Nation digest 07/16/02

Soldier's shooting death an accident, military says

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- The shooting of a Special Forces soldier during a role-playing exercise was an accident resulting from mistaken identity, military officials said Monday.

A report from the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School said all four people involved in the Feb. 23 shooting "were acting according to their training and their understanding of the situation."

The investigation also determined that no criminal charges under the military's justice system were warranted. The state of North Carolina already ruled it justifiable homicide.

During the exercise, 1st Lt. Tallas Tomeny of Montgomery, Ala., was killed and Sgt. Stephen Phelps was wounded in a confrontation with a sheriff's deputy, who did not know about the exercise.

Teen-ager shot in head at gun show dies of injuries

NORCROSS, Ga. -- A 13-year-old boy died Monday after being shot in the head while attending a gun show with his father.

Stephen King of Prattville, Ala., was struck in the eye Sunday by a bullet that lodged in his brain. He died after surgery at an Atlanta hospital.

It was unclear how the shooting happened or whose gun, a .38-caliber revolver, was involved. Police said they believe it went off accidentally.

Vendors at gun shows are allowed to carry loaded handguns for protection but cannot display them on a table or let customers handle them, authorities said.

Judge keeps DA in Winona Ryder case

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- A judge on Monday refused to disqualify the Los Angeles County district attorney's office from prosecuting actress Winona Ryder on shoplifting charges, rejecting her lawyer's claim that prosecutors have been trying to humiliate her.

Attorney Mark Geragos specifically accused a prosecution spokeswoman of making inaccurate statements to the news media.

But Superior Court Judge Elden Fox said he'd be more concerned if attorneys had made the statements, rather than their spokeswoman.

The 30-year-old star of "Girl, Interrupted" and "Mr. Deeds," who did not appear in court, was arrested in December at a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills.

Ryder is charged with second-degree burglary, grand theft, vandalism and possession of a controlled substance.

Bobcat attacks hiker, park rangers in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A bobcat attacked a hiker at a state nature reserve, charged a park ranger's truck and lunged at another ranger before it was killed, authorities said. They suspect the cat was rabid.

A wildlife officer fatally shot the cat Sunday as it hung from a ranger's arm, officials said.

"This is extremely unusual behavior. They usually flee at the sight of a person," said wildlife commission Lt. Jeff Gier. He said bobcats hunt at night and are rarely seen during the day.

Todd Long, 37, was hiking at Rock Springs Run State Reserve when he said he heard "a shrill meow" and saw a bobcat poised to attack. Long said he put up his arms to deflect the cat, but instead caught the 35-pound animal.

"Here I am holding this thing and shaking it, and finally realizing that it's not doing any good," Long said, "so I threw it in the bushes."

Nine hurt, possibly by darts shot from blowgun

WASHINGTON -- Several residents of the capital city had a pointed encounter with crime Sunday night.

At least nine people were hit with sharp projectiles, perhaps darts fired from a blowgun.

The incidents occurred between 8:30 and 10 p.m. in neighorhoods across the city. A handful were concentrated along the District's New York Avenue, part of U.S. Route 50, which serves as the city's main northeast gateway for commuters and tourists.

In three cases, the six-inch long, razor-sharp projectiles had to be surgically removed.

There was no evidence the darts had been tainted with chemicals or toxins, authorities said.

-- From wire reports