NEWS OF THE DAY

1 Deadly fire: A fire that swept through a southwestern Michigan motel early Saturday killed five children and their mother, authorities said. The Cosmo Extended Stay Motel in Sodus Township was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived shortly after receiving a 1:45 a.m. call, the sheriff ’s office said. Curtis, 26, and five children ranging in age from 2 to 10 years old probably succumbed to smoke inhalation, Chief Deputy Robert Boyce said. Samuel’s husband and another child survived. All eight were in the same room. Eight others were treated for smoke inhalation. “It’s tragic. It tears at your heart,” Boyce said. Authorities said 90 percent of the hotel was damaged by smoke, fire or water.

2 Texas shootings: A man in suburban Corpus Christi, Texas, fatally shot four relatives — including his father and stepmother in a nursing home — before killing himself, police said Saturday. Richard Starry, 60, killed himself after fatally shooting 85-year-old Ernest Starry and his wife, Thelma Montalvo, Friday night inside Retama Manor nursing home in Robstown, about 120 miles south of San Antonio, said police Lt. Enrique Paredez. Paredez said a family member later called officers to the couple’s home where their 13year-old adopted son and a 41-yearold son of Montalvo were found shot to death. Paredez said a motive for the shootings was not known.

3 Officers fired: Two white New Orleans police officers have been fired after they were accused of beating a Latino man whom they allegedly called a “fake American.” Spencer Sutton, 24, and John Galman, 26, pleaded not guilty last week to charges of simple battery. Authorities said the rookie officers were off-duty when they attacked George Gomez outside a bar early Tuesday. Gomez’s face was badly bruised, and his forehead required stitches. Sutton’s attorney, Jake Lemmon, said his client and Galman “maintain their innocence.”

4 Mall robbery: Glass cases being smashed during an attempted robbery at a jewelry store in a mall in McAllen, Texas, on Saturday were misconstrued as gunfire and sent people running for the exits, authorities said. All known suspects in the attempted robbery at the La Plaza Mall were taken into custody, Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said. Several law enforcement agencies rushed to the scene. The mall is one of the primary shopping centers in the Rio Grande Valley.