In brief: Witnesses stay silent on Detroit party shooting

DETROIT – A wall of silence surrounds a shootout at a block party in Detroit that left a 19-year-old gunman dead and 11 other people wounded, police Chief James Craig said Sunday from the site where about 300 people had barbecued and celebrated hours earlier.

Standing on basketball courts where the shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Chief James Craig said officers are seeking two men believed to have exchanged gunfire with the victim, Malik Jones. So far, he said, witnesses and the injured haven’t been much help.

“This is a passionate plea for the neighborhood to say something and step up,” Craig said, standing a few feet from a small child’s chair and a table. “These are urban terrorists … We are fortunate we don’t have any young children recovering from a gunshot wound.”

Residents have been reluctant to cooperate with police, the chief acknowledged, with witnesses apparently concerned that they may put themselves at risk.

“I understand the fear … but are we going to let these urban terrorists take over our city?” Craig asked. “This must end. We are fighting hard … but we cannot do it alone.”

He said officers were fanning out around the west side neighborhood Sunday.

Four women and seven men were injured, the oldest of them 47. All were either in stable condition at hospitals or back home on Sunday, Craig said.

According to the chief, the 19-year-old had been shot and wounded recently and Saturday’s exchange of gunfire was believed to be in retaliation.

The double basketball court is run by the adjoining Dexter-Elmhurst Community Center, said Helen Moore, chairwoman of the private group that manages the center.

“It’s a good community,” Moore said. “I know there are people in the community that know what happened and are afraid to speak up.”

“I’m not afraid of anything but God,” she added.

Health insurer Cigna rejects Anthem bid

SAN FRANCISCO – Health insurer Cigna Corp. has rejected a $47 billion offer to be acquired by its larger rival, Anthem Inc., saying the terms of the bid are inadequate and “woefully skewed in favor of Anthem shareholders.”

Cigna’s sharply worded rejection came just one day after Anthem went public with its cash-and-stock offer, which amounts to about $184 for each Cigna share or about an 18 percent premium on Cigna’s closing stock price on Friday.

The proposed deal would make Anthem an even bigger giant in an industry that many see as ripe for consolidation, as insurers struggle to cut costs in the face of new regulations and technological advances. Anthem has said the combined companies would have annual revenue of more than $115 billion and provide insurance for about 53 million people.

It’s unclear if the talks are dead. Cigna said Sunday that a deal with Anthem – “under the right circumstances” – would provide substantial benefits to consumers, doctors and investors in both companies. But in a letter signed by two top Cigna officials, the Bloomfield, Connecticut-based company added that it was deeply disappointed with Anthem’s latest offer and cited a number of obstacles to an agreement.

Among them are Anthem’s failure to address questions about possible regulatory hurdles and the massive breach of Anthem customer data that was revealed earlier this year, according to the letter signed by David Cordani, Cigna’s CEO, and Isaiah Harris Jr., the chairman of Cigna’s board.

Cigna also complained in the letter about “Anthem’s lack of a growth strategy,” while boasting that Cigna’s stock has outperformed that of its larger rival in recent years.

A spokeswoman for Indianapolis-based Anthem declined comment Sunday.

Man dies at Vegas electronic music festival

Authorities say it will take a month or two to determine the cause of death of an attendee at an electronic dance music festival in Las Vegas.

The 24-year-old man was among some 135,000 dance music fans who attended the Electric Daisy Carnival overnight after a record-tying high of 113 degrees for the date was reached in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the man who passed away,” the festival’s organizer, Insomniac Inc., said in a statement. “The health and safety of our fans is Insomniac’s first priority and we take every measure to create a safe environment.”

The man’s name was not immediately released.

Clark County coroner’s investigator Derek Dubasik said Sunday afternoon that the office was still working to positively identify the man.

“Based on the location and circumstances involved (in the death), it’ll take four to eight weeks before we’ll have toxicology results back and can determine the cause of death,” he said.

The 113 degrees on Saturday tied the record high for the date set in 1940 and 1961, said National Weather Service forecaster Justin Pullin of Las Vegas. The three-day event ending early today features a lengthy lineup of DJs performing on elaborate stages amid a carnival-like setting of rides, pyrotechnic displays and art installations.

Last year, three people who came to Las Vegas for the festival died.