developing off the top at 6:00, anne arundel county police were coming to help a man and ended up shooting him. now, officers say he pointed a gun at them inside the home but neighbors are questioning the use of force. news4's darcy spencer is live in crofton. why were police there in the first place? >> reporter: yeah, chris, take a look here behind me. this is the house where it happened about 1:15 this afternoon. you can see one officer standing there in front of the house. police were called here to check on a man who was threatening to harm himself. and police are telling us the shooting was justified. >> officers had to do what they had to do to protect themselves from harm. >> reporter: anne arundel county police shot and wounded a man inside this house on a quiet

cul-de-sac in crofton. a relative of the suspect had called police for help because he was threatening to harm himself. police forced their way inside and encountered the 21-year-old man at the top of the stairs armed with a rifle. >> the suspect then pointed that rifle at an officer, and the officer at that point was forced to fire his weapon at the suspect. >> reporter: police confirm there was a woman inside the home. she did not let police in and she was not being held against her will. police say they have been called to this house before for incidents relating to the man that was shot. one neighbor questions why police shot the suspect. >> it kind of shocked me that the officer shot so fast and acted so quickly. >> reporter: police say the officer did tell the suspect to drop the gun before firing. >> you know their quick instruction is to drop the weapon but again, we're dealing with very very milliseconds to make a decision. >> reporter: several residents told police 4 police are rarely

called to the neighborhood. >> we had the normal teenager issues but for the most part it's been really quiet. >> reporter: that suspect is at the hospital at this hour in critical condition. police tell us he could be charged with assault. chris, back to you. >> all right, thanks darcy. a mother and father admitted they kept their kids locked up in a cage day and night. and tonight we're learning why they won't spend a single day in jail. now, this story has a lot of you outraged on our nbc washington facebook page. the couple lives in fredericksburg and they confessed to locking their children in a cage. they have two daughters, 3 and 4 years old. their son is just 17 months. but the commonwealth's attorney recommended leniency. william neely admits conditions in the home were awful, but he's defending his recommendation of a suspended sentence. >> we have to show that the parents or the caretaker intended their neglect to cause harm and that it in fact did.

in this case although the children were in nasty, filthy conditions and had skin rashes they were healthy. >> all three children have been placed in foster care and the parents are on probation. they each have to pay $2,500 fine and cannot have any unsupervised contact with the kids. tonight, one of the founding members of lynyrd skynyrd is dead. bob burns was the original drummer in the legendary southern rock band but he left in 1974. he was killed last night outside atlanta when his car slipped off the road and crashed into a tree. he wasn't wearing a seat belt at the time. lynyrd skynyrd guitarist garring rossington posted on facebook -- "i'm at a loss for words. he was a great, great drummer." two days after islamic extremists stormed a college campus in kenya, we're hearing a remarkable story of survival. 148 people were killed in that attack but one of the students has been found alive. she's 19 years old and says she hid in a cupboard and covered

herself in clothes. then she spent the next 48 hours praying someone would rescue her. al shabaab says they attacked the school in retaliation for kenyan troops fighting rebels in somalia. they say more attacks are coming. a bunch of kids took over a vacant house in fairfax county and threw a party so wild several of them are now facing charges. now, the house is on norham drive in the kingstown area of alexandria. fairfax county police say nearly 40 people were partying last night and the kids completely trashed the place. no one was living in the house, but several of the kids have been charged with destruction of property. baseball is back at nationals park and for the first time you'll have to walk through metal detectors to catch a game. thousands of people came out for today's exhibition game between the nats and yankees. and the extra security meant lines were longer than normal. the metal detectors are part of a mandatory program major league baseball instituted and all the teams have to have them by

opening day. you'll also see beefed-up security at the national zoo. they're expecting a big turnout on easter monday and barriers are going up to control the crowds. families will also have to go through bag checks. last year there was a shooting nearby and a few years ago, a stabbing. volunteers say they don't want any trouble at what's supposed to be a family-friendly event. well a man who works at a body shop in maryland has been suspended after he told a customer's husband to "get her in check." now, the woman's from hagerstown and she posted the recording online. she says the worker left the message on her husband's voice mail after she posted a scathing review about the maaco body shop. maaco's president has apologized for the worker's behavior but says he won't be fired because it's a franchise, and technically, the worker is a co-owner. to check out what the worker said about her, head over to our nbc washington app during the break.

a-t-u! >> workers say they're not getting a fair shake from their employers, and tonight they're fighting back. a message of hate rocks another college campus. what a student allegedly wrote and how the school is responding to the controversy. windy with gusts around. 25 miles an hour. when the winds diminish and how much war

at book club they were asking me what you're doing now, janice. blogging. your blog is just pictures of you in the mirror. it's called a fashion blog todd. well, i've been helping people save money with progressive's discounts. flo, can you get janice a job? [ laughs ] you should've stuck to softball! i was so much better at softball than janice, dad. where's your wife, todd? vacation. discounts like homeowners' multi-policy -- i got a discount on this ham. i've got the meat sweats. this is good ham, diane. paperless discounts -- give it a rest, flo. all: yeah, flo, give it a rest.

one photo is all it took to set off a firestorm at the university of south carolina. a female student standing in a classroom on campus allegedly wrote the "n" word on a chalkboard. she's been suspended, but the bigger question is why did it happen? chad mills has the story behind the image. >> i was really angry. i think it's a horrible like representation of the school. >> reporter: this picture has drawn hundreds if not thousands, of responses, many of them similar to those of grace steptoe. >> it's not even a funny joke so i don't understand why she would do that. >> reporter: and matthew duggan. >> i just didn't think it was real. i didn't think someone would do that especially in this day in age. >> reporter: the picture shows a usc student at a whiteboard on campus. on it a list of why the school's wi-fi isn't the best. the first reason is the "n" word. >> i've actually had a lot of people try to say, oh, freedom

of speech and everything like that but it's offensive and it looked like it was on a board in a classroom, which is just completely inappropriate. >> reporter: the university of south carolina says it actually took place inside a study room. president harris pastidi says the student has been suspended and a code of conduct investigation has begun. course of action endorsed by the board of trustees. >> it's unfortunate that it had to happen at a place like the university of south carolina that i hold near and dear to my heart. >> reporter: but alum sherrard duvall who works at the nickelodeon theater, says there is a moral to the story. >> it's the reason why we teach media literacy and digital media literacy here at the nickelodeon theater's education center is because we want to make people aware that we live in an age of screens. and so somebody's always watching you. >> i mean it's almost too late now, but she still needs to send out some sort of apology somehow. clearly, with what she did by using the "n" word that way is not respectful at all. all right, you're going to

take a live look at tidal basin on what's been a very windy day. the temperatures are going to dip into the 30s tonight, but amelia will show us how soon we'll be warming up. >> reporter: they provide access to our streets for some of those most in need of it but some of them don't even make a livable wage. you might be

fight back! [ chanting ] >> well those are metroaccess bus drivers, and they are fired up tonight. the drivers say they'll keep protesting until officials give them better working conditions and wages. now, the drivers' union says some of them barely make enough to survive. today they held a rally for respected hyattsville, and news4's derrick ward has more on their demands. >> reporter: they provide an important transportation service. you can say that this is where the rubber hits the road for the americans with disabilities act. they're the paratransit drivers, metroaccess, and their union says they barely make a living wage. >> most of our paratransit workers, they're on public assistance on some form whether it's food stamps, they're getting assistance with housing. >> reporter: about 100 drivers and other employees of the service and other metro workers protested today outside the metroaccess call center in hyattsville. >> we want to make everybody aware of what's going on.

>> reporter: jackie jeter, president of local 689 of the amalgamated transit workers' union says different aspects of the service, such as dispatching and bus operations are run by different independent contractors under the washington metropolitan area transit authority. those at the protests say that keeps wages lower than those from metro bus drivers, while their jobs require lifting, loading as well as driving. >> it's a lot different. the work is a lot harder. >> reporter: jeter adds that the working conditions for those drivers isn't as safe as it is for their counterparts who drive the standard metro buses. >> there is this thing that paratransit does with collecting fare hand collecting fares that's very very dangerous and is putting my members in danger. >> reporter: now, these paratransit drivers and workers say they realize that what they do is to give access to people who wouldn't otherwise have it and they appreciate that but they say they're not taking a work stoppage off of the table, if it comes to that. >> a-t-u! >> we don't want to do that. we want to sit down with the

contractors. >> wmada would not comment, but they say each trip costs the provider about $55. derrick ward news4. >> wow, that fight's not going away any time soon. you know the easter weekend celebration came with a bag of blessings in one part of prince george's county. first baptist church of district heights hosted its annual easter community day, giving out free bags of groceries along with a barbecue and fun events for kids. the pastor says this time of year he looks forward to sharing god's love and offering hope to families in the neighborhood. it's been a sunny but blustery day, but the wind's not stopping the party on the southwest waterfront. the cherry blossom festival has hours of free music, family fun and plenty of food, and it's all leading up to the big fireworks show tonight. you can download our nbc washington app for the best way to get down there and a lot more information on some other events as well. the cherry blossom fireworks start at about 8:30. so we got people heading down

to the fireworks, a lot of people celebrating passover tonight. what's it going to be like outside for them? >> it's going to be chilly tonight. the good news the fireworks starting at 8:30. the winds will really die down at that point. it won't be as blustery as it is right now. and for tomorrow only a little breezy during the afternoon hours. we really lose the winds. again, as the sun goes down at about 8:00 tonight. it's also warmer tomorrow. tomorrow definitely the better of the two weekend days. as we look ahead to next week there's a few days where 70 degrees is definitely obtainable. i'll point those out on the seven-day. but also you want to keep your umbrella handy. we're in april now. plenty of april shower chances for the upcoming week as well. here's a look at the current wind speed. the gusts right now are about 25 miles an hour sustained winds about 10 to 20 miles an hour. so, it's still breezy to windy out there. temperatures are in the mid-to-upper 50s. 59 degrees in washington 55 in frederick and 60 in fredericksburg. this is how we'll cool throughout the evening. if you're heading out, you

definitely want to grab that warmer jacket. if you're going to the fireworks, you might even want to grab a winter coat just because you're going to be outside for so long. 10:00, a temperature around 50 degrees. by midnight we're in the upper 40s and we'll continue to fall. this is what you can expect tomorrow morning at 6:30. this is about sunrise time. 44 in washington. the suburbs generally are in the upper 30s. so it's a cold start for your easter morning. right around 9:00 washington hits 50. temperatures outside of the beltway for the most part still in the 40s. but by 1:00 p.m. everybody is in the low 60s. tomorrow afternoon looking pretty nice despite the breezy conditions because we're going to have plenty of sunshine. a high tomorrow in washington of 65. hagerstown 64. and leesburg 65 as well. so much warmer, especially because the winds aren't going to be as bad. sky cast 4 showing you what the sky will look like throughout the day and you can see only a few high thin clouds across the sky. so sunglasses for tomorrow definitely more sunshine than cloudiness. and then as we look to monday

it's the nationals' home opener. if you're going to the game, it is going to be fabulous baseball weather, let me tell you. the temperatures are looking great. first pitch at 4:05 a mild 69 degrees. even by the last out, still nice with a temperature around 66. on tuesday, a 40% chance that you're dealing with some showers, maybe an isolated thunderstorm. otherwise, look at temperature. there's one 70 degree. it's also actually going to feel a little bit humid on tuesday afternoon. now, when we get into summer you are going to say it doesn't feel humid at all, but it's our first day where it's going to start to feel a little bit humid outside during the afternoon. wednesday a better chance of showers. it's cooler a high of 64. a little chilly on thursday a high of 58. the chance of rain. but then we warm right back up. friday and saturday high temperatures in the low to mid-70s with the chance of showers friday and saturday as well chris. >> all right, thanks amelia. maryland prepares for a final four showdown against goliath. plus baseball's back. jason

it certainly seemed like a great day at the ballpark and then we're just what 48 hours away? we're going to be doing this for real. >> yeah, the real thing starts pretty soon. nice little warm-up for the guys today at nationals park. the final tune-up taking place with the real season two days away. this entire spring training, the biggest issue hasn't been the bull pen or who's starting opening day, but injuries. last season denard span and anthony an done were a lethal combination at the top of the batting order. this year both expected to miss opening day. busy day at ballpark. fans lining up to see the defending n.l. east division champs. pick this up in the bottom of the first. catcher wilson ramos one of the many expected to step up with a few key players out, showing good signs here. ramos driving in two runs. the nationals, they have themselves an early 3-0 lead. doug fister on the mound. fifth inning fisker leaves this ball over the middle of the plate and stephen drew says thanks a bunch.

a two-run blast to right. yankees cut that lead to one. later on in the eighth drew storm gets taken for a ride by chris young. another two-run homer for the yankees. new york they go on to win this one 4-3. manager matt williams ready, despite the injuries. >> well it just gives us experience, the wrong experience. we don't want that but you know it shows us that we can compete, that we can go out and win a game regardless of who's in the lineup. >> coming into spring you always see on paper what the team you think's going to look like but things happen and you know that's something we've dealt with every year. and all i look at it is it's an opportunity for guys to step up. and you've seen that with michael taylor so far. and you know we're going to have to grind a little bit with some of the injuries that we have. but like i said guys will step in play really well then the guys will come back and we're going to have a really fun team. >> all right. opening day is this monday. nationals versus the mets 4:00 start from nationals park.

now let's move on and talk some college basketball now. maryland is getting ready for a heavyweight showdown with the most dominant program in the sport. uconn has won four of the last six national championships. tomorrow in tampa, florida, the two teams going head to head with a trip to the title game on the line. the terps learned a lot from how seventh-seeded dayton played against the huskies. the biggest lesson was playing with no fear. >> confidence is key. you take a look at dayton and how fearless they play. i mean they were open taking down open shots. and i think that's the most we got from their game is just how confident they were and taking it into our game just learning from other people. and i think everybody coming in and not just playing the name on their chest but just playing maryland basketball ignore our identity. >> when uconn goes on their runs which they are going to do, you can't put your head down. i think it's all about confidence. if they score, get the ball out and go right back at them. >> no one even expects us to be where we're at right now, so i mean it takes a lot of weight off our shoulders to be able to go out and fight and give it our

all. more terps action. ten pen state visiting college park for some afternoon lacrosse. maryland leaving no doubt in the first quarter. already up 3-1. isaiah davis-allen charges and fires. go ahead, make it 4-1 terps. still in the first, matt rambo, the sophomore, gets the ball down low. no stopping him. it's now 6-1 terps. still in the first, rambo behind the net feeding jay carlson out in front. his shot denied and he fakes the rebound, then fires. maryland they beat penn state, winners big, 12-5. to hockey. the capitals in ottawa tonight for a 7:00 p.m. face-off. plenty on the line for the caps. a win gets braden hopie his 40th win of the season tying a franchise record. even better a victory clinches a playoff spot. the team riding a three-game winning streak scoring at least four goals a game during that stretch. two of those victories coming against playoff-caliber teams.

this is a squad entering the playoffs playing the right way, according to head coach barry trotz. and unlike previous seasons, the caps seem built for a quality playoff run. >> a lot of what the playoffs is is timing and peaking at right times. and if you're playing well going into the playoffs you're going to have good momentum from your hockey club into the first series. doesn't matter who you play. and you know if a team is comfortable in the playoffs and maybe not playing their best you can catch them by surprise. and you've seen that happen a lot over the past couple of seasons. >> we want to be playing well right to the end. i think if you're not playing well at the end, usually that means early exit anyway. so i'd like us to continue to be playing well and being in a battle here for a little bit. >> all right. the playoffs also approaching for the wizards, who also hope to get right before the postseason. john wall he had a great game last night. he didn't do well from the floor against the knicks just 3 of 13 from the field, but it didn't matter. 18 assists versus new york gave

him a new career high. wall he did pretty much whatever he wanted. it was a glorified scrimmage in this game for the most part. new york just awful at basketball right now. over the last three games, wall is averaging 15 assists per game. six more games remaining for the wizards, five of those coming on the road. so let's hope they can get it together for the playoffs. >> yeah so looks like maybe toronto or chicago in the first round? >> yes. chicago is a better matchup, so let's hope for chicago in the fourth seed. >> sounds great. all right, that's going to do it for us.

on this saturday night, new threats from the extremist group responsible for the massacre at a university. an incredible story of survival from a young woman who hid from the attackers. daring rescue after an rv becomes engulfed in flames. tonight, the good samaritans who jumped in to save those trapped inside. water for sale. california's dught has gotten so bad they're now paying big bucks for water, forcing some farmers to choose between crops and cash. thin line. a controversial measure that would ban superskinny models in the fashion capital of the world. and help from above. shepherds in the sky protecting one of the world's oldest creatures from