murderers, or with Connecticut's Muslims - who he has promised to ban from entering the country," Connecticut Democrats said in a statement on Wednesday.

The state's primary vote will happen April 26.

Gunshots rang out during a tribute for a homicide victim in Norwalk on Wednesday night and police are investigating.

Officers responded to the Day Street side of the Washington Village Housing Complex just at 9:18 p.m. on Wednesday to investigate reports of gunshots and found tribute candles and a large group of people walking away from the area.

As officers interviewed the group, detectives determined that the group had gathered in the area to pay tribute to a homicide victim, police said.

Officers found two handguns and two shell casings in the road and said this appears to be isolated and no individuals were targeted.

Anyone with any information should email Detective Mulkern at amulkern@norwalkct.org, call the

Norwalk Police Tip Line at 203-854-3111, post an anonymous Internet tip on Norwalk Police website. Anonymous text tips can be submitted by typing "NPD" into the text field, followed by the message, and sending it to CRIMES (274637).

A former Ohio seminary student pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to adopt and sexually molest infant girls in San Diego.

In the plea agreement, Joel A. Wright, 23, admitted to writing numerous explicit emails where he described how he wanted to sexually assault infants under the age of 4 in Mexico. 

"There are no words to describe the horror that might have happened, had an innocent baby been placed in this man’s arms," said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy, in a statement. "There is nothing more important on my agenda than keeping children safe from pedophiles."

Wright, a former seminary student at Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, posted Craigslist ads starting Nov. 25 seeking a female tour guide, according to the plea. When an unidentified witness replied, he told the witness he wanted to "adopt/own a baby girl (under the age of 3)" and have sexual intercourse with her, according to the plea agreement. 

In a different email to an undercover federal agent, Wright admitted to telling the agent he bought infant pain relief medication and a "pretty outfit" for a 1- or 2-year-old, according to the document. 

Wright flew into San Diego International Airport on Jan. 29 and called the undercover agent to say he had landed, according to the plea agreement. 

Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations met Wright outside baggage claim and took him into custody. 

According to officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Wright had planned to travel from San Diego to Mexico to have sex with at least three babies.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of attempted enticement of a minor. In the plea agreement, Wright admitted he had intended to adopt or purchase female infants and toddlers in Tijuana for the purpose of sexually molesting them. 

At his sentencing July 1, Wright faces a maximum penalty of life in prison with a minimum mandatory 10-year sentence, maximum $250,000 fine and lifetime registration as a sex offender. 

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has come under fire for remarks his supporter made in a speech at a massive rally in New York City Wednesday night, NBC News reported. 

"Now Secretary Clinton has said that Medicare for all will never happen. Well, I agree with Secretary Clinton that Medicare for all will never happen if we have a president who never aspires for something greater than the status quo," health care activist Dr. Paul Song said. "Medicare for all will never happen if we continue to elect corporate Democratic whores who are beholden to big pharma and the private insurance industry instead of us."

Song quickly apologized and denied that he had Clinton in mind, but his comments drew quick rebukes from Clinton's supporters, some of whom viewed it as a sexist attack aimed at the former secretary of state. 

Sanders responded to the remarks on Twitter on Thursday morning, calling Song's comment "inappropriate and insensitive."

Gas is off to around 250 Eversource customers in Willimantic this morning and crews have been working through the night to restore it.

A third-party contractor was working on a gas line on Wednesday and there is air in the lines, which could blow out furnace pilot lights, officials said.

Crews have isolated the issue and gas service was shut off to all affected customers a little after midnight. Teams are working on re-energizing the system.

Eversource will call customers to tell them when they can expect their gas to be back on.

A pedestrian has been struck at Jackson and Valley Streets in Willimantic.

Police said they received the report at 8:45 a.m. and minor injuries are reported.

No additional information was immediately available.

A husband and wife who were arrested after an argument got out of hand at Royal Buffet in Manchester last weekend pleaded not guilty to assault charges in court today, according to documents. 

The argument started at 410 West Middle Turnpike on Saturday, April 2 over crab legs at the buffet table, or the water they were in. That led to a scuffle and a 21-year-old man being punched in the face and losing a tooth, police said.

The injured man's mother, Denise Avery, jumped in and used pepper spray on her son's attackers, according to police. They determined she was acting in self-defense and said she would not be charged.

Avery said the fight was not over the crab legs. It happened after she complained about a little girl playing in the crab leg water and the parents got upset.

Avery said she complained to the restaurant when she saw a girl playing in the water the crab legs were in and asked for clean water. The girl's family took offense, leading to the conflict.

Police then arrested Clifford Knight, 45, and Lataya Knight, 38, both of whom are from Windsor and were identified as husband and wife. Lataya Knight was charged with disorderly conduct and threatening in the third-degree. Clifford Knight was also charged with disorderly conduct with the added charge of assault in the third-degree.

Avery said Clifford Knight punched her son and broke two teeth and Lataya Knight punched her in the back of the head and broke her nose.

Clifford Knight was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond and Lataya Knight was released on a $2,500 non-surety bond. They are both expected back in court on May 20.

High pressure maintains command of the region and that means the beautiful weather will continue.

Under clear skies, it will be frosty again tonight as temperatures fall back to freezing.

Tomorrow will be a bright day with lots of sunshine. A few wispy clouds are possible. Temperatures will rise into the upper 50s.

A persistent north and northeast flow is keeping the temperatures from soaring into the 60s for a few days.

The weekend looks great for outdoor activities, as the sky will be completely clear.

Saturday's high temperatures will be in the upper 50s.

Highs will be in the upper 60s on Sunday, but will struggle to hit 70.

By Monday, temperatures will finally be in the lower 70s.

A cold front could spark a shower on Tuesday.

More importantly, temperatures will fall below seasonable levels again on Tuesday. Highs will only be in the upper 50s.

A high school near Fresno, California, will allow some of its staff members to carry concealed weapons, a decision the school’s superintendent said will create "a safe environment for students and staff members."

The controversial policy underwent months of review before being approved 5-0 by the Kingsburg Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees Monday, making the district the second in California to allow staff members to carry concealed weapons on campus, reported NBC affiliate KSEE in Central Valley.

Folsom Cordova Unified, near Sacramento, has also allowed some employees to carry guns at school.

The policy will allow up to five staff members with concealed-carry permits to carry guns at school after going through an application process and having their discipline records and school conduct evaluated. The staff will also have to undergo firearms training, held by the school district twice a year. Nobody on campus will know who is selected to carry the guns.

"It’s unfortunate we live in a society where we have to even consider these measures," district Superintendent Randy Morris told KSEE. "But the reality is we do."

Morris said state law allows him to permit concealed-carry permit holders to have firearms on campus.

"It’s an opportunity to put our kids and staff in a better position," he said.

It comes more than three years after 20 first-graders and six staff members were killed in a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The rampage prompted schools across the U.S. to take another look at campus safety and security, with many carrying out drills, bolstering security staff and even installing bulletproof whiteboards in classrooms.

Kingsbury district officials said the Sandy Hook shooting — along with other recent school shootings and terror attacks — prompted them to put the policy in place.

"During Sandy Hook, six staff members died, 20 children died, and it lasted less than five minutes, so that’s about one death every twelve seconds — imagine if one of those teachers was also armed," said Kingsburg police Chief Neil Dadian.

Dadian told KSEE he supports the new policy.

"If a staff member wants to put themselves at risk like that I am all for that — I will support them in any way I can," Dadian said.

Not everybody is happy about the new policy, however, with some even comparing it to the Wild West. Opponents said a fence around campus and even a security guard are better options.

"Now we are going to add something else for the teachers to think about — shooting people, really?" Mary Lou Swenning, whose grandchildren are enrolled in the district, told KSEE.

Most people know April 15 as the deadline for submitting personal tax returns, but that's not the case this year. 

For the 2016 deadline, the Internal Revenue Service has given taxpayers in all but two states until Monday, April 18 to pay their taxes. 

When the date falls on a weekend, it is often moved to the following Monday. But this year, April 15 is a Friday.

Here's what's happening. The IRS is observing a holiday that is usually only observed in Washington, D.C.

Emancipation Day marks the day the Compensated Emancipation Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln and is observed April 16.

It's a legal holiday in D.C., and public employees are given the day off work. However, because this April 16 falls on a Saturday, it is celebrated on the closest weekday, which is Friday, April 15.

This means public employees such as those who work for the IRS will have April 15 off work, so that pushes the tax deadline to the next business day: Monday, April 18.

For taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts, another holiday pushes their tax deadline back to Tuesday, April 19. This legal holiday is Patriots’ Day, and it is always observed in the two states on the third Monday of April.

However, the first installment for estimated tax payments is due Monday, April 18, whether or not the person lives in Maine or Massachusetts. That's because estimated tax payments are required to be sent to another state that does not observe the holiday.

For full information visit IRS.gov. 

This article was provided by our partners at moneytips.com
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A 200-page report on police accountability found that 74 percent of people shot by Chicago police over the last eight years were black, prompting the leader of the city’s task force to call the revelations "a day of reckoning for all of us."

Lori Lightfoot, chairwoman of Chicago's Task Force on Police Accountability, called the scathing report a "blueprint for long-lasting change." The findings were announced during a news conference Wednesday.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed a panel to conduct the report amid outrage over the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in October 2014. Video of the shooting was released in December.

Lightfoot said interviews with more than 100 community members, officers and experts in the field, along with members of 95 community organizations, revealed an overwhelming opinion that the department lacks accountability and "humanity."

"One of the consistent themes we heard was that they do not respect their humanity," Lightfoot said.

According to the report, over the past eight years, 74 percent of people shot by Chicago police were black, while only 14 percent were Hispanic and 8 percent white. The report called McDonald’s shooting "the tipping point" in a long history of intimidation.

"The question isn't, 'Do we have racism?'" Emanuel said Wednesday. "The question is, 'What do we do about it?'"

The task force recommended the creation of a Community Safety Oversight Board and suggested replacing the Independent Police Review Authority with a civilian board.

"IPRA is badly broken," it wrote, saying the agency and its companion — Bureau of Internal Affairs — lack true independence and are not held accountable for their work.

In addition, the task force said the department must dismantle its "code of silence," which the authors say is made "official policy" thanks to collective bargaining agreements between police unions and the city.

"There is a clause that an officer has the ability to amend a statement within 24 hours when there is video," said task force member Maurice Claussen. "We don’t know why that should exist."

In a statement Tuesday night, Fraternal Order of Police president Dean Angelo told NBC5, "We are very concerned about that type of language being used by a group that was asked to examine the department. On the surface of what has been shared by the media thus far, it appears that the task force erred in their reporting."

Meanwhile, the city’s policing practices remain under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.

"It would break our hearts to know that our leaders would only make changes if someone from the outside forced them to do so," said task force member Victor Dickson.

A car flipped over after a crash on West Rock Avenue, near Whalley Avenue, in New Haven.

Police and firefighters have responded to the scene.

Layoff notices have been going out to state employees as the state deals with an estimated $922 million budget deficit and employees of the judicial branch will begin receiving notices today of layoffs, which go into effect on June 24. Plans are also underway to close courthouses and offices.

A notice from the Judicial Branch says there will be 126 layoffs.

“As we are all painfully aware, the State budget crisis is very real and very severe. Although a State budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016, has not yet been finalized, we have no reason to expect the approval of a final budget under which layoffs will not be necessary. The budget cuts we face are simply too large,” Chief Justice Chase Rogers said in a message sent to employees.

“Regrettably and unavoidably, we must now start the process of downsizing the Judicial Branch workforce,” Rogers wrote.

Rogers said the layoffs will “occur in a manner consistent with the 'seniority' definition in each of our four collective bargaining agreements and in accord with our existing practice and procedures.”

The layoffs will be in effect as of June 24 and no one will have to leave the workplace immediately after receiving a layoff notice.

This is the later round of layoffs and Gov. Dannel Malloy said that the state will eliminate 2,500 jobs through layoffs, retirements, attrition and hiring freezes.

Layoff notices went out to 165 state employees on Monday, including 106 employees of the state Department of Children and Families and 59 employees of the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

On Tuesday, 71 layoff notices went out, including to 43 staff members from the Department of Social Services, 24 to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and four from the Department of Economic and Community Development received layoff notices.

On Wednesday, layoff notices went to 34 Department of Social Services employees. 

Rogers said this is the “most difficult action that we have had to take as Chief Justice and Chief Court Administrator.”

“Each Judicial Branch employee was hired with the expectation that he or she would have a long and successful career within the Branch. We are truly sorry that these actions must now be taken, and we recognize that these layoffs will significantly affect the lives of our employees and their families,” she wrote.

He warned that the cuts in staff and the expected budget cuts will change how and where the Judicial Branch conducts its business.

“We are currently developing plans to close courthouses and offices, and to consolidate the staff and operations into other locations. To leverage our reduced workforce, we will be realigning and transferring the court business being conducted in some court locations to other court locations. We are also looking at reducing and eliminating programs that provide vital rehabilitative and treatment services to juvenile and adult offenders. We have no choice given the magnitude of the proposed budget cuts to the Branch,” Rogers wrote.