phillip mena, abc news, new york. nikki: police in missouri are investigating a church arson that happened yesterday morning. fire ripped through the church in saint louis...here's a look at the aftermath, the fire at the new life missionary baptist church is the fifth place of worship burned in less than two weeks. fire officials say it is not a coincidence. " "(capt. garon mosby/st. louis fire dept.) "it is arson. these are being intentionally set. there are doors...this is not spontaneous combustion, so they are not occurring on their own." (pastor david briggs/new life missionary baptist church) "i have prayed for them,' said trigg of the arson suspects. 'i have forgiven them. i don't want the communities to be angry. i don't want the churches to be angry, because it is in these moments that our character is tested." nikki: church members plan to hold services on the lawn today. investigators are looking for any links between this and the other church fires. nikki: this weekend, a military family got quite the sur

phillip mena has the story. >> reporter: chaos in the streets of downtown ft. myers, thousands of people running for cover saturday night after gunfire rings out at the annual zombicon festival. same time. running down broadway, everybody's ruruing. >> repepter: the ghoulish costumum, complete with fake bloooo only adding to the confususn. >> we didn't know if it was real or fake, so we kind of ran and were like, was that real? when we went back, people were screaming, no, it was fake. >> reporter: five people injured in the shooting. one man shot dead. >> he was laying on the ground and he was obviously already passed. >> reporter: 20-year-old tyrell taylor, a football player at a local junior college, killed. tonight, investigators searching for his killer are also hoping the public can provide more clues. phillip mena, abc news, new york. >>> out of texas tonight, a story wewee reporting more and more lately. a highghchool football player, collapsing during a game. the latest to lose his life, cameron matthews. here's ron claiborne. grief, classmates and tea

amanda we have lots more good morning iowa ahead...but first here's abc's phillip mena and reena ninan with tech bytes. techbytes: in today's tech bytes... we are iowa. thanks elias... we are iowa. thanks elias... amanda we have lots more good morning iowa ahead...but first here's abc's phillip mena and reena ninan with tech bytes. techbytes: in today's tech bytes... >>> in today's "techbytes," a big change coming to yahoo! mail. >> the company has announced it words for its ios and android apps. it will use a account key. >>> is your iphone battery running down too quickly? the facebook app may be the reason. >> facebook acknowledges there's a problem and it hopes to fix it soon. until then, one solution is to delete the app and access facebook from the web. no matter how you log on to the facebook, they're using it to spice up their image. >> we post photos that make our lives seem more adventurous. most people judge their friends on their social media profile. >> sad, but true. >>> those are your "techbytes." at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like ord

i'm phillip mena. >> i'm reena ninan.hours after it began, the benghazi hearing finally wrapped up late last night. >> a confident hillary clinton answering questions for much of that time, and at other times, watching as the committee members squabbled among themselves. abc's kenneth moton watched it all unfold on capitol hill. >> reporter: an intense and dramatic day on capitol hill. >> and here's basically what happened to their requests. they were torn up. >> well, that's just not true. >> reporter: hillary clinton held her ground against the house select complete investigating the terrorist attack on a u.s. diplomatic post in benghazi. republicans questioned clinton for hours about what was done before, during and after the attack that killed four americans including u.s. ambassador chris stevens. >> madam secretary, i understand there already people frankly in both party who have suggested that this investigation is about you. let me assure you it is not. >> i've lost more sleep than all of you put together. i have

abc's phillip mena and reena >>> good morning. topping "america's money" -- gnc fighting back. >> the dietary supplement supplier is being sued by the state of oregon accused of selling supplements of being natural. >> luke: did company says any of those products have been pulled >>> the giant recall of the air bags may grow even larger. >> the owners on of the cars involved in the recall are also being urged to get them fixed as soon as possible. the air bag inflayer the can explode and send debris at the driver. >>> rising the price of life-saving drug to $750. >> competitors now selling a the drug is specially critical allergies distracting you? when your symptoms start... ...doctors recommend taking claritin every day of your allergy season. claritin provides powerful, non-drowsy, 24-hour relief for... ...fewer interruptions from the amazing things you do... ...every day. you're watching kcrg-tv9. now, from your 24 hour news source, this is kcrg-tv9 news early morning news. landlords in waterloo are worried they may unintentio

abc's phillip mena has the story. >> he came in the water like a torpedo. >> reporter: doug brown recalling his narrow escape from the jaws of an eight-foot florida tor. >> a big splash, i turned my head andaw a white belly and an open mouth coming straight to me. >> reporter: recoverinin a central florida hospital with serious injuries, brown says he was repairing a water pump near the shore of a lake behind his mother's home with his family. he admits ignoring her warning. >> she sd, watch out for that gator. he looks pretty mean, and i looked over my shoulder and jokingly said, do you want me to take care of that for you. that's wheit attacked. mom watching in horror. >> i was thinking, oh, my god, you know, he's got my son. >> reporter: the 45-year-old suffering a four-inch gash and severed tendons. the gator's teeth slashing him as he pulled his hand from its >> i tried to get my hand out quick or i was going for a swim. i looked down and saw there was bld and a gash on the back of my hand. >> reporter: the florida wildli and fish conservation commission says there are seven unprovoked

i'm reena ninan. >> i'm phillip mena. everyone, talking about the lamar odom tragedy. my heart goes out to them and also khloe kardashian who was in the process of filing for divorce but cares so much about him. >> everyone said he's such a good guy. he remains in a las vegas hospital this morning. >> odom was at a brothel on an open ended reservation in the establishment's best vip suite. >> we know what may have led to him being found unconscious. all the details from abc. >> reporter: new details emerging into what may have left lamar odom in a coma and on life support. >> we need an ambulance. >> tuesday afternoon, employees at a state licensed brothel in nevada discovered the former reality show star unconscious in his room. >> hurry, please, because he's got blood coming out of his nose. can't get him to wake up. >> still alive. ambulance came. police came. they immediately sai this is not looking good in wednesday the local sheriff revealed the 911 calls and says people confirmed he had been using drugs. >> the mal

. >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin in washington where hillary clinton heads to capitol hill this morning where she will face intense questioning on the benghazi attack. >> supporters say the appearance before the republican-led committee is all about politics. abc's serena marshall has a preview. >> reporter: eight hours at least in front of the house select committee on benghazi for democratic front-runner hillary clinton. investigating the september 11th, 2012 attacks that left ambassador chris stevens and three other americans dead. it was the first i'm in three decades that an american diplomat died over seas. clinton took responsibility. >> the fact is we had four dead americans. was it because of a protest or guys out for a walk one night decided they would go kill some americans. what difference at this point does it make? it is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator. >> reporter: today clinton will be questioned by seven republican

. >> and i'm phillip mena. everybody talking about the big showdown in las vegas where the democrats were butting heads in the first debate of the primary. >> despite a few disagreements, the candidates were toeing the party line on immigration and more. your vote with juju chang. >> reporter: right out of the gate the tough questions. >> lu say anything to get elected? >> reporter: anderson cooper asking hillary clinton about her recent flip-flop. from gay marriage to last week's trade deal. >> well, actually, i have been very consistent over the course of my entire life. i have always fought for the same values and principles. >> reporter: but the real sparks flying between the top two contenders, clinton and bernie sanders, going toe to toe for the first time. the first hot-button issue -- gun control. >> is bernie sanders tough enough on guns? >> no. not at all. >> what i can tell secretary clinton, that all the shouting in the world is not going to do what i would hope all of us want, and that is keep guns

phillip mena in south carolina. >> reporter: tonight, a new round of devastation on south carolina's coast. sheriffs, the national guard, and the governor urging thousands to evacuate. >> if they knock on your door, we need you to leave. >> reporter: sabrina johnson heeded the warnings. we went back with her to her georgetown county home. >> we never would have believed it. i'm here and i still don't believe that this happened. >> reporter: the current so swift, the water so filthy, the only safe way to cross the street is by boat. this 15-year-old shuttling residents from one side of a flooded neighborhood to the other, and delivering supplies. the carolinas are reeling. at least 19 dead and 84 dams barely holding on. back in georgetown, the davis family is staying put. the river hasn't hit their house yet. they only moved in to this >> compared to everybody else, our home is dry. it hurts to say it, but we're good. >> reporter: david, from this rooftop, you can really see the power of all of this water and that is why people here are so worried tonight. this flooding is expected to

. >> and i'm phillip mena.me of the top headlines we're following this morning on " >>> vegas fight night. democrats face off in their first debate. the top two candidates going at it on gun control and the middle east. but refraining from name calling and keeping it civil. a full report coming up. >>> the u.s. says a recent surge in violence between israelis and palestinians must stop. but there are no signs that it will. so-called lone wolf attacks. israel plans to seal off sections of jerusalem. >>> the union representing air traffic controllers is warning that a chronic shortage of controllers could soon lead to flight delays. the union says the faa has failed to meet hiring goals for five straight years. >>> and starbucks has started testing its delivery service only for the more than 12,000 workers inside new york's empire state building. the company is using the service to learn about handling deliveries before expanding the service to wider areas. those are some of our top stories on this wednesday octo

we get more from abc's phillip mena. >> reporter: chaos in the streets of downtown ft. myers, florida. thousands of people running for cover saturday night after gunfire rings out at the annual zombicon festival. >> four or five shots at the same time. pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. >> be advised, everybody's running down broadway, everybody's running. >> reporter: the ghoulish costumes, complete with fake blood, only adding to the confusion. >> we didn't know if it was real or fake, so we kind of ran and were like, was that real? when we went back, people were screaming, no, it was fake. >> reporter: five people injured in the shooting. one man shot dead. >> we saw a guy, he was laying on the ground. he was obviously already passed. >> reporter: 20-year-old tyrell taylor, a football player at a local junior college, killed. investigators searching for his killer are also hoping the public can provide more clues. phillip mena, abc news, new york. >> a swimmer is in critical attack of a savage attack by a shark this weekend. this latest incident happened off lana ki beach on o

phillip mena reporting in from conway, south carolina. >> reporter: with waters receding, the race to save the homes. >> you tear it all out. build it back. >> reporter: volunteers helping homeowners. as the city hauls away debris. the goal, getting the water-damaged drywall and furniture removed before mold starts growing. in the east, a much different story. here, in conway, the river is and for the thousands living in far from normal. >> it's hard. they've never been through anything like this. >> reporter: trips to school, work, even walmart, require a 20-minute boat ride down the street. >> i wish we could make it all it go somewhere. >> reporter: and fema now bringing in amphibious vehicles to help. >> we've never experienced anything like this in our entire >> reporter: and tom, this is impassable. officials say it could take up to a month for the streets to tom? >> phillip, thank you. >>> an exciting prospect in the fight against cancer, inspired by a trip to the zoo. a researcher there remembered that elephants rarely get cancer. and wondered if whatever as well. here's nick

. >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin with the showdown in vegas. the biggest night so far for the five democrats making a run for the white house. >> hillary clinton and bernie sanders got the most speaking time as they clashed on gun control. the middle east and the economy. the three lesser known contenders struggled for attention but failed to get the breakout moment they were hoping for. >> they refrained from name calling and personal attacks and sanders even claim to clinton's defense firing off what many considered was the best line of the night. >> enough of the e-mails. let's talk about the real issues facing america. >> this was the first of six planned democratic primary debates. >> it gave hillary clinton a chance to show why she is leading the pack and, of course, donald trump chimed in live tweeting blow by blow. we get the latest from abc's kenneth moton. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning. hillary clinton was tough last night. she really dominated on that debate stage taking on her four challengers who at times refused

. >> i'm phillip mena.izarre story involving parents charged with beating their teenage son to death at church into and more arrests are expected. police say spiritual counseling led to an hour's long attack on the victim and his brother who survived. martinezcy gonzales has more. >> reporter: a disturbing case inside this secretive central new york church where police say a teen was beaten to death by his own parents. bruce and deborah leonard charged with manslaughter after his say their 19-year-old son lucas was brought to a hospital with injuries so severe doctors thought he had been shot. the teen pronounced dead, the s.w.a.t. surrounding the church in hartford is, new york, officers going inside. after hours of searching finding lucas's 17-year-old brother christopher also badly beaten but alive. police say the two were assaulted the night before during what church members described as a counseling session. >> both brothers were continually subjected to physical punishment over several hours in hopes

. >> i'm phillip mena. we were just talking about the baseball game. >> i'm surprised you made it in. >> well, we stayed up to watch it, that's for sure. people here in new york are obviously excited the mets are moving onto the world series. that's just new york. the rest of the country i think were pulling for the cubs who hadn't won since 2008 and that's going to continue. >> how much did the pulling for the cubs have to do with the back to the future movie? >> it was a convergence which we know did not happen and that combined with the fact they hadn't won for so long of was rooting for them but here in new york mets fans are happy. we turn now and begin with politics and the end of a political guessing game that has gripped the country for months. joe biden announcing that he will not run for president. >> we had been waiting for this one. will he, won't he. aides close to the president say he did not make up his mind till tuesday night simply saying it was too late to launch a successful bid. kenneth

sabrina we have lots morning iowa ahead...but first here's abc's reena ninan and phillip mena with tech bytes. in today's tech bytes... a big change comes to facebook. the social network >>> hey there, in today's "techbytes" a big change comes to facebook. >> the social network now allows universal searches. which will give users to all 2 trillion posts. if you don't want your posts included u select friends instead of public in your privacy settings. >>> if you're a friend of gifs. >> boomerang takes a burst of photos stitches them together in a one-minute video loop. >>> sounds interesting. >>> finally google frightgeist, avoid costume clashes at your parties. >> uses daily search, top costume nationally harley quinn in star wars. >> nothing is more embarrassing than showing up at a party and there are two chewbaccas. "techbytes." you're acting so funny, what's wrong, billy? my doctor says i have skittles pox. are they contagious? i don't think so. contract the rainbow! taste the rainbow! i love yoplait greek 100 whips. the texture's quite nice. it's like...a little fluffy cloud in my