WJPA News

SLIPPERY ROCK TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — Police were involved in a shooting Monday morning in Slippery Rock Township, Lawrence County, but no officers were hurt, officials said. The shooting was reported shortly after 9 a.m. on Copper Road, between Route 422 and Old Princeton Road. Investigators have Copper Road shut down. One person was injured in the shooting and was flown to a hospital, officials said. “This was an isolated incident and there are no public safety concerns at this time,” a news release said. Pennsylvania State Police said the shooting started as a domestic incident, but further information has not been released.

PITTSBURGH (WPXI) – A local paramedic is on a personal mission after his friend and co-worker died while on the job. Michael Bedner is asking people to sign an online petition to raise awareness and increase protections for first responders when they’re called to scenes along roads. Bedner’s friend, 43-year old Matt Smelser, was hit and killed while responding to a crash on Interstate 70 on Jan. 5th. Bedner wants to see more advanced warning at crash scenes to give drivers more time to react. He also wants lawmakers to expand their definition of “move over and slow down” and increase fines for people who speed through emergency scenes or work zones.

PITTSBURGH (WPXI) —  Roads are open after a major water main break shut down streets in the West End of Pittsburgh.  Police said the 20-inch break happened around 7:15 p.m. Sunday in the 1800 block of West Carson Street. The road was closed in each direction between Corliss Street and the West End Circle.   A salt truck was also called in to help because the temperatures are so cold. The PWSA issued a boil water advisory for the areas nearby due to low pressure. Water buffaloes are available at the following locations:

• Fire Station 29, 2150 Noblestown Rd
• Fire Station 31, 3000 Chartiers Ave
• 725 Ridgemont Ave

POTTER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — Rescue crews were called after a man’s kayak overturned in Raccoon Creek in Beaver County. The incident in Potter Township was called in around 1 p.m. Sunday. The man inside the kayak was able to swim to a tree after it flipped and rescue teams from various departments had to pull him out, police told our news partners at Channel 11. “Water conditions are high today, running very swiftly, so the kayak got away from him and he was stranded,” said Potter Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Victoria Carlton. Police said his friend tried to rescue him and ended up getting his truck stuck in the woods. The kayaker was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia. His condition is unknown at this time.

PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Authorities are investigating an accident involving a Port Authority bus that hit a pedestrian in Oakland just after noon. The pedestrian, a woman, died from her injuries. Officials with the University of Pittsburgh later confirmed that the victim was a senior at the university. She was identified by the school as Barbara Como. The accident happened at the intersection of Oakland Avenue, De Soto Street and Fifth Avenue near the hospital.

ATLANTA (AP) – The nation is marking the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday memorializing the civil rights leader. Monday’s holiday in King’s name comes against the backdrop of a presidential election year. In Atlanta, Monday’s commemorations could draw attention to the continuing leadership role of the clergy in African American politics. U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a Georgia Republican appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp, plans to attend Monday’s tribute at Ebenezer Baptist Church, which King and his father both led. And in an early tribute to King, Vice President Mike Pence spoke Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee, at a church service recalling the challenges and accomplishments of the slain civil rights leader.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Thousands of gun-rights activists from around the country rallied peacefully at the Virginia Capitol on Monday, protesting plans by the state’s Democratic leadership to pass gun-control legislation that have become a key flashpoint in the national debate over gun violence. The size of the rally and the expected participation of white supremacists and fringe militia groups raised fears that the state could see a repeat of the violence that exploded in 2017 in Charlottesville. But the rally concluded uneventfully around noon, and the mood was largely festive. Attendees spilled into the streets, chanting “USA” and waving signs denouncing Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.  (Photo:  CNN)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Police say an armed security guard shot and killed a man suspected of fatally shooting a woman and injuring 15 more people outside a bar in Kansas City, Missouri. The attack took place shortly before midnight Sunday outside 9ine Ultra Lounge. A motive for the shooting has not been revealed. Kansas City Police Capt. David Jackson told reporters early Monday that responding officers found “a chaotic scene.” Jackson says a man and a woman were killed and police believe the shooter is the deceased man. The venue was hosting a celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs’ progression to the Super Bowl.

HONOLULU (AP) – Authorities and neighbors say Hawaii man with a history of run-ins with police and neighbors was facing eviction when he stabbed his landlord and killed two officers before the house he and two women were believed to be in caught fire. Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard said Sunday that police found a woman who had been stabbed in the leg and resident Jaroslav “Jerry” Hanel opened fire, killing Officers Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama. Police suspect he and two women were inside the house when it caught fire, and Ballard said it could take days to process evidence and recover any remains. Court records say homeowner Lois Cain had recently sought to evict the man. A neighbor told The Associated Press she saw Cain being loaded into an ambulance with knife wounds.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The New York Times has endorsed not one but two candidates for the Democratic nomination for president, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar from the party’s moderate wing and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren from its progressive wing. The paper said Sunday it had chosen the two most effective candidates from the moderate and progressive sides of the party – without stating a preference for either approach. In passing over Joe Biden, the paper cited his age and occasional gaffes.

BEIJING (AP) – China has reported a sharp rise in the number of people infected with a new coronavirus, including the first cases in the capital. The outbreak coincides with the country’s busiest travel period, as millions board trains and planes for the Lunar New Year holidays. Health authorities in the central city of Wuhan, where the pneumonia appears to have originated, have confirmed more cases that raise the total to more than 200. And a third patient has died, bringing the death toll to three. Thailand and Japan have identified three cases among people who recently traveled from China. South Korea reported its first case, a woman who arrived in Seoul from Wuhan and is now hospitalized.