A North Texas mother is hospitalized after her ex-husband came to her home early Wednesday and opened fire, injuring her and killing their three children and her boyfriend before turning the gun on himself, sheriff's deputies say. (Published Thursday, May 17, 2018)

A North Texas mother is hospitalized after her ex-husband came to her home early Wednesday and opened fire, injuring her and killing their three children and her boyfriend before turning the gun on himself, sheriff's deputies say.

The identities of the children were confirmed by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office Thursday as Drake Painter, 4, Caydence Painter, 6 and Odin Painter, 8.

The mother who survived the shooting is identified as Amanda Simpson.

Wednesday night, she posted a public Facebook video showing her sobbing from her hospital bed as she held a photo of her three young children while talking about her troubled relationship with her ex-husband.

The Denton County Sheriff's Department identified her ex-husband as Justin Painter. Investigators believe he was the gunman.

In the Facebook video, Simpson said she spoke with Painter on Tuesday and that he wanted to reconcile, but she said no.

The Ponder Volunteer Fire Department said Wednesday morning they were called to a home in the 600 block of Lone Star Park Lane at about 8:30 a.m. Shortly before arrival, firefighters were told there were multiple victims inside the home and that several ambulances had been requested.

Officials with the Denton County Sheriff's Department confirmed to NBC 5 later in the day that the five people found dead inside the home were three children, their mother's boyfriend, Seth Richardson, and their father, Justin Painter, the suspected shooter.

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A North Texas mother is hospitalized after he ex-husband arrived at her home early Wednesday and opened fire, injuring her and killing their three children and her boyfriend before turning the gun on himself, sheriff's deputies say. (Published Wednesday, May 16, 2018)

The mother of the children was also shot but survived the shooting. She was transported to Medical City Denton. In the Facebook video she posted, Simpson said she'd been shot in the shoulder, that the bullet lodged there, and that she may have to have surgery.

Wednesday evening, neighbors held a vigil, gathering at a gazebo near the family's home. They left stuffed animals, crosses and prayers for Simpson and her family.

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"All of us are letting her know that we're praying for her and I cannot imagine losing three children," said neighbor Katie Garcia.

5 Killed, 1 Hurt in Denton County Home

Five people are dead and a sixth has been hospitalized after a shooting inside a Denton County home, police say. Raw video from Texas Sky Ranger. (Published Wednesday, May 16, 2018)

Residents told NBC 5 that Lone Star Park Lane is a generally a quiet, middle-class neighborhood and that they were surprised to learn of the violence.

"It’s a family-friendly environment to live in and it’s sad that it happened here," said resident Mark Skaggs. "But this happens all over the place."

The Denton County Sheriffs Office is assisting Ponder police in the investigation. Further details about the investigation or what may have taken place inside the home have not been confirmed.

NBC 5's Seth Voorhees, Maria Guerrero and Alice Barr contributed to this report.

</s>One dead in shooting in Bartow County, police looking for suspect</s>Four men were shot in Marshall County on Sunday morning, according to the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.

The shooting happened at a house near the intersection of French Road and Berta Road around 3 a.m.

Two of men were shot in the head while the other two were shot in the arm and the leg.

All four were taken to Regional Medical Center in critical condition, but three of the four men have since been released.

Marshall County Sheriff's Department said they have a person of interest, who's not currently in custody.</s>PONDER, Texas – Five people were found fatally shot inside a Ponder home Wednesday morning. One person was also found injured from gunshot wounds.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, officials were called to the 600 block of Lonestar Park Lane around 8:30 am in the Denton County residence where the bodies were found. Officials were responding to a disturbance call.

Captain Orlando Hinojosa, spokesperson for the Denton County Sheriff’s Office, said that there was no active shooter and a suspect has not been confirmed as dead. No details about the victims have been confirmed.

The injured victim was transported to a local hospital.</s>CALHOUN COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Calhoun County woman has died following a fire at her home.

Jess Moore with the Calhoun County Coroner’s office tells WCBI the Banner Fire Department responded to a house fire on County Road 278 Wednesday.

The house was fully involved when fire fighters arrived.

A neighbor told fire crews that someone was possibly home.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office, along with the Calhoun County is investigating the cause of the fire.</s>ALISO VIEJO, Calif. -- Crews evacuated a preschool Tuesday afternoon after an explosion killed one person and injured three in a nearby office building in Aliso Viejo , authorities said.

The explosion happened on the first floor of the two-story office building at 5 Mareblu said Orange County Fire Authority, KTLA reports.

A deputy with Orange County Sheriff's Department told KTLA the explosion was caused by a gas leak. He did not know the condition of the three injured people.

The explosion caused a fire in the office building, but it was quickly extinguished, authorities said. A bomb squad and a hazardous materials team were assessing damage and safety at the scene.

Roads were shut down in the area of Oso Parkway, Moulton Parkway and La Paz Road, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department tweeted. The agency advised the public to avoid the area.</s>SHERIDAN — County commissioners appointed Chris Thomas as county fire warden and Fritz Bates as the county deputy fire warden during a regular meeting Tuesday morning.

The county fire warden position was left open after Bill Biastoch announced his retirement earlier this year.

Thomas recently retired from the U.S. Forest Service. Commissioner Terry Cram said Thomas came highly recommended by the other fire chiefs in the county.

Bates is the former chief of the Clearmont Fire District and served as deputy fire warden under Biastoch.

The commissioners said they received three applications for county fire warden and interviewed two of the applicants.</s>Sheriff Donnie Barrera reports for the week of May 7-13, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office received 330 911 calls, answered 154 requests for service, dispatched 160 fire and EMS runs, took 19 offense reports and investigated four traffic crashes.

The sheriff’s office received a call from the 6000 block of Pence Road at 11:38 a.m. on May 8. The caller reported a family member had stolen her food card and refused to give it back. A deputy spoke to both parties and the cad was returned to its rightful owner. No report was taken and no charges were filed.

At 1:18 a.m. on May 9 the sheriff’s office received a report of a suspicious vehicle in the 5000 block of SR 73. The caller advised the vehicle was driving slowly up and down the road shining a spotlight at houses. A deputy dispatched to the area located the vehicle in question. The driver was an employee of a recovery company trying to locate a vehicle slated for repossession.

On May 9 at 7:43 a.m. the sheriff’s office received a call from a resident of East Main Street in Mowrystown. Sometime overnight an unknown person shattered the back window of the complainant’s car. A deputy took and offense report.</s>LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. -- The sheriff of Lancaster County sheriff was honored in a big way this week. Sheriff Barry Faile was named Sheriff of the Year by the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association.

Sheriff Faile has worked for the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office since 1989 when he started as a patrol deputy. He started his first term as sheriff in 2009.

Sheriff Faile was nominated by the current Sheriff of the Year, Sheriff Phillip Thompson of Horry County, and Sheriff Lee Foster of Newberry County, who is also a former Sheriff of the Year award winner.

“Since elected, Sheriff Faile has been an advocate for the Sheriffs' Association and works tirelessly to promote the Association in a positive light across the state. Sheriff Faile’s life and career has centered on serving others and is certainly worthy of recognition as Sheriff of the Year," Thompson and Foster said.

Sheriff Faile will receive his award in July at the Association’s Annual Conference which will be held in Myrtle Beach. Moseley Architects will also present Sheriff Faile with a check for $1,000 for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.

"We hope Sheriff Faile can use this donation to further implement his vision for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. It is our belief that this award will yield greater things, not only for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office but also for the citizens of Lancaster County,” said Todd Davis, a representative for Moseley Architects.“</s>The Primary Election will decide the position as there are no Democrats running. (Source: WAVE 3 News)

BULLITT COUNTY, KY (WAVE) - Eight candidates are seeking election in the Republican Primary race to become sheriff in Bullitt County. There are no Democratic candidates running.

Learn more about the candidates from the profiles below, which are compiled of information from interviews with WAVE 3 News. Click each name to be linked to the candidate's campaign website or social media.

Brimm is a retired Louisville Metro Police Department officer who currently serves in the Army Reserves. He has a Masters degree in Criminal Justice and has participated in an FBI law enforcement program. Representatives from his campaign told WAVE 3 News, if elected, he would work to make the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office an accredited law enforcement agency, and launch a program that would better inform residents about accidents and emergencies.

His campaign officials added that he would institute the Angel Program to help fight the opioid problem in the county.

Cook currently serves as Chief Deputy at the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office. He has worked at the department for around 14 years. In a campaign Facebook post, he noted his experience with many facets of the position, including working with the current sheriff to manage the budget.

He said he values professionalism, integrity, and trustworthiness. In a Facebook post, he said he believes in open communication and, if elected, would operate an open-door policy to address community concerns. Cook noted increased safety at schools as a priority of his in a Facebook post following the shooting at Marshall County High School. He also added in a different post that crimes like burglaries have decreased during his time at the department.

Coy believes his more than 50 years of police experience set him apart from others running for the office. He added that he's worked in the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office, the Jefferson County Police Department, the Lebanon Junction Police Department and the Air Force.

He sees drug usage as one of the biggest issues facing the county. Coy said he plans to start programs that teach children the dangers of drugs at an early age. He added that professionalism in the department is something he is positioned to improve, due to his experience at patrol and supervisory levels of law enforcement.

According to his campaign website, Hineman has worked for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies. It states that restoring trust and creating transparency are some of the focuses of his platform. Better using data to solve issues at the department is another point highlighted by the campaign.

Hineman's campaign materials also highlight the importance of adapting to the growth of the county's population, becoming an accredited law enforcement agency, making schools safer and implementing community policing practices.

Offe said 37 years of U.S. Army experience managing people and budgets equip him to face the rapidly growing population in the county, and the challenges that accompany the increase. He said he retired from Fort Knox in 2014. Offe lists a Bronze Star, eight years of law enforcement experience and a Masters degree in Leadership in Management as some of his accomplishments.

He said he wants the sheriff's office to be more responsive to people in the community and plans to build a coalition of unofficial community leaders and students to better understand the changes they desire. He added that some smaller communities in the county feel forgotten, and drug addiction is a problem the sheriff's office needs to address.

Sholar said his background as an attorney would help him bring the sheriff's office to where it needs to be in terms of professionalism. A graduate of UofL Law School, he was Bullitt County Attorney for 21 years. He said he has also served as Assistant County Attorney in Jefferson County, where he worked closely with the LMPD Professional Standards Unit. He is a certified firearms instructor. One of his sons is a LMPD police officer.

As the population of the county grows, he believes establishing a precise set of polices, elevated to national standards when it comes to professionalism, will be important. He would like to restore and increase the size of a county drug taskforce to fight the opioid crisis, as well as use methods like the Angel Initiative. He also added he'd use community patrols to reduce burglary.

Thurman has worked at the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office for 14 years, according to campaign materials. They also state he has never been unemployed since he was 16-years-old and began working at McDonald's.

According to Thurman's campaign on social media, he sees problems associated with drugs as an important issue in the county. If elected, he would like to increase drug awareness programs in schools. Materials also stated Thurman would like the sheriff to serve more publicly, and make his presence felt in the community.

Whittaker said the experiences he's had facing the opioid epidemic on night patrol for the City of Shepherdville drove him to run for sheriff. He said he comes from a family of first responders. Whittaker added he has 22 years of law enforcement experience. He said he would make the drug taskforce a multi-agency operation, if elected.

He stated he would also start a street crimes unit, like has been done in Shepherdsville, and work with educators to make schools safer.
Five people are shot dead and another is injured in a shooting at a house in Ponder, Denton County, Texas. The Denton County Sheriff's Office believe the shooter is among the dead.