In brief: Police say gunman killed his neighbor

GASTONIA, N.C. – A shootout in a small North Carolina town – sparked by a gunman’s alleged killing of a neighbor – left the gunman dead and two police officers wounded, authorities said Sunday. A bystander was also hurt.

The injuries to the officers didn’t appear to be life-threatening, Gaston County Assistant police Chief Joseph Ramey said. A woman was also wounded in the incident, but she is expected to survive, Ramey said.

A number of officers rushed to the neighborhood around 9:30 p.m. Saturday after getting several 911 calls about a man shot to death and another man still in the area with a gun, the assistant chief said.

The suspected gunman was on a street corner armed with a pistol and a rifle and fired on officers. He was killed when several officers fired back, Ramey said.

Authorities identified the man killed by police as Jeffrey Clyde Wilkes. They said Wilkes shot and killed retired Gaston County police officer Charles Dean Thompson. The names of the officers injured were not released.

Church dropping Scouts sponsorship

LANCASTER, S.C. – A Presbyterian church in South Carolina said it is dropping its nearly 50-year association with the Boy Scouts after the organization agreed to allow gay leaders.

Multiple media outlets reported that First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, about 60 miles northeast of Columbia, sent a letter to 63 scouts in a troop sponsored by the church saying that it ended its sponsorship of the Boy Scouts on July 31.

Church member Buddy Lever said it was a tough decision, but the Boy Scouts’ announcement it would allow gay leaders doesn’t match the church’s beliefs on homosexuality.

The Scouts are being given an opportunity to join other troops.

Gator killed after maiming swimmer

ORLANDO, Fla. – A woman is recovering after being attacked by an alligator that bit off her arm while she swam in central Florida.

Rachael D. Lilienthal, 37, was swimming in Wekiva River on Saturday afternoon when the gator attacked her, biting her twice, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission spokeswoman Karen Parker. The 8-foot, 9-inch male gator bit off her arm just above the elbow.

Parker said doctors were not able to reattach the arm because too much time had passed.

Kayakers helped rescue the woman. One of the kayakers struck the alligator with a paddle, causing the animal to release Lilienthal. Two kayakers brought her to the marina where deputies gave her first aid. Her condition is not known.

Wildlife officers captured the 300- to 350-pound gator hours later and euthanized it.

High carbon monoxide at Wal-Mart sends 7 to hospital

AVALON PARK, Fla. – Thirteen people were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after a 24-hour Wal-Mart in central Florida was evacuated.

Orange County Fire Rescue officials say the gas had reached unsafe levels by 4 a.m. Sunday at the Avalon Park store. Fire officials had to wait three hours to enter the building because the CO levels were too high.

Fire Rescue spokeswoman Kathleen Kennedy said 13 people were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. She said she believes only employees were treated. Seven people were taken to local hospitals and others refused treatment.

The cause is still under investigation, but construction crews were working inside the store overnight with propane tools.

Man’s body found at Confederate marker

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Police are investigating after a man’s body was found at a Confederate monument in Florida.

Police released few details, saying the man’s body was found Sunday morning on a Pensacola park bench.

A witness told the Pensacola News Journal that he was doing yard work when he heard two men fighting. One appeared to be in a rage, but the witness could not confirm that the fight was connected to the Confederate monument. The witness declined to give his name.

Police said they were alerted after a passer-by found the body. An autopsy is being done to determine the cause of death.