Five dead after workplace shooting in Minneapolis, police say

As police search for a motive in a deadly Minnesota workplace shooting, witnesses say the gunman may have been fired from his job at a small signage company earlier in the day. Four people and the gunman were killed, and four others were injured. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.  By NBC News staff, KARE 11 and wire reports.  Updated at 8:02 a.m. ET: MINNEAPOLIS - A gunman killed four people inside a Minneapolis sign-making business before turning the weapon on himself, authorities said early Friday.  The victims' bodies were found shortly after officers arrived at Accent Signage Systems Inc., located in a residential area in the city's north side, after receiving a 911 call Thursday afternoon, according to police spokesman Sgt. Stephen McCarty.  When officers arrived and entered the business to assist with the evacuation of employees, give aid to the victims and to search for the suspect, they found four victims dead from apparent gunshot wounds," McCarty said in a statement.  Four other people were wounded, including three critically. McCarty declined to identify those killed or wounded, and said he did not know what connection the shooter may have had with the business, if any.  'Kind of odd' Minneapolis Police Deputy Chief Kris Arneson said officers never fired at the shooter. She didn't release other details — including the shooter's possible motive.  Neighbor Heather Buckingham, who told NBC station KARE 11 that she formerly worked for Accent Signage Systems as a receptionist, said the gunman was an employee of the firm who had been laid off on Thursday.Police continue to investigate a shooting in Minneapolis that left "several" dead and four injured. KARE's Jay Olstad reports.  "The one that was doing the shooting was quiet, kept to himself," she told KARE 11. "Kind of odd."  Someone from inside the building called 911 around 4:30 p.m. to report the shootings, police said. The first officers on the scene quickly began evacuating people from the business and closed off several blocks.  Marques Jones, 18, of Minneapolis, said he was outside a building down the street having his high school senior pictures taken when he and his photographer heard gunfire that sounded close.  "We heard about four to five gunshots," Jones said. "We were shocked at what happened and we just looked at each other. We all just took off running to our vehicles." Craig Lassig / APA police officer stands at the entrance of Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis on Thursday.  'Watched his boss get shot' Local resident Barb Gasterland told KARE 11 that an employee of Accent Signage Systems came to her home looking for help.  "He was visibly fearful," she said. "He came running up the side of the road and asked for the phone because he was running from the shooter."  Gasterland said the man described the details of the shooting while hiding in her house for about 30 minutes.  "He had watched his boss get shot and his best friend and two other people," she told KARE 11. "He could tell one person was dead at least."  Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak described the incident as a "horrible tragedy."    John Autey / St. Paul Pioneer Press via AP  Officers with the Minnesota State Patrol man the Penn Avenue bridge over Bassett's Creek near the scene of a shooting in Minneapolis on Thursday.  In a statement, Governor Mark Dayton said: "I deplore this senseless violence. There is no place for it anywhere in Minnesota. I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the innocent people killed or wounded."  Local business publication Finance & Commerce reported that U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez visited Accent Signage Systems in August in a trip focused on exporting, and praised the company for its innovation.  

Police: Connecticut man kills suspected burglar, then learns it's his teenage son

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By NBCConnecticut.com and wire reports

NEW FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- During what appeared to be an attempted late-night burglary, a man fatally shot a masked teenager in apparent self-defense outside his sister's house and then discovered it was his son, state police said.

Police said 15-year-old Tyler Giuliano was shot at about 1 a.m. on Thursday in New Fairfield, a town just north of Danbury.
The shooter's sister was alone in her house when she believed someone was breaking in. She called her brother, who lives next door, and he grabbed a gun and went outside to investigate, police said.

The father confronted someone wearing a black ski mask and black clothing and then fired his gun when the person went at him with a shiny weapon in his hand, police said.

When police officers arrived, the teen was lying in the driveway of the woman's home with gunshot wounds and the father was sitting on the grass. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.  "All in all it's a tragedy," state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said.  The Associated Press said teen's father, Jeffrey Giuliano, a fifth-grade teacher in town, had not returned a message seeking comment on what happened.

NBCConnecticut.com spoke to members of the community about what happened.  "The fact that it was a father and son involved in the shooting and the way that it all happened, I think people quite frankly are devastated. This is a teacher who is very loved," one man told the station.  One of Giuliano's students described him as "one of the best teachers I ever had."

The teenager was a student at New Fairfield High School, a short walk from the neighborhood where he was killed.

Superintendent of Schools Alicia Roy sent parents an email about what happened, The News-Times of Danbury reported.

"Our district has experienced a tragedy that has affected us deeply," she wrote, adding that students weren't told of the killing because all the facts weren't clear.
No charges have been filed. State police are investigating. An autopsy on the boy is planned.

Passengers restrain man accused of grabbing women on United flight

A belligerent passenger on a flight from Chicago to Orange County, Calif., was tackled by fellow fliers and arrested for allegedly interfering with flight crew members. The incident was caught on cell phone video. NBC's Tom Costello reports.  By Robert Kovacik and Jonathan Lloyd, NBCLosAngeles.com  Passengers used belts to restrain a man who was taken into custody Tuesday night after allegedly harassing people — including a woman who said he grabbed her hair and asked her to kiss him — aboard a flight from Chicago to Santa Ana, Calif.

Passenger Nona Pitts told NBC4 in Southern California that the man, identified by the FBI as 26-year-old actor-model Arash Durrani, sat across from her on United Airlines Flight 473. Pitts asked whether he was "on anything" because of his strange behavior.  This story originally appeared on NBCLosAngeles.com.  "He was kind of slurring his words," Pitts said. "He just goes, 'Why, you want some?"  "The stewardess came by and he said, 'I want another (Jack Daniels),'" she said. Pitts told the flight attendant she thought the man had enough to drink, but said he received "two more bottles of J.D."

Pitts, who owns an Orange County, Calif. salon, moved to a different seat, but Durrani followed her, she said.  "He grabs my hair and he goes, 'Nona, Nona, Nona, kiss me,'" said Pitts.  When the man started pacing and scaring children on the plane, passenger David Truong said he and other passengers took action and physically restrained the man with belts."He looked at every one of us and said, 'I'm going to kill you and your entire family,'" Truong said.  The man was restrained for nearly three hours.  Durrani, who also goes by "Ash," is listed as an actor in one movie that hasn't been released. His agent, Sheila Di Marco, said Wednesday she hadn't heard anything about the incident.  Durrani will be charged with a federal offense for interference with a flight crew, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.  

Durrani used to reside in Costa Mesa but now lives in Virginia. He was due back in Southern California for a criminal court appearance, according to the FBI.