Gunman kills four at church
A man opened fire Sunday morning at a church, fatally wounding four people before abducting his wife, whom he later shot to death at another location, authorities said.
The suspect, Anthony Bell, 25, of Baton Rouge, was captured at an apartment complex near the church. Three children abducted with the woman were all found safe.
“This is going to be one of the worst days in the history of our city,” Police Chief Jeff Leduff said after Bell was captured and his wife’s body was found at the apartment complex.
Police did not identify the dead, but church member Kenneth Green who watched and wept from a nearby building as investigators examined evidence at the church, said he was related to all of the victims.
Investigators did not know the motive for the shooting at The Ministry of Jesus Christ church.
HOLMES MILL, Ky.
Carbon monoxide killed 3 miners
Three of the five miners killed in an explosion in an eastern Kentucky coal mine likely survived the initial blast but died of carbon monoxide poisoning, a coroner said Sunday based on preliminary autopsy results.
The other two miners died from multiple blunt force trauma and heat injuries, probably because they were closer to the Saturday blast, Harlan County Coroner Philip Bianchi said.
The cause of the blast at the Darby Mine No. 1 in Harlan County remained under investigation. Officials worked to repair the ventilation system so investigators today could enter the mine, where pockets of methane gas were a concern.
The mine, operated by Kentucky Darby LLC, is about 250 miles southeast of Louisville near the Virginia border.
TAMPA, Fla.
Saudis arrested on school bus
Saudi men who boarded a school bus full of children and gave conflicting reasons why there were there were arrested and held without bail, authorities said Sunday.
Mana Saleh Almanajam, 23, and Shaker Mohsen Alsidran, 20, were charged with misdemeanor trespassing and were jailed after a judge said Saturday she wanted more background information on them.
The two men arrived in the country six months ago on student visas and are enrolled at the English Language Institute at the University of South Florida.
Investigators said they boarded the school bus Friday, sat down and began speaking in Arabic. Their behavior concerned the driver, a substitute, who alerted the school district.
The men were asked why they boarded the bus, and sheriff’s spokesman J.D. Callaway said they gave different answers: They wanted to enroll in an easier English language program than the one at USF; they wanted to see a high school; and they thought it would be fun.