NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Deputies shot: A sheriff ’s deputy was killed and another was critically wounded Friday when an inmate being transported to a court hearing in Kansas City, Kan., somehow got ahold of a weapon and shot them, authorities said. The suspect also was wounded in the shooting, and both the wounded officer, Patrick Rohrer, 35, and the suspect had surgery Friday. Sheriff ’s spokeswoman Maj. Kelli Bailiff said the deputies possibly were overcome with one of their own weapons.
2 Roller coaster derails: Two roller coaster riders in Florida fell 34 feet when their car derailed and was left dangling from the track, and firefighters used ladders to pull eight others to safety high above the Daytona Beach Boardwalk. The two fell from the Sand Blaster ride Thursday night and suffered traumatic injuries. The ride had passed a state inspection just hours before the derailment, according to a statement Friday from Agriculture and Consumer Services spokeswoman Jennifer Meale. “Department inspectors conducted a thorough inspection of the ride,” Meale said. The coaster was already 40 years old when it opened at the boardwalk in 2013, after being purchased from a closed amusement park in Delaware, according to a Daytona Beach News-Journal report.
3 Senator assaulted: Sen. Rand Paul’s neighbor in Bowling Green, Ky., was sentenced Friday to 30 days in prison for attacking the Republican in a dispute over yard waste. Rene Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress. Paul suffered broken ribs. Boucher said he was angered by Paul stacking debris near their property line. U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani called the November attack an “isolated incident,” not motivated by politics. Federal prosecutors sought 21 months, but a statement from Paul called 30 days “appropriate.”
4 Bear scare: A woman hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in northern Los Angeles County says she fought off an attacking bear by stabbing it. The 25year-old told sheriff ’s deputies that she was in the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park near Agua Dulce on Thursday when a small black bear ran toward her. The woman said she pulled a knife from her backpack and stabbed it in the shoulder and fled. Authorities evacuated the area and closed the park for several hours.
5 School shooting: The family of one of the 17 people killed in the Valentine’s Day massacre at a high school in Parkland, Fla., is trying to obtain mental health records of shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz. The family of Helena Ramsay, a junior when she died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, spoke publicly Friday for the first time since her death. Their lawyers want records about Cruz from Henderson Behavioral Health to help them prepare for a possible malpractice or wrongful death case. The company has also been sued by other victims’ families. A Henderson attorney says the company supports release of the records but needs a court order. Cruz, 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder.