in bowie, tracee wilkins. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, tracee. >>> the republican field for president is about to grow to an even dozen. former texas governor rick perry announced today that he's getting into the race. perry ran in 2012 and was considered mitt romney's top competition until he stumbled at several debates. after months of hints, a source close to jeb bush says the former florida governor will also enter the race. he's expected to make his announcement at an event in miami on june 15th. >>> an end of the school year prank that went too far. we'll show you the damage at a local school, and we'll show you who the police think might have done it. >>> most of you say they're confusing those parking meters with red tops that were supposed to be for rand caphandicap drivers. now changes are coming. will you be able to park in those spaces soon in. >>> we're now 18 hours into 24 hours of fund-raising for charity. today is do more 24, a full day of online fund-raising for united way charities

i'm tracee wilkins. thank you for joining us for "viewpoint." we are joined this morning with prince george's county executive baker. it's pleasure to have you here. we have a lot to talk about and a very little bit of time to get it all done. so a lot of interesting topics, things that are affecting folks in prince george's county. many were shocked when the county executive introduced his budget proposal that included the 15.6% property tax increase but he said it would benefit students and teachers in the prince george's county school system. he boasted about more competitive salaries and these embarked on the town halls hoping to convince residents to support his tax increase and encourage their council members to do the same. all while there was a more than 35-year tax cap in place in prince george's. then he changed the proposal, some would say in the 11th hour, requesting $65 million in additional funding pretty much cutting his initial request in half. in the end, the council all but ignored baker's request and approved a 4% property tax

i'm tracee wilkins.ing up on news4 what the >>> first now at 5:30, a man shot and killed in a normally quiet maryland neighborhood just outside a community center. >> and just moments ago, police released his name, melvin thomas jr. he was shot near the huntington community center just two weeks after another deadly shooting just one block away. prince george's county bureau chief tracee wilkins is live in bowie with what police are saying about this spike in violence there. traci? >> reporter: we are hearing this is an all-out shootout that happened in front of the community center lots of shots fired, according to a witness who did not want to talk on camera but said this was an unbelievable shooting that took place in the streets here of old bowie and the police are saying they have a serious problem here they need to get ahold of. >> a fairly quiet community. >> reporter: that is why it is bringing this community to a stand still. >> having its challenges at the moment. >> reporter: police are invest

reporting live in bowie, i'm tracee wilkins news4. >>> now at 6:00, the man believed to be behind thehurch massacre faces a judge as family members of the victims share stories of heartbreak and healing. >> every finer in my body hurts. and i will never be the same. >> amid the raw emotion tonight a chilling confession from the gunman as new details about the crime emerge. tonight, we have team coverage from charleston as the community comes together to begin to heal. >> this is a live picture as thousands are packing a stadium for a prayer vigil that is set to begin in south carolina and the common theme, we are not going to let hate win. >> some family members of the victims tell the accused killer they forgive him. dylann roof came into the church wearing a fanny pack and waited an hour before opening fire on a bible study group. he shot all nine victims multiple times before walking out with a handgun. jay gray joins us with the latest on all this. >> reporter: a lot unfolding here today, from that same affidavit where that information is from are words that witnesses say he stood

in upper marlborough, tracee wilkins wilkins, news4. >>> police say they have video evidence that a terror suspect lunged at them with a knife before he was shot an killed today in boston. the man wassor under surveillance. when investigators approached him outside a cvs, he reportedly pulled this large knife and threaten them. we're gathering new information on this storynd awe'll have the latest from boston in the next half hour. >>> right now the fbi is looking for the people behind new bomb threats targeting flights. the airlines and government believe the threats are a hoax. they were made today toward five different flights, one each from us airways delta united, korean air andment mexican carrier valaras. none were headed to or from the d.c. area. the planes all landed safely no weapons found on board. nearly a dozen flights have been the target of bomb flights over the past two weeks. >>> first degree murder charges have been filed in a deadly shooting outside a target in montgomery county. a university of maryland gad watt was gunned down in the parg being lot of the target in ger

bureau chief tracee wilkins joins us to explain what's going on here. tracee? >> reporter: this is an officer who is already under investigation for an incident that happened on route 50 last year. now -- just last month. now he's looking at charges associated with this incident as well. the police department says that this is an officer who worked hard has made arrests here and was once officer of the year. >> he's actually been very calm and collected in some of the most serious situations. >> that's why the chief of the station can't imagine that officer travis ala loses control behind the wheel. >> it was not an officer with disciplinary issues with. complaints of excessive force or things like that. he's in fact to the opposite. >> today, ala was indiepted by a grand jury and facing charges along with a weapons charge after he allegedly tailgated a family's vehicle forcing them to change lanes before he drove in front of them and slammed on his brakes. happened on route 50 westbound on route 301 last july. >> when he went to pass them a second time he pull

tracee wilkins just spoke with prince george's county executive baker. tracy? >> reporter: twitter lit up as soon as this information came out. we saw a number of state officials and also local officials who were commenting and wishing him the absolute best. county executive baker was one of them. we spoke with him just a few seconds ago. the county executive of course has a personal connection to governor larry hogan in that his dad was once county executive here in prince george's county and grew up in landover, maryland. here's what the county executive had to say. i have known him for a little while yet and he is a fighter and i know that, you know, he is going to give it all he can on this and we are going to be right there behind him. and our prayers are completely with him and you know, so with his family. >> reporter: governor hogan has always made a point of saying this is his home county and prince george's county. the county executive went on to say that when he speaks with governor hogan, it is always helpful not to have to explain to him where suit

tracee wilkins explains how the force is spending to broken dashboard cameras that were discovered in a recent audit. >> reporter: prince george's county officer was killed after losing control of his squad car while in pursuit of a speeding vehicle. investigators tried to retrieve video from his dashboard camera. >> during the course of that investigation we realized that he had an in-car camera that does not activate at the time he turns on his lights. >> reporter: that meant no video showing the speeding vehicle or how he responded. >> no bun is more disappointed when we, during the course of an investigation, go to get that video and realize that the camera in question was not operational. >> reporter: his was not the only vehicle without a working dash cam. some 30% of the cameras in the fleet weren't working, according to prince george's county police. the parts to repair them were out of date. now they are getting an upgrade from dvd-based cameras to hard drives. >> initially, a tiny little screen, i think it might have been a black and white. >> reporter: new high-tech cameras

i'm tracee wilkins, news 4. >>> oh my goodness. there is some wild and sometimes even violent weather out there. doug and veronica upstairs i understand flash flooding around as well? >> that's the flood threat tomorrow morning and seeing extremely heavy rain coming down right now no and around the d.c. metro area. and the end of day rush. >> the big impact on area roads, for sure. looking at the nbc washington app which does include traffic if you go into that and seeing a lot of red which is never a good thing during this time of day. meanwhile, take a look at the traffic cam. 495 south of tyson's. we are talking about all of this rain on top of areas already gotten pounded with a lot of rain. will lead to likely flooding throughout the areas moving over from severe thunderstorm to flash flood warnings and big impact not just now for the evening rush and right through the overnight. traffic moving slowly with reduced visibility and rainfall rates over an inch an hour. doug? >> we are tracking the traffic from springfield all the

. >>> now at 5:00 tonight tracee wilkins working on a break in the case of a suspicious fire at a popular restaurant. tracee? >> reporter: prince george's county firefighters and investigators say they now have video of >>> prince george's fire investigators hoping a new video will help them to an arsonist. the video just released shows the person suspected of setting tucker's restaurant and lounge in upper marlboro on fire. bureau chief, tracy wilken is live outside the restaurant now with a closer look at the new clue tonight. tracee? >> reporter: jim fire investigators hoping that someone will take a look at this video and be able to make out who this person is. they are hoping it may lead to an arrest in this case. >> reporter: fire investigators believe this is the person who set tucker's restaurant and lounge in upper marlboro on fire. >> right now, we are in shock. you know, we are still recovering from all this. >> rejust released by the prince george's fire department to the owner's niece. >> we really don't know who it is. and who could do this. i mean, um, honestly, i can't tel

live in palmer park, tracee wilkins, back to you in the studio. thank you. >>> a jury is now recommending a 13-year prison sentence for a virginia man convicted in the shooting death to of a 10-year-old. they found billy lee guilty in the death of his fiancee's son at a home in orange. prosecutors say lee pulled out a gun to threatening the woman but shot her son, george. lee's attorneys argued it was an accident and said the fiancee changed her story during the investigation and trial. >> he wouldn't hurt a fly. i mean, that little boy. he loved him with all of his heart. >> lee's former fiancee will have her own hearing later this week on felony abuse charges in the case. >>> well, people are starting to become afraid of sharks out in ocean city after several beachgoers spotted a hammerhead shark in shallow water. the ocean city beach patrol confirms those sightings to news4 -- toer that sighting. and they are cautioning people. "national geographic" says hammerheads are normally harmless to humans, however, the beach patrol says this shark was

live in upper marlboro, tracee wilkins, back to you in the studio. >> thank you. >>> the search for two escaped killers is now focused in a small town about 20 miles from the upstate new york prison where they first escaped. richard matt and david sweat have now been missing for 17 days on the run. police sources tell nbc news they found dna matching one of the prisoners this past weekend in a cabin that had been broken into. they now have checkpoints for people setting around owl's head new york. >> we have no definitive evidence that anyone else is assisting them but we are certainly not ruling that out and we are looking the all avenues at our disposal. >> one prison worker is already charged in connection with that escape. several other guards are under investigation with one on administrative leave. >> being candid and transparent about my battle will -- i will be able to help raise awareness that could ultimately benefit others. this weekend, like the rest of maryland, my family celebrated father's day. for me, even though i had some really tough news to deliver to them, it was a

prince georges' county bureau chief, tracee wilkins, is at the live desk. why do prosecutors say today's plea deal is a victory for the victims? >> reporter: they are saying this is going to give them an opportunity to keep families involved in all of this to have to go through a grueling trial. aaron thomas, the east coast rapist, was sentenced to life today for rape in prince georges county from 1997 to 2001. thomas already pled guilty to abducting three teenaged trick or treaters and raping two of them in prince william county in 2009. authorities say thomas is responsible for more than 17 attacks across virginia, maryland connecticut and rhode island. >> we are really, really glad we have removed from our community a dangerous and violent individual who really wrecks lives. >> reporter: the state's attorney has said since thomas admitted his guilt, a trial was unnecessary. at the live desk, i'm tracee wilkins, back to you in the studio. >>> the army's public website is offline after a group hacked into the page and demanded the u.s. stop training rebel

in upper marlborough, tracee wilkins, news4. >>> take a look at our weather tonight. some people are still cleebing up after the severe storms rolled through last night. this is video of hail in sterling. we don't have any major storms out there right now, but there's a little bit of rain still on the radar. it's been a drizzly day. are we going to have a drizzly week? >> that rain was really coming down. we saw about 2 1/2 inches of rain at the airports bwi and reagan national both setting records for daily rainfall yesterday. that won'ting the case today. 83 yes, we'll see rain tonightor and more tomorrow, but the rain for the most part is light. here is our reston camera. this is the time lapse. you see the rain and then dry and then here comes another bax of rain that makes its way through here. that's exactly what we're going to tib to see as we move on through the rest of the evening and you can see on radar we saw a little bit of a dry spell earlier this afternoon but look how the rain has just enveloped the region today. that's going to bes the case the rift o

live in upper marlboro, tracee wilkins, back to you-all in the studio. studio. >> not a good day for weddings tomorrow, we have a monsoon coming. >> monsoon saturday all the rain moving in and through. two possibly three inches. real flood concerns for tomorrow as well as the possibility that we could see some rough storms come through here, severe storms, in fact that could deliver some high winds damaging gusts maybe even an isolated tornado. we are going to be monitoring of that very carefully and closely throughout the day. here's a look. again, high-impact day for us. meanwhile, the flash flood watch continues throughout most of our viewing area, exception of down through the northern neck, may extend it down there the national weather service from 2 a.m. tomorrow morning through your saturday night into sunday morning. mean while, our main threat is out of seeing the high winds, could see a little bit of hail, certainly heavy rain and again, a threat, threat of a brief spinnup tornado coming our way for tomorrow. for your evening if you're going to

tracee wilkins joins us with the latest on the investigation. >> reporter: pat, he did not live in that house, but he does have family nearby. now prince george's county police want to know who shot this young man and why. police are searching for shell casings and any evidence that can lead to an arrest after a shooting in an unlikely area of bowie, maryland. >> damage to the property was just a bullet that did enter the front porch area of the house. >> reporter: james carroll owns the home on 6th street where 18-year-old davonte king was found shot this morning bullet holes here at the house that he now rents. no one inside of the home was hurt. >> no harm to the tenants, which i'm thankful for. i'm just sorry that the young man that got shot is now deceased. >> reporter: king died in a hospital several hours after he was discovered, according to prince george's county police. the 18-year-old did not live in this home, but he does live just a few blocks away and has a large family here. police are looking for a motive in this case but they don't believe this was a random shooting. th

tracee wilkins has reaction from students parents and school officials. >> reporter: this video shows just how quickly a fight between two students escalated into one student being stabbed. >> i can't imagine being in that situation. >> reporter: it happened early this morning inside frederick douglas high school in upper marlborough just after school began. >> like on the stairwell. >> reporter: the student used a pocketknife to stab the other in the chest. he's now considered the suspect in the case. police wro not say who started the fight only that it stemmed from an argument that possibly happened earlier in the week. >> there is video. they'll watch the video review it and we'll have more information. >> reporter: for parents the situation is both shocking and unsettling. >> it's a bad situation. somebody's life is involved so you've got to do better. >> reporter: we do know that dr. maxwell and other officials from the school system were here when this happened this morning to find out what the school can do to make the situation better. coming up on news4 at 6, parents have to

as bureau chief tracee wilkins shows us, this budget battle is entering unchartered territory. >> law. >> reporter: prince george's executive baker is claiming when the council made drastic changes to his proposed 2016 budget, it broke the launch now he is telling them to get it right. >> i have no other choice but to veto the budget. >> reporter: initially, the county executive introduced a budget calling for a 15.6% property tax increase, the additional revenue for education. the council revised down that number to 4% about no new money going to schools. now, the county executive is requesting an 11.45% property tax increase, saying anything less is a violation of the county's charter. >> if the council overrides the veto, then we would be in a very precarious situation, a very unknown position. >> reporter: andre green, the attorney for the entire county, stood with the exec today saying the council is in violation and must increase property taxes to avoid a legal battle or -- >> the budget would not be in compliance with the charter and would, therefore, be an invalid budget. >> r

i'm tracee wilkins coming up on news 4. >> and taking down the confederate flag is hitting close to home. it might shift public opinion (gong) slather your ribs with kikkoman for that rich mahogany sweetness. (taiko drum beat) (taiko drum beat) yesterday. >> that cemetery is now starting to build a retaining wall to prevent coffins from resting out of their resting places. trace tracee. >> the department of the environ environment and state agency. there are a lot of investigations going on. >> a coffin washed out of its barrel plot and then tombstones. >> i want to make sure that my mother is all right. >> i don't know what the problem is. i don't know for sure. >> we could tell that the retaining wall has been breaking for some time. they have actually been here for a while. >> those stones were purposefully put there and discarded there is what happened. >> it was an area that you know, it was authority that needed to be replaced. >> this was an issue that they said was a misdemeanor if the family is unaware but in this case since the stones were replaced discarding them in a creek is

i'm tracee wilkins back to you in the studio. >> all right. and the second day of testimony just wrapped up a short time ago. jurors heard the strongest evidence so far in the case. dna experts testified about evidence that liknks matthew to the murder and sexual assault. and the nurse who treated the alleged victim also testified. david will tell us what a police detective said on the stand and why it forced the judge to clear the courtroom. >> now to our weather and what a difference a day makes. severe storms have rolled out and the humidity will soon be moving in. doug is here and tells us the first significant heat wave of the season is upon us. almost. >> you see that tree down? that's in the rockwell area tree down on the house, that was part of the system that moves through last night with the very strong winds and incredibly heavy rain. we saw some flooding on the beltway last night. you can see the whole system moving out of the region. one thing you noticed, the lack of clouds. has the front moves by, cooler drier air moves by. here

prince george's county bureau chief tracee wilkins is live outside frederick douglass high school. she has new cell phone video from that witness and the report on the mission to stop the bullying. >> reporter: there's a prince george's county man who has a program that is working very well. they couldn't say enough about how much it has helped them there. he is saying that prince george's county should consider implementing it. >> he told them to leave them alone. to get away. that he didn't want to fight. the student who was stabbed didn't leave him alone and instigated it. >> reporter: he said he watched his classmate lose it after bullying had gone too far. >> the kid that did the stabbing was trying to defend himself. then the knife made it and he was stabbed. he didn't realize he was stabbed until later so he kept hitting and hitting. >> reporter: this explanation sounds very familiar to what happened to this 9-year-old girl a few weeks ago. her cries for help were allegedly ignored on the school bus as another student beat her. her parents are suing the county for $10 millio

tracee wilkins back to you. >> thank you, tracee. >>> montgomery county schools are celebrating a greatear for senior seniors, including $335 million in college scholarships. 133 seniors were named national merit finalists, and there were also more than 200 ivy league acceptances, the highest number in five years. the school system also haws both of mareyland u.s. presidential scholars. >>> 5-year-old boy from howard county made quite a find. he spotted a noaa weather balloon in a tree in his family's front yard. check it out. the balloons are launched daily, usually from major airports, and they typically come back down near airports. but this one drifted quite a ways. possibly because of our recent storms. noaa sent a self-addressed stamped envelope to the boy to send the device back so it can be used again. i think will he'll do it. >> i think he'll become a meteorologist. >> he might. look out! >> all from that weather balloon. >> is that weather balloon going to again? >>> the sun is coming but way too slow for most of us. let's talk about what's going on outside. we're looking for

i'm tracee wilkins, news 4. >>> spent nearly two years in an egyptian prison. >> but he is back in the states this afternoon and enjoying a hero's welcome. >>> i'm darcy spencer in rockville. a man accused of killing his neighbors and then taking off on an alaskan cruise made his first court appearance here in montgomery county. what prosecutors say happened right before the murder. >>> it was an emotional homecoming for a man after nearly two years in jail in egypt. 27-year-old mohammed soltan arrived to cheers and family's waiting arms. after nearly two years in jail and 16 months on a hunger strike to protest conditions in jail finally, freedom. soltan working as a tranceslator for u.s. and international news agencies and arrested in august of 2013 charged with supported protests that usaed the president. he was later sentenced to life. the release on saturday was unexpected but followed months of lobbying by family and negotiations between the u.s. and egypt. >> this is a very happy moment for all of us. american muslims and we believe in freedom. >> reporter: to win his freedom, h

tracee wilkins is live on the scene. >> reporter: they still have markings here on the roadway. you can see the impact of the accident. where it first happened and where she was thrown here on the roadway. now prince georges county police are looking for the driver of the vehicle responsible and the family is looking for answers. >> she wasn't too far away. less than two miles. >> reporter: just before 11:00 p.m. friday, 56-year-old donna clark was riding her bike home when tragedy struck. >> they hit her so hard that she died. >> reporter: according to a witness who called an ambulance -- >> two cars were racing going south on richie road and at the hill, they passed the witness car. >> reporter: it happened on richie road. police say they believe a dark-colored charger struck donna and kept going. >> it's tragic. it's unfortunate. it's irresponsible. it's the world we live in. >> reporter: she enjoyed biking even great distances. >> a friend of mine called me yesterday with the news and said he just saw donna on george avenue with her bike. >> reporter: but not for donna whose

tracee wilkins what one expert has to say this summer take flight, without having to take a flight. because all the thrills you need are right here at busch gardens, and water country usa. in williamsburg, va. like the daring new coaster tempesto. so ride together slide together whether it's monster drops collossal curls or furry friends it's all here. vacation packages start at $50 per person per night. the ultimate summer vacation is closer than you think at busch gardens and water country usa. >>> she loves the music and would like to be singing or playing on stage somewhere. she may be familiar to some of you as i said. we featured her a while back and she hasn't found a family yet. at least not the right one. meet lacy. we met up with lacy, a 16-year-old who wants to learn to play the guitar better. gary who is chair of the jazz department, offered to give her a lesson. >> she asked if there was something she would like to play. a conscientious student who has struggled to learn all she can since getting a slow start as a young child before coming into foster care at 4 years ol

. >> prince george's county bureau chief tracee wilkins revisited that cemetery yesterday and does report that a retaining wall near some of the graves appeared to need some repairs. the cemetery did not comment on the state of that retaining wall. >>> housing prices in prince george's county are apparently soaring. prices have risen just over 60% after hitting rock bomb four years ago. the median price of house or condo that sold in the county last month was $243,000. that's up 12% from the same time last year. >>> happening today -- president obama is expected to announce shift in practice when it comes to americans being held hostage overseas. and we're already getting a preview of what could change. >>> looking live at temperatures this morning for the radar. >> nothing coming out of the sky at this early hour. less humidity, cooler air, too. chuck is working on your forecast as well as when rain could return. >>> and the jellyfish showing up on shore that could be deadly. >> and >>> looking at the stories making headlines right now at 5:30. we've learned more information about the dr

i'm tracee wilkins news 4. >>> a woman from maryland has with perjury in connection with withthe disappearance of the lyon sisters. she waived her right to a preliminary hearing today. she is married to a man named richard welsh. he's a person of interest but has not been charged. the couple owns land in bedford county where investigators believe the lyons sisters may be buried. those young girls were last seen at a shopping center in montgomery county back in 1975. >>> some drivers are going to court to take on the company that runs the toll lanes on i-95 and 495 in virginia. they filed a class action lawsuit saying they have been on excessively penalized for missed tolls. adam tuss is in merryfield where the company z has advice for drivers tonight. >> the best advice is to check the mail. one driver says he was fined $11,000 for just $30 in missed tolls. the operator says before any big fine like that, you'll get a warning in the mail. you should know about this. >> you're going to get a letter in the mail. you really want to look out for these notifications. >> reporter: drivers say they a

i'm tracee wilkins, news 4. >>> and not far from springdial no arrests in a murder of glenarden over the weekend. police are offering a reward in that case. pierre edwards shot and killed off of bar low road. that shooting at around 5:00 on saturday afternoon and police say this is not a random incident. >>> a d.c. police officer and another man are recovering after a shooting overnight in the detroit area. you can see the vehicle, the officer and his friend were riding in riddled with buttllets. police say it happened near a nightclub and investigators trying to figure out if it's connected to a dispute at the club or may have been an attempted carjacking. both victims in the case are expected to be okay. >>> it's a landmark step in maryland. to help gain the public's trust and police misconduct investigations. today montgomery officials said they'll prosecute cases against officials accused of using deadly forces and howard county for montgomery county. >> we are doing this today because we think we have a role in helping build community trust in the criminal justice process. we're

prince george's bureau chief tracee wilkins talked to police and neighbors about this recent spike in violence and what's being done about it. >> this is not supposed to happen in bowie. >> reporter: kath reap frankleen frank says she she moved to bowie ten years ago, it had problems with auto thefts and pranks. she was part of the change ten sking that bowie get its own police department. i didn't think that bowie should have to reline the prince george's police force a great day when bowie got its own police force. >> reporter: since then, pretty quiet until a few weeks ago. yesterday, i was driving by and saw all the police tape and the police cars. >> reporter: maryland capital park police are investigating a shooting that happened before 6 p.m. outside the huntington community center in old bowie. the shooter fired several shots, striking 23-year-old people slip thomas jar of bowie. according to a witness the gunman also fired a the white van driving down the street. the victim is now listed in stable condition. and two weeks ago, just up the street, 18-year-old desomety king was

in bowie, i'm tracee wilkins news4. >>> today, members of congress came together on the capitol lawn to pray and to mourn the lives at one of the nation's most historic churches. somebody posted a sign saying simply, we are charleston. >>> the motive behind the shooting is still a mystery. the department of justice opened a hate crime investigation into the case much scott macfarlane from our i-team now. >> reporter: the fbi does keep track of reported hate crimes around the country and their locations but the numbers respect exactly not all law enforcement agencies participate or designate those location the same way. we look at 2013 and found the most recently provided data frowned 206 hate crimes at religious facilities, churches, synagogues, temples and mosques, 35% of all reported hate crimes which is down from about 4% in 2012 and 4.4% the year before. the highest percentage of reported case, 41% happen with residents orces and homes in 2014. visit our nbc washington app and click on vexes for more information by state. >>> we have pictures from north carolina now where the sus

i'm tracee wilkins, back to you in the studio. >> thank you, trace yee. >> it was two days two days, that's how long a 3-year-old in la plata was being pushed in a swing by his mother outside. now his death has been ruled a homicide. investigators say ji'aire lee died of dehydration and hypothermia. his mother took him to wills memorial park on wednesday morning, may 20th. she was seen pushing the toddler for hours and hours. but now we learn it was for days. that child was eventually discovered by police not until friday morning. the mother was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation. the child's father told news 4 that he was fighting to get custody of his son before this tragedy. >>> now to a brazen lunchtime bank heist involving a very tall and unusually dressed thief in the heart of the busy u street corridor. get straight to pat collins live to tell us what happened. pat? >> reporter: jim, he was wearing a distinctive outfit. edmon i on his mind and they say he was lightning fast. it happened at lunchtime. across the street from ben's chili bowl. steps away from the metro

officials in prince george's county revealed a new hand-held photo laser gun and bureau chief tracee wilkins got an inside look. >> reporter: so you know where the speed camera is. you slow down just as you're approaching it. then for a little while after until you think it is safe to start speeding again. that's what the prince george's county police department is trying to cut out. now, they have a new device they say will help them to do just that. this is a handheld device that is actually a mix between a speed camera and a radar gun. it takes pictures of speeding vehicles and police will be able to hold it at those areas right after the speed cameras when they know the vehicles start to go a little bit faster. >> so what we're trying to do is move our equipment around and make the best use of the equipment and to have the biggest effect as far as to get motorists to slow down. >> reporter: coming up on news4 at 5, what do drivers in prince george's county think of this new device and exactly where will it be used? we'll explain. >>> well, it's the quick action that could save lives, but

but coming up at 5:00, news 5's tracee wilkins explains how the officer is under investigation for a deadly crash. >>> with heightened concern over a possible terror attack this fourth of july holiday, local law enforcement are out inspecting stands just like this one. we see them in shopping centers across northern virginia. the new worry is that the consumer fireworks will be disassembled and then reassembled as improvised explosive devices or ieds, similar to what was used in the 2013 boston marathon bombings. we're tagging along with the fire marshal and watch as they inspect some of the consumer fireworks. we'll show what you to look out for to be safe and give you other tips ahead of this holiday you want to know about. in fairfax, i'm david culver news 4. >>> two dozen homes completely wiped out by a wildfire in washington state. right now there are a lot more fires burning on the west coast. >> coming up first at 4:00, the conditions that could make this a record breaki >>> a sheriff's deputy with quick reflexes is credited with saving an inmate's life at a jail for mentally

replaces its police cruisers with new ones, they will also replace the cameras n palmer park tracee wilkins, news4. >>> prosecutors are preparing for the triple murder trial of charles severance and won a key decision today. they will be allowed to use severance's writings as evidence in that october trial. and a lot of those contain murderous intentions. severance is accused of killing three well-known alexandria residents over a ten-year span. in our news4 at 5:00, northern virginia bureau chief julie carey joins us live with a first look at the pages of the accused killer's notebook. >>> it is a sad reminder of just how dangerous it is for construction workers as they do their jobs out there on the roads every day. a tractor trailer entered a construction zone onnism-95 near the icc this morning and hit several vehicles. here's a look at the scene. randy drury was standing near one of the vehicles. he was killed. these images were taken by chopper4. police just told us the driver of the tractor trailer is from north carolina and has not yet been charged. >>> take a look at this truck cra

tracee wilkins, back to you in the studio. >> thank you. >>> fire investigators return to the home today where a mother and young daughter were electrocuted. the family had a portable water pump running in the house during the strong storms and heavy rain on saturday. we know a lot of of you use these pumps. coming up, we have ways to protect yourself. >>> a guilty plea in a one-man crime spree. the guy was targeting women near a popular mall. pat collins is live at the courthouse. >> reporter: he came into the courtroom carrying a paperback bible and in soft tones he answered the judge's questions. . how do you plead guilty he said. how do you plead, guilty he said it twice and now he's facing some big jail time and in the sex and robbery case. last december he was the most wanted man in montgomery county. 20-year-old christian jordan hung out at the metro parking garage targeting women demanding sex. it went on for three days before he got caught as he changed clothes and tried to make a getaway outside the store. he had a gun. it was a bb gun. but it looked real and if the victims thi

prince george's bureau chief, tracee wilkins, found out one congregation will not change how they worship despite the security risk. she picks up our team coverage from bowie. ♪ >> reporter: the call for prayer for the emanuel african methodist episcopal church in south carolina reached across the country to ame parishioners everywhere, including here in bowie at mount nebo founded in 1877 it is the oldest ame church in prince george's. when shots were fired last night in charles top, reverend charles brown was leading bible study here. >> the first thing i thought about was september 15 1963 16th street baptist church, where nine black children were killed in a bombing. >> reporter: there is a history of racially charged attacks on black churches. for decades, the ame church fought those injustices head on. >> our history, our i.d. as a denomination is civil rights oriented. >> reporter: brown says this tragic killing is a reminder that the fight is not over. >> even though some of us in prince george's county or in other communities may have benefited in economic and other ways from the

. >>> i'm tracee wilkins in upper marlboro. today a former prince george's police officer seen on video beating a juvenile who was handcuffed in a holding cell received probation. jerry thomas has now resigned from the prince george's county police department but just a few months ago, he was seen here on videotape beating a juvenile who was in custody. he said that he felt threatened by this kid and thought that he was going to kick him or spit at him. the state's attorney's office says that there's no evidence supporting that claim. chief of police says this behavior was unacceptable. thomas entered an alford plea in the case and today was sentenced to probation. he is also going to have to do some community service. if he violates that probation, it could mean jail time. >>> first at 4, a man accused of raping two women within a matter of hours is now off the street. police arrested al bell on saturday. investigators say around 8:00 friday night he raped an acquaintance inside her apartment on st. barnabas road in temple hil