News briefs

Hermit shoots, kills two police officers

BROXTON, Ga. - A man described as a hermit killed a policeofficer who had come to tow away his mobile home, and then fatallyshot a deputy who had rushed to assist the fallen officer,authorities said.

The man surrendered after police helicopters began circlingoverhead, and was charged today with two counts of felony murder.

Willie Mitchell, 55, apparently knew police would be serving awarrant to evict his mobile home and hid a gun at the edge of thewoods just behind his trailer, said Roy Harris of the George Bureauof Investigation.

When Broxton officer James Bryant and some workers arrived Mondayafternoon with a truck to haul away the rusty, white mobile home,Mitchell ran to the woods and allegedly shot and killed Bryant.

"This should have been one of the simplest things in lawenforcement work, moving a sorry joker who won't pay his rent,"Coffee County Sheriff Carlton Evans said today. Bryant was shot inboth arms and the mouth with a deer rifle, he said.

State Trooper Lisa Stock arrived to help and attempted to crawlto Bryant. Deputy Almond "Tub" Merritt was trying to give hercovering fire when he was shot in the chest, Evans said.

Merritt, 53, died at a hospital.

Husband kills

wife, then self

FAULKNER, Md. - A man shot and killed his estranged wife, thenkilled himself, even as a judge's order for his arrest on harassmentcharges sat unprocessed in a court clerk's office.

Police said that James Lancaster Sr., 36, went to the home of hisestranged wife, Janice Lancaster, 34, about 6 a.m. Monday.

After arguing with her, Lancaster pulled out a shotgun and killedher, then went to the front porch and fatally shot himself, policesaid. The couple's 17-year-old daughter saw the shooting and calledpolice.

A Dec. 28 court order barred Lancaster from contacting his wife.The next day, District Judge Gary S. Gasparovic signed a benchwarrant for Lancaster's arrest after prosecutors filed charges thathe was harassing his wife.

Court officials say that while the bench warrant normally wouldhave been processed within two days, it was not handled because ofthe New Year's holiday and a staffing shortage.

Carole Alexander, executive director of the House of Ruth inBaltimore, an advocacy group for domestic violence victims, said thekilling "again calls into question whether there is any realprotection when women do take action to protect themselves."

Teen dies, boy

shot in N.Y. mall

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Shots erupted inside a suburban mall,killing a teen-ager and wounding an 8-year-old bystander who wasshopping with his family.

The 17-year-old, whose identity was not released, died hoursafter the shooting Monday evening at the Galleria mall in this NewYork suburb. Police Capt. Peter Viviano say today if the teen alsohad a gun but said investigators have "a good idea" of what happenedand it wasn't gang-related.

No arrests had been made as of this morning but three people werebeing questioned and mall security videotape was being reviewed, hesaid.

The shooting happened in a vestibule between the parking area andthe main selling floor of the mall, Viviano said.