shooting

A United States soldier stationed in Iraq has been removed following an investigation that revealed that the soldier used the Quran as a target for shooting. Iraqi police discovered the bullet-ridden holy book on a small-arms range in the vicinity of a police station in the Radwaniyah.

This is another incident that further strains relations between Americans and Sunnis who called the act “a hideous act against the book of almighty God and the constitution of the nation and the source of its glory and dignity.”

The top American commander in Baghdad apologized to community leaders in Radwaniyah in a ceremony saying: “I come before you here seeking your forgiveness. In the most humble manner I look in your eyes today and say please forgive me and my soldiers.”

This, along with a mortar shell which hit a residential area north of Baghdad killing at least four people and wounding thirty others, mostly children playing, have heightened tensions between US forces and Iraqi citizens recently. Is the act understandable given the us-vs-them mentality that is necessary in war? Is it tension of battle run amuck, or an indefensible act? Was the apology enough? Too much?

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This morning, Cajun celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme — who often gets credit for leading the 1980s Cajun cooking frenzy — was hit by a stray bullet. Don't worry though, the man behind the Magic Seasonings is doing fine and was cooking up a feast five minutes later. In what is believed to be a freak accident at the Zurich Classic — a golfing event — in New Orleans, Prudhomme was struck by a .22 caliber bullet above his right elbow. Strangely, he thought it was a bee sting and did not realize he had been shot until the bullet fell out of his sleeve. The police believe the stray bullet came from somewhere within a mile and a half radius of the golf course. At this time, they do not think anyone was out to get the secret to Prudhomme's magic spices.

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Thousands mourned the victims of yesterday's shooting attack at a Jewish Seminary in Jerusalem. The attack happened Thursday night and killed at least eight students, wounding at least nine others — three of them seriously — according to Israeli police. The victims of the attack were between 15 and 26 years old.

The gunman has been identified as Ala Abu Dhaim. According to his family in Arab East Jerusalem, he had once worked as a driver for the seminary. Yesterday's attack was the first attack inside Jerusalem in four years and the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians in almost two years. Hamas did not take responsibility for the incident, but said, “We bless the operation. It will not be the last.”

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• At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, thousands of students attended a memorial service this morning to remember student body president Eve Carson. Carson was shot and killed in a suburban neighborhood near campus. At this point, the police have no leads and consider it a random crime. The UNC Chancellor said during the gathering, "The death of any parent's child or any student is a tragedy, but this is a tragedy magnified and multiplied by the number and depths of the relationships, meaningful relationships, that Eve Carson had on this campus. Eve Carson personified the Carolina spirit. ... She felt the very pulse and heartbeat of this university."
• Spain heads into the final day of campaigning before Sunday's general election. Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is seeking a second term amid questions about the slowing economy. Inflation and unemployment are the highest they've been in nearly a decade. Recent polls however show the Socialists with a four-point lead.
• In other global election news, Zimbabwe has banned election observers from Western countries from monitoring proceedings later this month. At this point, only African countries would be allowed monitors, along with allies such as China, Iran and Venezuela. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, 84, says he suspects that Western countries are trying to remove him from government.

In West Palm Beach, Fla., this morning, a gunman opened fire in a Wendy's restaurant, killing one person and injuring at least three others before killing himself.

A female off-duty police officer was in the area during the time of the shooting, and it's not yet clear if she was injured. There is no word yet as to the motive behind the incident.

Yesterday afternoon, a gunman opened fire into a crowd waiting for the bus at a busy Los Angeles intersection, hitting five children and three adults. The shooting happened right after classes in a nearby school let out, and witnesses still aren't clear where the gunman was before firing, or what motivated him.

A 12-year-old girl, the most seriously wounded, is now in stable condition at Children's Hospital.

Amir Khani, the owner of a discount store nearby the incident said, "These things, on this corner, happen all the time — street fighting, gangbanging. We see a lot of things around here. It's not surprising, because it happens all the time." He went on to say that between 2 and 5 p.m. everyday, gang activity is at its highest. This is the second outbreak of street violence in the area this week, and police agree that the gunbattle involved members of a notorious gang entrenched in that area for decades.

Authorities are now releasing the identity of the gunman in yesterday's Northern Illinois University shooting. It was Steven P. Kazmierczak of Champaign, Ill. Kazmierczak shot 21 people before shooting himself. Though previous reports announced six fatalities, it's now being reported that five people were killed in addition to the shooter.

The identities of the victims are now known as well, all Illinois residents: Daniel Parmenter, 20, of Westchester; Catalina Garcia, 20, of Cicero; Ryanne Mace, 19, of Carpentersville; and Julianna Gehant, 32, of Meriden; and Gayle Dubowski, 20, of Carol Stream.

Tributes to those affected in the tragedy are cropping up online. A Facebook community called "Pray for Northern Illinois University Students and Families" currently has more than 34,000 members.

CNN is just now reporting that a gunman has entered campus and has shot 17 people at Northern Illinois University. It's now reported that at least five individuals are dead.

The gunman, who apparently opened fire in Cole Hall, is dead. The shooting occured shortly after 3 p.m. EST on the DeKalb campus. The incident is apparently under control, but no news has been released yet regarding fatalities.

Continuing a streak of sad news, this morning a female student killed two classmates and then turned the gun on herself at Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge. There were 20 students in the classroom at the time, and no shots were fired outside of the classroom. Officers responding to 911 calls from inside the classroom arrived on the scene to find the three already dead. No other details are known at this time.