Crime Time

Gunman kills five, then himself in Finland

Police in Helsinki, Finland, say that a man killed his ex-girlfriend at her apartment and then four workers at a suburban shopping mall where she had worked before fatally shooting himself.

The man, Ibrahim Shkupolli, 43, was identified as an immigrant who had lived in Finland for several years.

Witnesses told police that panic ensued at the mall after the shots rang out.

-- Lance Murray

Inmate 'lap dance' leads to guard's resignation

Party, party, party.

That's OK in a nightclub, but apparently it's frowned upon at a county jail.

Officials at the Dallas County jail say a guard has resigned after reports that she allowed a male inmate to give her a lap dance. Witnesses also said that the guard gave the inmate her personal cell phone that had photos of her in it.

-- Lance Murray

Girl, 3, joins the 2,636 victims of Juarez cartel gunfire in 2009

Among the victims of the cartel violence Wednesday in Juarez, Mexico, was 3-year-old Arely Estrada Peralta who died in an ambulance after being shot several times.

At least 2,636 people have been slain in that border city this year, making it one of the deadliest places on Earth. Also killed Wednesday was a man believed to be Arely's father. His body was found in a pickup truck. A woman also was wounded in the same attack and taken to a hospital, the El Paso Times reports.

Others were killed Wednesday in Juarez, too, but throughout the year the violence has affected many children -- those were killed and those who lost parents and other relatives to the gunfire.

-- Lance Murray

Trucker, son face charges in torture killing of man

Authorities in Missouri say that a trucker and his son tortured and killed an Ohio man in the the trucker's basement, with the help of accomplices.

A tipster told police that 38-year-old trucker Chester Harvey had killed a man and was keeping the body in the trailer of his big rig until he could figure out how to dispose of it. Based on the tip, authorities found the body of James William Boyd McNeely, 20, in the trailer.

Police said that Harvey's son, Chad, also faces first-degree murder charges in the case.  Three other men face kidnapping charges, according to the Associated Press.

-- Lance Murray

Police reminder: Celebratory gunfire is illegal, potentially deadly

Area police departments have sent out reminders that there's a good to make noise bringing in the New Year and there's
a potentially deadly one.

Discharging a gun into the air is illegal, said Sgt. Chad Mahaffey of the Fort Worth police department in a release. He said the department will take a "zero tolerance" policy on violators this New Year's.

Firing a weapon inside the city limits is a "criminal offense punishable by arrest and confiscation of the firearm," Mahaffey said.

But even worse, those bullets have to come down once fired and that has occasionally led to someone be struck and even killed.

"Higher criminal charges can apply if someone is injured or killed by a stray or falling bullet," Mahaffey said.

He encouraged anyone hearing gunfire to call 911 and report it.

-- Lance Murray

Man accused of calling 911 to get ride to a bar

We sometimes find stories about people abusing the 911 system, and here's one that's pretty amazing.

Police in Oldsmar, Fla., say that a man called 911 three times saying he'd been beaten and shot at -- all so that he could get a ride to another bar.

The man, Gregory J. Oras, 37, is accused of abusing the 911 systems and battery of a law enforcement officer. He's accused of kicking a police officer, the Associated Press reported.

-- Lance Murray

Lewisville jewelry store robbery nets $6 million in loot

Robbers made off with $6 million in jewelry and coins Monday from a Lewisville jewelry store, police said.

One of the robbers used a ruse of needing a watch battery as the store was about to open, getting a clerk to open the door. The robber, accompanied by an accomplice, brandished a weapon and then forced the employee to put the contents of a safe into two duffel bags, police said.

-- Lance Murray

Police: Mafioso turns Craigslist meeting into robbery

Put the buzz words Craigslist and Mafia together and it's gonna get interesting.

The New York Post reports that a Mafia associate who helped with an armored car robbery in the 1980s, was arrested the day after Christmas after responding to an ad on Craigslist from a man wanting to sell an engagement ring.

The paper reports that the alleged gangster, Gerald DeGerolamo, 65, met the seller at a prearranged location and then -- when the ring was produced -- sprayed the seller with Mace, grabbed the ring, and ran off.

A witness alerted police who then arrested DeGerolamo and returned the ring to its owner, David Cushman.

-- Lance Murray

Girl, 11, her boyfriend, charged with trying to kill mother

Police in Clearwater, Fla., have charged a 11-year-old girl and her 15-year-old boyfriend with plotting to kill her mother.

The pair were going to set the mother's bedroom on fire while the woman slept, police said. They said the couple poured gasoline on the mother's bedroom floor and bed and then set the room ablaze. The two escaped in the mom's car.

A smoke alarm awakened the mother and she got out of the house.

The girl and her boyfriend have been charged with attempted murder and arson, police said.

-- Lance Murray

2 dead in California casino office shooting

There was a deadly workplace shooting Tuesday at a Southern California casino where a man who had been recently fired from his job opened fire in his ex-boss' office and then shot himself.

The shooting happened at the the security office of the Barona Gaming Commission building in San Diego County.  The man entered the building, ordered three secretaries to leave and then opened fire in the manager's office.

-- Lance Murray