Shootings

Family tensions and serious illness may have led the 56-year-old operator of the Zankou Chicken chain to fatally shoot his mother and sister in an upscale Glendale home before turning the gun on himself, police, family and friends said Wednesday. Glendale police said Mardiros Iskenderian drove to his sister's home in the hills above the Oakmont Country Club on Tuesday afternoon, where the two got into a loud argument before he pulled out a handgun and shot her.

Seven Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies have been notified that the department intends to fire them for belonging to a secret law enforcement clique that allegedly celebrated shootings and branded its members with matching tattoos, officials said. The Times reported last year about the existence of the clique, dubbed the Jump Out Boys, and the discovery of a pamphlet that described the group's creed, which required aggressive policing and awarded tattoo modifications for police shootings.

A Mississippi man who had spoken openly about his hatred of blacks and his capacity for killing went on a rampage Tuesday morning at the defense plant where he worked, fatally shooting five and wounding nine before taking his own life with a shotgun, authorities and area residents said. Investigators identified the gunman as Doug Williams, 48, a production assemblyman for the past 19 years at a Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.

A former U.S. attorney has begun assessing the University of Colorado's decision-making process regarding James Holmes, a former graduate student at the medical campus who was charged Monday in the death of 12 people in the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting. Robert Miller, formerly the U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado, began conducting an internal review last week assessing university systems, procedures and actions related to Holmes, the university said in a release Friday.

Hours after getting out of jail on domestic violence charges, a Colorado man shot his way into a  house and  killed  his ex-girlfriend, her sister and  her sister's husband, authorities said. Then Daniel Sanchez took his own life, Weld County Sheriff John Cooke told reporters. Sanchez, 31, and Beatriz Cintora-Silva, 25, broke up a couple of months ago, Cooke said. According to a 911 tape, Cooke said it appeared that Sanchez had suspected Cintora-Silva of cheating on him and that the shootings stemmed from jealousy and domestic violence.

A shooting at a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Col., has left at least 12 dead and 50 wounded, according to authorities, who initially put the number of dead at 14. The violent and chaotic scene in the Denver suburb early Friday morning - you can watch a small piece of it in this amateur video - took place inside a movie theater at the same moments that a shootout was unfolding on screen. In fact, victims at first thought the real-life gunshots were part of the film action, according to reports from inside the theater.

I often feel the criticism of GOP hopeful Mitt Romney over his near-daily supposed gaffes goes too far, and yet... he just makes it so easy. The latest case in point: His statement of condolence following the mass shootings Sunday at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc. "This was a senseless act of violence and a tragedy that should never befall any house of worship," read part of Romney's official statement in the wake of the slaughter, which left seven dead, including the suspected gunman.

At least three people have been arrested around the country in incidents connected to screenings of “The Dark Knight Rises,” authorities say. The arrests come amid fears of possible copycat attacks in the wake of Friday's shooting rampage at a midnight screening of the film in Aurora, Colo. Twelve people were killed and 58 were injured in that attack, and law enforcement agencies in numerous states have since stepped up security at theaters showing the latest Batman film. In California, a 52-year-old man was arrested Sunday evening after he allegedly shouted threats about a gun and Colorado at a Norwalk theater showing of the “The Dark Knight Rises,” authorities said.  Clark Tabor is accused of grabbing his cellphone inside the theater and shouting: "I should go off like in Colorado" and "Does anyone have a gun?"

HOUSTON -- A spate of shootings in Tulsa, Okla., appears connected to the two-year anniversary of the slaying of a suspect's father, police said. And on Monday, prosecutors released new information about the handling of that case. Jacob "Jake" England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, have been jailed in connection with the recent shootings and are being held on about $9-million bail each. The men face charges of murder, shooting with intent to kill and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.

As details emerge about a deadly rampage at a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises"  in Aurora, Colo., there are also questions about how movie theaters and filmgoers around the world will react to the tragedy. Answers will hopefully be forthcoming throughout the day, but here are a few questions worth keeping an eye on. -- How much will theaters beef up security? It's trickier than it sounds. On a big-movie weekend like this, most theaters have their hands full managing traffic flow as it is. Throw in metal detectors, pat-downs and other airport-like procedures and you can be looking at excessive delays and serious crowd-control issues.