and most of its on video surveillance. >> a shocking crime is committed outside of the toes and mall. 19-year-old rodney pritchett was found shot to death outside of the nordstrom store. almost a month and a half later, police arrest four men, 19-year- old chyron chester brown, 31- year-old theodore williams, and the moderate branded, and a 44- year-old and have charged them all with bridget's murder. ? they have been charged with first-degree murder -- >> they have been charged with first- degree murder in the death of rodney pritchett. >> there was a series of phone calls in and around the mall the of -- leading up to the murder.

most of their actions were caught on surveillance camera and analyzed by hundreds of detectives. >> they have had to look at this footage, evaluated, and put it together like pieces of a puzzle and do the regular old fashioned police work. >> servants video showed jamel branden with his girlfriend outside of a mall. detectives said he called frank williams after seeing the victim and then williams drove the other two to the mall after receiving a phone call. pritchett and his girlfriend were followed around the mall by the four men. and once the two left the mall, brown quickly followed after them. after the murder was committed, video shows the suspects walking through the mall and to the parking garages. >> the victim leave the mall and is murdered by the shooter,

tyrone brown, who fired multiple shots. he falls outside the nordstrom department store, which is where our officers found him. he was dead when they arrived. >> all four men have been charged with first-degree murder and the use of a handgun during a felony. the motive is still a mystery as to what it was behind the killing. the case remains under investigation. we are live outside police headquarters in towson tonight. i'm all melzer, wbal tv 11 news. >> -- i am old melzer, wbal tv 11 news. >> homicide detectives believe the first of two shootings happened early in the morning. a man was shot in east baltimore in the early morning hours, but no one called the police until 12 hours later. police were called and found the unidentified victim.

no word on suspects or motive. a short time later, police were called to northeast baltimore. a 31-year-old man had been shot and killed at that location, and another wounded. and at 5:45 p.m. yesterday evening, a man was shot multiple times. please tell us he survived and is in stable condition. and police are investigating two non-fatal shootings in northwest baltimore. a man in dark clothing wearing a mask approached a man in his vehicle and opened fire. no suspects have been named in any of those investigations. >> jury is trying to determine whether evidence in the murder of a maryland corrections officer is credible. one of two inmates is accused of stabbing the officer and then returning to their cells. >> the jurors just went home for the day, about 15 to 20 minutes ago. they have been deliberating

since about 9:00 a.m. this morning. this trial started on january 9. they are trying to sift through about three weeks of testimony and evidence. thursday was the first full day of deliberations in the trial of lee stevens. he is accused of murdering corporal david mcquain, a guard on duty at the maryland house of corrections in jessup in 2006. stevens was there on a murder charge. another man is also charged in his death. he has a competency hearing in april. lawyers wrapped up stevens' trial wednesday morning. both sides agree this was a brutal and senseless murder. the guard were stabbed 12 times, many of the wounds in the back. the prosecutor said this shows he was attacked from behind and between two assailants who sneaked out of their jail cells.

one of the witnesses fingered stevens as one of the two men who attacked the guard. the defense contended it was too dark at night and the witness was too far way to identify the attackers. prosecutors also point to physical evidence in this case, a tank top and work boots found in stevens' sell, all with the gartz blood on them the defense -- all with the guard's blood on them. the defense contends the evidence was contaminated. the jury does get to markoff, but they will be resuming deliberations 9:00 a.m. -- does get tomorrow off, but they will be resuming deliberations 9:00 a.m. monday morning. >> baltimore county police are searching for two men behind a kidnapping at gunpoint in dozen. it happened last week -- in

towson. it happened last week. a 33-year-old man was walking to his car around 5:00 p.m. on thursday when he was approached by two men in dark clothing, one with a gun. they were -- he was forced to go to an atm and withdraw money. he was not hurt. anyone with information is asked to call crimestoppers. >> tonight, the donald, as in donald trump, has endorsed mitt romney, not newt gingrich. his staffers were so confident that he would that they had leaked the report that he would be supporting gingrich. >> with the flair of the las vegas showman, the tv star, real-estate mogul, obama basher, he threw his support behind the

republican front runner. >> it is my honor and privilege to endorse mitt romney. >> there are some things that you just cannot imagine happening in your life. this is one of them. had admitted hes thought he might run. as late as last night, newt gingrich's thought he might get his endorsement. >> mitt romney is tough, sharp, smart. he will not allow bad things to continue to happen to this country we all love. governor romney, go out and get them. you can do it. >> but it is also a reminder of mitt romney's latest gaffe. >> i'm not concerned about the poor. >> even radio commentators have latched on. >> he comes across as the

prototypical republican. >> some are making it out to be a trampling of the working class. >> i am making sure that every person has the right to pursue happiness. >> and in a preview of what mitt romney will hear if he is the nominee -- >> for the poor, those at the margins of our society? -- of our society -- >> and what mitt romney needs now is party unity, with donald trump's help. >> but lack of enthusiasm is another problem for mitt romney. the low primary turnout in florida has gop leaders concerned. steve handelsman, wbal tv 11 news. >> we saw a little bit of cloud cover and a few scattered

showers moving through the area earlier today. that system continues to move east out of the atlantic coast as we speak and will continue to move offshore, allowing high pressure to build in behind it. those winds will also diminish, so with clearing skies and lighter winds, we should see some colder temperatures. we cooled off by about 15 to 20 degrees this afternoon from yesterday. it is only 34 in oakland at this hour. temperatures will drop into the 20's and 30's overnight. it will feel a little like february. we're watching a storm that has blizzard warnings out for parts of eastern colorado. it will be moving our way for the weekend. >> what about punxsutawney phil? >> i know it. >> there is a mixed bag of predictions on this groundhog day about how much winter we have left. the famous forecasters as we will have six more weeks. but many disagree.

and for many americans, we're still waiting for winter to begin. >> punxsutawney phil advised as through a spokesman, of course, to stay bundled up. >> six more weeks of winter it must be. >> but that is a tough sell for most of the country where it has been one of the warmest winters on record so far. >> i do not know what is up, but i am loving it. i hope it stays. >> merchandise associated with winter weather sits unused, and sold it. >> -- and unsold. >> we have trailers to move the ice, and it is not moving. >> it is nice to save some money. >> kansas city is a far cry from where it was groundhog day last year. it was in the throes of a big blizzard.

much of the country is far and away warmer than ever before for february. and groundhog's day -- and punxsutawney phil predicted it would stay that way. and chuck gave the two bridges today. >> eight more weeks of summer, and a giant wind. >> about the only groundhog in agreement with tilles forecast, is birmingham bill, who saw his shadow, too. there may be six more weeks of winter somewhere, just maybe not where you are. >> just to add to the confusion, and not to be outdone, a baltimore is putting its own twist on grounds of state.

-- on groundhog day. we're using the leopard to answer the question if there will be six more weeks of winter. she was able to make her prediction. >> from the looks of it, she was pretty sweet on spring. >> suite on spring. you have it there. this is the second year the zoo has held this event. last year, by the way, one of the elephant predicted the end of winter. >> it looks like they might have sprinkled a little catnap around that box. she books really happy and a rift is -- she looks really happy. and for someone who is not very happy, a rift is growing between two key women's organizations. >> and left without food or water for more than a week. the few survivors of a disturbing case of animal abuse

are up for adoption. >> and we found out why howard county executive is so concerned

>> in maryland man accused of mutilating two cats will spend the next three years behind bars. he was sentenced to supervised probation upon release with no contact with animals. the spca investigated after he had returned two dead cats to the shelter, and they found that there were killed from blunt force to the head and bb shots. and these animals that were rescued are ready for adoption. this is a purebred chocolate siamese cat. about nine years old. and also fully recovered, and other chocolate siamese. and then there is a white gerbil.

very quiet, but likes to explore. and then there is a bearded dragon lizard named matilda. you can see these animals and more by going to our website wbaltv.com and clicking on pets. >> in tonight's medical alert, it has turned into quite a controversy. the susan g. delmon breast cancer foundation has decided to -- the susan g. komen breast cancer foundation has decided to cut off funding for breast screenings at planned parenthood. it has caused quite a controversy. planned parenthood is being investigated by congressional committee that is controlled by republicans. there are some still committed to funding some grants for the

organization. >> many of the grants for planned parenthood do not meet new standards for criteria for how we can measure our effectiveness in the community spirit that is not to say that if they did meet those criteria that they would not be welcome. >> komen said this move was not about politics, but an effort to safeguard donner dollars. -- safecard donor dollars. and planned parenthood of maryland issued a statement saying that while not directly affected, they are troubled by putting politics before women's health statewide. our presque program has provided over 5000 breast exams to women last year. and meanwhile, there are inconsistencies among surgeons when it comes to treating breast cancer patients. they found rates of second

surgery to get rid of a lingering cancer cells vary from its 0 2/7%. -- from zero to 7%. expert guidelines are needed to help determine if a woman would benefit from a second procedure. and an important study out of the university of maryland could change the way medical experts treat and diagnose stroke. minimally invasive procedures to prevent strokes by opening arteries with a stand work just as well as surgery. a large study compared the two procedures to open blocked arteries found that both kept the arteries equally clear. doctors found the results a huge surprise and said they may help a patient weigh the risks and benefits, leading to the best treatment option.

>> and now, your 11 insta- weather plus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> yesterday, temperatures in the '70s. today, back down into the 50's. we are trending toward more normal conditions. still, an unseasonably mild day. a little better showers early on. the heaviest rain state south of us and come across virginia. it is now moving a lot -- movie off the coast. -- it is now moving off the coast. a trace of precipitation officially at b.w.i. marshall. 57 degrees for the high. that was before dawn. and at the inner harbor, the higher temperatures occur before the fraud was able to make its way through. the los so far, 48-51. but it will get colder than that tonight. the record high for this day, 71 degrees. and the record low, one above in

1961. cambridge, salsbury, and crisfield running in the low 50's. in westfield -- western maryland, a bit colder, 30's in oakland and frostburg. tonight, the wind will come down to about five m.p.h. and it will be colder. in front -- the front that pushed the spring temperatures are to see is now to the north of us. there is some cold air in the rockies and that is combining with the storm that came in off the pacific cutting through northern new mexico right now. there blizzard warnings in effect for eastern colorado into parts of nebraska. a winter storm warning is out for a good part of kansas and eastern nebraska. just east of denver, blizzard and winter storm warnings. this area will be hit hard by a storm tracking through new mexico and the texas panhandle. for the most part, it will miss

us with the main precipitation to the south. clouds increase on saturday. the system in the rockies now will cut across the carolinas and virginia and moves out to sea. 47-52 tomorrow with west winds up 5-10. sunny skies on friday in the mountains and then a 20% chance of rain or snow showers in the mountains on saturday. on the eastern shore tomorrow, peaking in the upper 40's and will stay that way on saturday. and the further south you go, the better chance of rain. especially around ocean city. alpern 40's for friday and saturday. 30% chance of a shower passing south of town on sunday. partly cloudy skies return with high temperatures in the low 50's on monday and tuesday. >> it has been almost a year since a pennsylvania couple lost

seven of their children a devastating farmhouse fire. >> difficult to imagine. tonight, the family that needed some good news has come to share. >> maryland state police are now using plain language when they talk on the radio. that story, coming up.

>> tonight, state troopers are getting used a different type of communicating while on duty. >> gone are all of the coats. -- codes. it will be using plain words when communicating by radio. rob roblin has the reasons for the change. >> if you're one of those people who likes to listen to police scanners, understanding what they say, listening to the maryland state police just got a lot easier. to the average person, it can sound like code, and that is

exactly what they did. most allegiant -- police agency's use what is called the "10" code. it is the no. 10 followed by a code that is what it is all about. >> it can be difficult for people who do not know the code to start out with. grex now the maryland state police have decided -- >> and now the maryland state police have decided that they will just use plain language when making a radio call. >> at certain police departments, a certain code may mean an emergency and at another police department it may mean something routine going -- something routine. going to a more consistent protocol will make it easier to understand what is happening. >> while this seems pretty simple, this communications

operator, mariann, who dispatches for the police station and other agencies in carroll county who's to eat -- who still use the no. 10 code system, it could be confusing. >> other police departments are not going to be switching over. we will be going from common language with the state police to other agencies that will be using the #10 code. that will make it more difficult. >> state police are confident that for them, going to plain language, communications will be much simpler and more clear. >> it is to have every agency on the same page, so that any agency will understand what we're trying to say. >> rob roblin, wbal tv 11 news. >> that is what we want, to be able to understand it, right? how well do you know the number 10 code system?

go to our website wbaltv.com. >> that will be interesting. >> do you know what those are the sites, "10-4"? >> oh, sure. we will take the quiz. >> coming

>> 11 news at 5:00 p.m. in hd continues now. >> new tonight at 5:30 p.m., more reaction from the governor's proposal to have county pick up part of the tab for teacher pensions. it is coming from howard county. local leaders are scrambling to fend off what could put them in a major budget crunch. the state is shipping a big portion of teacher pensions to the county. >> the governor's plan could cost them about $17 million. and tonight, the county executive error is counting on the business community to drive that proposal out of the general assembly. tim tooten is live with the story. >> he says he is already counting the costs. he says, trying to even put part of that bill through could cause great pain for the school system. >> the county executive made the rounds at the chamber of commerce in ellicott city talking pensions.

he said he is concerned about what he heard this week from gov. o'malley in his state of the state speech, namely that teacher pensions should be with the governor called "a shared responsibility" in which local governments will pay half the cost. >> if that passes, it will jeopardize the progress we have been able to make in howard county. we will be making the case for the next 90 days. >> if the measure goes through, howard and many other local government leaders, could be forced to tighten their belts on education. that is something that is important for the county executive and the outgoing school superintendent, who seems more optimistic about the future. >> there will be a challenge to continue the level of services that we have had in the past, but we will find a way. in 1993, we went through something similar and survived. >> he told the business leaders that if they will protect the county's fire ortiz, saying that none is higher than padgett --

the county's priorities, saying that none is higher than education, but now the executive says it is key to commit to new -- to continue progress. >> over half of our budget goes to education, directly to the board of education. you better be working together to be effective. >> effective for students and teachers. >> a new supers -- schools superintendent could be in place by spring. the board of education and the teachers' union have struck a deal to free up a one time bonus of $1,250 from the county executive. it would come in two payments of $625. even though all county employees got a bonus last year, teachers help out, saying they wanted to be part of a legal agreement. there's no word on when they get that bonus. >> here's a look at other top

stories. baltimore county police have arrested four men and charged him with first-degree murder in the death of rodney project. he was shot to death outside the towson town center in december. with the help of surveillance video inside and outside the mall, police were able to track down 19-year-old tyrone brown jr., as well as three accomplices. police say tyrellan was the triggerman. at this moment, the motive is unclear. a jury has asked for or another look at several key pieces of evidence against stevens, the man accused of killing a prison guard. prosecutors claim stevens and another inmate cornered the guard before stabbing him to death. if convicted, stevens faces the death penalty. and baltimore police said they have been investigating seven shootings around the city, two deadly. in east baltimore, a man was

shot seven times and another deadly shooting in northeast baltimore. another man was shot in his basement some 12 hours after -- another man was found in his basement some 12 hours after the shooting occurred. >> thousands in egypt protest, angry at the security forces failure to stop a right after a soccer match. police said they try to use tear gas to clear the crowd, but it did not work. >> protesters and police in cairo have once again clashed near terriers' career. we understand that protesters were trying to make their way from the square to the ministry of the interior, but there were barricade set up to prevent them. they fired tear gas to keep them at bay. the protesters are blaming the violence at a soccer match squarely on the stroller's of

the council and the security guards that -- squarely on the shoulders of the council and the security guards that were there. the council has said they will anyone accounts -- accountable who was responsible and they have launched an investigation. the parliament has launched an investigation with members of parliament calling on the interior of the minister to resign. >> a truck driver was killed and several passengers in a bus were injured in a horrific montgomery county crash. >> a new picture of how this all unfolded. >> donald trump announced his endorsement for the gop nomination. all of the latest from the campaign trail.

>> pretty horrific bdo surfacing

from metro officials in montgomery county. this is from a crash in rockville left one person dead and 10 injured. you can see the truck slightly crossed the median and hit the bus had on. the bus drivers quick reaction to the swerving truck save lives. of stories are still trying to figure out why the truck driver who was killed in crash swerved in the first place. -- investigators are still trying to figure out why the truck driver who was killed in the crash as work in the first place. in florida man is being held on $31 million bail. he is charged with killing a homeless man in bridgeport, then eating one of his eyeballs and part of his brain. police are holding him under tight security. his family allegedly turned him into police after they say confessed to them. and it's hard to imagine how much pain there iran, but a year

after losing seven children -- they are in, but a year after losing seven children to a farmhouse fire, they're expecting a new child. their 3-year-old daughter survived the flames after running out to alert the parents. they gave birth to their ninth child this past year and are expecting a baby girl in june. >> this year, the postal service's black heritage for ever will feature a picture of john h. johnson, who founded the johnson co. and ebony magazines. he was also the first african- american named to the forbes list of wealthiest in america. every friday, but wbal is

celebrating black history month. we will be highlighting the reginald lewis museum, one of the best in the nation. >> as the big game gets closer, the hype and the excitement in indianapolis is growing. >> coming up, we have a behind- the-scenes look at the super bowl. >> stranded on the shores of cape cod in just one month, two dolphins. scientists are trying to figure our what is happening with the standings. >> in baltimore right now, temperatures still in the low 50's and the windswi

>> coming up on 11 news at 6:00 p.m., police have arrested four men in a deadly shooting outside a towson town center. the suspects are in custody, and more on their roles in the murder. unharnessing wind energy, new at 6:00 p.m., how the general assembly

>> all of this warm weather has marine biologist in massachusetts looking into a strange occurrence in cape cod.

dolphins have been stranded, several dead. right now, they are guessing that the weather has disorientate them, causing them to be stranded. >> i am pretty disoriented by the weather. >> and you are stranded right here, aren't you? [laughter] >> godinez. -- good enough. >> we had a lot of fun this morning with the punxsutawney phil thien. the -- punxsutawney phil thing. >> and going after the catnip, did you say? >> it looked a little rate. >> this is the picture of the satellite radar composite this morning with clouds and showers moving through. it was a pretty wimpy front, but it did make its way through.

a couple of scattered showers of the system move on through and behind it, it cooled off. the highs today were before the front got here. 57-59 in the pre-dawn hours of this thursday. i do not think we have hit the lows just yet. the front is now off the coast. you can see the front moving back into maryland and the advantix states. the winds are gusting over 20 miles per hour and will diminish to 5 miles per hour this evening, which will cool off overnight. cold air in eastern canada, but not moving south. here is the storm moving into the rockies. this one came off of the pacific and three utah and is

now centered in northern mexico and southern colorado. there winter storm watches and even blizzard warnings in effect east of denver and into the plains of kansas and parts of nebraska. this system will be moving east. but without any cold air in the east, it will be a rainmaker as it makes way east of the mississippi. sunday morning, showers south of town. by the time we hit next week, dry and mild again. it does not look like the system will bring much winter here. 47-52 is the high today. some sunshine in the mountains tomorrow. a storm is approaching on saturday, but only 20% chance of messy whether there. -- of messy weather there.

as the western system move south of us, ocean city has a better chance of rain saturday night into sunday. seven-day forecast, a bit cooler, but not more than normal. monday and tuesday, back into the 50's. trying to cool off a little bit next week. >> the number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell last week according to the labor department. unemployment applications fell by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 267,000. economists expect the january employment report to show that employers added 155,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained at 8.5%. a big win for consumers in a los

angeles courtroom this week. a woman took on honda because her civic failed to deliver the 50 miles per gallon she was promised when she bought it, and she won. she says the only gets 30 mpg. under the 50 miles per gallon on advertised, legal experts say other owners might follow her lead and try to get compensation in small claims court, which could change the nature of suppaclass action lawsuits. >> i could not be happier. it was a huge victory for honda civic owners ever wear, for consumers everywhere. >> so far, no comment from honda. but they will almost certainly appeal the decision. >> the superbowl is considered the biggest stage for sports, certainly, in this country, but it is also a big venue for one

of the legendary performers in the world, and today, my daughter made her superbowl debut. >> the energy and excitement -- madonna made her superbowl debut. >> the energy and excitement. the ringmasters for the big show understand this will not be a normal sunday. behind-the-scenes of the broadcast, there are more cameras, producers, buttons to push and martyrs to " tweak. -- and monitors to tweak. >> you do not want to temper the excitement. >> that may be toughest for the players. they are polite, but understand that four days before kickoff, it is time to get to work. >> when it is time to get to work, it is time to get to work. >> there are few who understand the work involved better than madonna.

but even she says she is overwhelmed by this stage. >> i am so excited to be here. incredibly nervous. this is a midwesterners girl's dream. >> most of the players say they are and all of the legendary performer. -- in awe of the legendary performer. but a random check of any of the players ipod reveals -- >> and madonna? >> no, i don't have any madonna. >> no, i don't. >> and then there are other issues. >> i hope she keeps her clothing on. >> a great amount of attention has been paid to my wardrobe. there will be no malfunction. i promise. >> everything is working to make sure the big joke goes off without a hitch. >> -- the big show goes off without a hitch. >> she did say she would play

three classics, and one new song. >> that brings us to our superbowl text question for tonight. how much would you pay to watch your team play in the super bowl? texter answer to a 8.509. -- text your answer to 88509. standard text messaging rate applied. we will tell you the results on 11 news at 6:00 p.m. hundreds of wind turbines may be headed to the shores of maryland, virginia, and new jersey. secretary salazar visits baltimore to speed up the process. it could affect your electric bill. we will tell you how. >> this is part of a program that is part -- quite popular

>> how many fifth graders can say that they can swing dance or do the merengue? baltimore county has students performing dances that quite a few adults the state cannot do. -- of these days cannot do. >> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 denman forde, ladies back. >> -- gentleman forward, these

back. >> this school has been transformed into a ballroom dancing stars. >> it is groovy. >> katelynn is one of two dance instructors working with baltimore county schools this week. they started on monday knowing basically nothing. now they have 4 dances under their belt, including the chart- a-cha. >> my favorite part is the twist. >> i think the popularity of "dancing with the stars" and "so you think you can dance" really helps. >> this ballroom dancing program started about six years ago. this year, it is in 21

baltimore county schools and more are requesting it. >> it is spreading around and the students are loving it. >> i had to be partnered up with boys and they were always saying that they did not want to touch people's hands. it was kind of funny to see them do that. >> they are always moving around, changing a partners, which is great. they get to experience a new face. >> i like it because it's fun. all of the steps are fun, and i can change the partners. it is just fine. >> on that you can see with every twist, turn, and smiled. >> and it is great exercise. that is all at 5:00 p.m. here is what is coming up at 6:00 p.m. >> a big announcement concerning a new energy source.

details, straight ahead. >> and jury deliberations for a man accused of murdering a prison guard. i have details and a live report. >> and it was just days before christmas when a man was shot and killed outside of towson town center. now police have charged four men with murder. 11 news at 6:00 p.m. starts now. >> live, local, late breaking, this is wbal tv 11 news at 6:00 p.m. in hd. >> holiday shoppers were halted in their tracks with the news of a deadly shooting in the towson town center in december. now these four men are behind bars, all facing murder charges. it was a crime that stunned shoppers at towson town center, but tonight, baltimore county police have announced they have four men under arrest. >> they are charged in the murder of rodney pridget, who was shot outside the mall just before christmas on december and 14th of last year. 14th of last year.