TEXAS

Gunman, customer die in auto shop shooting

A man came into a Houston auto detail shop and began shooting, killing a man known to be a customer and putting a neighborhood on lockdown Sunday before being killed by a SWAT officer, police said.

Several people were shot and injured, including a man authorities initially described as another suspect because he was present and armed. Police said later Sunday they were investigating further whether he played any role.

Three others — two of them male and one female — were hospitalized with injuries that police said were not believed to be life-threatening. Two officers who were shot were released from the hospital later Sunday.

Police, who said they have no indication yet of a motive, said they got their first call about the shootings about 10:15 a.m. The customer, described as a man in his 50s, had just driven in to the auto shop. Within a minute or two, authorities said, the gunman came in and started shooting. Others in the shop ran out to take cover nearby and call for help.

Neighbors described hearing many gunshots, and some of the victims taken to the hospital were shot while driving their vehicles. Police say they believe a fire at a gas station next door began when gunfire hit a pump. At least three police vehicles were damaged by gunfire, one of them struck 21 times, and a police helicopter was shot at with a “high-powered” weapon and was hit five times, authorities said.

— Associated Press

New york

Exploding package injures prison guard

A suspicious package left near a prison guard’s mailbox in Floyd, N.Y., exploded and seriously burned him when he opened it, authorities said Sunday as they worked to determine who sent it and why.

The 52-year-old officer was severely injured, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said, in an explosion that stunned the small town. Cuomo called the blast “horrific,” and local, state and federal agencies are trying to determine whether it is related to the victim’s work.

The corrections officer picked up the package around 8 a.m. near his mailbox, Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said, adding that he couldn’t give specifics about the explosive.

Authorities aren’t releasing the man’s name. He’s hospitalized in stable condition with burns on his hands and arms, Maciol said.

— Associated Press

Arizona

Leukemia survivor shakes off school snub

Overwhelming public support is outweighing any lingering bitterness for a high school student in suburban Phoenix who kept up with classes through cancer treatments but wasn’t allowed to walk at graduation.

“Having people tell me that I’m being a voice for them is so much more powerful than these people denying me my request,” Stephen Dwyer said.

The 18-year-old on Sunday, just a few days after having to watch his Mesa high school’s graduation ceremony from afar, said he never imagined his Facebook post about it would draw national attention. He said he has heard from strangers from all over the world through social media. Many of them are people who are dealing with illness.

Dwyer withdrew from Dobson High School during his junior year to receive a life-saving bone marrow transplant for leukemia. He took online courses until he was able to return in fall 2015. He took on an extra early-morning class, rejoined the swim team and was elected student body president. He is 2½ credits short of graduating and will finish in December. He argued that students who are on track to graduate shouldn’t be excluded from events such as the graduation ceremony.

Although graduation is over, he and his parents still hope to get the school district to change its policy.

— Associated Press

Toddler shot in Detroit dies: A

2-year-old girl who was shot in the head in Detroit during a dispute between two groups has died. St. John Hospital spokesman Brian Taylor said Makanzee Oldham died Sunday. She was shot Wednesday while in a car with her father after a fight erupted and someone poured juice on a woman getting ready for prom. Cleveland Smelley, 30, Deonta Bennett, 21, and Antoine Smelley, 32, were arraigned Saturday on eight counts each of assault with intent to murder and other crimes. Bond was denied. Their next court date is June 9.

Teen killed in rodeo accident: A 19-year-old rider died after he fell off his horse and got trampled at a New Jersey rodeo, according to the teenager’s university and media reports. Coy Lutz was competing at the season opener of the Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove, N.J., on Saturday evening when the accident happened, the University of Tennessee at Martin said in a statement. Lutz, of Howard, Pa., was majoring in criminal justice at the university and was also on the school’s rodeo team, the school said. Rodeo owner Grant Harris told local news website NJ.com that Lutz was competing in the bareback bronc event when the horse, named H3, bucked him off. After he hit the ground, the horse trampled him.

Possible shark attack closes beach: Lifeguards have closed a Southern California beach after a woman was pulled injured from the water with bite marks in a possible shark attack. Newport Beach lifeguards cleared the water at Corona Del Mar after the medical call came in shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday. Newport Beach spokeswoman Tara Finnigan told KNBC-TV that the woman had large bite marks on her upper torso and shoulder. Finnigan said the woman was conscious when she was taken the hospital. Lifeguard Capt. John Moora said a two-mile stretch of beach would be closed for at least 24 hours.

— From news services