BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow faced a new wave of revulsion and accusations of war crimes Monday after the Russian pullout from the outskirts of Kyiv revealed streets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">strewn with corpses</a>&nbsp;of what appeared to be civilians, some of whom had seemingly been killed deliberately at close range.

The images of battered bodies out in the open or in hastily dug graves also led to calls for tougher economic sanctions against the Kremlin, namely a cutoff of fuel imports from Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the capital, Kyiv, for his first reported trip since the war began nearly six weeks ago to see for himself what he called the “genocide” and “war crimes” in the town of Bucha, the site of some of the horrors.

“Dead people have been found in barrels, basements, strangled, tortured,” said Zelenskyy, who again called on Russia to move quickly to negotiate an agreement to end to the war.

European leaders and the United Nations human rights chief condemned the bloodshed, some of them also branding it genocide, and U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin should face a war crimes trial.

“This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous,” said Biden, who also promised to increase sanctions against Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the scenes outside Kyiv as a “stage-managed anti-Russian provocation.” The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected allegations of atrocities as fakery on Ukraine’s part.

Lavrov said the mayor of Bucha made no mention of atrocities a day after Russian troops left last week, but two days later scores of bodies were photographed scattered in the streets.

Ukrainian officials said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-europe-evacuations-665fd06b92852547d7b27627b99509a6">bodies of 410 civilians&nbsp;</a>were found in towns around Kyiv that were recaptured from Russian forces in recent days.

In Bucha, northwest of the capital, Associated Press journalists saw 21 bodies, including a group of nine in civilian clothes who appeared to have been shot at close range. At least two had their hands tied behind their backs. A bag of groceries were spilled by one of the dead.

The full extent of the bloodshed in the Kyiv area has yet to emerge, but by all accounts the horrors in the shattered southern port city of Mariupol are likely to be even worse.

“This is a war of murders, a lot of blood. A lot of civilians are dying,” said Natalia Svitlova, a refugee from Dnipro in eastern Ukraine who fled to Poland. “I don’t understand why this is possible in the 21st century and why no one can stop it.”

Moscow continued to press its offensive in eastern Ukraine, where little news has made it to the outside world since the war began Feb. 24. Russia, in pulling back from the capital, has said its main focus is gaining control the Donbas, the largely Russian-speaking industrial region in the country’s east that includes Mariupol.

European allies, though united in outrage over the aftermath outside Kyiv, appeared split on how to respond.

Poland, which is on Ukraine’s border and has taken in large numbers of refugees, angrily singled out France and Germany for not taking tougher action and urged Europe to quickly wean itself off Russian energy. But Germany said it would stick with a more gradual approach of phasing out coal and oil imports over the next several months.

Western and Ukrainian leaders have accused Russia of war crimes before, and the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-genocides-crime-war-crimes-europe-499d7b6a9e955f659284b2edc6f1c508">has opened an investigation.&nbsp;</a>But the latest reports ratcheted up the condemnation.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said “the Russian authorities are responsible for these atrocities, committed while they had effective control of the area.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said there is “clear evidence of war crimes” in Bucha that demand new measures. “I’m in favor of a new round of sanctions and in particular on coal and gasoline. We need to act,” he said on France-Inter radio.

But Poland’s prime minister, who described Russia under Putin as a “totalitarian-fascist state,” called for actions “that will finally break Putin’s war machine.”

“President Macron, how many times have you negotiated with Putin? What have you achieved? ... Would you negotiate with Hitler, with Stalin, with Pol Pot?” Mateusz Morawiecki asked.

The U.S. and its allies have sought to punish Russia for the invasion by imposing sweeping economic sanctions. But they may be reluctant to impose measures that cause further harm to a global economy still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

Europe is in a particular bind, since it gets 40% of its gas and 25% of its oil from Russia.

Putin’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-entertainment-business-fumio-kishida-4977ac7797317890b220e85ee0af92b6">Feb. 24 invasion&nbsp;</a>has left thousands of people dead and forced more than 4 million Ukrainians to flee their country.

Putin has said the attack is aimed at eliminating a security threat and has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO. Ukraine insists it never posed any threat but has offered to officially declare itself neutral.

While Western officials initially said they believed Putin’s goal was to take Kyiv and install a Kremlin-friendly government, Russian forces faced stiff resistance outside the capital and on other fronts, and have now retreated from some areas.

Britain’s Defense Ministry said Russia continues to flood soldiers and mercenaries from the Wagner military group into the Donbas. It said Russian troops are still trying to take Mariupol, which has seen weeks of heavy fighting and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-mariupol-descends-into-despair-708cb8f4a171ce3f1c1b0b8d090e38e3">some of the worst suffering</a>&nbsp;of the war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday called for a war crimes trial against Russia President Vladimir Putin and said he’d seek more sanctions after reported atrocities in Ukraine.

“You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden said. He added that Putin “is a war criminal.”

Biden’s comments to reporters came after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-business-moscow-3a40c029638ffddb289ceba89462c1aa">Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha,</a>&nbsp;one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found. Zelenskyy called the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.

Biden, however, stopped short of calling the actions genocide.

The bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces, Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, Iryna Venediktova, said. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least 21 people in various spots around Bucha, northwest of the capital.

“We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight. And we have to gather all the detail so this can be an actual -- have a war crimes trial,” Biden said.

Biden lashed out at Putin as “brutal.”

“What’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone sees it,” Biden added.

White House officials said talks about ramping up new sanctions against Russia intensified after reports of alleged atrocities emerged. Biden said Monday that he would continue to add sanctions but did not detail what sectors the U.S. may target next.

After unveiling an avalanche of sanctions in the first weeks of the war, administration officials in recent days have put more focus on closing loopholes that Russia might try to use to avoid sanctions.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, tweeted Monday that he European Union will send investigators to Ukraine to help the local prosecutor general “document war crimes.”

A Russian law enforcement agency says it has launched its own investigation into allegations that Ukrainian civilians were massacred in suburbs of Kyiv that were held by Russian troops, focusing on what it calls “false information” about Russian forces.

The Investigative Committee claims Ukrainian authorities made the allegations “with the aim of discrediting Russian troops” and that those involved should be investigated over possible breaches of a new Russian law banning what the government deems to be false information about its forces.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649084165553.png" alt="“This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous,” said President Biden, who also promised to increase sanctions against Moscow-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>“This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous,” said President Biden, who also promised to increase sanctions against Moscow-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow faced a new wave of revulsion and accusations of war crimes Monday after the Russian pullout from the outskirts of Kyiv revealed streets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">strewn with corpses</a>&nbsp;of what appeared to be civilians, some of whom had seemingly been killed deliberately at close range.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden on Putin: &quot;He is a war criminal, but we have gather the information...We have to gather all the detail so this can be an actual have a war crime trial. This guy is brutal. What&#39;s happening in Bucha is outrageous.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SnlJdHgOT7">pic.twitter.com/SnlJdHgOT7</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1510993467299799051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The images of battered bodies out in the open or in hastily dug graves also led to calls for tougher economic sanctions against the Kremlin, namely a cutoff of fuel imports from Russia.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the capital, Kyiv, for his first reported trip since the war began nearly six weeks ago to see for himself what he called the “genocide” and “war crimes” in the town of Bucha, the site of some of the horrors.“Dead people have been found in barrels, basements, strangled, tortured,” said Zelenskyy, who again called on Russia to move quickly to negotiate an agreement to end to the war.European leaders and the United Nations human rights chief condemned the bloodshed, some of them also branding it genocide, and U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin should face a war crimes trial.“This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous,” said Biden, who also promised to increase sanctions against Moscow.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the scenes outside Kyiv as a “stage-managed anti-Russian provocation.” The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected allegations of atrocities as fakery on Ukraine’s part.Lavrov said the mayor of Bucha made no mention of atrocities a day after Russian troops left last week, but two days later scores of bodies were photographed scattered in the streets.Ukrainian officials said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-europe-evacuations-665fd06b92852547d7b27627b99509a6">bodies of 410 civilians&nbsp;</a>were found in towns around Kyiv that were recaptured from Russian forces in recent days.In Bucha, northwest of the capital, Associated Press journalists saw 21 bodies, including a group of nine in civilian clothes who appeared to have been shot at close range. At least two had their hands tied behind their backs. A bag of groceries were spilled by one of the dead.The full extent of the bloodshed in the Kyiv area has yet to emerge, but by all accounts the horrors in the shattered southern port city of Mariupol are likely to be even worse.“This is a war of murders, a lot of blood. A lot of civilians are dying,” said Natalia Svitlova, a refugee from Dnipro in eastern Ukraine who fled to Poland. “I don’t understand why this is possible in the 21st century and why no one can stop it.”Moscow continued to press its offensive in eastern Ukraine, where little news has made it to the outside world since the war began Feb. 24. Russia, in pulling back from the capital, has said its main focus is gaining control the Donbas, the largely Russian-speaking industrial region in the country’s east that includes Mariupol.European allies, though united in outrage over the aftermath outside Kyiv, appeared split on how to respond.Poland, which is on Ukraine’s border and has taken in large numbers of refugees, angrily singled out France and Germany for not taking tougher action and urged Europe to quickly wean itself off Russian energy. But Germany said it would stick with a more gradual approach of phasing out coal and oil imports over the next several months.Western and Ukrainian leaders have accused Russia of war crimes before, and the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-genocides-crime-war-crimes-europe-499d7b6a9e955f659284b2edc6f1c508">has opened an investigation.&nbsp;</a>But the latest reports ratcheted up the condemnation.European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said “the Russian authorities are responsible for these atrocities, committed while they had effective control of the area.”French President Emmanuel Macron said there is “clear evidence of war crimes” in Bucha that demand new measures. “I’m in favor of a new round of sanctions and in particular on coal and gasoline. We need to act,” he said on France-Inter radio.But Poland’s prime minister, who described Russia under Putin as a “totalitarian-fascist state,” called for actions “that will finally break Putin’s war machine.”“President Macron, how many times have you negotiated with Putin? What have you achieved? ... Would you negotiate with Hitler, with Stalin, with Pol Pot?” Mateusz Morawiecki asked.The U.S. and its allies have sought to punish Russia for the invasion by imposing sweeping economic sanctions. But they may be reluctant to impose measures that cause further harm to a global economy still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.Europe is in a particular bind, since it gets 40% of its gas and 25% of its oil from Russia.Putin’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-entertainment-business-fumio-kishida-4977ac7797317890b220e85ee0af92b6">Feb. 24 invasion&nbsp;</a>has left thousands of people dead and forced more than 4 million Ukrainians to flee their country.Putin has said the attack is aimed at eliminating a security threat and has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO. Ukraine insists it never posed any threat but has offered to officially declare itself neutral.While Western officials initially said they believed Putin’s goal was to take Kyiv and install a Kremlin-friendly government, Russian forces faced stiff resistance outside the capital and on other fronts, and have now retreated from some areas.Britain’s Defense Ministry said Russia continues to flood soldiers and mercenaries from the Wagner military group into the Donbas. It said Russian troops are still trying to take Mariupol, which has seen weeks of heavy fighting and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-mariupol-descends-into-despair-708cb8f4a171ce3f1c1b0b8d090e38e3">some of the worst suffering</a>&nbsp;of the war.___WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday called for a war crimes trial against Russia President Vladimir Putin and said he’d seek more sanctions after reported atrocities in Ukraine.“You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden said. He added that Putin “is a war criminal.”Biden’s comments to reporters came after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-business-moscow-3a40c029638ffddb289ceba89462c1aa">Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha,</a>&nbsp;one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found. Zelenskyy called the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.Biden, however, stopped short of calling the actions genocide.The bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces, Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, Iryna Venediktova, said. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least 21 people in various spots around Bucha, northwest of the capital.“We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight. And we have to gather all the detail so this can be an actual -- have a war crimes trial,” Biden said.Biden lashed out at Putin as “brutal.”“What’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone sees it,” Biden added.White House officials said talks about ramping up new sanctions against Russia intensified after reports of alleged atrocities emerged. Biden said Monday that he would continue to add sanctions but did not detail what sectors the U.S. may target next.After unveiling an avalanche of sanctions in the first weeks of the war, administration officials in recent days have put more focus on closing loopholes that Russia might try to use to avoid sanctions.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, tweeted Monday that he European Union will send investigators to Ukraine to help the local prosecutor general “document war crimes.”A Russian law enforcement agency says it has launched its own investigation into allegations that Ukrainian civilians were massacred in suburbs of Kyiv that were held by Russian troops, focusing on what it calls “false information” about Russian forces.The Investigative Committee claims Ukrainian authorities made the allegations “with the aim of discrediting Russian troops” and that those involved should be investigated over possible breaches of a new Russian law banning what the government deems to be false information about its forces.

🎥Biden calls for Putin to face war crimes trial for shocking atrocities

CHEROKEE COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) provided additional  preliminary findings in connection to the officer-involved shooting that occurred during a hostage incident on Saturday, March 26 in Baxter Springs, Kansas.

<a href="https://www.knellmortuary.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=24441888">Taylor Shutte, 27,</a> was killed just outside of the camping trailer after she was struck by multiple gunshots fired by Eli Crawford, according to a media release from the KBI.

It is believed that Eli Crawford, 37, died of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The investigation indicates that 2-year-old <a href="https://www.knellmortuary.com/obituaries/Clesslynn-Jane-Crawford?obId=24442028#/celebrationWall">Clesslynn Crawford died</a> as a result of the single round fired by an officer from the Joplin Police Department.

The investigation is ongoing. We ask the public for patience as KBI agents finish their work. The incident is being thoroughly and independently investigated. Once it concludes, the findings will be presented to the Cherokee County Attorney.

CHEROKEE COUNTY&nbsp;–The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred during a barricade and hostage incident in Baxter Springs, according to a media release.

Just after 7p.m.  Saturday, officers from the Baxter Springs Police Department responded after a woman called 911 requesting help at 340 Wyandotte Ave. in Baxter Springs due to an ongoing domestic disturbance.

When responding officers arrived, they knocked on the door of the residence, which was a pull behind camping trailer. Eli Crawford, 37, of Baxter Springs, answered the door but after seeing it was police, slammed it back shut. The subjects’ daughter, 2-year-old Clesslynn J. Crawford, then reopened the door and Taylor D. Shutte, 27, of Webb City, Missouri, ran outside. Crawford then stepped out and shot and killed Shutte. He also began shooting at the four responding officers.

The officers retreated to a safe distance without returning fire. Gunfire from Crawford continued. Additional law enforcement support arrived from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Joplin Police Department’s S.W.A.T. Team. The KBI and the Kansas Highway Patrol also responded.

During the incident Crawford is believed to have used several guns to fire over 90 rounds from the trailer at responding law enforcement officers. At approximately 9:25 p.m., a law enforcement officer fired one round into the camping trailer.

Officers approached the residence and located Eli Crawford deceased inside from a gunshot wound. Shutte and Clesslynn Crawford were also discovered deceased from fatal gunshot wounds. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649093710680.png" alt="Taylor Shutte-photo courtesy Knell mortuary" />
 <figcaption>Taylor Shutte-photo courtesy Knell mortuary</figcaption>
 </figure>CHEROKEE COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) provided additional preliminary findings in connection to the officer-involved shooting that occurred during a hostage incident on Saturday, March 26 in Baxter Springs, Kansas.<a href="https://www.knellmortuary.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=24441888">Taylor Shutte, 27,</a> was killed just outside of the camping trailer after she was struck by multiple gunshots fired by Eli Crawford, according to a media release from the KBI.It is believed that Eli Crawford, 37, died of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649093822546.png" alt="Clesslynn Crawford-photo Knell mortuary&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Clesslynn Crawford-photo Knell mortuary&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>The investigation indicates that 2-year-old <a href="https://www.knellmortuary.com/obituaries/Clesslynn-Jane-Crawford?obId=24442028#/celebrationWall">Clesslynn Crawford died</a> as a result of the single round fired by an officer from the Joplin Police Department.The investigation is ongoing. We ask the public for patience as KBI agents finish their work. The incident is being thoroughly and independently investigated. Once it concludes, the findings will be presented to the Cherokee County Attorney.---------CHEROKEE COUNTY&nbsp;–The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred during a barricade and hostage incident in Baxter Springs, according to a media release.Just after 7p.m. Saturday, officers from the Baxter Springs Police Department responded after a woman called 911 requesting help at 340 Wyandotte Ave. in Baxter Springs due to an ongoing domestic disturbance.When responding officers arrived, they knocked on the door of the residence, which was a pull behind camping trailer. Eli Crawford, 37, of Baxter Springs, answered the door but after seeing it was police, slammed it back shut. The subjects’ daughter, 2-year-old Clesslynn J. Crawford, then reopened the door and Taylor D. Shutte, 27, of Webb City, Missouri, ran outside. Crawford then stepped out and shot and killed Shutte. He also began shooting at the four responding officers.The officers retreated to a safe distance without returning fire. Gunfire from Crawford continued. Additional law enforcement support arrived from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Joplin Police Department’s S.W.A.T. Team. The KBI and the Kansas Highway Patrol also responded.During the incident Crawford is believed to have used several guns to fire over 90 rounds from the trailer at responding law enforcement officers. At approximately 9:25 p.m., a law enforcement officer fired one round into the camping trailer.Officers approached the residence and located Eli Crawford deceased inside from a gunshot wound. Shutte and Clesslynn Crawford were also discovered deceased from fatal gunshot wounds. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

KBI: Shot from officer killed 2-year-old during hostage incident

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary that occurred at Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home, 800 Kansas Avenue in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

The crime occurred on Friday night. Cash and coins were taken.

Police released no additional details early Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649101818516.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary that occurred at Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home, 800 Kansas Avenue in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.The crime occurred on Friday night. Cash and coins were taken.Police released no additional details early Monday.

Police investigate burglary at Kansas funeral home

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers have moved to the brink of shaking hands on a scaled-back bipartisan compromise providing a fresh $10 billion to combat COVID-19, a deal that could set up final congressional approval this week.

The price tag was down from an earlier $15.6 billion agreement between the two parties that collapsed weeks ago after House Democrats rejected cutting unused pandemic aid to states to help pay for it. President Joe Biden requested $22.5 billion in early March. With leaders hoping to move the package through Congress quickly, the lowered cost seemed to reflect both parties’ calculations that agreeing soon to additional savings would be too hard.

The effort, which would finance steps like vaccines, treatments and tests, comes as&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;and other Democrats have&nbsp;warned the government is running out of money&nbsp;to counter the pandemic. At the same time, the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2 has been spreading quickly in the U.S. and abroad.

“We’ve reached an agreement in principle on all the spending and all of the offsets,” Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the lead Republican bargainer, told reporters Thursday, using Washington-speak for savings. “It’s entirely balanced by offsets.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and others were more circumspect.

“We are getting close to a final agreement that would garner bipartisan support,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. He said lawmakers were still finalizing the bill’s components and language, and awaiting a cost estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chair of the Senate health committee and another bargainer, said, “I’m hoping,” when asked about Romney’s assessment.

Once clinched, an agreement would represent a semblance of bipartisan cooperation in battling the pandemic that dissolved a year ago, when a far larger, $1.9 trillion measure proposed by the new president cleared Congress with only Democratic votes. That bill was laden with spending to help struggling families, businesses and communities, while this one would be aimed exclusively at public health.

Many Republicans have been willing to go along with the new expenditures but have insisted on paying for them with unspent funds from previous bills Congress has enacted to address the pandemic.

Half the new measure’s $10 billion would be used for treatments, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who has helped negotiate the agreement. He said top federal health officials would be given wide discretion on spending the rest of it but it would include research and other steps for battling the disease, which has killed around 975,000 Americans and millions across the world.

Romney and others said savings the two parties had agreed to for the new bill would not include the cuts in state assistance that House Democrats opposed. He said some unused funds would be culled from another pandemic program that gives state and local governments funds for grants to local businesses.

Blunt said both sides had also agreed to savings that include pulling back an unspent $2.2 billion for aiding entertainment venues closed during the pandemic and more than $2 billion still available for assisting aviation manufacturing.

Romney said the $10 billion might include $1 billion for vaccines, treatments and other support for countries overseas. Blunt said that figure seemed unresolved. One third of the earlier, $15.6 billion measure had been slated to go abroad.

The lowered figure for assisting other countries encountered opposition in the House, where some Democrats wanted to boost the figure. Epidemiologists have cited the need to vaccinate more people around the world and reduce the virus’ opportunities for spinning off new variants.

“It’s a problem,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters. “It’s a shame.”

Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, said officials were “very hopeful” an agreement would be reached and prodded lawmakers to include funds to help other countries cope with the disease.

“We’re not going to be able to put this pandemic behind us until we stop the spread and proliferation of new variants globally,” Bedingfield said.

Leaders hope Congress can approve the legislation before lawmakers leave for a spring recess after next week.

Republicans have leverage in the Democratic-controlled, 50-50 Senate because 60 votes are needed to pass most major bills. Romney and Blunt both said they believed a finalized package they described would attract significantly more than the 10 GOP votes needed.

Since the pandemic began, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion to address the economic and health crises it produced. Only a small fraction of that has been for public health programs like vaccines.

In an interview earlier Thursday with Punchbowl News, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the measure’s price tag seemed to have fallen to $10 billion because Democrats weren’t agreeing to additional savings.

Minutes later, Schumer took to the Senate floor and mentioned no figures but suggested its size could fall.

“I’m pleading with my Republican colleagues, join us,” Schumer said. “We want more than you do, but we have to get something done. We have to get something done.”

Asked if he thought an agreement could be reached before lawmakers’ recess, McConnell said, “We’ll see. Hope so.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646882872135.png" alt="The lowered figure for assisting other countries encountered opposition in the House, where some Democrats wanted to boost the figure.&nbsp;“It’s a problem,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters. “It’s a shame.”" />
 <figcaption>The lowered figure for assisting other countries encountered opposition in the House, where some Democrats wanted to boost the figure.&nbsp;“It’s a problem,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters. “It’s a shame.”</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers have moved to the brink of shaking hands on a scaled-back bipartisan compromise providing a fresh $10 billion to combat COVID-19, a deal that could set up final congressional approval this week.The price tag was down from an earlier $15.6 billion agreement between the two parties that collapsed weeks ago after House Democrats rejected cutting unused pandemic aid to states to help pay for it. President Joe Biden requested $22.5 billion in early March. With leaders hoping to move the package through Congress quickly, the lowered cost seemed to reflect both parties’ calculations that agreeing soon to additional savings would be too hard.The effort, which would finance steps like vaccines, treatments and tests, comes as&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;and other Democrats have&nbsp;warned the government is running out of money&nbsp;to counter the pandemic. At the same time, the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2 has been spreading quickly in the U.S. and abroad.“We’ve reached an agreement in principle on all the spending and all of the offsets,” Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the lead Republican bargainer, told reporters Thursday, using Washington-speak for savings. “It’s entirely balanced by offsets.”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and others were more circumspect.“We are getting close to a final agreement that would garner bipartisan support,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. He said lawmakers were still finalizing the bill’s components and language, and awaiting a cost estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chair of the Senate health committee and another bargainer, said, “I’m hoping,” when asked about Romney’s assessment.Once clinched, an agreement would represent a semblance of bipartisan cooperation in battling the pandemic that dissolved a year ago, when a far larger, $1.9 trillion measure proposed by the new president cleared Congress with only Democratic votes. That bill was laden with spending to help struggling families, businesses and communities, while this one would be aimed exclusively at public health.Many Republicans have been willing to go along with the new expenditures but have insisted on paying for them with unspent funds from previous bills Congress has enacted to address the pandemic.Half the new measure’s $10 billion would be used for treatments, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who has helped negotiate the agreement. He said top federal health officials would be given wide discretion on spending the rest of it but it would include research and other steps for battling the disease, which has killed around 975,000 Americans and millions across the world.Romney and others said savings the two parties had agreed to for the new bill would not include the cuts in state assistance that House Democrats opposed. He said some unused funds would be culled from another pandemic program that gives state and local governments funds for grants to local businesses.Blunt said both sides had also agreed to savings that include pulling back an unspent $2.2 billion for aiding entertainment venues closed during the pandemic and more than $2 billion still available for assisting aviation manufacturing.Romney said the $10 billion might include $1 billion for vaccines, treatments and other support for countries overseas. Blunt said that figure seemed unresolved. One third of the earlier, $15.6 billion measure had been slated to go abroad.The lowered figure for assisting other countries encountered opposition in the House, where some Democrats wanted to boost the figure. Epidemiologists have cited the need to vaccinate more people around the world and reduce the virus’ opportunities for spinning off new variants.“It’s a problem,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters. “It’s a shame.”Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, said officials were “very hopeful” an agreement would be reached and prodded lawmakers to include funds to help other countries cope with the disease.“We’re not going to be able to put this pandemic behind us until we stop the spread and proliferation of new variants globally,” Bedingfield said.Leaders hope Congress can approve the legislation before lawmakers leave for a spring recess after next week.Republicans have leverage in the Democratic-controlled, 50-50 Senate because 60 votes are needed to pass most major bills. Romney and Blunt both said they believed a finalized package they described would attract significantly more than the 10 GOP votes needed.Since the pandemic began, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion to address the economic and health crises it produced. Only a small fraction of that has been for public health programs like vaccines.In an interview earlier Thursday with Punchbowl News, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the measure’s price tag seemed to have fallen to $10 billion because Democrats weren’t agreeing to additional savings.Minutes later, Schumer took to the Senate floor and mentioned no figures but suggested its size could fall.“I’m pleading with my Republican colleagues, join us,” Schumer said. “We want more than you do, but we have to get something done. We have to get something done.”Asked if he thought an agreement could be reached before lawmakers’ recess, McConnell said, “We’ll see. Hope so.”

Bipartisan deal near on another $10B to fight COVID 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Judiciary Committee has deadlocked on whether to send Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination to the Senate floor. But President Joe Biden’s nominee is still on track to be confirmed this week as the first Black woman on the high court. 

The committee’s tie vote Monday was expected. But it was still a blow to Democrats who had hoped for a bipartisan process and the first time the committee has deadlocked on a Supreme Court nomination in three decades. Democrats are aiming to confirm her by the end of the week as the first Black woman on the court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are launching a whirlwind of votes and Senate floor action Monday with the goal of confirming&nbsp;Ketanji Brown Jackson&nbsp;as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court by the end of the week.

The Senate Judiciary Committee kicks off Monday morning with a vote on whether to move Jackson’s nomination to the Senate floor. Democrats will then wind the nomination through the 50-50 Senate, with a final vote in sight for President Joe Biden’s pick to replace retiring Justice&nbsp;Stephen Breyer.

After more than 30 hours of hearings and interrogation from Republicans over her record, Jackson is&nbsp;on the brink&nbsp;of making history as the third Black justice and only the sixth woman in the court’s more than 200-year history. Democrats — and at least one Republican — cite her deep experience in her nine years on the federal bench and the chance for her to become the first former public defender on the court.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Thursday that the high regard for Jackson after a combative four days of hearings is “evidence of the strength that she brings to this nomination and the value that she will bring to the Supreme Court.”

The committee could deadlock on Monday’s vote, 11-11, meaning Democrats will have to spend additional hours on the Senate floor to “discharge” her nomination from committee. While it won’t delay the process for long, it’s another blow for Democrats who had hoped to confirm Jackson with bipartisan support.

A deadlocked vote would be “a truly unfortunate signal of the continued descent into dysfunction of our confirmation process,” said Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat on the committee.

The committee hasn’t deadlocked on a nomination since 1991, when a motion to send the nomination of current Justice Clarence Thomas to the floor with a “favorable” recommendation failed on a 7-7 vote. The committee then voted to send the nomination to the floor without a recommendation, meaning it could still be brought up for a vote.

Either way, Democrats are ready to spend time on the discharge Monday afternoon, if necessary. The Senate would then move to a series of procedural steps before a final confirmation vote later in the week.

While none of the Republicans on the committee is expected to support Jackson, Democrats will have at least one GOP vote in favor on the floor — Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who&nbsp;announced last week&nbsp;that she will support the nominee. Collins said that even though she may not always agree with her, Jackson “possesses the experience, qualifications and integrity to serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court.”

It’s unclear so far whether any other Republicans will join her. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky set the tone for the party last week when he said he “cannot and will not” support her, citing GOP concerns raised in the hearing about her sentencing record and her support from liberal advocacy groups.

Collins and Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina were the only three to vote for Jackson when the Senate confirmed her as an appeals court judge last year. Graham said Thursday he won’t support her this time around; Murkowski says she’s still deciding.

Collins’ support likely saves Democrats from having to use Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote to confirm President Joe Biden’s pick, and Biden called Collins on Wednesday to thank her after her announcement, according to the senator’s office. The president had called her at least three times before the hearings, part of a larger push to win a bipartisan vote for his historic nominee.

It is expected that all 50 Democrats will support Jackson, though one notable moderate Democrat, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, hasn’t yet said how she will vote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648220256831.png" alt="It is expected that all 50 Democrats will support Jackson, though one notable moderate Democrat, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, hasn’t yet said how she will vote. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran also has not said how he will vote. On March 25, Senator Roger Marshall said he would vote against the nomination-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>It is expected that all 50 Democrats will support Jackson, though one notable moderate Democrat, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, hasn’t yet said how she will vote. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran also has not said how he will vote. On March 25, Senator Roger Marshall said he would vote against the nomination-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Judiciary Committee has deadlocked on whether to send Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination to the Senate floor. But President Joe Biden’s nominee is still on track to be confirmed this week as the first Black woman on the high court. The committee’s tie vote Monday was expected. But it was still a blow to Democrats who had hoped for a bipartisan process and the first time the committee has deadlocked on a Supreme Court nomination in three decades. Democrats are aiming to confirm her by the end of the week as the first Black woman on the court.-------WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are launching a whirlwind of votes and Senate floor action Monday with the goal of confirming&nbsp;Ketanji Brown Jackson&nbsp;as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court by the end of the week.The Senate Judiciary Committee kicks off Monday morning with a vote on whether to move Jackson’s nomination to the Senate floor. Democrats will then wind the nomination through the 50-50 Senate, with a final vote in sight for President Joe Biden’s pick to replace retiring Justice&nbsp;Stephen Breyer.After more than 30 hours of hearings and interrogation from Republicans over her record, Jackson is&nbsp;on the brink&nbsp;of making history as the third Black justice and only the sixth woman in the court’s more than 200-year history. Democrats — and at least one Republican — cite her deep experience in her nine years on the federal bench and the chance for her to become the first former public defender on the court.The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Thursday that the high regard for Jackson after a combative four days of hearings is “evidence of the strength that she brings to this nomination and the value that she will bring to the Supreme Court.”The committee could deadlock on Monday’s vote, 11-11, meaning Democrats will have to spend additional hours on the Senate floor to “discharge” her nomination from committee. While it won’t delay the process for long, it’s another blow for Democrats who had hoped to confirm Jackson with bipartisan support.A deadlocked vote would be “a truly unfortunate signal of the continued descent into dysfunction of our confirmation process,” said Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat on the committee.The committee hasn’t deadlocked on a nomination since 1991, when a motion to send the nomination of current Justice Clarence Thomas to the floor with a “favorable” recommendation failed on a 7-7 vote. The committee then voted to send the nomination to the floor without a recommendation, meaning it could still be brought up for a vote.Either way, Democrats are ready to spend time on the discharge Monday afternoon, if necessary. The Senate would then move to a series of procedural steps before a final confirmation vote later in the week.While none of the Republicans on the committee is expected to support Jackson, Democrats will have at least one GOP vote in favor on the floor — Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who&nbsp;announced last week&nbsp;that she will support the nominee. Collins said that even though she may not always agree with her, Jackson “possesses the experience, qualifications and integrity to serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court.”It’s unclear so far whether any other Republicans will join her. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky set the tone for the party last week when he said he “cannot and will not” support her, citing GOP concerns raised in the hearing about her sentencing record and her support from liberal advocacy groups.Collins and Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina were the only three to vote for Jackson when the Senate confirmed her as an appeals court judge last year. Graham said Thursday he won’t support her this time around; Murkowski says she’s still deciding.Collins’ support likely saves Democrats from having to use Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote to confirm President Joe Biden’s pick, and Biden called Collins on Wednesday to thank her after her announcement, according to the senator’s office. The president had called her at least three times before the hearings, part of a larger push to win a bipartisan vote for his historic nominee.It is expected that all 50 Democrats will support Jackson, though one notable moderate Democrat, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, hasn’t yet said how she will vote.

Senate panel deadlocks on Supreme Court nomination

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after an arrest.

Just before 1a.m. Friday, a sheriff's deputy&nbsp; conducted a traffic stop on a white 2009 Pontiac G6 in the 1400 block of SE Lott Street with an expired license plate, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

The driver 27-year-old Ronnie E. Taylor Jr. had a suspended driver’s license. During the investigation, the deputy found illegal narcotics.

Taylor was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charged that included possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, expired vehicle registration, no vehicle liability insurance and driving with a suspended driver’s license, according to Christian.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1648831696154.png" alt="Taylor-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Taylor-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after an arrest.Just before 1a.m. Friday, a sheriff's deputy&nbsp; conducted a traffic stop on a white 2009 Pontiac G6 in the 1400 block of SE Lott Street with an expired license plate, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.The driver 27-year-old Ronnie E. Taylor Jr. had a suspended driver’s license. During the investigation, the deputy found illegal narcotics.Taylor was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charged that included possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, expired vehicle registration, no vehicle liability insurance and driving with a suspended driver’s license, according to Christian.

Sheriff: Kansas deputy found cocaine during traffic stop

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating after human remains were found in a rural area of Sedgwick County.

Just before 11:00 p.m.&nbsp; Saturday, police were dispatched to the 4000 block of E. 45th Street North in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.

Officers spoke with Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputies, who had responded to a call of human remains found in the area, which were determined to be inside city limits.

Officers searched the area and located fragments of skeletal remains. The scene was processed with assistance from the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center and the Wichita State University anthropology department, according to Macy.

The investigation into the origin and identity of the remains is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact WPD detectives at 316-268-4407 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers by calling 316-267-2111.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649086410909.png" alt="The remains were located in the 4000 block of E. 45th Street North-google map" />
 <figcaption>The remains were located in the 4000 block of E. 45th Street North-google map</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating after human remains were found in a rural area of Sedgwick County.Just before 11:00 p.m.&nbsp; Saturday, police were dispatched to the 4000 block of E. 45th Street North in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.Officers spoke with Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputies, who had responded to a call of human remains found in the area, which were determined to be inside city limits.Officers searched the area and located fragments of skeletal remains. The scene was processed with assistance from the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center and the Wichita State University anthropology department, according to Macy.The investigation into the origin and identity of the remains is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact WPD detectives at 316-268-4407 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers by calling 316-267-2111.

Police: Human remains found in rural area of Wichita

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal Sunday morning accident in Shawnee County have identified the 12-year-old victim as&nbsp;Landon S. Turner of Olathe, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Just after 12:30a.m. Sunday, a 2004 Acura driven by 19-year-old&nbsp; Dalton V. Turner of Berryton&nbsp; was southbound in the 8300 Block of Ratner Road when the driver lost control, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

The Acura entered the west ditch, struck a culvert and rolled multiple times.

Landon Turner, the front passenger was ejected from the vehicle. Lifesaving procedures were performed; however he was pronounced deceased. EMS transported Dalton Turner to a local hospital with serious injuries.&nbsp; &nbsp;The accident remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649083685651.png" alt="Landon Turner -photo courtesy Turner family" />
 <figcaption>Landon Turner -photo courtesy Turner family</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal Sunday morning accident in Shawnee County have identified the 12-year-old victim as&nbsp;Landon S. Turner of Olathe, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Just after 12:30a.m. Sunday, a 2004 Acura driven by 19-year-old&nbsp; Dalton V. Turner of Berryton&nbsp; was southbound in the 8300 Block of Ratner Road when the driver lost control, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.The Acura entered the west ditch, struck a culvert and rolled multiple times.Landon Turner, the front passenger was ejected from the vehicle. Lifesaving procedures were performed; however he was pronounced deceased. EMS transported Dalton Turner to a local hospital with serious injuries.&nbsp; &nbsp;The accident remains under investigation.

Sheriff IDs 12-year-old Kan. boy who died in rollover crash

MITCHELL COUNTY —A Kansas man was injured in an accident during high-speed chase just before noon Sunday in Mitchell County.

According to a social media report from police in Beloit, Mitchell County Communications was notified of an erratic driver traveling westbound on Highway 24 through Beloit.

Soon after, a Beloit Police Officer located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle. 

The vehicle failed to stop for law enforcement and a vehicle pursuit occurred.&nbsp; Officers with the Beloit Police Department and Deputies with the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office pursued the vehicle until the it crashed east of Cawker City.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered the driver Monte J. Jackson, 71, Glen Elder, was having a medical emergency and was unaware of what was happening. EMS transported Jackson to the Mitchell County Hospital.

MITCHELL COUNTY—A Kansas man was injured in an accident during high-speed chase just before noon Sunday in Mitchell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported law enforcement was in pursuit of a 2013 Toyota Rav 4 driven by Monte J. Jackson, 71, Glen Elder,  westbound on U.S. 24 one mile east of Cawker City with speeds of 80-90 miles per hour.

The driver lost control of the SUV as it crossed left of center and entered the south ditch lined with large drainage rock.

The Toyota rolled end over end and came to rest on the passenger side facing eastbound.

EMS transported Jackson to the Mitchell County Hospital.  He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.  Authorities did not report what prompted the chase.

MITCHELL COUNTY —A Kansas man was injured in an accident during high-speed chase just before noon Sunday in Mitchell County.According to a social media report from police in Beloit, Mitchell County Communications was notified of an erratic driver traveling westbound on Highway 24 through Beloit.Soon after, a Beloit Police Officer located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The vehicle failed to stop for law enforcement and a vehicle pursuit occurred.&nbsp; Officers with the Beloit Police Department and Deputies with the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office pursued the vehicle until the it crashed east of Cawker City.Upon further investigation, it was discovered the driver Monte J. Jackson, 71, Glen Elder, was having a medical emergency and was unaware of what was happening. EMS transported Jackson to the Mitchell County Hospital.--------MITCHELL COUNTY—A Kansas man was injured in an accident during high-speed chase just before noon Sunday in Mitchell County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported law enforcement was in pursuit of a 2013 Toyota Rav 4 driven by Monte J. Jackson, 71, Glen Elder, westbound on U.S. 24 one mile east of Cawker City with speeds of 80-90 miles per hour.The driver lost control of the SUV as it crossed left of center and entered the south ditch lined with large drainage rock.The Toyota rolled end over end and came to rest on the passenger side facing eastbound.EMS transported Jackson to the Mitchell County Hospital. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP. Authorities did not report what prompted the chase.

Update: Kan. man injured in crash during chase had medical emergency

Corrected 9 a.m. Monday to clarify Cook&nbsp; no longer works for the Kansas Highway Patrol.

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (AP) — A former southwest Missouri sheriff's deputy who also once worked as a Kansas State Trooper faces animal abuse charges after his girlfriend's dog died of injuries that included fractured ribs and a liver laceration.

The preliminary hearing for 24-year-old Zachary Cook, of Mount Vernon, is scheduled for April 12. He is free on bond after pleading not guilty last month to three counts each animal abuse and burglary.

Lawrence County Sheriff Brad Delay said Cook resigned from the sheriff’s office after learning about the charges, the Springfield News-Leader&nbsp;reports.

According to court documents, Cook’s girlfriend reviewed footage from her doorbell camera after finding the dog dead upon returning home from work on the morning of Jan. 14. The footage showed that Cook had entered her apartment while she was gone, even though he didn't have permission to come and go as he pleased. The surveillance system also captured high-pitched whining and crying noises.

The woman took her dog’s body for a necropsy examination, which revealed signs of trauma, court documents say.

The documents say the woman previously had noticed the animal was acting scared around Cook.

Cook’s attorney, Dakota Paris, said in a statement that “the truth will come out through the judicial process.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649034436530.png" alt="Zachary Cook earned his his KHP badge in 2019 but no longer works for the patrol" />
 <figcaption>Zachary Cook earned his his KHP badge in 2019 but no longer works for the patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>Corrected 9 a.m. Monday to clarify Cook&nbsp; no longer works for the Kansas Highway Patrol.MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (AP) — A former southwest Missouri sheriff's deputy who also once worked as a Kansas State Trooper faces animal abuse charges after his girlfriend's dog died of injuries that included fractured ribs and a liver laceration.The preliminary hearing for 24-year-old Zachary Cook, of Mount Vernon, is scheduled for April 12. He is free on bond after pleading not guilty last month to three counts each animal abuse and burglary.Lawrence County Sheriff Brad Delay said Cook resigned from the sheriff’s office after learning about the charges, the Springfield News-Leader&nbsp;reports.According to court documents, Cook’s girlfriend reviewed footage from her doorbell camera after finding the dog dead upon returning home from work on the morning of Jan. 14. The footage showed that Cook had entered her apartment while she was gone, even though he didn't have permission to come and go as he pleased. The surveillance system also captured high-pitched whining and crying noises.The woman took her dog’s body for a necropsy examination, which revealed signs of trauma, court documents say.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Trooper Zachary Cook has just received his <a href="https://twitter.com/kshighwaypatrol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kshighwaypatrol</a> badge following 24 weeks of training. Trooper Cook&#39;s father, TERRY COOK placed his badge on his uniform for the first time. His hometown is Mount Vernon, Missouri. His duty station is Douglas County. <a href="https://t.co/23otZY37Jd">pic.twitter.com/23otZY37Jd</a>&mdash; KS Highway Patrol (@kshighwaypatrol) <a href="https://twitter.com/kshighwaypatrol/status/1202676201220956161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The documents say the woman previously had noticed the animal was acting scared around Cook.Cook’s attorney, Dakota Paris, said in a statement that “the truth will come out through the judicial process.”

Former KHP trooper charged after dog found dead with trauma

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s assault on Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-joe-biden-europe-united-states-f58746ab66c61c6a9b474db2b402ba02">veiled threats of using nuclear arms</a>&nbsp;have policymakers, past and present, thinking the unthinkable: How should the West respond to a Russian battlefield explosion of a nuclear bomb?

The default U.S. policy answer, say some architects of the post-Cold War nuclear order, is with discipline and restraint. That could entail stepping up sanctions and isolation for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Rose Gottemoeller, deputy secretary-general of NATO from 2016 to 2019.

But no one can count on calm minds to prevail in such a moment, and real life seldom goes to plan. World leaders would be angry, affronted, fearful. Miscommunication and confusion could be rife. Hackers could add to the chaos. Demands would be great for tough retaliation — the kind that can be done with nuclear-loaded missiles capable of moving faster than the speed of sound.

When military and civilian officials and experts have war-gamed Russian-U.S. nuclear tensions in the past, the tabletop exercises sometimes end with nuclear missiles arcing across continents and oceans, striking the capitals of Europe and North America, killing millions within hours, said Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the International Crisis Group.

“And, you know, soon enough, you’ve just had a global thermonuclear war,” Oliker said.

It’s a scenario officials hope to avoid, even if Russia targets Ukraine with a nuclear bomb.

Gottemoeller, a chief U.S. nuclear negotiator with Russia for the Obama administration, said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-europe-russia-china-ukraine-a7cc93ab7f9b546acb47034aab490841">the outlines that President Joe Biden has provided so far of his nuclear policy</a>&nbsp;stick with those of past administrations in using atomic weapons only in “extreme circumstances.”

“And a single Russian nuclear use demonstration strike, or -- as horrific as it would be -- a nuclear use in Ukraine, I do not think would rise to that level” of demanding a U.S. nuclear response, said Gottemoeller, now a lecturer at Stanford University.

For former Sen. Sam Nunn, a Georgia Democrat who over nearly a quarter-century in Congress helped shape global nuclear policy, the option of Western nuclear use has to remain on the table.

“That’s what the doctrine of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-europe-poland-nuclear-weapons-2503c0d7696a57db4f437c90d3894b18">mutual assured destruction</a>&nbsp;has been about for a long, long time,” said Nunn, now strategic adviser to the Nuclear Threat Initiative security organization, which he co-founded.

“If President Putin were to use nuclear weapons, or any other country uses nuclear weapons first, not in response to a nuclear attack, not in response to an existential threat to their own country ... that leader should assume that they are putting the world in the high risk of a nuclear war, and nuclear exchange,” Nunn said.

For U.S. officials and world leaders, discussions of how to respond to a limited nuclear attack are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-europe-cold-war-nato-c0acbb51f5fda41475287a4113ada3fd">no longer theoretical</a>. In the first hours and days of Russia’s invasion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1">Putin referenced Russia’s nuclear arsenal</a>. He warned Western countries to stay out of the conflict, saying he was putting his nuclear forces on heightened alert.

Any country that interfered with Russia’s invasion would face consequences “such as you have never seen, in your entire history,” Putin declared.

How to respond to any use by Russia of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons was among the issues discussed by Biden and other Western leaders when they met in Europe in late March. Three NATO members — the United States, Britain and France — have nuclear weapons.

One overarching concern is that by casting some nuclear weapons as tactical weapons to be used in battle, Russia could break the nearly eight-decade global taboo against using a nuclear weapon against another country. Even comparatively small tactical nuclear weapons approach the strength of the atomic bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in World War II.

Gottemoeller and Nunn praise Biden’s restraint in the face of Putin’s implicit nuclear warnings at the outset of the war. Biden made no known move to raise the U.S. nuclear alert status. The U.S. also postponed a routine Minuteman III test launch last month to avoid escalating tensions.

But in the short term and long, the world appears more at risk of a nuclear conflict as a result of Putin’s bungled invasion and nuclear threats, according to arms control experts and negotiators.

The weaknesses that Russia’s invasion exposed in its conventional military forces may leave Putin feeling even more compelled in the future to threaten nuclear use as his best weapon against the far-stronger United States and NATO.

While Gottemoeller argued that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-nuclear-disarmament-disarmament-777aab2d375f3d3fed15dc7519783826">Ukraine’s surrendering of its Soviet nuclear arsenal</a>&nbsp;in 1994 opened the door for three decades of international integration and growth, she said some governments may take a different lesson from nuclear Russia’s invasion of non-nuclear Ukraine — that they need nuclear bombs as a matter of survival.

Jeffrey Lewis, an arms control expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute, said the nuclear danger is going up.

“And we can tell which pathways would cause that risk to go up further. And certainly direct conflict with Russia from forces based in NATO countries is one pathway to a nuclear war,” Lewis said.

Gottemoeller took heart in Putin grumbling publicly late last month about “cancel culture.” That suggested he was vulnerable to world condemnation over his Ukraine invasion, and worse to come if he broke the post-World War II taboo on nuclear attack, she said.

Detonating a nuclear bomb in a country Putin sought dominion over, one next to his own, wouldn’t be rational, Nunn said. But he said neither was Putin’s announcement of heightened nuclear alert,.

As a young congressional aide during the Cuban missile crisis, Nunn witnessed U.S. officers and pilots in Europe standing by for orders to launch nuclear weapons on the Soviet Union. The danger today isn’t yet as great as in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles on Cuba raised the threat of nuclear war with the U.S., he said.

But the risk of intentional nuclear escalation now is high enough to make a cease-fire in Ukraine crucial, Nunn said. The modern threat of cyberattacks adds to the risk of a mistaken launch. And it’s not clear how vulnerable U.S. and, especially, Russian systems are to such hacking attempts, he said.

Putin “has been very reckless in his saber rattling with nuclear weapons,” Nunn said. “And that I think has made everything more dangerous, including a blunder.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648129667368.png" alt="President Biden met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on March 24 to address Russia's invasion of Ukraine. " />
 <figcaption>President Biden met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on March 24 to address Russia's invasion of Ukraine. </figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s assault on Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-joe-biden-europe-united-states-f58746ab66c61c6a9b474db2b402ba02">veiled threats of using nuclear arms</a>&nbsp;have policymakers, past and present, thinking the unthinkable: How should the West respond to a Russian battlefield explosion of a nuclear bomb?The default U.S. policy answer, say some architects of the post-Cold War nuclear order, is with discipline and restraint. That could entail stepping up sanctions and isolation for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Rose Gottemoeller, deputy secretary-general of NATO from 2016 to 2019.But no one can count on calm minds to prevail in such a moment, and real life seldom goes to plan. World leaders would be angry, affronted, fearful. Miscommunication and confusion could be rife. Hackers could add to the chaos. Demands would be great for tough retaliation — the kind that can be done with nuclear-loaded missiles capable of moving faster than the speed of sound.When military and civilian officials and experts have war-gamed Russian-U.S. nuclear tensions in the past, the tabletop exercises sometimes end with nuclear missiles arcing across continents and oceans, striking the capitals of Europe and North America, killing millions within hours, said Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the International Crisis Group.“And, you know, soon enough, you’ve just had a global thermonuclear war,” Oliker said.It’s a scenario officials hope to avoid, even if Russia targets Ukraine with a nuclear bomb.Gottemoeller, a chief U.S. nuclear negotiator with Russia for the Obama administration, said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-europe-russia-china-ukraine-a7cc93ab7f9b546acb47034aab490841">the outlines that President Joe Biden has provided so far of his nuclear policy</a>&nbsp;stick with those of past administrations in using atomic weapons only in “extreme circumstances.”“And a single Russian nuclear use demonstration strike, or -- as horrific as it would be -- a nuclear use in Ukraine, I do not think would rise to that level” of demanding a U.S. nuclear response, said Gottemoeller, now a lecturer at Stanford University.For former Sen. Sam Nunn, a Georgia Democrat who over nearly a quarter-century in Congress helped shape global nuclear policy, the option of Western nuclear use has to remain on the table.“That’s what the doctrine of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-europe-poland-nuclear-weapons-2503c0d7696a57db4f437c90d3894b18">mutual assured destruction</a>&nbsp;has been about for a long, long time,” said Nunn, now strategic adviser to the Nuclear Threat Initiative security organization, which he co-founded.“If President Putin were to use nuclear weapons, or any other country uses nuclear weapons first, not in response to a nuclear attack, not in response to an existential threat to their own country ... that leader should assume that they are putting the world in the high risk of a nuclear war, and nuclear exchange,” Nunn said.For U.S. officials and world leaders, discussions of how to respond to a limited nuclear attack are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-europe-cold-war-nato-c0acbb51f5fda41475287a4113ada3fd">no longer theoretical</a>. In the first hours and days of Russia’s invasion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1">Putin referenced Russia’s nuclear arsenal</a>. He warned Western countries to stay out of the conflict, saying he was putting his nuclear forces on heightened alert.Any country that interfered with Russia’s invasion would face consequences “such as you have never seen, in your entire history,” Putin declared.How to respond to any use by Russia of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons was among the issues discussed by Biden and other Western leaders when they met in Europe in late March. Three NATO members — the United States, Britain and France — have nuclear weapons.One overarching concern is that by casting some nuclear weapons as tactical weapons to be used in battle, Russia could break the nearly eight-decade global taboo against using a nuclear weapon against another country. Even comparatively small tactical nuclear weapons approach the strength of the atomic bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in World War II.Gottemoeller and Nunn praise Biden’s restraint in the face of Putin’s implicit nuclear warnings at the outset of the war. Biden made no known move to raise the U.S. nuclear alert status. The U.S. also postponed a routine Minuteman III test launch last month to avoid escalating tensions.But in the short term and long, the world appears more at risk of a nuclear conflict as a result of Putin’s bungled invasion and nuclear threats, according to arms control experts and negotiators.The weaknesses that Russia’s invasion exposed in its conventional military forces may leave Putin feeling even more compelled in the future to threaten nuclear use as his best weapon against the far-stronger United States and NATO.While Gottemoeller argued that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-nuclear-disarmament-disarmament-777aab2d375f3d3fed15dc7519783826">Ukraine’s surrendering of its Soviet nuclear arsenal</a>&nbsp;in 1994 opened the door for three decades of international integration and growth, she said some governments may take a different lesson from nuclear Russia’s invasion of non-nuclear Ukraine — that they need nuclear bombs as a matter of survival.Jeffrey Lewis, an arms control expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute, said the nuclear danger is going up.“And we can tell which pathways would cause that risk to go up further. And certainly direct conflict with Russia from forces based in NATO countries is one pathway to a nuclear war,” Lewis said.Gottemoeller took heart in Putin grumbling publicly late last month about “cancel culture.” That suggested he was vulnerable to world condemnation over his Ukraine invasion, and worse to come if he broke the post-World War II taboo on nuclear attack, she said.Detonating a nuclear bomb in a country Putin sought dominion over, one next to his own, wouldn’t be rational, Nunn said. But he said neither was Putin’s announcement of heightened nuclear alert,.As a young congressional aide during the Cuban missile crisis, Nunn witnessed U.S. officers and pilots in Europe standing by for orders to launch nuclear weapons on the Soviet Union. The danger today isn’t yet as great as in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles on Cuba raised the threat of nuclear war with the U.S., he said.But the risk of intentional nuclear escalation now is high enough to make a cease-fire in Ukraine crucial, Nunn said. The modern threat of cyberattacks adds to the risk of a mistaken launch. And it’s not clear how vulnerable U.S. and, especially, Russian systems are to such hacking attempts, he said.Putin “has been very reckless in his saber rattling with nuclear weapons,” Nunn said. “And that I think has made everything more dangerous, including a blunder.”

West, Russia mull nuclear steps in a ‘more dangerous’ world

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The usual crowds filled the streets as bars and nightclubs were closing in California’s capital city of Sacramento when the sound of rapid-fire gunshots sent people running in terror. In a matter of seconds, the latest U.S. mass shooting had left six people dead and 12 wounded.

Sacramento police said they were searching for at least two people who opened fire around 2 a.m. Sunday on the outskirts of the city’s downtown entertainment district, anchored by the Golden One Arena that hosts concerts and the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. The team’s home game against the Golden State Warriors went on as scheduled Sunday night and began with a moment of silence for the victims.

Police Chief Kathy Lester revealed few details from the investigation and pleaded with the public to share videos and other evidence that could lead to the killers.

“The scale of violence that just happened in our city is unprecedented during my 27 years here,” Lester told reporters during a news conference at police headquarters. “We are shocked and heartbroken by this tragedy. But we are also resolved as an agency to find those responsible and to secure justice for the victims and the families.”

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and other city officials decried escalating violence in the city while also urging people to keep coming downtown for events like NBA games and performances of the Broadway musical “Wicked.”

“We can never accept it as normal and we never will,” Steinberg said of the shooting. “But we also have to live our lives.”

The gunfire erupted just after a fight broke out on a street lined with an upscale hotel, nightclubs and bars, but police said they did not know if the altercation was connected to the shooting. Video from witnesses posted on social media showed rapid gunfire for at least 45 seconds as people screamed and ran for cover.

The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.

From her window on the fourth floor of the hotel, 18-year-old Kelsey Schar said she saw a man running while firing a gun. She could see flashes from the weapon in the darkness as people ran for cover.

Schar’s friend, Madalyn Woodward, said she saw a girl who appeared to have been shot in the arm lying on the ground. Security guards from a nearby nightclub rushed to help the girl with what looked like napkins to try to stanch the bleeding.

Police found a stolen handgun, but they did not know if it had been used in the shooting. The dead included three men and three women. Authorities were still working to notify family members, and had&nbsp;publicly identified&nbsp;only one victim as of late Sunday, 38-year-old Sergio Harris, without providing a cause of death. Of the 12 wounded, at least four had critical injuries, according to the Sacramento Fire Department.

Sunday’s violence was the third time in the U.S. this year that at least six people have been killed in a mass shooting, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. And it was the second mass shooting in Sacramento in the last five weeks.

President Joe Biden called for action on gun crimes in a statement Sunday.

“Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence,” Biden said. “But we must do more than mourn; we must act.”

On Feb. 28, a father killed&nbsp;his three daughters, a chaperone and himself in a Sacramento church during a weekly supervised visitation. David Mora, 39, was armed with a homemade semiautomatic rifle-style weapon, even though he was under a restraining order that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

The crime scene Sunday sprawled across two city blocks, closing off a large swath of the city’s downtown. Bodies remained on the pavement throughout the day as Lester said investigators were working to process a “really complex and complicated scene” to make sure investigators gathered all the evidence they could to “see the perpetrators of this crime brought to justice.”

Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area, said she’s fielded too many phone calls reporting violence in her district during her 15 months in office. She cried at a news conference as she told reporters that the latest phone call woke her up at 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

“I’m heartbroken and I’m outraged,” she said. “Our community deserves better than this.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Six people were killed and 10 injured in a mass shooting early Sunday as bars and nightclubs were closing in downtown Sacramento and police in California’s state capital were searching for at least one suspect.

Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said at a news conference that police were patrolling the area two blocks from the Capitol at about 2 a.m. when they heard gunfire and rushed to the scene. They found a large crowd gathered and six people dead in the street. Another 10 either took themselves or were transported to hospitals. No information was provided about their conditions.

Authorities urged witnesses or anyone with recordings of the shooting to contact police.

“We’re asking for the public’s help in helping us to identify the suspects in this,” Lester said. Asked if authorities were searching for one or more than one suspects, Lester told reporters that she did not know.

Shortly after the shooting, video was posted on Twitter that showed people running through the street amid the sound of rapid gunfire in the city of about 525,000 people located 75 miles (120 kilometers) from San Francisco.

Kelsey Schar, 18, was staying on the fourth floor of Citizen Hotel when she said she heard gunshots and saw flashes in the dark. She walked to the window and “saw a guy running and just shooting,” Schar told The Associated Press in an interview.

Her friend, Madalyn Woodard said she saw a crowd in the street scatter amid the gunfire. A girl who appeared to have been shot in the arm lying on the ground, Woodard said. Security guards from a nearby nightclub rushed to help the girl with what looked like napkins to try to stanch the bleeding.

Sunday’s violence was the third time in the U.S. this year that at least six people were killed in a mass shooting, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. And it was the second mass shooting in Sacramento in the last five weeks.

On Feb. 28, a father killed his three daughters, a chaperone and himself in a church during a weekly supervised visitation. David Mora, 39, was armed with a homemade semiautomatic rifle-style weapon, even though he was under a restraining order that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who represents area where the shooting happened, said she’s fielded phone calls reporting many violent incidents in her district in the 15 months she’s been in office.

Valenzuela cried at a news conference as she told reporters that the latest phone call woke her up at 2:30 a.m. Sunday with details about the latest tragedy.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg decried rising gun violence at the news conference and said city officials would support the victims. He said the city has worked hard to attract people back to its downtown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that despite the shooting, the city was safe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649015151460.png" alt="Authorities urged witnesses or anyone with recordings of the shooting to contact police-photo courtesy KMAX TV" />
 <figcaption>Authorities urged witnesses or anyone with recordings of the shooting to contact police-photo courtesy KMAX TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The usual crowds filled the streets as bars and nightclubs were closing in California’s capital city of Sacramento when the sound of rapid-fire gunshots sent people running in terror. In a matter of seconds, the latest U.S. mass shooting had left six people dead and 12 wounded.Sacramento police said they were searching for at least two people who opened fire around 2 a.m. Sunday on the outskirts of the city’s downtown entertainment district, anchored by the Golden One Arena that hosts concerts and the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. The team’s home game against the Golden State Warriors went on as scheduled Sunday night and began with a moment of silence for the victims.Police Chief Kathy Lester revealed few details from the investigation and pleaded with the public to share videos and other evidence that could lead to the killers.“The scale of violence that just happened in our city is unprecedented during my 27 years here,” Lester told reporters during a news conference at police headquarters. “We are shocked and heartbroken by this tragedy. But we are also resolved as an agency to find those responsible and to secure justice for the victims and the families.”Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and other city officials decried escalating violence in the city while also urging people to keep coming downtown for events like NBA games and performances of the Broadway musical “Wicked.”“We can never accept it as normal and we never will,” Steinberg said of the shooting. “But we also have to live our lives.”The gunfire erupted just after a fight broke out on a street lined with an upscale hotel, nightclubs and bars, but police said they did not know if the altercation was connected to the shooting. Video from witnesses posted on social media showed rapid gunfire for at least 45 seconds as people screamed and ran for cover.The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.From her window on the fourth floor of the hotel, 18-year-old Kelsey Schar said she saw a man running while firing a gun. She could see flashes from the weapon in the darkness as people ran for cover.Schar’s friend, Madalyn Woodward, said she saw a girl who appeared to have been shot in the arm lying on the ground. Security guards from a nearby nightclub rushed to help the girl with what looked like napkins to try to stanch the bleeding.Police found a stolen handgun, but they did not know if it had been used in the shooting. The dead included three men and three women. Authorities were still working to notify family members, and had&nbsp;publicly identified&nbsp;only one victim as of late Sunday, 38-year-old Sergio Harris, without providing a cause of death. Of the 12 wounded, at least four had critical injuries, according to the Sacramento Fire Department.Sunday’s violence was the third time in the U.S. this year that at least six people have been killed in a mass shooting, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. And it was the second mass shooting in Sacramento in the last five weeks.President Joe Biden called for action on gun crimes in a statement Sunday.“Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence,” Biden said. “But we must do more than mourn; we must act.”On Feb. 28, a father killed&nbsp;his three daughters, a chaperone and himself in a Sacramento church during a weekly supervised visitation. David Mora, 39, was armed with a homemade semiautomatic rifle-style weapon, even though he was under a restraining order that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.The crime scene Sunday sprawled across two city blocks, closing off a large swath of the city’s downtown. Bodies remained on the pavement throughout the day as Lester said investigators were working to process a “really complex and complicated scene” to make sure investigators gathered all the evidence they could to “see the perpetrators of this crime brought to justice.”Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area, said she’s fielded too many phone calls reporting violence in her district during her 15 months in office. She cried at a news conference as she told reporters that the latest phone call woke her up at 2:30 a.m. Sunday.“I’m heartbroken and I’m outraged,” she said. “Our community deserves better than this.”-------SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Six people were killed and 10 injured in a mass shooting early Sunday as bars and nightclubs were closing in downtown Sacramento and police in California’s state capital were searching for at least one suspect.Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said at a news conference that police were patrolling the area two blocks from the Capitol at about 2 a.m. when they heard gunfire and rushed to the scene. They found a large crowd gathered and six people dead in the street. Another 10 either took themselves or were transported to hospitals. No information was provided about their conditions.Authorities urged witnesses or anyone with recordings of the shooting to contact police.“We’re asking for the public’s help in helping us to identify the suspects in this,” Lester said. Asked if authorities were searching for one or more than one suspects, Lester told reporters that she did not know.Shortly after the shooting, video was posted on Twitter that showed people running through the street amid the sound of rapid gunfire in the city of about 525,000 people located 75 miles (120 kilometers) from San Francisco.Kelsey Schar, 18, was staying on the fourth floor of Citizen Hotel when she said she heard gunshots and saw flashes in the dark. She walked to the window and “saw a guy running and just shooting,” Schar told The Associated Press in an interview.Her friend, Madalyn Woodard said she saw a crowd in the street scatter amid the gunfire. A girl who appeared to have been shot in the arm lying on the ground, Woodard said. Security guards from a nearby nightclub rushed to help the girl with what looked like napkins to try to stanch the bleeding.Sunday’s violence was the third time in the U.S. this year that at least six people were killed in a mass shooting, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. And it was the second mass shooting in Sacramento in the last five weeks.On Feb. 28, a father killed his three daughters, a chaperone and himself in a church during a weekly supervised visitation. David Mora, 39, was armed with a homemade semiautomatic rifle-style weapon, even though he was under a restraining order that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who represents area where the shooting happened, said she’s fielded phone calls reporting many violent incidents in her district in the 15 months she’s been in office.Valenzuela cried at a news conference as she told reporters that the latest phone call woke her up at 2:30 a.m. Sunday with details about the latest tragedy.“I’m heartbroken and I’m outraged,” she said. “Our community deserves better than this.”Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg decried rising gun violence at the news conference and said city officials would support the victims. He said the city has worked hard to attract people back to its downtown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that despite the shooting, the city was safe.“This morning our city has a broken heart,” Steinberg said. “This is a senseless and unacceptable tragedy.”Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that his administration was working closely with law enforcement.“What we do know at this point is that another mass casualty shooting has occurred, leaving families with lost loved ones, multiple individuals injured and a community in grief,” he said.The area where Sunday’s shooting occurred is packed with restaurants and bars. Nightclubs close at 2 a.m. and it’s normal for streets to be full of people at that hour.Kay Harris, 32, told AP she was asleep when one of her family members called to say they thought her brother Sergio Harris had been killed. She said she thought he had been at the London nightclub, which is near the shooting.Harris said she has been to the club a few times and described it as a place for “the younger crowd.” She spent the morning circling the block waiting for news.“Very much so a senseless, violent act,” she said.Pamela Harris, Sergio Harris’ mother, told&nbsp;The Sacramento Bee&nbsp;the family has not heard from him yet.“We just want to know what happened to him,” Pamela Harris told the newspaper. “Not knowing anything is just hard to face.”Berry Accius, a community activist, said he came to the scene shortly after the shooting happened.“The first thing I saw was like victims. I saw a young girl with a whole bunch of blood in her body, a girl taking off glass from her, a young girl screaming saying, ‘They killed my sister.’ A mother running up, ‘Where’s my son, has my son been shot?’“ he said.UC Davis Medical Center received four patients from the downtown shooting, spokesperson Stephanie Winn said. She declined to provide their genders or conditions, referring media to police. Ten ambulances and fifty first responders from the Sacramento Fire Department responded to the shooting, according to Capt. Keith Wade.-----SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Police in California say six people are dead and at least nine others have been injured after a shooting in downtown Sacramento.The Sacramento Police Department says the shooting happened early Sunday morning.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 K Street Shooting Update🚨 Officers located at least 15 shooting victims, including 6 who are deceased. There will be a media staging area at 9th St/K St. Continue to follow this thread for updates. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kstreetshooting?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kstreetshooting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sacramentopolice?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sacramentopolice</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sacpd?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sacpd</a>&mdash; Sacramento Police (@SacPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/SacPolice/status/1510588621627133953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Video posted on Twitter showed people running through the street as the sound of rapid gunfire could be heard in the background. Video showed multiple ambulances had been sent to the scene.Police provided few details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting but said in a tweet that a “large police presence will remain and the scene remains active.” Phone messages seeking comment were left with the Sacramento police.Residents were asked to avoid the area, which is packed with restaurants and bars that leads to the Golden One Center, where the Sacramento Kings play basketball.Phone messages seeking comment were left with the Sacramento police.Berry Accius, a community activist, said he came to the scene shortly after the shooting happened.“The first thing I saw was like victims. I saw a young girl with a whole bunch of blood in her body, a girl taking off glass from her, a young girl screaming saying, ‘They killed my sister.’ A mother running up, ‘Where’s my son, has my son been shot?’“ he said.Kay Harris, 32, said she was asleep when one of her family members called to say they thought her brother had been killed. She said she thought he was at London, a nightclub at 1009 10th Street.Harris said she has been to the club a few times and described it as a place for “the younger crowd.”Police have the streets around the club closed, with yellow police tape fluttering in the early morning breeze. She has spent the morning circling the block waiting for news.“Very much so a senseless violent act,” she said.