. now, abc 2news at 11. >> gun fire outside a townsend town center mall. live with late details coming up. >> a local family racing to save their teen daughter against a deadly disease. how you may be able to help. >> i thought it was -- i was being robbed. being taken advantage of. >> the hottest toys are expensive and hard to find. we have information on snagging this year's must have gifts. >> chance for a few showers form but when will the bigger storm arrive. your travel forecast as the news starts right now. >> we start tonight with updating breaking news. a murder at a popular mall. a man shot to death during the height of the holiday shopping season. we are live in townsend tonight with the latest. >> reporter: that's right. let's take the two issues separately. first the murder. one man has been killed, police

have not released his identity and have no suspects. the second is when this happened and how. outside one of the busiest areas in the area. the mall never actually closed. still, this is very unsettling to everybody. we caught this woman arriving emotional. aided by police. it's outside of the nordstrom, inside of the mall holiday shopping continued as the shoppers left they told us they hadn't heard anything had happened. >> i think it's horrible. >> reporter: when officers arrived they found the victim, that nobody and no witnesses.

they restricted entrances and exits looking for suspects making the holiday shopping night even more frustrating. >> i tried to go up and out -- but they blocked it. i had to come all the way back down. they don't have a suspect or description. >> we don't know what we are looking for rights now. we don't have a suspect. we are certainly aware that this is the height of the shopping season and that they there will be concerns about safety and security. >> reporter: back live now this is where the shooting happened around 6:20 tonight off the fairmont entrance. there is no entrance to the mall here. it was outside the nordstrom but it's not an area where there are a lot of people walking by on a normal day at the mall. police say there is not a

security camera right there for the shooting happened. they are trying to see if there is anyone acting strangely. and they are also trying to speak with witnesses or find someone who saw something. . >> reporter: in 2005 a long time teacher and administrator was shot to death during a robbery in the parking lot. two men were sentenced in connection with the killing after the crime, the mall made a push to increase security adding more cameras and increasing security patrols. always make sure you park as close to the entrance as

possible. second try to put the cell phone away walking to and from your car so you aren't distracted. third don't unlock the car until are you with in reach of opening the door. this also prevents others from getting in to the car with you. we have sad news just in, the voice of reason has been silenced. smith had been a fixture for air ways, he died, he announced -- he had cancer. we will have more on the passing of the eye con ron smith tomorrow morning at 4:30. >> the man arrested for shooting a cab driver pantly had a long record. he is a ceus of robbing the driver yesterday, then shooting him in the back. in 2008 he was convicted of first degree murder. back then the 24-year-old was

sentenced to 30 year wassa 25 suspended three months of supervisorred probation. i was charged with theft and --. a neighborhood back to normal after gun fire and a neighbor being held at gun point. police officers fired shots after he said he confronted a man in the house in the 3200 block of wafford drive. they were responding to a call of an attempted robbery. >> a woman who was asleep in the home said she woke up and saw a masked man with a gun, she was obviously distraught and called for help from a neighbor who called the police and started the response. >> reporter: the officer has been put on administrative leave. police say the charges pending

tonight. 44-year-old steven kenneth is behind bars charged with setting his children's hair on fire. according to police the tip came from a hair seal stylist who noticed the pair of young boys appeared to have been burned. at least three admitted they to had been burned by a makeshift torch at the hands of their father. inveng to figure out why. >> it's very strange. it's not clear -- this is -- these allegations very unusual. that's -- that's one of the main reasons we ask for such a high bond. >> reporter: it's alleged he

used an aerosol and a lighter. bail was denied. >> quiet night weather wise, temperatures still hanging around 50 degrees. not bad for a mid-december, 48 easton, 47 up in york. this is a mild evening. temperatures tomorrow, struggle to get back to 50. increased clouds and showers and major storm that's putting down an epic snow, across kansas, western oklahoma, eventually that's going to bring in quite a bit of rain as we go toward wednesday. in the meantime it just a few more chances for showers. we climb through the upper 40s to maybe get near 50. we will talk more about when that major rain arrives and look to another storm toward christmas eve.

. [inaudible] along with the food network in an effort to end hunger. they collected canned foods and dry goods to help those in need. >> the food bank will be getting about 5,000 dollars of donated meals the food network. couple hundred more we have collected here and that should be around 9,000. >> it's a nationwide effort, in washington before stopping here. next they will go to philadelphia. 15xavier should be having the time of her life. instead she has gone through a heart transplant and the side effects of the drugs. now she has cancer. just a few minutes of your time you could help save a life. cheryl connor is here to explain show. >> reporter: the family is rushing to find a bone marrow donor for her. she has four siblings but they

aren't matches. we talked to her mom and bring you details on how easy it is to help. it's hard to believe she was healthy two months ago. she went to the homecoming dance, feeling well and with a relatively new heart. five-years ago she had a transplant, but later developed cancer, a side effect from the medication that followed surgery. >> they did a scan and come to find out the cancer had returned and it was all through her body. it was no longer just in the neck, it was everywhere. very heavy tumor load. >> reporter: now here she is with hospital visitor brian roberts. doctors said there was a high success rate for a cure after the initial rounds of chemo but it returned and now she is on the adult strain. its been a hard road. the university of maryland children's hospital is like home for her parents. >> she has had mouth sores,

she couldn't eat, couldn't drink for weeks on end. >> reporter: kelly started the ryan foundation in honor of her 15-month-old son who passed away from leukemia and is now organizing a bone marrow drive. >> when he was sick -- i don't know why this girl got on the registry but it gave us a chance. yes he passed away but it gave us more months with him. . >> reporter: keith said the testing was simple and donating to his father was easy, considering he helped save his life. >> they basically go there to the hip bone and they just like a normal needle and inside that needle is several little prick that they put in to the hip bone. >> reporter: doctors think the cancer can be cured as long as she moves directly from chemo to a transplant. the family is down to a month to find a match and to give her

some hopeful news. >> fact she won't be home for christmas is also very much in her mind. she is in a sad place. >> reporter: having your marrow tested is as easy as a cheek swab. here is where to go for a chance to help her. this wednesday from 3:30 until 8:00 at st. joseph fullerton on belaire road. even if you aren't a match you may help someone else who is searching for a match. cheryl connor. >> you know what they say about the fine print. it's true. it has been bigger this add featuring taylor swift might still be around. we will explain. and you know small toys can choke children but a live christmas tree can catch on fire. what about the four legged friends in what kinds of problems with the holidays would they have? and forget about tickle me

elmo. the hot toy this year is the leap pad explorer and it's in short supply. if you can't get it you may be able to help. stick around.

. in our alert tonight at&t is bowing out of its agreement to buy t mobile. the offer went belly up after the government raised concern that the deal would increase prices and give customers fewer choices. in august the justice department sued to block the deal. the chairman of the fcc didn't support is because they are back out at&t will have to pay $3 billion to the company that currently owns t mobile. she is one of the biggest

names in music and now a make up add featuring taylor swift is being pulled for false advertising. they were using the picture to sell mascara. they pulled it when it was claimed they started investigating the small print on the picture. it reads lashes enhanced in post production. they didn't return any of the calls to abc news. the investigation has been suspended since the add was pulled. . you know we have spent the last few weeks telling you how to keep your home and kids safe during the holidays. what about your pets in we have some tips to help the four legged members of the family stay healthy during the holidays. >> reporter: when you plan the holiday celebrations don't forget about your pets. animals can be interested by iteming that aren't in the home. >> things like ornaments, out of reach of pets.

certainly avoid, pets -- >> reporter: betsy said plants like holly can be poisonous to pets. guests may want to feed the dog table scraps but be aware of small bones and certain treats aren't meant for pets. >> chocolate is one of the key ones because it tends to be a lot of it around the holidays and it can hurt. >> reporter: salt de-icing chemical dear chemicals can irritate paws. >> rinse the paws off before they go inside. >> reporter: if you are giving them this holiday season make sure the home is prepared for the responsibility. >> if the post office you aren't alone. the office expected today to be the busiest day of the holiday

season. that doesn't mean the long lines will go down. tomorrow is expected to be the busiest day for mailing holiday cards. the service estimates it'll deliver 16 and a half billion pieces of mail. there is one of them, you search and search for an item but can't find it. with less than a week some of the hottest toys already in short supply. john takes a look for the hardest to find toys so you don't waste your money. >> reporter: the hottest gift this holiday season, tablet computers -- the hottest for kids tablets for kids but it's getting harder to find them at a fair price. step aside tickle me elmo, scoot out of town zuzu pet that's because this year is the leap pad. >> i keep checking the stores,

online, you will find a shelf tag for them, with the price of $99 but there is no items on the shelf. >> reporter: debbi is frustrated. once again the must have toy of the year has become the empty shelf toy of the year. the highley rated explorer is like an i-pad for 5-year-old's but it's sold out on the target website and on best buy. on amazon people are charging almost double. >> i thought it was -- i was being robbed and being taken advantage of. >> reporter: she gave into an online vendor. what did you pay? >> $300. >> reporter: at least it came with a bundle of games but parent also have to pay a premium to get it. that or stake out wal-mart at 8:00 a.m. when they put out new items. like elmo you will probably find tons of them in a month. >> after christmas the stores will get them.

i think it's -- little uncalled for. >> reporter: if you will have to pay double the retail price for a kid's tablet may as well buy the i-pod touch. it otherwise you may have to find another gift so you don't waste your money. >> speaking of toys in just three days our lobby which is now full of toys will be emptied out as bring them to children in need. you still have one more day to drop off the toys at local learning centers, fire station or to a wal-mart. here is a list of the drop off locations and can make sure you join us on thursday at abc 2news at five and six. we have a huge holiday send off and make holiday wishes come true. >> now, maryland's most powerful doppler radar and the forecast certified most

accurate by weather rate. >> my holiday wish is the niners beat pittsburgh. 50 degrees right now. wind from the southwest at five it's a mild night and its been one mild trend for december so far. first day of winter coming thursday. will that hold up? stick around and we will tell you. across the area it was a mix of sun and clouds through the day. in baltimore we had the increased clouds through the day. no rain, we picked up rain on the radar late in the day. that cloud shield coming in and clouds -- i think tomorrow as we start the day we will see the clouds early on, it'll prevent as much of a warm up as we had out there today. still a mildler than average day for this time of year. the radar all clear. the few showers we have seen on the radar haven't touched the ground. air at the surface dry and the temperatures mild for late on the december evening. high temperatures in to the low

other's. we will shave three to five degrees off of these because of the increased cloud cover and a few passing showers cooling it down as well. 46 lutherville areas south of glenn burney you could get closer to 50. that would include you on the eastern shore and across the area we see just the clouds rolling in. rain has been confined to points to the west. its been encounter that dry air over the midatlantic. that rain just sort of basically drying itself out as it hits the mountains. that dry area cross maryland. virginia and much of the midatlantic. more across the day tomorrow. scattered activity as with less of the high pressure area. the main storm, yet to arrive. that will come in as a rain maker for us on wednesday but then another wave will be head for us by christmas eve and that one will have more cold air to work with, potentially

bring a winter mix. the dew point numbers extremely dry, you probably felt it just in the sinuses, very dry. as we take a look at the trend here is the situation. chances for showers higher but mainly cloudy because the dry air is still in the place. the storm system will loose a little bit of punch through the day and then get stronger through the ohio valley. this is 2:00 wednesday, fairly heavy rain. temperatures to warm for winter weather but into wednesday overnight a new batch of precipitation will start to move up toward christmas eve and that one could be the one that brings us the mix. this is a large storm, creating blizzard like conditions out to the west right now. places like the panhandle of texas. overnight 35, mostly cloudy, tomorrow spotty showers, 47, some spots warmer, some may get back to 50. tomorrow night 36 mostly

cloudy, showers still possible but rain more likely as we go there to the wednesday. that could be a tricky travel day. winter starts thursday at 55. i don't now what this says about the winter but it's interesting. colder this weekend. there is that next weather system on christmas eve, it potentially could bring a winter mix to ravens. >> thank you. coming up, two unusual donations in the same salvation army kettle two years in a row. stick around. first a look at night line. >> coming up, with the death of the leader of north korea did the world just get more dangerous? and research says that father hood just may take the macho out of the man. the droid razr by motorola.

the newest droid armed with motocast. granting you wireless access to files on your home computer from almost anywhere. music, and movies. all at mind-melting speeds. powered by verizon, this droid is too powerful to fall into the wrong hands.

. secret santa florida leaving the idea of better to give than receiver receive. they put a $2,000 diamond ring into a kettle. the donation gives the army a big boost since donations have been low this year, possibly because of the troubled economy. >> this close its crunch time, nine days left and that's it. it's a god send. >> last year someone dropped a

golden nugget worth $4,000 at the same location. now they are looking at the hand writing to see if it's the same person. i love those stories. >> yeah and always love to give them all the change you have. just really good. >> kelly, weather is quiet here and mild but that's not the case everywhere. >> take a look. new mexico,. >> my goodness. >> white out conditions -- monster storm out that way producing an incredible amount of winter weather for our friends in new mexico. also up in the texas, kansas, that's what it could be like this time of year. we know that. here is the shot of what the storm looks like from the top down, you see that snow out there in the southern plains and central united states. tomorrow just 40s if chances for showers but that storm will provide two waves of precipitation for us, rain, wednesday, look out for that. >> all right. we will be right back.

hi. welcome to carmax.

hi. i was on carmax dot com and i think i found the one. great car. and i think, it's right over there... (sighes)... finding your perfect car is easy at carmax because we carry only the highest quality used vehicles. and at carmax dot com, you can choose from nearly 30 thousand cars with most available for transfer to the store nearest you. so come find the one for you today... at carmax. busy day! yes it is!

. steelers losing. yeah. >> we need to keep that going. going to be a late game. >> see you tomorrow night. have a good one.

♪ you want to save money on car insurance? no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate!

geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance.