Ala. shooting suspect killed brother in 1986

Ala. shooting suspect killed brother in 1986

BRAINTREE, Mass. — An Alabama university professor accused of fatally shooting three colleagues at a faculty meeting this week shot her younger brother dead at their home in the Boston suburbs more than 20 years ago, but records of it are missing, police said Saturday.

Amy Bishop shot her teenage brother in the chest in 1986, Braintree Police Chief Paul Frazier said at a news conference. Bishop fired at least three shots, hitting her brother in the chest, and then fled with the shotgun before police took her into custody at gunpoint, he said.

Before Bishop, who was 19 at the time, could be booked the police chief back then called officers and told them to release her to her mother, Frazier said. The shooting of the brother, Seth Bishop, an 18-year-old accomplished violinist, was logged that day as a “sudden death” and later considered accidental, but detailed records of the shooting have disappeared, Frazier said.

The police chief in 1986, John Polio, said Saturday in an interview at his Braintree home that he was astonished at any implication of a coverup. He said he didn’t instruct officers to release Bishop and wasn’t close to her mother.

A University of Alabama at Huntsville spokesman said Bishop, who’s in her 40s, had been denied tenure before she was held Friday in the campus shooting.

Bridge suicide barrier

SAN FRANCISCO — Directors of the agency that oversees the Golden Gate Bridge have moved a step closer to approving a suicide barrier along the historic span.

The board voted 16-0 to approve an environmental-impact report that examines the consequences of hanging steel nets 20 feet below the bridge deck on each side.

About 25 people per year die in jumps from the bridge. Suicide prevention activists have long pushed for the barrier, while detractors have argued the money would be better spent on mental-health services.

The bridge district needs $50 million for the project — $5 million for a detailed design and $45 million for construction.

American Samoa spared

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — A powerful tropical storm missed American Samoa early Saturday, causing heavy rains and high winds but sparing more devastation to the U.S. territory battered by a deadly autumn tsunami.

Tropical Cyclone Ren was about 110 miles south of Pago Pago and moving southwest on a track that will take it into central and southern Tonga, said cyclone forecaster Alipate Waqaicelua of the Nadi Tropical Cyclone Center in Fiji. The storm center was about 485 miles northeast of the island chain.

Strong winds from the storm were still expected to batter American Samoa, which prompted forecasters to replace the hurricane warning with a gale warning that predicted winds of 30 to 45 mph, said meteorologist Mase Akapo Jr. with the National Weather Service in Pago Pago.

Waves injure spectators

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — Despite big wave warnings, two walls of water caught dozens of spectators off-guard and knocked them to a rocky beach as they watched a Northern California surfing contest Saturday, leaving some with broken bones but sparing them from being pulled into the ocean.

Thirteen people swept from a seawall had significant injuries, including broken legs and hands, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Battalion Chief Scott Jalbert. He reduced the official count from the 15 reported earlier in the day but said others treated at the beach for injuries such as scrapes and bruises were not included in the total. At least three of the injured were taken to hospitals.

New toys, lower prices

NEW YORK — If the Zhu Zhu Pets taught a lesson, it’s that a bit of technology and a low price tag can go a long way. Toy makers are taking that experience to heart.

From a digital Scrabble game that checks the words to a hovering UFO to miniature radio-control cars, toy makers are amping up the tech quotient but not prices.

Zhu Zhu Pets, the furry mechanical hamsters that zoom around, were the runaway hit of the holiday season. One key to their success: a price tag under $10.

The American International Toy Fair begins today. This is the annual event where toy makers show off new offerings that will make their way into next year’s stockings. Previews from toymakers and interviews with analysts make clear that the focus is on innovation and price. Few toys will retail for more than $100, and most will be priced below $30.

Associated Press