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New Haven Gears Up to Host Connecticut Open Again

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Fans of world-class women's tennis can find it at the Connecticut Open in New Haven Aug. 21-29, "the major league sporting event New Haven hosts," in the words of New Haven Mayor Toni Harp.

She saluted UTC Tuesday morning in a presentation at the Connecticut Tennis Center for agreeing to keep sponsoring the tournament through 2017.

"We are thrilled that nonprofit organizations throughout Connecticut will now have the opportunity to use open tickets as a significant fundraising opportunity for their own charitable work," Peter Holland, of UTC, said. 

Tournament manager Anne Worcester called it the "50-50 project," allowing nonprofits across Connecticut to sell tournament tickets and keep half of the net proceeds for themselves.

She said defending champ Petra Kvitova and American star Madison Keys had committed to play in New Haven.

She also announced the four "Men's Legends" who will play -- Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Jim Courier and James Blake, who went to high school in Fairfield.

"I'm so thankful to still be a part of the game and still be playing in front of fans that appreciate the fact that I grew up here - get to play with some pretty fun competitors," Blake said.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Michelle Obama Speaks at Graduation

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In a nod to her past, the first lady spoke about growing up on Chicago's South Side Tuesday evening during her commencement address to the graduating seniors from King College Prep.

"I know the struggles many of you face: how you walk the long way home to avoid the gangs: how you fight to concentrate on your schoolwork when there's too much noise at home; how you keep it together when your family's having a hard time making ends meet," Michelle Obama told the students. 

The first lady grew up in the South Shore neighborhood near King College Prep, which is located in Kenwood, the same neighborhood the Obamas lived in before they moved to the White House. Instead of dwelling on the hardships in the community, however, Obama encouraged students to think beyond the stereotype of their neighborhoods and realize their own potential.

Perhaps in reference to "Chiraq," Spike Lee's contentious film about "black-on-black violence" in Chicago, Obama maintained that most of the people in the South Side communities where the students live are decent and hardworking, echoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel's disapproving remarks about the film.

"I'm here tonight because I want people across this country to know that story, the real story of the South Side -- the story of that quiet majority of good folks, families like mine and young people like you who face real challenges, but make good choices every single day," Obama said.

The words of encouragement were not spoken without an acknowledgement of loss, however. Obama delivered her remarks to the classmates of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honors student who was gunned down in 2013 just days after performing with the high school band at President Obama's inauguration ceremony.

Hadiya's death brought national attention to the issue of gun violence in Chicago, and Michelle Obama personally attended her funeral. The first lady's presence at the graduation for Hadiya's classmates -- and her acknowledgement of Hadiya's parents' bravery and courage -- is a sign that the teen was not forgotten, nor were the many other young people who have been killed in Chicago.

"Every scar that you have is a reminder not just that you got hurt -- but that you survived," Obama said. "And as painful as they are, those holes we all have in our hearts are what truly connect us to each other. They are the spaces we can make for other people's sorrow and pain -- as well as their joy and love -- so that eventually, instead of feeling empty, our hearts feel even bigger and fuller."

Toward the end of the speech, Obama spoke about her first days at Princeton, where she said she felt overwhelmed and out of place. She told the King College Prep students that she followed the lead of those who students who grew up expecting to be successful and, thus, asked questions and took advantage of the immense resources available to them at college.

In a final nod to her own roots and the roots of the graduating seniors, Obama once more encouraged the students to live beyond a stereotype.

"Graduates, starting today, it is your job to make sure that no one else is ever again surprised by who we are and where we come from," she said.


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Route 3 South Reopens After Crash in Glastonbury

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Route 3 south has reopened in Glastonbury after a multiple-vehicle crash Tuesday night.

The state road was closed briefly before the Main Street exit.

There are no serious injuries.

The cars were towed from the scene.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Crews Responding to Bethany Fire

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Crews are responding to a structure fire in Bethany.

The blaze broke out at 312 Falls Road in Bethany.

Prospect firefighters are providing mutual aid.

No further information was immediately available.

Police Seek Hoax Caller in Swatting Incident

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Police are investigating a possible swatting incident at a Wallingford home after a call that initially reported a fatal hostage situation, police said.

Investigators are still looking for the person who placed the call.

Officers responded to 51 Ward Street in Wallingford after a man called the Enfield Police and Fire Dispatch Center's routine phone line and said that he fatally shot a woman at the address and tied up two of her relatives there. He hung up soon after.

Multiple officers swarmed the three-story, two-family home and set up a perimeter.

Police evacuated the three occupants of the second floor and contacted the person who lives on the first floor and who was not home at the time, police said. That resident returned home to assist police in the investigation.

After interviewing everyone who lives at the home, police determined that the call reporting a fatal hostage situation was probably a hoax that wasn't placed by any residents in the house, police said.

Police established that no criminal activity happened there and that no one's lives were in danger, so they cleared the scene at 5:55 p.m.

They are investigating the call as a swatting incident.

Wallingford police reiterate that swatting is very dangerous and is an offense that can result in an arrest.

Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call 203-294-2856 as they work to identify the hoax caller.



Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo

Man Suspected of Attacking Mom, Stabbing Others

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Police arrested a man accused of attacking his mother and others in a Stamford apartment complex early Tuesday morning.

Stamford Police Department's Patrol Division received a report at 3:30 a.m. that a man was attacking people in the hallway at a 1633 Washington Boulevard apartment building. When officers arrived, they found a 48-year-old man holding the assault suspect, Edward Saarel, 50, to the ground, police said.

Patrol officers handcuffed Saarel. Further investigation revealed that he was staying in his elderly mother's apartment in the building when an argument ensued and he attacked her and threw her to the ground, police said. Then he pulled the fire alarm to get people out of their apartments and stabbed a woman with a corkscrew and steak knife as residents evacuated, yelling "I know you did it," police said.

Saarel went into the lobby and began screaming at the 48-year-old man and stabbed him in the abdomen.  The victim wrestled him to the ground and knocked the steak knife from his hand, police said. He was able to detain him until officers arrived.

Police seized the knife and corkscrew from the scene and the department's identification bureau was called to "process many bloody scenes."

The woman and the 48-year-old man was transported to Stamford Hospital for treatment, as well as Saarel's mother, who has since been released.

Police searched Saarel's mother's apartment and found it in "a deplorable state." They notified social services and the health department.



Photo Credit: Stamford Police Department

Bail Raised to $10M for Ex-Officer

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Bail was raised to $10 million Tuesday for a former Los Angeles Police Department officer accused of gunning down a man at a nightclub.

The bail amount for Henry Solis, 27, was originally set at $2 million. Prosecutors asked for the bail increase, saying they feared Solis' family might be able to post the lower amount, raising the possibility he might flee again.

He is due back in court June 30 for arraignment.

Solis, arrested last month after authorities said he fled to Mexico with help from his father, faces one count of murder and one count of assault with a firearm, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. The complaint includes a special allegation that Solis personally discharged a handgun.

Solis was arrested and returned to Southern California after evading authorities for more than two months. He was sought in the shooting death of 23-year-old Salome Rodriguez following a dispute at a Pomona nightclub in March.

His return came on the same day a jury in Texas found his father, Victor Manuel Solis, guilty of making false statements to the FBI to prevent authorities from finding his son.
 



Photo Credit: KNBC-TV

Silver Alert Issued for Missing 11-Year-Old

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State police have issued a Silver Alert for an 11-year-old missing from New Haven.

Knowledge Wright, 11, was reported missing on Tuesday. He was last seen wearing a green T-shirt, black shorts and black flip flops.

He is known to frequent Goffe Street and Edgewood parks and the Elmstreet areas in New Haven. Wright is 5'foot-3, 130 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.

The New Haven Police Department asks anyone with information to call 203-946-6316.


Train Delayed Over Crew Schedule

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An Amtrak train heading for Washington, D.C., was stopped in Delaware for more than one hour due to crews working too many hours during the day.

The Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 193 was traveling from New York to Washington, making stops in Philadelphia and Delaware.

"The train left Philadelphia on time at 7:10 p.m. and Wilmington on time," said Susan Poulton, one of the passengers. "And then it came to a complete stop right before the Newark, Delaware stop. After 10 minutes, the conductor announced that the crew had worked a 12-hour shift and had "run out of hours" and had to wait on another crew to relieve them."

Poulton told NBC Philadelphia she was on a southbound Northeast Regional train that left Philadelphia on the same night and time as the Amtrak train involved in the deadly derailment last month. That accident weighed heavily on her mind and the minds of other passengers Tuesday night, according to Poulton.

"About 30 minutes in, we heard a train horn behind us (I'm in the last car) and another southbound train passed us on the left," she said. "There were a couple of nervous looks around the train feeling like sitting ducks in the track. Then another train passed, then another."

An Amtrak official confirmed with NBC10 the train was stopped due to the crew members "exceeding the limit of hours of service." The official called it an "administrative mistake" that was "extremely rare." He also said Amtrak will investigate the incident.

The train remained in Delaware for an hour and 12 minutes until a replacement crew arrived. The train then continued towards Washington, D.C., and arrived at Union Station around 10:20 p.m.

No More Armed Guards Next Year in Enfield Schools

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Armed guards won’t be patrolling public schools in Enfield after this school year.

On Tuesday, the Board of Education voted down a plan to keep the 21 guards for another year.

The program would have cost nearly $800,000.

The board had previously rejected a two-year option for the guards.

Parents who spoke at the meeting were against the program.

“The guards are great. It’s a false sense of security that one is going to save the day in our schools,” Elizabeth Davis, of Enfield, said.

School leaders argued keeping the program for another year would help them as they develop security plans for the district.

While most board members and parents here were against keeping the guards right now, they do agree more needs to be done to improve school security.

“We want a plan and put an actual plan together that’s actually going to protect our children the correct way,” Davis said.

Enfield created the program two-years ago in response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

“We have had two years in which clearly this has no worked. Our schools are in disrepair. The money can be spent much better,” Theresa Meyer, of Enfield, said.

The school district had also been concerned about who would take over some of the guard’s responsibilities, including checking in visitors.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Hartford One Step Closer to Municipal IDs

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The city of Hartford could start issuing municipal identification cards as soon as late September after the City Council approved the plan Monday night.

Mayor Pedro Segarra pushed for the IDs saying they could benefit tens of thousands of city residents.

“It’s a way to access city services, a way to access banking services. It’s a way to access housing services,” says Segarra.

Many people in Hartford agreed with the city’s decision.

“I think that would be a good idea for some of the people in the city of Hartford that are not fortunately working right now,” Frank Cumberbatch, of Hartford, said.

The mayor’s office estimates at least 20,000 people in the city do not have a proper ID.

Those include people who are homeless or are undocumented immigrants.

To apply for an ID, Hartford residents would have to show a US or foreign passport or birth certificate, driver’s license, social security card, or EBT card.

They also need to prove residency with a utility bill, property lease, property tax statement, employment pay stub or written verification by hospital or social services agency.

“For the people who are naysayers, I just ask them to be a little bit more compassionate,” says Segarra.

When the IDs are available, they will cost $15 for adults and $10 for age 17 and under.

House Speaker Calls for New Quinnipiac Leadership

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Connecticut House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, who lives within a stone's throw of Quinnipiac University, recently told a neighborhood group that he thinks new leadership is needed at the private Hamden school in order to improve relations with residents.

“I think Hamden residents have just had it," Sharkey said during an interview Tuesday. "They’re tired of the relationship that we have not had with the university that we host here in this town.”

Sharkey, who represents Hamden and the part of the town that includes Quinnipiac in the General Assembly, even said he wants the university's top administrators to remove the university's president, John Lahey.

He said “by going directly to the board of directors, to voice my concerns, frankly I think that’s the way to go.”

The frustrations have been building for decades between the university that attracts students from around the country and around the world, and the quiet neighborhoods that surround it.
Students rent homes in the neighborhood and host parties that neighbors have complained about to Hamden town officials and Hamden police.

Sharkey said Lahey's appearance at an off-campus party in the neighborhood near Quinnipiac that later showed up on YouTube made matters worse for neighbors, with Lahey appearing to condone the behavior of students.

“Here Quinnipiac says things like ‘we care about underage drinking, we care about our impact on the community, we care about Hamden,’ and yet all of their actions speak the opposite" Sharkey said.

Lahey, who's been the President of QU since 1987, later apologized for his actions at the off-campus event.

In a statement, Quinnipiac's Vice President for Public Affairs, Lynn Bushnell wrote, "We understand that there are issues associated with off-campus student housing in private homes that can be disruptive to our good neighbors in the Town of Hamden. There are many aspects of this situation that are frustrating to us as well, and we are in ongoing discussions with Mayor Leng and Council President Pascarella aimed at implementing remedies. We remain committed to that effort."

City Officials Battle Over New London Budget

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Just days after New London's mayor vetoed the city's budget, the New London City Council voted unanimously to override the veto, putting the $86 million spending plan into effect.

In response, Democratic Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio signed an executive order mandating a hiring freeze, and giving the authority to the city's legal division to take all steps necessary to ensure that the budget remains in balance for the duration of the fiscal year.

"I'm not worried about the first quarter or second quarter of the fiscal year" Finizio said. "I'm concerned about what happens past the election."

Members of the city council contend that their spending plan is the best one for the city in the way it funds public schools and other city services.

“The council worked on this budget for two months and it would have been nice if the mayor participated in the process but he did not and worse than that he did not allow his staff to participate in the process so what he did was he blocked the council from performing their duties under the charter," said Mike Passero, a member of the Council and challenger to Finizio in the upcoming Democratic Primary.

Finizio says Passero is the one playing politics with the budget and said he believes the budget was finalized behind closed doors, and said that Passero and others never even consulted financial staff within the mayor's administration.

“Mike Passero can’t understand that if you underfund one part of your budget but mandate that you spend to the maximum on the other side of your budget, you’re going to wind up with a deficit. Now what that tells me is that either Mike Passero can’t add or that Mike Passero can add and he just doesn’t care," Finizio told reporters during a press conference in his office.

Finizio is concerned that the way the budget accounts for future bonding in order to pay for new construction for the city's revamped all-magnet school system could lead to a downgraded bond rating which would lead to higher interest rates for the city.

Passero says the mayor can't support such claims.

“That’s absolutely empty rhetoric. This budget does not affect the fund balance. It will not run a deficit and therefore it will not affect our bond rating. If anything, it should impress the bond rating agencies," Passero said.

Finizio says it's been his leadership that has led to a more solvent New London budget in recent years which he conceded did include some tax hikes. However, he added that the mayor's role in city government is what's led to more sound fiscal decision making.

“If there was not a strong mayor independently elected and independently accountable to the voters of the city, not only would the city’s finances crash this year but they would have crashed years ago" Finizio said.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

1 Student Still in Hospital After Bus Crash

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One child remains hospitalized after a small school bus carrying three disabled students crashed into a tree on the northbound side of Todd Road in Wolcott Monday afternoon, also injuring the two other students and a bus monitor.

The bus had just left Tyrrell Middle School when the driver, Mark Hudobenko, 57, of Oakville, told police he veered right to avoid an oncoming car and struck a tree near Route 307 at about 3:30 p.m, according to police. He was one of the people to call 911.

"Yes, 301 Todd Road, school bus, bad accident, bad with kids, need ambulances, everything," Hudobenko said when he called 911.

A manager from the bus company,  All-Star Transportation, also called 911.

"Hi, my bus 202, wheelchair van by 299 Todd Road had an accident and I guess we need an ambulance and that's a wheelchair bus," the manager told a 911 dispatcher.

Five people were on the bus, including the driver, a monitor and students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. The monitor and one student were seriously injured and the two other students were also hurt, so all four were rushed to the hospital. Hudobenko wasn't hurt.

The students were all wearing seat belts.

Two students and the monitor have been released from the hospital. The third student was transferred by a LifeStar helicopter to Connecticut Children's Medical Center. He is listed in serious but stable condition.

Hudobenko didn't have any drugs or alcohol in his system, according to tests that came back negative. There also isn't indication that fatigue was a factor in the crash. Police are also checking the driver's phone records. Hudobenko has no history of any driving problems. At this point, police said it's too soon to tell if any charges will be filed.

"It's too early to tell. From what we had heard a car came a little bit over the line causing the driver to swerve," Wolcott Police Chief Edward Stephens said. "We are still checking that story out. It's too early to say what the factors were."

People on Todd Road dropped what they were doing and a paramedic who just happened to be driving behind the bus raced to help.

An accident reconstruction team responded.

Police said the bus company is cooperating and they are interviewing witnesses to help figure out what happened.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Ezell Ford's Mom Responds to Ruling

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The mother of Ezell Ford called on the Los Angeles County district attorney to file charges after a Police Commission found that an officer was unjustified in the fatal shooting of the unarmed, mentally ill black man.

The board announced mixed findings Tuesday, ruling that one officer acted within Los Angeles Police Department policy in the August 2014 shooting, but another officer acted improperly.

"I’m very satisfied. I agree totally with their decision," said Ford's mother, Tritobia Ford. "When I heard the announcement my initial reaction was hallelujah. This whole time I said I didn't believe God would allow my son's life to be taken in vain."

The ruling came during a heated commission meeting at which protesters demanded action against the two officers and police Chief Charlie Beck.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he had privately met with Ford's mother at First AME Church for about 45 minutes to discuss the findings.

"He offered me his support and shared with me his sympathy," she said. "Even though it was 10 months late, I thank him."

Ford's mother also thanked the commission's president, Steve Soboroff, following the unanimous decision. After an LAPD internal affairs investigation, the case will be passed to Beck, who decides what discipline the officers would face.

Flanked by family members and their lawyers, Ford's mother said she was doubtful that the disciplinary action Beck chooses will be more than "a slap on the wrist" and hoped for criminal charges.

"District Attorney Jackie Lacey, you need to step up. You need to step up," she said as she held her younger son in her arms. "I'm definitely looking at her to press charges."



Photo Credit: KNBC

Hastert Judge: I Can be Impartial

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The judge overseeing the hush-money case of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert said he believes he can be impartial but gave attorneys until Thursday to decide if he should be disqualified.

"I have no doubt I can be impartial in this matter," Judge Thomas M. Durkin said Tuesday after Hastert entered not guilty pleas to federal charges.

The case was randomly assigned to Durkin, he said, adding that it would be randomly given to another judge if attorneys ask him to step aside. Prosecutors haven't said if they will ask Durkin to recuse himself after Federal Election Commission records showed he donated $500 to the "Hastert for Congress" campaign in 2002 and $1,000 in 2004.

Durkin was an attorney at the Mayer Brown law firm in Chicago at the time of the contributions. Hastert's son, Ethan Hastert, was an associate attorney at the firm at the same time. Durkin stressed he and the younger Hastert were not friends but did work on a few cases together.

"As far as I can recall I never met the defendant," Durkin said, adding that his contribution was made as a private citizen through a partner at the law firm.

President Barack Obama appointed Durkin a federal judge in 2012.

Durkin's brother, Jim Durkin, is Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the state's 82nd District. The judge said his brother and Hastert are not personal friends.

Hastert, a Republican, is accused of skirting banking laws while withdrawing $952,000 that investigators allege he gave to someone accusing him of wrongdoing. The indictment did not identify the recipient of the money or clarify the wrongdoing, but an NBC News source said the funds were handed over to conceal a sexual relationship Hastert had with a man while the man was a student at Yorkville High School, where Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach.



Photo Credit: Getty

Officer in Pool Party Video Resigns

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Cpl. Eric Casebolt, the McKinney police officer placed on paid administrative leave after being recorded on video throwing a teen to the ground during a disruption at a community pool, has resigned, police officials say Tuesday.

McKinney officers were dispatched to the Craig Ranch North Community Pool early Friday night after a fight and general disturbance were reported. The disturbance included several teens who did not have permission to be at the pool and who refused to leave.

Smartphone video of the police response shows Casebolt throwing a black 15-year-old girl, identified as Dajerria Becton, face down onto the ground and pinning her with his knees as she cried out for her mother.

Casebolt also cursed at the crowd of teens and pointed his gun at two others.

"As the chief of police, I want to say to our community that the actions of Casebolt, as seen on the video, of the disturbance at the community pool, are indefensible," said Chief Greg Conley, during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. "Our policies, our training, our practice, do not support these actions. He came into the call out of control, and as the video shows, was out of control during the incident."

As Casebolt and two officers first responded to the scene, teens were said to be running from the area as officers tried to gain control of the situation.

"Our citizens called us to a fight in progress and a general disturbance at the community pool. We responded. I do not condone the actions of those individuals who violated the rules of the community, showed disrespect to the security person on scene and to the officers who responded," Conley said. "However, we as a department are held to a high standard ... as we do our jobs. I support the fine men and women of the McKinney Police Department, who day in and day out, do an outstanding job on behalf of all of our citizens."

Police said nine additional officers were called to the scene and the disruption was eventually brought under control.

"I have 12 officers on the scene and 11 of them performed according to their training. They did an excellent job," Conley said.

Video showing the incident sparked national scrutiny of the officer's actions. Meanwhile, Casebolt was placed on administrative leave while his actions were investigated.

Casebolt resigned Tuesday through his attorney and did not issue an apology, police said Tuesday.

The teen in the bikini taken to the ground by Casebolt was eventually released without being cited.

"I was wondering what was going through his head. Why would he even come to the scene and act in the manner in which he acted?" said Dana Bakari, whose daughter, Jahda, was at the party on Friday night.

The family lives in the Craig Ranch North neighborhood.

Casebolt's resignation effectively ends the investigation by the McKinney Police Department's Internal Affairs Division.

"We may never know, but at the same time, too, I am relieved that he's no longer at the police force here in McKinney," Dana Bakari said.

On Monday night, the Craig Ranch North Homeowners' Association sent an email to its members, saying, in part, "This is a peaceful, increasingly-diverse neighborhood that is growing and thriving because of our difference in background, race, reasons for moving here, and in many other ways."

"I just hope it doesn't shed a negative light here," Dana Bakari said.

Cornell William Brooks, president and CEO of the NAACP, released a statement Tuesday following Casebolt's resignation.

"To protect any community, law enforcement officials must respect that community. The resignation of Cpl. Eric Casebolt is a good first step, but hardly the last," Brooks said.

Brooks went on to say the NAACP, "will continue working with community members and law enforcement to ensure that no one, especially the young people of McKinney, are ever again the victims of excessive force, racial profiling and police brutality."

One person was arrested for evading arrest/detention and interference with public duties. Police said Tuesday that those charges were dropped.

McKinney police said they have reached out to the teens involved and asked if they wanted to press charges. So far only one person has responded.

NBC 5's Amanda Guerra, Ray Villeda, Don Peritz, Kevin Young and Brian Roth contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

Vigil for 2 Kids Found Dead

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Dozens from the community gathered Tuesday night in Downtown Bridgeport for another vigil for two young children who were found dead in an East Haven home last week.

Their father, Michael Moore was at the vigil and said the community has been giving him a lot of support after the tragedy. 

Just last Friday, dozens of friends and family members of Aleisha Moore, 6, and Daaron Moore, 8, brought candles and gathered at the East Haven green to remember the two young lives lost too soon.

Clutching to his loved ones, surrounded by strangers, and lit only by candlelight, Michael Moore was also among those attending last week's candlelight vigil at the East Haven Green.

The children's funeral will be in New Haven, where they went to magnet school. A lot of people are expected Tuesday night at the makeshift memorial service in remembrance of the children for local residents who can't make it to New Haven for the funeral.

Meanwhile, at the children's home on Strong Street in East Haven, a memorial of teddy bears, notes and candles continued to grow at the front gate of the home where Aleisha and Daaron lived with their mother, LeRoya Moore, 36.

Michael Moore, her ex-husband, spoke with NBC Connecticut last week and said he is devastated by the loss of his two children. He said he is also waiting for new information from police about what may have happened leading up to the kids' deaths.

The children’s mother was still hospitalized Friday with injuries to her arms and wrists. When police arrived at the home last Tuesday, they said the house was filled with natural gas and the bodies of the two children were inside. Police said in a press conference last week that it appeared the gas had been turned on, but that it was unclear.

A friend who called 911 that day from outside the house said that she had received a letter from the mother saying she planned on committing suicide and that she told her over the phone she cut herself, according to the recorded calls.

No charges have been filed at this time.

People began gathering at Tuesday night's vigil at McClevy Green in Bridgeport around 7:30 p.m.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Report: New Details on Derailment

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Investigators have determined whether the engineer in the deadly Amtrak crash that killed eight people and injured over 200 others in Philadelphia was using his cellphone, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its latest findings on Wednesday morning between 9 to 10. The report says the officials wouldn't reveal their findings ahead of Wednesday's announcement.

Federal accident investigators have said Amtrak's train 188 was going 106 miles per hour just before it derailed on a curve with a 50 mph speed limit. Investigators said they were still analyzing cellphone records to determine whether engineer Brandon Bostian, 32, was using it while operating the train.

The NTSB reported last month Bostian's phone records show calls were made and text messages were sent the day of the crash but they were unable to determine at that point whether the phone was used while the train was in motion.

Bostian's lawyer, Robert Goggin, has said he kept his cellphone in a bag and used it only to call 911 afterward. Bostian, who was injured, told investigators he had no recollection of the crash, the NTSB said.

"The next thing he recalls is being thrown around, coming to, finding his bag, getting his cellphone and dialing 911," Goggin said the day after the crash.

Bostian, 32, had been an engineer on the Northeast Corridor for about three years. He was based in New York. He was specifically assigned to the Washington to New York route for several weeks before the derailment, the NTSB said.

He worked a five-day-a-week schedule — making a daily roundtrip from New York to Washington — and had a "very good working knowledge" of the territory and various speed restrictions, NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said.

Bostian spoke to investigators May 15, Sumwalt said, and did not report feeling fatigued or ill while operating the train.
 

Suspect Shot, Officer Taken to Hospital

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A suspect was shot in an officer-involved shooting in Hartford Tuesday night and a police officer was taken to the hospital.

About eight police officers responded to a call at about 8 p.m. regarding a report of a disturbed person with a mental illness who was acting up on a street parallel to Westminster Street, police said.

A foot chase ensued and three police officers cornered the man on Westminster near the Palm Street intersection and told him to put down his knife. Police deployed a stun gun before an officer shot the man at least once in the torso. He was the only one who fired.

"One officer did fire he has approx three years on job he is a black male officer, the person shot is also a black malem," hartford Police Chief James Rovella.

The man was not killed, but he was taken to St. Francis Hospital, where he is in stable condition in the operating room.

The officer who fired was transported to St. Francis Hospital to be evaluated for possible minor injuries. He has been on the job for three years.

The nature of the officer's injuries and the condition of the officer are unknown at this time.

Police said it appears the suspect had multiple knives.

There was a large police presence at St. Francis Hospital outside the emergency department Tuesday night, where there were at least 15 police cars visible. It's unknown whether they were there because of the shooting incident.

With tensions rising across the country between police and residents, police said the investigation will be handled in such a way as to avoid a conflict of interest.

"Presently on scene are state attorneys inspector, I've been in touch with state attorney from Hartford County," Rovella said. "The state attorney will assign a Western District Major Crime Squad."



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
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