Gunman kills one inside mall

A gunman fatally shot a man in a fight at a crowded mall on Sunday, then sent hundreds of Christmas shoppers running for cover as he fired at police chasing him, authorities said.

SWAT team members arrested the suspect after he barricaded himself in a department store at the Boynton Beach Mall, north of Miami, said Boynton Beach Police Lt. Jeffrey Katz said.

The mall was evacuated, and Katz said it was miraculous no one else was injured when the shooting broke out in midafternoon.

“The suspect ran through the mall and began to fire at officers as they were chasing him through the mall,” Katz said. “Our officers did not return fire.”

The gunman barricaded himself in part of a Dillard’s store and refused to surrender when officers contacted him through the public address system, Katz said. A SWAT team entered the store and captured him without incident.

It was not immediately clear what started the fight. The names of the victim and the shooter have not been released. Mall officials said the complex was closed for the rest of the day.

DALLAS

Boy, 9, suspect in toddler’s death

A 2-year-old girl left with a dozen other children in a home without adult supervision was stabbed to death, and police suspect a 9-year-old boy was responsible.

No charges have been filed so far in the death of Damya Jefferson and police were still trying to piece together what happened Friday night, said Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther of the Dallas Police Department on Sunday.

Damya’s 17-year-old mother, Tiara Jefferson, had asked a friend’s mother to care for her 2-month-old daughter and the toddler.

The caretaker, Detress Richmond, then left 11 of her own children along with Jefferson’s children with a 15-year-old baby sitter, police said, though they did not say where Richmond had gone. Jefferson said she believes Richmond left to play bingo.

Union, S.C.

Illegal parker learns his lesson

Maybe some people never see the handicapped-only signs on parking spaces — and that’s why so many perfectly capable drivers park in them.

But it was impossible earlier this month to miss Rahgeem Smith and his sign at the parking lot for the Bi-Lo supermarket in Union, S.C.

The 29-year-old, who had parked there illegally in October, was sentenced to hang around wearing a poster board that said: “I am not handicapped. I just parked there, sorry.”

“My mom’s handicapped,” said Judge Jeffrey D. Bailey of the Union County Magistrate Court, who imposed the sentence after Smith indicated he couldn’t pay the $325 fine.

Said Smith: “I know I won’t do it no more.”