Wal-Mart suspect mentally disturbed
Glendale, Ariz. A man accused of gunning down two Wal-Mart employees in a store parking lot — reloading and continuing to fire into the men after they fell — didn’t appear to know either victim and had no known vendetta against the company, authorities said.
Court papers released Wednesday indicated the suspect, Ed Liu, 53, was mentally disturbed but gave no further details.
The two employees had been collecting shopping carts in the parking lot of their suburban Phoenix store Tuesday afternoon when a man drove up and started shooting, according to authorities. Anthony Spangler, 18, and Patrick Graham, 36, both died from their wounds.
Graham’s wife, Anita, said police told her the shooting appeared to be random. “I want there to be a reason. I don’t know why, but to me it seems like there has to be,” she said Wednesday.
Tests show Zylon isn’t sufficiently bulletproof
Washington Bullets fired in government tests penetrated more than half the police body armor vests containing the synthetic fiber Zylon, already the subject of lawsuits over reliability.
The Justice Department tests showed that vests made with Zylon lose strength over time, well before their standard five-year warranty expires and even when the armor appears to be in good condition, according to the study released Wednesday by the department’s National Institute of Justice.
The prime factor leading to Zylon’s degradation appears to be moisture, the study said.
Alligator on the loose in Los Angeles lake
Los Angeles Two people were arrested Wednesday for allegedly turning an alligator loose in a small city lake, where the reptile has evaded capture while drawing many spectators.
The two people were taken into custody at a home where officers also seized other alligators, turtles and snakes.
The Machado Lake alligator was first seen Aug. 12 and has drawn crowds of the curious, who look through binoculars or lob treats such as jelly doughnuts into the water. A Colorado gator wrangler tried for two days last week to capture the reptile.
Motorists not treated alike at traffic stops
Washington Black, Hispanic and white motorists are equally likely to be pulled over by police, but blacks and Hispanics are much more likely to be searched, handcuffed, arrested and subjected to force or the threat of it, a Justice Department study found.
The study, by the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, was completed last April and posted on the agency’s Web site after Bush administration officials disagreed over whether a press release should mention the racial disparities.
Traffic stops have become a politically volatile issue as minority groups have complained that many stops and searches are based on race rather than on legitimate suspicions.
Based on interviews of almost 77,000 Americans age 16 or over in 2002, the study drew no conclusions about the reasons for the racial disparities in post-stop treatment.
Emptied settlements coming down quickly
Jerusalem With blazing speed, Israeli bulldozers are demolishing the 2,800 homes left behind in the Gaza Strip’s emptied Jewish settlements.
For once, Israel and the Palestinians are in agreement that destruction is the best option: The Palestinians need space for apartment buildings, tourist resorts and parks in crowded Gaza, and Israel doesn’t want to see militants celebrating on the rooftops of abandoned homes.
The pace of demolition has been astonishing. Israeli bulldozers smashed down the first trailer homes Friday — even before the evacuation of settlers was complete. By Wednesday, more than 700 structures were rubble, the Israeli Defense Ministry said.