Sandy Hook Families Sue Gun Manufacturer

Written By Unknown on Senin, 15 Desember 2014 | 23.38

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By Sky News US Team

The families of nine of the 26 people killed by a gunman at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut have sued the manufacturer of the rifle used in the attack.

The negligence and wrongful death lawsuit also names the distributor and seller of the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle.

The families claim the rifle should not have been made available to the public because it is a military weapon unsuited for civilian use.

"The AR-15 was specifically engineered for the United States Military to meet the needs of changing warfare," attorney Josh Koskoff said in a release.

"In fact, one of the Army's specifications for the AR-15 was that it has the capability to penetrate a steel helmet."

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Gallery: Weapons Found At Sandy Hook Scene

Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School using this semi-automatic rifle.

The 20-year-old gunman smashed his way into the primary school in Connecticut by firing at a window.

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Lanza killed 20 children and six adults at the school just weeks before Christmas 2012.

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An array of weapons and ammunition was found after the shooting.

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Police released this picture of Lanza's bedroom, with blacked-out windows and only a limited amount of furniture.

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Adam Lanza shot his way into the elementary school in Newtown on 14 December 2012 before killing 20 children and six educators with the rifle. He then fatally shot himself with a handgun as officers arrived.

Images released by investigators showed spent AR-15 magazine clips and empty shell casings that followed the gunman's path of destruction.

In addition to Bushmaster, the families have named Camfour, a firearm distributor, and Riverview Gun Sales, the store where the rifle was purchased in 2010.

None of the companies named in the lawsuit have commented.

Bill Sherlach, whose wife, Mary, was killed in the attack, said although he believes in the Second Amendment, which protects Americans' right to keep and bear arms, the gun industry needs to be held to "standard business practices".

"These companies assume no responsibility for marketing and selling a product to the general population who are not trained to use it nor even understand the power of it," he said.

The massacre in small Connecticut town shocked the country and rekindled a debate on gun control.

A news conference is to be held later on Monday, with several US lawmakers scheduled to attend.

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Teenager Killed By Shark On Australian Reef

A teenager has died after being bitten by a shark on the thigh and arm while fishing on a reef in Queensland, Australia.

Ambulance officials said the 18-year-old, named as Daniel Smith by the ABC network, was dead by the time he reached shore, despite resuscitation attempts by his friends.

It is reported that they were on a private boat near Rudder Reef off Port Douglas, which is around 60km (37 miles) north of Cairns.

Queensland Ambulance Service executive manager of operations Greg Thiedecke said the boy went into cardiac arrest immediately after being bitten on his right upper leg, groin and upper arm.

"It would be speculating but (there are) a lot of large blood vessels in the groin area, so for him to go into cardiac arrest that quickly would be probably blood loss," he told the Cairns Post.

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FCA Life Ban For Fare-Dodging Jonathan Burrows

The financial watchdog has banned a top fund manager from any role in the City after it was discovered he paid £43,000 to avoid prosecution for dodging train fares.

Jonathan Paul Burrows, who was a London-based managing director at US investment firm BlackRock, admitted his actions sullied the reputation of the City.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) banned Mr Burrows for "not being a fit and proper" person.

It launched an investigation after a furore when it emerged an unnamed City worker paid the money to Southeastern Railway to avoid prosecution for repeated fare dodging.

In November 2013, a ticket inspector at Cannon Street station noticed an irregularity with the payment history of Mr Burrows' Oystercard.

Under caution he admitted regularly not paying for tickets from his home in Stonegate, East Sussex, where there were no ticket barriers.

It was claimed he only paid £7.20 for a Oystercard single ticket in London instead of the standard single fare of £21.50 from Stonegate.

It emerged he had stopped buying annual season tickets in 2008, despite continuing to work in the City for another five years.

"Burrows held a senior position within the financial services industry. His conduct fell short of the standards we expect," FCA director of enforcement Tracey McDermott said.

"Approved persons must act with honesty and integrity at all times and, where they do not, we will take action."

According to the Daily Mail, father-of-one Mr Burrows owned two mortgage-free multi-million pound mansions in East Sussex and drove a Porsche sports car.

A heated public debate developed over how a wealthy worker was able to pay a five-digit sum to avoid prosecution.

Following his banning, his former employer said: "Jonathan Burrows left BlackRock earlier this year. What he admitted to the FCA is totally contrary to our values and principles."

After being banned on 15 December, Mr Burrows released his own statement through a PR firm and said: "I have always recognised that what I did was foolish.

"I have apologised to all concerned and reiterate that apology publicly today."

"The settlement I made with Southeastern in March 2014 was for an amount significantly in excess of the value of the fares not paid by me on the small number of occasions that I failed to pay.

"Indeed the size of the settlement could be said to have led to a distorted perception of the scale of my wrongdoing."

Approached by Sky News, Southeastern Railway defended its decision not to prosecute Mr Burrows at the time.

In a statement it said: "We reached a £43,000 settlement with Mr Burrows regarding allegations of fare-dodging earlier this year.

"We believe that the actions that we took were in the best interests of our passengers (and taxpayers) by giving us the best opportunity to recover a substantial sum in respect of the allegation."

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Gunman 'Notorious For Violence'

A man who took up to 20 people hostage in a Sydney cafe has been named as Iranian refugee Man Haron Monis, aged 49.

Sydney police said the self-styled Sheikh - who raised a flag with Arabic writing similar to that used by Islamic State and placed human shield in the window before police officers moved into the building - was well-known to them.

Channel Nine reporter Airlie Walsh told Sky News that the existing charges against him include accessory to murder and sexual assault.

"The list of charges against the Sheikh are extremely long and extremely worrying," she said.

He is believed to be currently on bail for 47 sexual assaults.

Ms Walsh added: "He's a very secretive man on a personal level, but he is notorious for his acts of violence."

He moved to Australia in 1996 from Iran.

He is notorious in Australia for sending abusive letters to family members of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Monis operated a website which was taken down shortly after he was named as the hostage-taker in the media.

He appears to have last posted a message on the site on Sunday, accusing the US, Britain and Australia of "oppression and terrorism".

The page also included images of dead children.

Sky's foreign affairs editor Sam Kiley said Monis may have a "fetish for self-publicity" which could have proved "useful to the hostage negotiators".

He added that Monis was a "fantasist" with a "really very chaotic background".

His former lawyer Manny Condits said he believed that Monis was acting alone.

"This is a one-off random individual. It's not a concerted terrorism event or act. It's a damaged goods individual who's done something outrageous," he said.

"His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness."

:: Watch Sky News' special report on the Sydney siege at 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Sky Channel 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202 and Freeview 132.

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Police Storm Building To End Belgium Siege

Three men have been detained by police who stormed an apartment in Belgium after reports of a man being taken hostage in an armed siege.

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A spokeswoman for the state prosecutor said the victim was safe and well.

"Three men have been taken away though there were no weapons found. The earlier reports were of four men with kalashnikovs," she said. "... It's not entirely clear whether someone was in fact taken hostage."

Armed police in balaclavas emerged at about 1pm from the cordoned-off building.

"It's over," one police officer said.

Belgian broadcaster VRT cited neighbours as saying that the flat had been used by drug dealers.

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The siege happened as a gunman held a number of people hostage at a cafe in Sydney, Australia.

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Murdered Club Owner's Son Appears In Court

The son of stabbed London nightclub tycoon David West has appeared in court charged with his murder.

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The body of Mr West, 70, was found at an address near Piccadilly - believed to be his home - on Friday night.

The cause of death was a single stab wound, according to a post-mortem examination.

Mr West reportedly owned the nightclub Hey Jo, as well as Russian restaurant Abracadabra.

He made millions selling alcohol from a Calais warehouse having started out with a flower and grocery stall at Romford market.

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Neighbour Stephen Fry told The Sun that he heard "horrifying screams" on Friday night and wondered what was going on.

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Sydney Hostage Drama: What We Know About Siege

The gunman took an unknown number of people hostage in a cafe at the height of Monday morning's rush hour.

The siege ended about 16 hours later when armed police stormed the building and gunfire and explosions were heard.

The gunman and a hostage were reported to have died. Several other people were injured.

Here are the facts we know:

:: A gunman went in to the Lindt cafe in Sydney at around 9.45am local time (10.45pm GMT).

:: The suspect has been named as Iranian Man Haron Monis - who is currently on bail for a number of violent offences.

:: Police were alerted when a woman reported seeing a man carrying a gun in a blue bag.

:: The man appeared to be middle-aged, with a beard, and was wearing a black and white headband. There were reports he was known to police and media outlets.

:: A flag with Arabic writing was displayed at the cafe window and several hostages were seen with their hands up against the window.

:: The writing on the flag appears to be the shahada, or profession of faith in Islam, and says: "There is no god but Allah; Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah."

:: Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said there were indications the siege could be politically motivated.

:: The scene of the drama, Martin Place, is in Sydney's financial centre and houses several prominent buildings, including the New South Wales parliament, the US consulate, the country's central bank and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

:: Some six hours into the siege, three men emerged from the popular cafe and ran for their lives, two from the front door and one from an emergency exit.

:: Around an hour later two women who appeared to be staff members also fled into the arms of police.

:: It is understood that they all escaped and were not released.

:: Police confirmed that negotiators have made contact with the gunman.

:: The two female hostages told Channel Ten news the gunman claims there were four bombs; two inside the Lindt cafe and two in Sydney's financial district.

:: Just after 2am local time (3pm GMT), five more hostages ran out of the building.

:: A few minutes later, armed police stormed the building and gunfire and explosions were heard. Police then declared the siege over and a number of people were injured.

:: A bomb disposal robot was seen outside the building.

:: The fate of the gunman was not known.

:: It was not clear how many hostages had been held. Reports vary from eight to 50 people.

:: However, police said the numbers are "not as high as 30".

:: Anyone who works in the area has been advised to work from home on Tuesday.

:: Australia raised its terror threat level in September.

:: Watch continuous live coverage on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

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Two Dead After Police Storm Sydney Cafe

One hostage and the hostage taker are reported to have died after police stormed a Sydney cafe where up to 20 people have been held for 17 hours.

At least half a dozen heavily-armed police threw flash grenades through an entrance to the building, then advanced into the cafe with their guns raised.

A series of loud explosions were heard at the scene before glass shattered onto the pavement from a nearby window.

Moments earlier at least five more panicked hostages escaped from the Lindt cafe in the city's central business district.

Seven people were also taken from the Martin Place cafe on stretchers. Five of those hostages are being treated at the scene.

An elderly lady was helped from the cafe by specialist police officers. One woman was seen with blood spattered on her foot.

There was a series of loud explosions and flashes as officers rushed through the building's entrance.

A man dressed in bomb-disposal kit also stood poised to enter the premises.

:: Follow live updates here

Alarms rang in the street as more police officers and ambulance crews were sent into the cafe, where a gunmen has held at least 15 hostages in a tense stand-off.

After the hostages escaped and police entered the cafe, a bomb-disposal robot approached the doorway.

Former SAS member Pete Winner told Sky News it appeared Australian police believed the hostages were in immediate danger.

"It looks like they've done a full assault with explosive entry," he said.

"It appears the gunfire was probably the taking down of the gunman."

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Gallery: Latest Images From Australia

A bomb disposal robot moves towards Sydney's Lindt Cafe after armed police moved in to end the seige in a barrage of gunfire.

A woman is carried out of the cafe after armed police stormed the building where a gunman was holding up to 20 hostages

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