In brief: Suspect dead, officer wounded in Arizona Wal-Mart brawl

COTTONWOOD, Ariz. – An overnight brawl in an Arizona Wal-Mart parking lot has left one person dead and two others wounded, including a police officer who was shot in the leg.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety said a Cottonwood police officer was shot late Saturday night as he and other officers tried to break up the melee.

The incident began when a Wal-Mart employee noticed a large group of people in one of the store’s restrooms, department spokesman Bart Graves said. The employee was shoved by one of the suspects when she tried to enter, he said.

By the time police arrived, the group had made its way to the parking lot. Officers were attacked and there was a struggle for an officer’s gun, Graves said.

One suspect was fatally shot, a second suspect was shot in the abdomen and a Wal-Mart employee suffered cuts on his arm. The wounded officer underwent surgery and was expected to recover.

Seven officers suffered minor injuries including lacerations and bruising.

Seven suspects were taken into custody and were later booked on charges that included aggravated assault, attempted homicide and obstruction, Graves said.

It was unclear if everyone in the group was part of the same family. The department said in a statement that they were driving a Chevrolet Suburban with an Idaho license plate.

Trains derail in Texas, Colorado

VALLEY MILLS, Texas – While a crew worked Sunday to clean up the scene in Central Texas where the derailment of about a dozen train cars resulted in an industrial solvent leaking from one tanker, a train jumped its tracks in northern Colorado, dumping coal from more than two dozen cars.

Spokesmen with BNSF Railway said it wasn’t known what caused either derailment. No injuries were reported.

In Texas, the cars derailed Saturday evening near Valley Mills, a town about 25 miles northwest of Waco. Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Trooper D.L. Wilson said several homes were evacuated as a precaution. Residents returned home around 9 p.m.

Wilson said they initially thought methanol was leaking, but later discovered it was dimethylformamide, which if inhaled can cause nausea and vomiting.

BNSF Railway spokesman Joe Faust said about 7,000 gallons of the flammable liquid spilled but it has been contained and poses no threat.

In Colorado, the damaged tracks had to be shut down for repairs. There was no timetable for when the track might reopen.

BNSF Railway spokesman Joe Sloan didn’t provide an estimate on how much coal was dumped in the accident near Hudson, Colorado. At least 27 freight cars derailed and lost their cargo.

Hiker killed in cliff collapse

PT. REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, Calif. – One person is dead and another being treated for life-threatening injuries after a bluff collapsed at a popular Northern California hiking trail.

San Francisco television station KPIX reported that the two visitors were standing on the Arch Rock lookout point at Point Reyes National Seashore just before 6 p.m. on Saturday when the bluff gave way. The pair fell about 70 feet and were covered with rocks and debris.

The National Park Service had posted signs at the site two days earlier warning hikers that a fissure along the top of Arch Rock may have weakened the cliff.

One hiker was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was airlifted to a hospital.

Remains may be linked to family

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Human remains found along an Alaska trail may be connected to the disappearance of a family of four missing since May, Kenai police said Sunday.

Relatives said at the time it appeared the family had left without packing. Their two vehicles remained parked outside their apartment and their rent for June had not been paid.

On Saturday, a person driving down a west Kenai trail spotted clothing and what appeared to be human remains, police said in a statement. Officers found remains and items reported missing from the home of Rebecca Adams, 23, and her boyfriend, Brandon Jividen, 38. They were last seen May 27, the day after Memorial Day.

Also missing were Adams’ children, Michelle Hundley, 6, and Jaracca Hundley, 3. The family dog also disappeared.

The remains were found less than 2 miles from the family’s home.