Nation & World Glance
LOS ANGELES — A man cursing and muttering incoherently opened fire aboard a packed Greyhound bus in Southern California early Monday, killing one person and wounding five others in a seemingly random attack before passengers disarmed him, authorities and a witness said.
The driver of the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco bus pulled off onto the shoulder, where some of those aboard led the killer off the vehicle, and he was quickly taken into custody, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Brian Pennings said. The driver continued on to the next exit as passengers performed first aid on the wounded, he said.
The motive for the shooting was not immediately known, and there was no indication the gunman knew any of the victims, Pennings said. He said several ammunition magazines were discovered along with the gun.
The bus was traveling on Interstate 5 near the small mountain community of Lebec, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, when the passenger started shooting with a semi-automatic handgun shortly before 1:30 a.m. Forty-three people were aboard, including 6- and 8-year-old children, who were not hurt.
The dead passenger was identified as a 51-year-old woman from Colombia. Two victims were hospitalized with serious injuries, Pennings said. The remaining passengers were later driven to Northern California on another bus.
COMMERCE, Texas — Two women were killed and a child was wounded in a shooting Monday morning at a university dormitory in Texas, officials said.
A recommendation for students and employees to shelter in place was lifted early Monday afternoon at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce, and police said there appeared to be no other threats. Officials have not identified the suspected shooter.
University police Chief Bryan Vaughn said officers responding to a call at about 10:17 a.m. found two dead women in a room at Pride Rock residence hall. He said a boy about 2 years old was also in the room and was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition.
Vaughn did not take questions after a news conference and did not say if the women were students.
Classes were canceled for the day at the university located in the city about 65 miles northeast of Dallas.
Damaged plane lands in Spain after tense hours
MADRID — Passengers on an Air Canada Boeing 767 that made a safe emergency landing in Madrid Monday evening have described how they spent hours flying in circles to burn fuel in a tense calm.
Toronto-bound flight AC837, carrying 128 passengers, departed from the Spanish capital in the early afternoon but had to request an emergency return almost immediately after one of its two engines was damaged and a tire ruptured during takeoff.
Brock Mierzejewski, from Vancouver, who was on the plane with his parents, told The Associated Press: “Obviously a lot of nervous tension while we were in the air, but the pilots did a terrific job landing the plane.”
“We are still in a little bit of shock but glad to be safe,” Mierzejewski said shortly after the plane landed at the Adolfo Suárez-Barajas international airport. It was quickly surrounded by emergency vehicles, firefighting trucks and ambulances.
There was no immediate information on what had caused the malfunction.
The plane spent close to four hours flying in circles near Madrid, burning off fuel before it was light enough for landing.
Limbaugh says he’s been diagnosed with lung cancer
LOS ANGELES — Conservative radio host and Republican kingmaker Rush Limbaugh said he’s been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.
Addressing listeners on his program Monday, Limbaugh said he will take some days off for further medical tests and to determine treatment.
“I have to tell you something today that I wish I didn’t have to tell you,” announced Limbaugh, 69. The cancer diagnosis was confirmed by two medical institutions in late January after he experienced his only symptom so far, shortness of breath, on his Jan. 12 birthday weekend, he said.