at the live desk i'm scott macfarlane. >> thank you. they are some of the d.c. area's bravest children. they spent years in and out of hospitals battling cancer. >> but there is a place they can go in the virginia country side to get away and just be kids for a while. it is called camp fantastic. zachary kiesch took a trip to front royal, virginia for this story. >> i could run my own business. >> reporter: she has been fighting cancer for more than half of her life. >> i dream about my sister a lot. i always say to myself it can be liket race cars or just be a kid this is the place to be. >> these kids dpet the same treatment they get at home. >> reporter: since the beginning news 4 has been part of it. camp fantastic is one part of the camp for kids campaign. on this day general manager and nbc 4 staff and community advisory board members made their annual pilgrimage and get a little inspiration. >> it is an amazing operation. i challenge you to not -- >> reporter: as one staff member told me they just kids who happen to have cancer. there are certain challeng

scott macfarlane is here as the town gears up. >> attorney general eric holder requested yet another independent autopsy, the third to be conducted on michael brown. the result of the first two released within just hours of each other. st. louis county found brown was shot six to eight times and revealed little less. an independent autopsy commissioned by brown's family was far more detailed. found he was shot at least six times and twice to the head. former new york city medical examiner says the last shot at the top of the head was the fatal blow and suggests he was bent over. president obama just spoke from the white house. >> i understand the passions and anger that arise over the death of michael brown. giving into that anger by looting or carrying guns and attacking the police only serves to raise tensions and stir chaos. it undermines rather than advancing justice. >> as early as wednesday a grand jury could begin hearing evidence in the shooting and consider charges against ferguson police officer darren wilson. we will have more on the mood on the street tonight coming up in

scott macfarlane shows us how the crooks are operating and what the metro police are doing to stop themou just boarded to go to work. sometimes a few crooks stay behind. >> news 4 i-team under cover cameras positioned outside metro rail stations in d.c., virginia and maryland watched a series of bike thieves pounce. early afternoon on the red line three guys circling, one scoping the scene gives another a thumbs up. the other one cuts the lock. these crooks targeted one of metro's bait bikes. metro uses the bait bikes to catch the thieves. >> try to catch the crime in progress. >> reporter: under cover cops in plain clothes standing a few feet away. virginia braddock line station. crook tugs and yanks the bait bike free. news 4 i-team under cover camera rolling. metro police quickly catch him and cuff him. why were you trying to take that bike? >> it was just sitting there. >> reporter: he told the news 4 i-team he was taking it for his 10 year old. >> i wasn't going to use it myself. i was going to give it to my son. >> reporter: stealing for a 10 year old doesn't send the best message

scott macfarlane learned the pentagon's program called 1033 has distributed nearly 2,000 military grade rifles throughout the state. the u.s. senate is reviewing that program. critics say it militarizes local police departments. the international association of chiefs of police says the program provides protection that police would not otherwise be able to secure. to see that equipment that maryland state police have received we invite you to nbcwashington.com and click on investigations. >>> military officials have yet to identify a soldier who died after prompting an active shooter lockdown at fort lee this morning just south of richmond, virginia. the army says the soldier barricaded herself in an office building on the base and shot herself in the head as police tried to negotiate with her. she died and nobody else was hurt. the army says she had served for 14 years. >>> people in a local neighborhood are understandably on edge after a dismembered body was found stuffed in trash bags. we will hear from the man who discovered the body. >>> three women attacked in five days. the cruci

the news 4's i-team's scott macfarlane learned the city just handed out 31 formal infractions. one of the property owners and contractor are among those cited. fines can be up to $2,000. if you have a tip to share we invite you to visit nbcwashington.com. click on investigations. >>> really disturbing video out tonight of a park ranger being per punched, kicked, spit on by skasboarders. police in philadelphia have arrested two teenagers. police say the teenagers attacked when the ranger told them they couldn't skate in a place called love park. one of the teenagers recorded the beating. another witness got video, as well. that ranger injured his head. >>> new developments in the court case challenging virginia's ban on gay marriage. we want to clarify where things stand because this is confusing. as of this moment gay marriages could become in virginia at 8:00 a.m. on thursday. the supreme court asked all parties involved in the lawsuit to respond to a request for a stay of the 4th circuit court's ruling which would allow gay marriage to begin. virginia's attorney general said

scott macfarlane at the live desk working the new information coming in. >> this time it is in st.ouis. right now angry crowds are gathering at that crime scene. we know two police officers shot and killed a man who tried to rob a convenience store there. investigators say the officers tried to arrest a man and then he pulled out a knife and told them quote, shoot me now, kill me now. officers repeatedly asked him to put down the weapon and when he didn't they say they shot and killed him. some people are gathering chanting hands up, don't shoot. same chant being heard in ferguson. we go to ferguson on the ground, nbc's leanne gregg on the ground there. >> reporter: tasked with a lot of uncertainty about violence and unrest as the grand jury may begin hearing testimony tomorrow about whether to indict the officer who killed michael brown. after ten straight nights of violent unrest in the streets of ferguson the community and police are bracing for night fall. monday night two civilians were shot and more than 70 people were arrested. the streets of ferguson resembling a battle zon

some of the purchasers were revealed by scott macfarlane. in a letter released by the school district today the maryland office of state prosecutor says expenses made by board members do not rise to the level of criminal misconduct. the i-team found some board members used their taxpayer funded credit cards to buy pricey meals including lobster and to stay in hotel rooms in d.c. despite being minutes from home. the board recently voted to strip its members of those cards and to place new limits on travel expenses. >>> a massive plan to change d.c. school boundaries for the first time in 40 years may not happen after all. two leading candidates for mayor say they won't implement the plan next year if they are elected. tom sherwood reports that many parents are concerned about the planned upheaval. >> reporter: the mayor announced the new plan just last week but he is a lame duck and won't be around to enforce it. thousands of students and dozens of neighborhood school patterns would be disrupted if the mayor's year long effort to rewrite scho

scott macfarlane at the live desk. >> this is happening near coolidge high school where students are walking out of class to see yellow crime scene tape. police tell us the stabbing happened across the street from the school at the area of fifth and summer place southwest. we are told the victims are 19 and 17 years old. the investigators say the two are not cooperating with police. detectives on the scene are combing the area for evidence. nearby elementary schools dismissing, as well. jackie bensen will have a live report coming up. >>> first at 4:30 the vacation is over for president obama. he is back at the white house after a two-week vacation punk c chu -- punctuated by two crisises. now he faces decisions on whether to launch air strikes against isis militants in syria. the next steps to address the crisis in ukraine and other pressing issues. president and first lady michelle obama and their daughters arrived in washington around 10:00 last night. >>> service is restored on the sony play station network after an online attack. the play station network went down yesterday with

here is scott macfarlane at the live desk. >> that's chopper 4 near the intersection of woodfield andd crest in gaithersburg. two cars and a ride-on bus have been involved in an accident. at least six people injured. there's no word on what caused the crash. the six injuries are not significant. they are being checked out by paramedics and traffic is being slowed down as police block most of the roadway and investigate what happened. jackie bensen just arrived at the scene and is gathering information. the update in a minute and at www.nbcwashington.com. at the live de

let's go now to scott macfarlane at the live desk. >> we'll get to the president the moment he begins speaking. first the results of the autopsy conducted at the request of michael brown's family. the independent report reveals brown was shot at least six times including twice in the head and shows no bruising or blows to the body which would be consistent with the struggle between brown and the officer before the shooting. it was concluded the teenager died of gunshot wounds. brown's family said they conditioned their own report because they can't depend on local investigators. >> they cannot trust whoever will be put in the reports about the tragic execution of their child. >> the developments come after another violent night in ferguson, missouri. investigators say the shootings didn't involve police last night but officers responded to vandalism and looting and had to use tear gas to clear out protesters. in the response the governor has called in the national guard to help and has lifted the city's curfew. back to you. >> thank you. >>> the michael brown case has more people call

scott macfarlane has details from the live desk. >> two german artists have come forward claiming they pulled off the stunt. new york police are taking a closer look. two all white american flags were placed atop the brooklyn bridge this summer. when they appeared rumors spread. they wanted to celebrate the beauty of a public space. the new york police department says detectives are taking a close look and manhattan's district attorney has reportedly subpoenaed the artists' twitter account. >>> better late than never, veteran is awarded the purple heart 60 years after fighting in the korean war. what prompted the ceremony after all of these years? >> reporter: a new list of best and worst when it comes to tech support. i'm erika gonzalez. i'll tell you which companies deliver the next time your computer crashes. spokesperson: get a $1,000 turbocharged reward card with a new volkswagen turbo. why are we so obsessed with turbo? because we like giving you power, but we also like giving you fuel efficiency. like the sporty jetta. and the turbocharged passat tdi® clean diesel. okay.. and th

at the live desk, i'm scott macfarlane. >> we go now to a story that just rips your heart out. it's about a 3-year-old and she was killed with a bullet that was meant for somebody else. >> police say she was killed by a young man with a really silly fight and a gun. and they really want to find him and so does the child's grandmother who is inclined neither toward forgiveness or mercy. >> reporter: i had the opportunity to spend time with the family when they brought out the pictures of this little girl, your heart melted. she was so beautiful, so fun loving. this family is so heart broken. she was shot and killed in the upper stories here of this house. we can still see the bullet holes in the siding. a ladder is there because a work crew showed up to repair the damage. several years ago, crime cameras were installed in this neighborhood. some neighbors are concerned because the cameras are no longer working. cameras in the neighborhood where this 3-year-old was shot and killed. one is right across the street from the house. not one of them works. prince george's county police