NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Officer suspended: The Ferguson, Mo., Police Department has suspended a spokesman who referred to the Michael Brown memorial as “a pile of trash.” The city didn’t identify the officer, but the Washington Post attributed the comment to Officer Tim Zoll. The memorial at the site where Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson was damaged last week after a car apparently hit it. The city says the spokesman denied making the comment but later admitted that he had misled his bosses. He has been placed on unpaid leave while “disciplinary proceedings” begin. City officials said the remarks “do not reflect the feelings of the Ferguson Police Department.”
2 Killed in line of duty: A northern Arizona police officer killed over the weekend was shot repeatedly at close range by a domestic violence suspect after calmly asking the man if he could pat him down for any weapons, authorities said Sunday. Flagstaff Officer Tyler J. Stewart, 24, died Saturday at Flagstaff Medical Center shortly after being shot multiple times. The suspect, Robert W. Smith, 28, walked away afterward and fatally shot himself. Stewart, who had worked at the department for less than a year, is the second Flagstaff police officer to be killed in the line of duty. Hundreds gathered at a candlelight vigil on Sunday evening outside the Flagstaff Police Department.
3 Tragic fire: Five people died Sunday after a fire broke out at a senior-living apartment building in the San Antonio suburb of Castle Hills, authorities said. Ten other residents of the Wedgwood Apartments remained hospitalized and others were unaccounted for late Sunday. About 150 firefighters from San Antonio and other fire departments responded to the blaze, which began around 6 a.m.
4 Winnings sought: Two alleged victims of a registered sex offender have filed a lawsuit seeking damages for pain and suffering after the man won $3 million in a Florida Lottery jackpot. Timothy Poole purchased the winning ticket this month in Mount Dora, near Orlando. He took a lump sum payment of about $2.2 million. Poole pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery on a 9-year-old boy in 1999 and was sentenced to time served. His probation was revoked in 2003 after he failed to show up for counseling. The suit was filed by brothers who were 9 and 5 when Poole was arrested.
5 Fatal crash: The nephew of former San Diego Padres owner John Moores has died after the sports car he was driving rammed into an SUV on Christmas Eve. Barry Alexander Moores, 21, was driving a rare Ariel Atom sports car when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a Ford Expedition near San Diego, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Sunday. Moores was declared brain dead and kept on life support until his organs were donated Saturday. A 21-year-old passenger was hospitalized with major injuries. The driver and passenger in the SUV were hospitalized with minor to moderate injuries, police said.