it is happening near los gatos. highway 17 closed in both directions in the santa cruz mountains because of a tractor-trailer on fire, and it is carrying nitrogen. it broke out after 10:00 this evening near summit road. >> it it appear itself started in the truck's engine compartment. from what we understand the flames then spread to the brush and the trees along the southbound lanes. we are hearing the chp is now evacuating cars stuck in that traffic. >> we have the california highway patrol on the line now. what is the latest there? >> they were considering whether they would be evacuating the local area. it is actually southbound highway 17 right at redwood estates. they determined they won't do evacuations in the immediate area of the housing, but they are trying to get the traffic

turned around. it was stopped prior to the fire. >> there were a number of cars stopped, and they are having to turn them around and head them in the opposite direction there? >> correct. they were able to stop the southbound traffic as bear creek road and divert it off there, but now they have to evacuate the cars that are stuck behind the incident. >> officer, anyone injured, or is anyone okay? >> it sounds like two people got out of the tracker it trailer when it came to a stop. it doesn't sound like there are injuries related to the insurance department yesterday. there is a half a mile cordoned off area between the truck and any traffic or any pedestrians. >> very good to you to come on with us. we appreciate it. thank you. good evening. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm carolyn johnson. our other top story, the expected, but tragic news involving a highway patrol officer. >> no doubt it is on the mind of the officer just speaking with us. he was critic leer wounded in a shootout. tonight he passed away. we have live team coverage on the story. and we start with leslie brinkley live at john muir medical center in walnut

creek. leslie, it was clear this was coming. >> that's certainly true, dan. a sad night here in walnut creek. we do know that family members and chp officials say by tomorrow they will be ready to begin plans for a memorial, but tonight the news out of here was that a family man, a dedicated chp officer died in the line of duty at john muir medical center tonight. >> this evening at approximately 6:05 p.m. officer kenyan youngstrom was pronounced deceased. >> doctors had not expected the officer to survive after a bullet to his head severed his spinal cord. he was on life support for a day and a half. his organs will now be donated. >> this has been a life altering tragedy for the family, and a tragedy that has affected us to the core. >> chp officers came and went in a constant stream through the emergency room at john

muir medical center. one hour after his death, a chp helicopter circled the hospital floshing its lights in what -- flashing its lights in what appeared to be a salute for the fallen officer. >> the officer's family wants to express their deepest gratitude to the law enforcement family, first responders, medical staff, members of the public. you have been amazing. i think it is really important that you guys know he absolutely loved his job. and the service he does for all of us and all of you in the community. >> a fund has been set up to help youngstrom's surviving wife and four children. we understand that donations can be made at all wells fargo branches across the bay area. and also for more reaction on this news tonight, we now turn to ama dates who is up in

youngstrom's hometown for a vigil tonight. ama? >> and leslie the helicopter you were talking about also came here and was above the vigil at oakbrook elementary school. that's where the vigil was held this evening. everyone was hoping the officer would recover. sadly that was not the case. >> officer youngstrom succumbed to his injuries at 6:05 p.m. he is survived by his wife, karen, and four children. >> a chp captain made the announcement of officer kenyan youngstrom's passing. they gathered outside oakbrook elementary school for a vigil hoping for him to recover. >> we want to have a moment of silence to where each one of us bows our head and prays to our god. >> some who came know the family personally. chris staw kaufman used to be their next door neighbor. >> my dad and him would talk every day. we would always play with

their children. we would always talk to them. we were pretty close. >> others like steven walker of danville share a different kind of bond with the family. walker had two brothers in the highway patrol. one was killed on traffic duty new year's eve 2005. >> chp is a family. they were so supportive of my sister-in-law and my two nieces when this happened and the entire family. with these type of events you just gather together. you provide any support you can. >> a lot of kids also came to the vigil. many go to school with officer youngstrom's kids. anthony florez is friends with one of them, and he also lost his father, so he know what's it is like, and he has a message for his friend. >> i would like to tell him that i feel so bad for you. i know the situation, and if you ever need to talk to someone i am here for you. >> and as leslie mentioned, no

memorial has been set just yet, but a lot of folks out here at the vigil hope to be a part of that too. ama dates, abc7 news. >> thank you. people wishing to donate to officer youngstrom's family can visit any wells fargo branch. just mention the officer's name to the teller and ask funds be contributed to the trust account in his name. meantime, we are getting new information about what lead up to yesterday's highway shooting. we learned officer kenyan youngstrom and another policemen looked at the license plate. youngstroment went up to the driver's side of the jeep and exchanged words and was shot. his partner saw what happened and fired at the jeep killing lacey. they are analyzing computers found in lacey's home. cara clapper went to corning today and spoke with his neighbors. >> there was no names, but when i seen the jeep i knew it was chris'. >> jim recalls the last time he saw his neighbor and

friend, chris lacey just yesterday morning as he drove away in his green jeep for a new job in the bay area. >> i did not know the highway patrolman. i am very sorry for his family, but i am also sorry for chris. >> neighbors called him a computer wiz who kept to himself. >> he never wanted to be around a lot of people. he waived at you and jogged a lot, but other than that he didn't want to associate. >> the 36-year-old didn't attract a lot of attention in the year and a half since he bought this property in corning. neighbors say if lacey wasn't up late at night working on his computer he was out in the garden where he planted his own vegetables and sunflowers. >> he's gone, but in my mind he is still over there because i can see him working in that yard. >> the same yard whereabout 9:30 last night officers served a search warrant. >> they broke the fence down and went in and they were all over that place. that's when i took the pictures. >> there was a cop up in the corner. up in the trees he had a

shotgun aimed at the house, so we thought oh god he is in there. in the end he wasn't. >> chris lacey was pronounced dead hours earlier. >> chris is very sorry for what he did, i'm sure. but that is not going to bring the highway patrolman back to duty. >> as you can tell in this neighborhood of chris lacey's home they are distraught and perplexed. they say they can't understand why their neighbor would have done such a thing yesterday. chris lacey has no criminal record. in corning, cara clapper, abc7 news. >> lacey left an extensive trail on-line, but what lead this computer scientist to become a killer? ababc7 eye news reporter is here with the story. >> carolyn and dan, so often the day after we find a more complete picture of the gunman and this time he left clues on the internet including a detailed resume. chris lacey was a freelance

computer programmer who used this website to look for work and for dates. in his resume he claims to have done contract work for several companies including ebay. no confirmation from the company tonight, but the i team reached one owner who confirms he hired lacey last year for four months full time stent. >> i remember feeling like, whoa, i am not sure whether i trust him exactly or not. >> dave told us by skype from sacramento he had concerns about lacey, but couldn't quite figure out why. >> sometimes you can sort of tell when people have -- they seem to be all nice and conversational and everything, but you can tell underneath that they are angry i would think. >> chris lacey's father told alan wang that he and his wife saw health problems emerge from n their son from an early age growing up in bend, oregon. craig lacey says his son suffered a psychotic break his senior year at san francisco state.

>> he was huh louse nateing, and -- huh louse nate -- huh loose nateing and was paranoid. he was in the hospital and they diagnosed him as bi-polar and put him on lithium. >> chris lacey graduated in 2005 with a 3.79gpa, moved to this duplex in sausalito and the i team has learned he got a hunting license that same year. >> i never saw him use a handgun before, but he was a pretty good shot with a shotgun and a bow. >> lacey's resume says he moved from sausalito last year to near chico and started a small farm homestead to sell the produce on-line and to customers in the bay area. he wrote "i also contribute significant time to the ron paul campaign and the liberty movement." even with his mental health history and his access to guns, those who knew chris lacey can't comprehend how and why he wound up in that

highway shootout with a chp officer. >> there is nothing in me i would think that would happen with chris. >> craig lacey told us he hadn't talked to his son in a year and a half, that he could be very charming and he didn't consider his son to be a violent person. dan and carolyn? >> we will continue to learn more in the next few days. >> you can join us in your condolences on our facebook page. go to facebook.com/abc7 news. we are going to move on tonight as we continue. rain drops and lightning across northern california. meteorologist sandhya patel is here. >> dan and carolyn, as we check out live doppler 7hd -- well, maybe we will toss it back to you. carolyn, we will toss it back to you as we basically look ahead. we have red flag warnings going. live doppler 7hd is still detecting showers with that thunderstorm threat and the fire danger is running high. full details coming up. >> also former president clinton gets a bear hug after nominating barack obama. why he believes the president should get four more years.

abc7 political reporter mark

[ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. your new light creamy potato with bacon & cheese soup says it's 100 calories a serving. that's right. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. my world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... [ whispers ] 100 calories... say it again... [ whispers ] 100 calories... ma'am, hello? ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

[ rain pattering ] [ heels clicking ] [ female announcer ] yoplait light tastes great now... ♪ ...and feels great later 20 delicious flavors of yoplait light, now at 90 calories each. yoplait, it is so good!

brought down the house at the democratic national convention. he formally nominated president barack obama who then joined him on the stage to the delight of the packed arena. political reporter mark matthews has the speech and reaction from charlotte from the biggest names in california politics. >> tonight president clinton said the republican argument against the president is pretty simple. >> it it went something like this, we left him a total mess. he hadn't cleaned it up fast enough so put him back in. >> they say the agenda of congress is clear jie. their number one priority was not to put america back to work. it was to put the president out of work. we simply cannot afford to give the reins of government to someone who will double down on trickle down. >> he accused paul ryan of attacking the president's

medicare spending plan that mirrored ryan's own proposal. >> you have to give him one thing, it takes brass for a guy to attack a guy who did what you did. >> clinton painted the republican small government philosophy as winner take all and you are on your own. >> if you want a winner take all, you are on your own society, you should support the republican ticket. but if you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibility, we are all in this together society, you should vote for barack obama and joe biden. >> i'm over the moon. bill clinton is such a great teacher. he laid it out. >> that was the best. that was the squint -- the

squint essential speech. >> there is just one bill clinton. the old saying he walks on water and he almost does. >> tomorrow night the president accepts the nomination in a speech he hopes will propel him in a second term. mark matthews, abc7 news. >> and he will be there tomorrow when president obama addresses the delegates. you can follow mark on our facebook page or at matthews at abc7 on twitter to get his updates from charlotte. >> and abc news will have coverage of the final night of the convention tomorrow at 7:00 here on abc7. >> but now let's turn our attention to the weather forecast. >> a lot is going on. sandhya patel is here now. >> i want to show you live doppler 7hd, and it has been an active day. we had thunderstorms roll through the bay area. more than 700 lightning strikes to the sierra nevada in the last 12 hours. as you look right now, i want to show you where we are still seeing showers at this hour around antioch and lone tree way as we take you down to

street level. we are still seeing light returns right now heading to the oakley area. some of the yellow could be briefly heavy, but it is basically rain around livermore and tessla road, and so watch out if you are in that vicinity or heading in that direction. now, as we look at the monterey bay, still a few blips on live doppler 7hd and east of san jose heading out toward the morgan hill area. there is still a limited possibility of thunderstorms, so the red flag warning going until 11:00 a.m. thursday. this covers the north bay, the delta, east bay and the diablo range. the thunderstorms could spark some fires, so that's why the fire danger is running high. initially dry lightning could be a potential concern. now i want to show you lovely photos. want to get right to them. these were sent by fonso94 and brandy 29 showing me her sunset view from cloverdale. and let's check out other

views here. it was so hard to pick. this was a double rainbow and this was by itsblim. i saw this from our roof and it was unbelievable. pho lisa d sent this -- feliciad, please keep them coming. unbelievable shots tonight. tropical moisture providing the colorful sunsets and rainbows. the temperatures are 50s and 60s and we still have a lot of cloud cover overhead. showers ending thursday morning and slight risk of thunderstorms and a mild pattern for the weekend. here is the satellite and the radar. remnant lows of tropical storm john made their way up toward the bay area, and that's why we saw all of the active weather today combined with the daytime heating. for your thursday the showers will be ending in the morning and so will the thunderstorm threat. look what comes our way by late thursday morning into thursday afternoon. we are talking about sunshine in the bay area. first thing tomorrow morning count on a humid feel. we will see a combination of the midand high clouds and the fog in the morning could still

be some damp roadways. slow down out there if you are heading out the door and give yourself some extra time due to the possibility of the showers. in the afternoon it is dry and upper 80sand warm in our inland valleys. 80 in san jose and 65 san francisco. half moon bay 59. santa rosa 78 and around the monterey bay, 63 in monterey and up to 84 in morgan hill. accu-weather seven-day forecast, after the threat of a few early morning showers, we are going with a partly cloudy thursday afternoon. upper 50s to upper 80s. slight dropoff. for the weekend it is mild mid80s inland and midto upper 50s coast side. slightly warmer monday. mike nico starting at 4:30 tomorrow morning, carolyn and dan, and we will keep you posted on any changes in our weather of course with the lightning threat and the rain. >>

we want to update you on the breaking news we brought you. the highway is closed in both directions in the santa cruz mountains because of a

tractor-trailer on fire. >> this is happening in the redwood estates area. bear creek road was where cars were turned off in this area. the fire fire caused quite a back up. they did not have to evacuate any neighborhoods surrounding the neighborhood. >> and the people in the truck were able to get out safely. no one injured. but it did cause traffic problems in that area. >> and it is time for sports. >> larry beil is here and frightening moments. >> in the a's game. we will get to that. the giants and the d-backs getting testy. we'll show you the benches emptying there. and a scary scene in oakland. brandon mccarthy nailed in the head. the latest on his condition is next in sports. [ female announcer ] every day, there's a new reason not to make a home-cooked meal. work, errands, a greasy bag of deep-fried easy. ♪ fortunately with hamburger helper's 40 varieties a home-cooked meal is never out of reach. hamburger helper. help is on the way. progresso.

in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! my bowl, my spoons! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios has whole grain and 110 delicious calories. ...more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios in multi-grain cheerios peanut butter. cruz mountains, sky 7hd over this truck fire along highway 17 . right now it is burning in the redwood estates area. >> and this truck had two people on board. apparently they were able to

get out safely. that is the good news, but it did cause traffic problems, and it is still causing traffic problems. as you look live from sky 7hd, they are still trying to get that fire fully distinguished. >> and obviously in the los gatos area, the highway is shutdown right now. >> we understand that truck by the way was carrying nitrogen. there doesn't appear to be a problem as a result of that. all right, a's pitcher brandon mccarthy spending tonight in the hospital and he may have headaches for awhile. he was hit in the head with a line drive. picking it up in the third and angels going for the series sweep. bases loaded and base knock to right and morales is hung up, and that would end the inning. 3-0 angels. here comes the scary situation in the fourth. a line drive and flush to mccarthy's head, and then his head slams against the ground. the ball hit mccarthy just above his right ear. he did not lose consciousness, but he looked dazed.

mccarthy was able to walk off the field under his own power, and he will stay there for observation. the a's lost, but the biggest concern was for mccarthy's health. >> from that hard dense to get a ball and city didn't even see the rest of the play. if it is a glancing blow it probably goes out to center field. it was scary for all of us. giants and d-backs and cahill getting a lot of help. chris johnson working the hot key makes the nice play. bottom of six and pagan sends one to center field. he makes the diving catch to end the inning. cahill had a no hitter and it is chris johnson again and igniting a double to right off him. two runs in and a 6-0 cushion. he add no-no into the 7th. but he takes charge of that and takes care of it with a

single to right. tempers would flare. john mcdonald runs into sandoval at the end of the display. the benches would empty and no big issue there. the giants lose it 6-2. l.a. lost again and they are four and a half up with the dodgers coming to town on friday. the 2012 nfl season kicked off tonight. the giants and cowboys. let's get to it. the chance knocked dallas out of playoff con veption and the boys did not -- convention and the boys did not forget. tony romo hit him with two touchdown passes. overall he threw three in this game. as dallas beats the defending super bowl champions by a final of 24-17. abc7 sports brought to you by river rock casino. >> thanks, larry. "night lynn" is up next. i'm dan ashley -- "nightline is up next." i'm dan ashley. >> i'm carolyn johnson. >> for all of us here, thank you for watching. we appreciate your time.

good morning! wow. want to start the day with something heart healthy and delicious? you're a talking bee... honey nut cheerios has whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol. and it tastes good? sure does! right... ♪ wow. delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time... what's the rush?

be happy. be healthy. ♪ [ man ] excuse me miss. [ gasps ] this fiber one 90 calorie brownie has all the moist, chewy, deliciousness you desire. mmmm. thanks. [ man ] at 90 calories, the brownie of your dreams is now deliciously real. [ female announcer ] and now, try our new chocolate chip cookie 90 calorie brownie.

♪ [ man ] excuse me miss. [ gasps ] this fiber one 90 calorie brownie has all the moist, chewy, deliciousness you desire. mmmm. thanks. [ man ] at 90 calories, the brownie of your dreams is now deliciously real. [ female announcer ] and now, try our new chocolate chip cookie 90 calorie brownie.