12 dead after nationwide severe weather outbreak
Severe weather killed 12 people over a three-day period last week as a storm system swept from the South to the Northeast, according to the Associated Press.
One of the hardest-hit areas was in Riegelwood, N.C., where eight people died and 20 more were injured when a tornado tore through the town. Gov. Mike Easley declared the area a state disaster site and said he would make sure the area received state funds if the damage estimates did not qualify for federal aid, according to The Washington Post.
The four other fatalities included one tornado-related death in Louisiana, an electrocution in South Carolina, and two car crash-related deaths in North Carolina, according to The Post.
Two hundred people in Broome County, N.Y., had to be rescued from their cars and homes after a flash flood came through the area. Officials were still trying to determine whether a flash flood in Bowie, Md., caused three CSX rail cars to derail, according to The Post.
PlayStation 3 launch turns violent in some states
A robbery outside a Wal-Mart early Friday was one of several violent incidents connected to the launch of the PlayStation 3 game system, according to the Associated Press.
Two gunmen allegedly robbed between 15 and 20 people outside of the Putnam, Conn., store at 3 a.m. Friday. They reportedly shot Michael Penkala, 21, of Webster, Mass., after he resisted, and then fled the scene. Penkala's injuries were not life-threatening, according to the AP.
Dylan Moss, 19, reportedly was stabbed after he and Dustin Fagg, 19, allegedly attempted to rob two men of their game systems outside a Sullivan, Ind., Super Wal-Mart. Moss had to have emergency surgery and was in critical condition. He and Fagg were expected to be charged with felony robbery, according to the AP.
Police in McLean, Va., fired pepper pellets on about 200 people in Tysons Corner Center, claiming the crowd gathered outside the mall's Circuit City was becoming rowdy. One person had to be taken to the hospital after complaining of shortness of breath, according to the AP.
