Police: Disgruntled Charleston worker kills 1

Compiled from news services

Oneperson was killed Thursday when a “disgruntled employee” opened fire in a restaurant in Charleston, S.C., officials said. At least one other person was taken hostage but released after a littlemore than two hours.

The gunman, whose name was not immediately released, was shot by police and taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to a news release from the city. The victim’s name also was not released.

Mayor John Tecklenburg said the attack was not an act of terrorism nor a hate crime.

Suspect’s hearing delayed

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A judge has waived a court hearing for the suspect charged with driving a car into a crowd of people protesting a white nationalist rally Aug. 12 in Charlottesville, killing one person.

James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio had been scheduled for a court hearing Friday. He’s charged with second-degree murder in the death of Heather Heyer and other counts.

But a judge on Thursday agreed to a request from prosecutors and Mr. Fields’ attorney to continue the case until Dec. 14. Mr. Fields’ preliminary hearing will be held then.

3 hurt in St. Louis protest

ST. LOUIS — Police and a witness gave differing versions of how protesters were injured Wednesday when a driver pulled into a group that had blocked an intersection.

The injuries were described as minor.

The witness, Keith Rose, said the driver had his middle fingers raised before he accelerated through the group blocking the street.

But St. Louis police said the driver stopped, honked and attempted to drive around the protesters before some of them surrounded his car and hit it with their hands and a flag pole.

A police statement said three protesters were injured after they jumped onto the car and fell off when the driver pulled away.

The driver was taken into custody about a block from the intersection after initially refusing to stop for officers, and the incident was captured on video, the statement said.

Two officers mourned

ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of mourners came to the joint funeral Thursday for the two Kissimmee police officers who were killed while patrolling the city last week.

Sgt. Richard “Sam” Howard and Officer Matthew Baxter were patrolling the McLaren Circle area last Friday evening when they were shot. Officer Baxter, 27, died shortly after the shooting, and Sgt. Howard, 36, died the next day.

Kissimmee police Chief Jeff O’Dell said during the funeral that the officers died while saving the life of a woman. He said the men did nothing wrong in their interactions with the man accused of killing them.

Since the shooting, residents and law enforcement across the region have rallied behind the Kissimmee Police Department.

Florida executes inmate

Florida on Thursday performed its first execution since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down its death penalty more than 18 months ago, carried out with etomidate, a drug never before used for a lethal injection.

Mark Asay, 53, is believed to be the first white person Florida has executed for killing a black person in the modern era. The lethal injection came three decades after a double killing that officials say was fueled by racial hatred.