Author: CNN Newsource

By Mariana La Roche & Emily Pofahl

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    MUSKEGO, Wisconsin (WISN) — Muskego police are investigating a shooting at a Taco Bell restaurant Monday afternoon near Moorland and Janesville Roads. According to police, the shooting happened around 1:10 p.m. after a fight inside the fast food restaurant involving two customers and “several employees.”

The fight then continued outside. Police said the person who fired several shots was a Taco Bell employee. Dispatchers described the fight on dispatch audio.

“Currently a physical fight going on at Taco Bell between two customers trying to get into the kitchen area,” audio obtained by WISN 12 said. “All I hear is screaming and they’re just requesting police. He did shoot 2 to 3 rounds. Apparently he was an incident an employee versus an employee.”

Officers arrested the shooter. Charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety are expected to be forwarded to the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.

Medics took one person who was injured int he fight to a hospital. That person is expected to survive

Tuesday afternoon, officers placed evidence markers in front of the restaurant near the drive-through area. Police had the Taco Bell roped off as they continued their investigation.

Employees at a nearby daycare said they heard gunfire and placed the facility on lockdown for a brief period. Everyone inside the daycare was safe, and the facility has since reopened.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By WABC Eyewitness News

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    NEW YORK (WABC) — A teenager on Long Island facing a critical health battle will get a life-saving kidney after finding a matching donor.

Elias Manolis, a 13-year-old boy from Franklin Square, was born with a kidney condition known as UVJ obstruction, and because of it, his kidneys are now failing. His parents don’t qualify as kidney donors, nor do others in his family.

Eyewitness News spoke with Manolis in January about his desperate search for a new kidney.

“If I get a new kidney, then I actually can live a normal life,” he said. “On a weekend, I would normally go out with a friend, go biking, but as soon as 1 o’clock hits, I have to come home and do a catheterization,” Manolis told Eyewitness News.

On Friday, Manolis’ mother posted on social media that someone has graciously agreed to donate a kidney to him.

“Life-altering news!!!! We’re beyond thrilled that a kind-hearted living donor has been found for Elias. Our hearts are full of gratitude,” wrote Manolis’ mother in the description of the video posted to Instagram.

At the time, doctors said they were looking for potential donors with type O or B bloods, and a body mass index of 35 of less in order to find a match for Manolis.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Michelle Charlesworth

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    STATEN ISLAND, New York (WABC) — A daring rescue was caught on camera when an off-duty officer ripped down a fence to get into a back yard to help save two girls and their mother from a fire.

The fire happened last Wednesday on Rensselaer Avenue, but the heroic officer, Lt. James Heinz, spoke out about the rescue on Monday.

“The front door was already up in flames, I couldn’t get in, so I was trying to run down the driveway and there’s a fence in the back yard, you heard people yelling so I knew people were inside, so I had to break down their fence,” Heinz said.

Heinz tore down the fence and then ripped out a window – all with his bare hands – to get the girls out of the burning house.

“The two kids were inside and we ripped out that window and just took them right out that window,” Heinz said.

The two girls, ages 5 and 11, a mom, grandmother and adult son were all safe.

Tragically before the fire, the family lost their patriarch, and his remains were another worry, but the ashes were later recovered.

While Heinz is a police officer, he is not a firefighter.

“I have 13 years of experience, you never know what when the day is gonna come,” he said. “No time to panic, it’s just…you had to act.”

By the way, he did it in short sleeves, and apparently it’s in his blood.

“Ironically enough, my brother is a fireman and he actually responded,” Heinz said.

The little girls also were heroic and grabbed their uncle.

“From what I understand, one the little girls alerted him first, luckily she alerted them and they tried to put it out first and it spread,” Heinz said.

Heinz said quick thinking and quick action is just what they do.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Donald Fountain

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — Elizabeth Gill has dedicated the last 10 years of her life to helping out Atlanta firefighters.

“Volunteering is a way of life,” Gill said. “What you’ve been given is what you give back.”

Gill volunteers at fire stations across Atlanta throughout the year, but on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, she helps deliver food and supplies to the stations. Gill says it’s the least she can do.

“They’re the first people that come to your aid when you’re in trouble. We’ll always thank you for that,” she said.

Gill’s passion for helping firefighters started on Feb. 21, 2016. A day, she said, was the toughest of her life. Early that morning, Gill’s daughter, Rachel Thorn, was trapped in a fire at Pharr Manor in Buckhead.

On that day, Capt. Chip Newell of Atlanta Fire Station 4 was on the scene helping to put out the fire.

“They were telling us to get out of the building because the roof was going to come in on us,” Newell recalled. “But yes, I remember seeing her in the bedroom.”

Thorn suffered severe injuries, but firefighters pulled her out. She was then transported to Grady Memorial Hospital alive, just in time for Gill to see her.

“You know, the first few hours you think, ‘She’s going to get through this. She’s going to make it,'” said Gill.

However, as time passed, Thorn’s condition worsened, and the 37-year-old woman died 10 hours later. Despite the pain of losing her daughter, Gill found a reason to be grateful.

“That’s what they saved. The chance to see her, to be with her, to pray over her. They saved the moments he had with her,” said Gill. “We’re forever indebted to the fire department for being there that morning and helping her that morning to get out of that fire.”

Now every year on Feb. 21, Gill holds a luncheon to honor Thorn and the firefighters who brought her out of the building alive. A plaque now hangs in Atlanta Fire Station 21 to honor Thorn’s life and memory.

Newell says he’s still amazed by how Gill responded to the tragedy.

“It’s amazing how grief will take you down different trails. A grief-stricken mother losing her daughter in a structure fire has turned that grief into such a positive change. That’s absolutely amazing,” said Newell.

Before the luncheon started this year, Gill shared a few words.

“And we will continue to honor them every day on Feb. 21st for the rest of our lives,” she said.

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By Olivia Tyler

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — The Iowa Girls High School State Basketball tournament begins in Des Moines on Monday, bringing thousands of visitors and a significant economic impact to the area.

Forty teams across five classes are competing this week, while the metro area anticipates up to 20,000 visitors, according to Catch Des Moines.

Many attendees use this week as a vacation, exploring various parts of Greater Des Moines. Bailee Arnburg, director of sports at Catch Des Moines, said, “They’ll really hit every pocket of Greater Des Moines. Not only in the hotel piece, but also in the restaurants.”

The tournament is expected to generate $750,000 for Central Iowa businesses. Following the boys state wrestling tournament two weeks ago and with the boys state basketball tournament arriving next week, Catch Des Moines anticipates a total impact of $3 million.

Arnburg said, “Even with the weather, the fans always come up, and they show up and they show out for those athletes. So that’s the one of the best things about living in the Midwest, and honestly, in Iowa, people love sports. They love supporting their teams in their schools.”

Visitors will not only be crowding Des Moines but also shopping in West Des Moines, dining in Altoona, and enjoying activities in Ankeny. After the games, some girls might even shop for prom dresses, as Arnburg mentioned, “We hear a lot that the girls come and get their prom dresses when they’re here. So maybe, maybe we’ll see some influx in that as well.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Randy Wimbley

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    DETROIT (WXYZ) — A 13-month-old child was found alive in an impounded vehicle after spending days alone inside a car that had been parked on a Detroit-area street and later towed to an Eastpointe lot. The child’s father is in custody, and the case has been referred to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for a charging decision.

Harper Woods police say the toddler was discovered Saturday in the rear of a vehicle at Woods Towing and Services in Eastpointe. The child was crying, but is in stable condition and expected to fully recover. Child Protective Services is now involved in the case.

The vehicle had been parked on Damman Street near I-94 in Harper Woods. Neighbor Debra Ruffin said the car first caught her family’s attention Thursday night because of how and where it was parked.

“Awkwardly parked like half, not half, but a little bit in our driveway to here,” Ruffin said.

“And you can’t park on this side of the street, so that caught our attention,” Ruffin said.

Ruffin’s husband reported the vehicle to Harper Woods police on Friday. Officers had it impounded that afternoon.

About three hours before the car was towed, Detroit police say the child’s mother arrived at the 9th Precinct on the city’s east side to report her baby missing. A Detroit Police Department detective reached out to Harper Woods and learned the vehicle — belonging to the child’s father — had been towed, leading investigators to suspect the child might be inside.

Detroit detectives and Harper Woods officers went to the impound lot Saturday and found the toddler in the rear of the car. Harper Woods police say the car was “locked at the time of the tow and unable to be thoroughly inventoried.”

Ruffin said she and her family were shaken when they learned a baby had been just steps from their front door.

“I was speechless. I had to calm down. I was driving when I got the information. I had to pull over and catch my breath,” Ruffin said.

“And the temperature was going up and down. That was the thing that ran across my mind… that poor infant, that poor baby,” Ruffin said.

Ruffin said that while her family noticed a child’s car seat inside the vehicle, they never saw a baby.

“Well, somebody needs to pay for that. That was an immoral act,” Ruffin said.

Neighbor Kaylee said the discovery left many in the community unsettled.

“Me and my cousins were talking about it yesterday, like how can somebody forget a baby? In a car? Who wasn’t looking for the baby?” Kaylee said.

The case has been handed to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, and a charging decision could come soon.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Scripps editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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By Bernardo Montás

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    GAINESVILLE, Florida (WUFT) — When Gail Gordon lost her dog, Whiskey, four-and-a-half years ago, she wasn’t sure she’d see him again.

“I had pretty much given up on finding out where he was,” Gordon said.

That changed when Gordon received a call from a veterinarian in Wyoming she knew.

“She said, ‘Whiskey has been scanned,’ and I said, ‘Excuse me?’” Gordon said.

Alachua County Animal Resources took Whiskey in and traced him back to Gordon by scanning his microchip. Gordon didn’t hesitate to travel to recover Whiskey.

“I’ll do what I have to do because whiskey comes first in my mind,” Gordon said. “So, I called my sister. I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m going to Florida. I’m going to go get my dog,’ and she’s like, ‘I’ll go with you.’”

Gordon, along with her sister, left her home in Basin, Wyoming, the morning of Feb. 23 and drove until they stopped in Kansas City, Missouri, to sleep in Gordon’s car. The pair then stopped in Manchester, Tennessee, Feb. 24 to sleep yet again — that time in a hotel. Gordon arrived at Alachua County Animal Resources Feb. 25 to reunite with Whiskey.

“I was shaking,” she said. “I was like, ‘I need to get in there.’”

Animal Resources Shelter Supervisor Brittany D’Azzo witnessed Gordon and Whiskey’s reunion firsthand. D’Azzo said it was heartwarming to see.

“It was wonderful,” she said. “It reminded us that, you know, all of this is worth it.”

The reunion also reminded D’Azzo of the value of microchipping pets.

“We want to make sure that they get home,” she said. “So, please microchip your animals so that we can get them returned to you.”

The staff of any public or private animal shelter can microchip dogs and cats, according to Florida Statute 823.15. Alachua County Animal Resources charges a base rate of $20 for microchipping, according to the county’s website.

Gordon attributed being able to recover Whiskey to his microchip.

“Microchipping is what got him home,” she said. “If [Whiskey] weren’t microchipped, I never would’ve got him home.”

Now in Wyoming, Whiskey is back in the swing of digging in Gordon’s backyard, enjoying treats and taking his fair share of naps.

“He’s tremendously loved,” Gordon said.

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