Five dead, one wounded in shooting in Dallas

Five dead, one woundedin shooting in Dallas
DALLAS -- Five people, including a mother and her two children, were shot and killed and another was wounded in what is being called one of the worst episodes of family violence Dallas has ever seen, authorities said.
A man was arrested and was being questioned in the deaths of his 32-year-old wife; two daughters; his 56-year-old father-in-law; and a 20-year-old woman. The daughters were ages 1 and 7.
Police were notified after the woman who was wounded ran from the house bleeding and screaming and alerted neighbors Sunday. When police arrived, they found bodies in the kitchen and living room of the one-story residence in a blue-collar neighborhood about four miles from downtown Dallas.
"This is the worst that I've ever seen, and I've been in homicide 10 years," Dallas police homicide Sgt. Gary Kirkpatrick said. "There's never been one of this magnitude."
Neighbors heard what sounded like "a string of fireworks going off" in the house at the time of the shooting.
After the gunshots, neighbors saw the 29-year-old man speed away in the family's silver-colored sport utility vehicle. The car and suspect were spotted at a shopping center about a block away after police arrived at the residence.
Names of the victims were not immediately released.
Cruise ship towed backto port after blaze
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Tug boats were towing a cruise liner back to port after a fire fouled up the ship's navigation and propulsion systems.
The Holland America cruise liner Statendam was being brought to Vancouver today after it went adrift in the Strait of Georgia, U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard officials said.
The problem apparently began after a small fire in the ship's generator rooms, said John Millman, a Canadian Coast Guard officer in Victoria. Tug boats were sent to assist the 720-foot vessel, which was headed to Seward, Alaska.
The ship left Vancouver on Sunday, and the U.S. Coast Guard got word from the Canadian Coast Guard's rescue center in Victoria that the ship was in trouble around 9 p.m., said Lt. Chris German of the U.S. Coast Guard's Seattle office.
Holland America late Sunday night said the ship was carrying 1,368 passengers and 563 crew.
Six children diein Louisiana house fire
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Six children died in a house fire Sunday after people who tried to rescue them couldn't make their way through thick clouds of smoke.
Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Robert Combs said an overloaded extension cord sparked the blaze about 10 a.m. The fire swallowed the house within minutes, he said.
At the time, the children and two of their siblings were under the care of their grandmother, Mattie Norman. Their mother and three other siblings were at a wedding.
Mattie Norman escaped the blaze with two of her grandchildren.
"She did all she could to get back in," said Alvin Banks, 31, one of the first people to the scene. "We had to hold her back or else it would have been her, too."
Banks said he tried to save the children by kicking in the front door but was overcome by smoke.
The victims were identified as: Kara Norman, 10; Chelsea Norman, 4; Jeremy Norman, 3; Shelby Norman, 2; and 8-month-old twins Kaleb Norman and Fleming Norman.
Neighbors said the 11 children lived in the single-story house with their mother, 32-year-old Vanessa Norman, and their grandparents.
SUV plows into museum
HARTFORD, Conn. -- A sport utility vehicle plowed into a museum Sunday, destroying irreplaceable artworks and antiques on display in the 1782 homestead.
"It's devastating. This was the real thing," said William Hosley, executive director of the Antiquarian and Landmarks Society.
Built in 1782, the Butler-McCook homestead museum recently underwent a $1.3 million renovation and was reopened to the public in June. The museum housed the largest collection of arts and antiques made in Hartford.
"It was the only original house left in Hartford when George Washington visited the city for the last time in 1789. It was the only survivor from Colonial times," Hosley said.
Police said a vehicle driven by 21-year-old Wilfredo Sanchez jumped the curb, plowed into the parlor and damaged a staircase.
Sanchez was charged with driving under suspension, driving without insurance, misuse of plates and driving an unregistered vehicle.