Vicki Gardner, a local tourism official who was being interviewed by WDBJ-TV when a gunman opened fire on the news crew on live television, remembers dodging bullets before being shot in the back, a spokesman for her family told NBC News on Friday. 

"It happened fast, and it was frightening," Troy Keaton, the family's spokesman, said. "She saw Alison shot, Adam also. She was ducking and dodging and ended up on the ground, kind of hunched over, and he shot her in the back."

Alison Parker, a reporter, and Adam Ward, the cameraman, were killed by a disgruntled former reporter from WDBJ, who later killed himself. Parker was shot in the head and chest, and Ward was shot in the head and torso; both deaths were ruled a homicide, a medical examiner said. 

Thousands of dollars have been spent by the City of San Diego and San Diego County as they attempt to keep the Chargers from moving to Los Angeles.

Documents obtained Thursday by NBC 7 Investigates reveal the cost of legal work performed by the Nixon Peabody law firm.

The infographic below shows a running tally of the thousands of dollars being spent in fees for “legal advice in connection with potential football stadium” among other things.

The law firm is being paid from a $500,000 fund established jointly by the San Diego City Council and the County board of supervisors. Councilmembers and supervisors each approved the expenditure of $250,000 in taxpayer money to pay consultants and advisers for their expertise on efforts to build a new Chargers stadium in Mission Valley.

Close to 20 animals were seized from a property in Jacumba because they were being neglected, San Diego County Animal Control Officers said Thursday.

Three horses, a Shetland pony, 10 goats and four pigs were removed from the home because the animals' owner could no longer take care of them.

Officers say they found a dead four-month-old horse on the property. There were also a number of animals they described as “emaciated.”

Lt. Laura Ward said they required the animal’s owner to get veterinarian treatment for the animals. When they checked in on the case, she said officers found no food on the property. That’s when officers seized the animals, Ward said.

A couple of the animals appeared to be pregnant, Ward said.

The animals were transferred to a care facility in Bonita. Veterinarians will monitor their diet to add weight in a safe and careful manner, officials said.
 

A New Jersey toddler wandered out of his daycare center and walked home without employees noticing, his astonished mother complained Friday.

Yomara Ortiz said she dropped off her 3-year-old son Dariell at KinderWorld EduCare Center in Hamilton, New Jersey, as she does every day. Not long after arriving at her job, a family member called to say that Dariell suddenly appeared at the front door of his home.

"I couldn't believe it," Ortiz said. "I thought she was playing a joke on me."

Ortiz lives only two blocks from the daycare center, but the toddler had to cross a busy street to get home.

Daycare staff had no idea that the 3-year-old had wandered off, Ortiz told NBC 4 New York.

"She didn't know where he was," Ortiz said of the staff member's response. "She had nothing to say. She just apologized and said it wouldn't happen again."

It won't, Ortiz said, adding that she will no longer leave her son at KinderWorld.

The daycare center was open Friday and taking care of children. Employees decline to speak to NBC 4.

Ortiz filed a formal complaint against KinderWorld and a state inspector visited the site Friday. 

Donald Trump spoke Friday evening during a fundraiser at the home of a famed New England car dealer.

Ernie Boch Jr. hosted the Republican frontrunner in Norwood, Massachusetts. More than 1,000 guests were charged $100 to attend, but the candidate insists this isn't about raising money.

"This is not a fundraiser tonight," he said.

In fact, Boch says the party is not an endorsement, either — he says he's curious about the candidate and wants to know more. He said he hopes his guests have fun and come away with a better understanding of Trump.

"Whether they like him, fine, if they hate him, fine. I'm not going to try to convince anybody to vote for him or not to vote for him," said Boch. "I just want to have him over here and up close and personal."

Outside the iron gates of the sprawling mega mansion, dozens of protesters gathered, hoping to point out that Trump is pro-life.

"We're going to hold him accountable," said protester Christian Miron. "Donald Trump opposes a woman's right to safe, legal abortion care."

But some women told necn they don't just vote based on reproductive rights.

"There's so many other issues out there that are important," said one attendee. "I'm concerned about kids in the inner city getting better education, and I'm going to ask Mr. Trump about that today."

Boch added that he thinks Trump "could tone down on some of the stuff he says about women."

"I'm pro-choice. I'm socially liberal and fiscally conservative," he said.

And Trump did soften his tone when asked about female voters.

"I cherish women," he said. "My daughter and my wife said, 'You have to talk about that,' because they know how I feel."

He used the issue to fire a shot at fellow Republican candidate Jeb Bush.

"Bush said he didn't want to fund women's health issues, and then he came back a few hours later and said he misspoke," said Trump.

Asked why he often attacks Bush, Trump got another jab in.

"I would say Jeb Bush is a frequent target because when this whole thing started, I thought he was going to be the primary competition," said Trump. "He's drifted very much to the middle of the pack and he's rapidly disappearing, so we're going to have to start looking at somebody else."

He also addressed recent gun violence.

"We have a problem with mental health in this country," said Trump. "Whave to take care of people and we have to find out who these people are."

With his feud with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh fresh in everyone's memory, Trump was asked his thoughts on the local leader.

"Honestly, I don't know him. I don't know him. He said something nasty about me and then I said, 'You failed on the Olympics.' And he failed," said Trump. "I hope he does a great job as mayor, but I really don't know him."

From there, he segued less than seamlessly into something sure to gain the favor of Patriots fans.

"I do know Tom Brady, who's great, Bob Kraft, who's great, and Coach [Bill] Belichick, who's great. Those people I know, but those are real winners," said Trump. "Leave Tom Brady alone, right? We love Tom Brady!"

Brady's former teammate, offensive tackle Matt Light loves the Donald, too.

"I think that what most people want in this country is somebody that's going to be honest, they're going to be open, and they're going to say it the way they see it," said Light. "And I can't see anybody else but Donald Trump fitting that bill."

A police pursuit has closed down lanes of Interstate 15 just south of State Route 94, officials said Friday.

At about 4:20 p.m., San Diego police officers got a report about a person with possible mental health issues in the 3200 block of Steel Street.

When police arrived, the suspect ran into a vehicle and took off.

Patrol cars followed, and a high-speed pursuit onto northbound I-15 ensued.

The chase came to an end on the freeway near the SR-94 offramp.

Police have closed all northbound lanes of I-15 south of SR-94 as the situation is resolved.

Mega pop star Taylor Swift will perform at Petco Park on Saturday and those heading to the sold out concert should have a game plan for parking and getting to the big show in busy downtown San Diego.

Petco Park officials encourage concert guests to arrive downtown early. Parking lots near the ballpark will open at 12 p.m. Gates to the stadium will open at 5 p.m., and opening acts – Vance Joy and Shawn Mendes – are set to perform at 7 p.m.

Besides ballpark-adjacent lots, more than 2,500 spaces will be available at the following parking lots and garages: 707 Broadway; Horton Plaza; San Diego Convention Center (Harbor Drive); and Hilton Bayfront (Harbor Drive). These lots can be accessed via the Front Street exit from southbound Interstate 5 or the Cesar Chavez Parkway exit from northbound I-5.

More downtown parking information can be seen here.

To avoid traffic and parking delays, concert guests should also consider using public transportation, including the trolley.

San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), says it will run added special event trolley service on Saturday specifically for the Taylor Swift concert, scheduling extra trolleys to accommodate the large crowds.

Though park and ride lots with free parking are located along trolley lines, MTS says parking will be limited – especially because there’s also a San Diego Chargers vs. Seattle Seahawks game at Qualcomm Stadium at 5 p.m., which will pack the park and ride lots and trolleys with even more passengers.

For this reason, MTS suggests concert guests catch their ride on public transit early. All three MTS trolley lines provide direct service downtown, stopping near Petco Park.

The Green Line will increase trolleys to a 7.5-minute service schedule from Qualcomm Stadium to downtown San Diego from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Green Line trolleys will depart from the 12th & Imperial Transit Center and Gaslamp Quarter Station every 15 minutes during and after the concert, headed to Santee, with the last one leaving at 12:51 a.m. The Green Line will offer additional late-night service from the Gaslamp Quarter Station to San Diego State University to accommodate students.

The concert is expected to end around 11:15 p.m. MTS says the last trains on the Blue and Orange Lines will depart one hour after the concert ends – both from the 12th & Imperial Transit Center (Blue Line at 12:15 a.m.; Orange Line at 12:18 a.m.).

The Blue and Orange Line trolleys will depart all stations every 15 minutes before and after the concert as well, MTS says.

Those heading to the concert can also avoid trolley ticket lines and speed up the boarding process by buying and storing trolley passes on their smartphone using MTS’s free mobile ticketing app, mTicket.

Additionally, North County Transit District (NCTD) Coaster trains with service to downtown will depart Oceanside at 1:50 p.m., 3:34 p.m., 5:15 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. ahead of the concert. The Coaster will also offer a special return northbound train leaving from the Santa Fe Depot after the concert ends.

Petco Park officials say the venue’s new security screening process will be in effect during the Taylor Swift concert. All guests will be screened through metal detectors before entry and will be asked to divest themselves of cell phones, cameras and other metal objects before passing through the screening areas.

Petco Park officials say backpacks no larger than 16” x 16” x 8” will be permitted inside the stadium. All bag and purses will be inspected upon entry.

Though phones and small, non-professional cameras are allowed inside the venue, tripods are selfie sticks are banned. All banners, signs and flags brought in by fans must be smaller than 18” x 24”, according to Petco Park rules.

Petco Park officials say concert attendees with field seats should enter the ballpark through the Western Metal Breezeway on Tony Gwynn Drive or the Park Boulevard gate. Guests with tickets in all other seating areas should enter through the Gaslamp, East Village and Home Plate gates.

For more details on the Taylor Swift concert at Petco Park, click here.

A San Diego Police Officer opened fire on a suspect outside a 24-hour pharmacy in Mission Valley overnight, killing the man he said was approaching him in a very threatening manner, officials said.

The officer was called to the CVS Pharmacy on Friars Road and Mission Center Road just after midnight for a report of a man chasing an employee with a box cutter.

Investigators say the man was told several times to put the box cutter down.

The 54-year-old man was shot and killed about 20 feet from the entrance of the store. His identity was being withheld until family can be notified, officials said.

“As the officer was retreating, the suspect continued to advance on the officer. And as the suspect got very close to the officer, the officer fearing for his own safety fired multiple rounds at the suspect striking him,” Captain David Nisleit with SDPD’s Homicide Unit.

The officer was identified as a 15-year veteran. He was wearing a body camera and it was recording, officials told NBC 7.

San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman was on scene just after the shooting talking with investigators.

Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

Sue Delany, one of the most recognizable voices in the history of San Diego radio, has died.

Staff at KGB-FM confirmed Friday that Delany passed away this week.

Many who lived in San Diego in the 1980s and 1990s would recognize Delany’s sultry voice. She was a constant on the rock music station. She also co-hosted a morning show with Jeff Prescott.

Delany worked as an intern with KCST-TV which would later become NBC 7. She went on to work as a traffic reporter for radio stations.

Her husband, Doug Leighton, updated friends on Delany’s passing through a Facebook post.

The woman he called “my love, my world for 12 years” had been living with a number of health issues, he said.

“Finally her body could not sustain any longer,” Leighton posted.

If you remember listening to Sue Delany on KGB or 91X, leave a comment below.

San Diego police rushed to Mission Hills Friday morning after an Amtrak Surfliner Train hit a box truck.

The accident was reported just after 9:30 a.m. at Pacific Highway and Washington Street in the uptown San Diego area. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department told NBC 7 no injuries were reported.

Traffic was shut down and diverted in the area, officials said. Amtrak service was temporarily shut down in both directions as well.

Officers from the San Diego Police Department, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) crews and officials from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) all responded to the scene.

The collision caused the box truck to also smash into a fence that runs along the train tracks. The box truck plowed through a cross pole and traffic sign, which wound up wedged between the truck and fence. The truck subsequently struck three other vehicles.

The traffic sign also hit an MTS vehicle parked on the other side of the fence, damaging a window.

NBC 7 spoke with Natalie Fernbaugh, a passenger on the Amtrak train bound for Los Angeles.

She said she was listening to music when, suddenly, the train came to a halt.

“It stopped really abruptly. We were just all kind of confused,” she explained. "It kind of shook."

Fernbaugh said she and other passengers waited in their seats for 15 minutes or so, until they heard an announcement on the speaker from Amtrak staff. They were notified of the accident, and the subsequent delay of their train trip.

Witness Jasmine Pablo was riding in a car with a friend near the tracks, waiting at a red light behind a line of other cars.

She said it looked like the box truck – at the front of the line – got stuck on the tracks and the oncoming train was unable to avoid hitting it.

As of noon, officials were still investigating and had not yet released further details of what led to the collision.

The weather is hot and muggy, and SDG&E wants you to cut back on your air conditioning.

To add some incentive, the utility is offering the Reduce Your Use Rewards program on Friday. Customers must sign up for the program that offers lower electricity rates on certain hot days.

SDG&E will look at the last five days of your energy use and average the three days where you used the most energy. If you are able to save below that amount, you qualify for rewards.

"People are really engaging into it," said Allison Zaragoza with SDG&E. "They are logging in and finding out their average and saying, 'Can I save more this time than I did last time?'"

If they are able to save, customers will be eligible to earn a bill credit of $0.75 per kilowatt hour saved or $1.25 credit with enabling technology.

There are nearly 70,000 customers signed up for the program. Last year they averaged a savings of $3.30 for each of the seven Reduce Your Use designated days. The hours for the program are between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday.

"They just start out by using fans and doing their part," said Zaragoza. That also includes raising the thermostat and holding off using appliances during peak hours.

This is not to be confused with the Summer Saver program where SDG&E takes control of your air conditioner.

There is more information on the San Diego Gas and Electric website.

Folks who live in downtown's East Village finally have a public park to call their own – and not an ordinary park.

It’s an artistic and architectural marvel — a small but creative greenbelt in the midst of a booming residential neighborhood shedding its past as a grimy industrial stretch.

Fault Line Park is named for the Rose Canyon seismic fault that runs miles underground, its north-to-south path traced by a concrete walkway on the 14th Avenue site between Island and J streets.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer and City Councilman Todd Gloria presided over a Friday morning ribbon-cutting ceremony that attracted top civic leaders and scores of upscale East Village residents.

The 1.3-acre park cost $3 million to build — but nobody's blinking.

After all, it's a price-appropriate centerpiece for a neighborhood populated by $150 million residential towers whose penthouse apartments lease for $10,000 a month.

East Village now encompasses several major excavation sites that’ll give way to more skyscrapers, eventually rising where warehouses once stood — until local speculators began redeveloping in the early 1970s.

"And then the national guys came in,” says David Hazan, president of the East Village Association. “They got wind of it, and then all of a sudden the landscape changed,”

Hazan, who’s done business in East Village since 1974, said the newer investors have the kind of money and vision to bring about wholesale change.

“And now you see the result,” Hazan enthused, spreading his arms wide. “Cranes in the air, new buildings, parks. So it's an exciting time down here. Very exciting."

But curbing some enthusiasm for potential homebuyers accustomed to suburban comfort zones might be the proximity of folks kindly referred to these days as "unhoused" and "displaced."

They’re a vestige of the neighborhood’s down-at-the-heels early days where warehouse delivery truck drivers routinely dodged derelicts too wasted to know they were in harm’s way.

With this in mind, the city found it necessary to declare the park a 24-hour alcohol-free zone, with a 9 p.m. to dawn curfew.

But East Village residential pioneers such as Bob Link, who bought into East Village with his wife 11 years ago, said not to worry — there's now so much to this community to embrace and celebrate.

"I've never felt unsafe walking the streets,” Link told NBC 7. “We have walked our dog on the streets. We've stopped and talked with people that are unfortunate, finding themselves without a place to live right now.

“I've had an opportunity to work and try to find solutions, and I think a lot of people in East Village are solution-oriented," he added.
 

San Quentin Prison officials on Friday confirmed at least one case of Legionnaires' disease on prison premises, located on the shore of San Francisco Bay just east of Larkspur.

Officials said one prisoner had undergone tests at a hospital outside the prison facility after falling sick The tests confirmed that he had the potentially life threatening disease. He is currently in stable condition, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.

Two more inmates were hospitalized after displaying symptoms and were transported to an outside hospital for pneumonia-like symptoms, but no officials diagnosis has been made.

San Quentin has temporarily halted inmate intake as the investigation continues.

Prison officials had shut off all water to the prison Thursday, including to showers, toilets, sinks and the kitchen. Prisoners could be seen lining up with jars to receive water on the prison grounds Friday from the NBC Bay Area chopper. Water stations and a line of porta potties were also spotted.

According to a statement from CDCR Friday afternoon, the prison will resume the use of plumbed toilets inside the facility’s housing units and monitored use of water for cooking after consulting with health experts. Water sources such as bottled water and water tanks will continue to be consumed until it is deemed safe to resume normal water use.

Currently around 30 inmates are ill and have symptoms associated with Legionnaires' disease. The inmates have not been confirmed to have Legionnaires disease and were only being treated as a precaution, Dana Simas from CDCR said. All unconfirmed cases are being treated at San Quentin’s on-site medical unit, Simas said.

The CDCR is working with Marin County Public Health to identify the source of the problem. The prison will keep bringing in water until the problem has been fixed, Simas said.

Most cases of legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease are caused by Legionella pneumophila, but all species of Legionella can cause the disease, according to the CDC. People contract Legionnaires' disease when they breathe in a mist or vapor (small droplets of water in the air) that has been contaminated with Legionella bacteria, which grows in warm freshwater environments.

Person-to-person transmisison does not occur with Legionnaires’ disease, the CDC says.

A recent Legionnaires' disease outbreak in the south Bronx sickened more than 120 people, killing 12 of them. Officials in New York identified a cooling tower at the Opera House Hotel as the source of that outbreak.

The largest outbreak — 449 cases — ever reported was traced to a cooling tower on the roof of a city hospital in Murcia, Spain in 2001. The bacterium is named after a 1976 outbreak, when people who attended the American Legion convention in Philadelphia caught the disease.

An estimated 8,000 to 18,000 people are hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease each year in the U.S.

John Zuchelli and Torey Van Oot contributed reporting.

As the whole country reflects on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina a decade later, two local Coast Guard rescue swimmers described seeing a submerged New Orleans and thousands in need of help.

Lt. Benjamin Berman and Aviation Survival Technician 1st Class Robert Williams, who are now stationed at the San Diego Coast Guard sector, said Friday that the images of destruction are still fresh in their minds.

“It was 10 years ago but there are constant reminders of it. Even just flying in the helicopter sometimes I'll just have memories while we are flying around,” said Williams.

He was stationed at Corpus Christi, Texas, in 2005 and had only been a rescue swimmer for two years when he got the call for help.

Williams and his crew were on a helicopter bound for New Orleans an hour later. They arrived at night, and all he could see were flashlights dotting the ground. Before long, he realized those lights were held by people who needed rescue.

“It looked like a third-world country with people on rooftops and rivers flowing down places where cars should be driving, dogs swimming in the streets, people on top of cars floating down the streets, gas pipes that were broken and on fire,” said Williams.

Berman lived in Mobile, Alabama, at the time. He flew in the first night Coast Guard crews came to the rescue, joining the branch’s effort to save more than 33,500 people — one of the largest rescue operations in Coast Guard history.

One disturbing sight that stuck with him, he said, was seeing a couple who died off Interstate 10, where he and his crew were trying to help survivors.

“That kind of affected me because they died together on the side of the freeway,” he said. “It was kind of devastating. There was devastation everywhere of course, but walking up to that kind of devastation was pretty impactful.”

Berman said he never forgets the anniversary of the day he was sent to New Orleans because he had to leave his 2-week old son. He now calls his boy his “Katrina baby.”

Both Williams and Berman told NBC 7 that they hope their efforts made an impact on survivors and that the people of New Orleans have come out stronger.

“It's sad though that a lot of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast has not recovered from Katrina, but I stand by them and hopefully they will come back around,” said Berman.

Berman has returned every year since Hurricane Katrina, but Williams has not been back since the storm. He told NBC 7 he hopes to return soon.
 

Family and friends sent up a prayer Friday night for the teenager whose body was discovered by a Chula Vista road.

Emotions overflowed at the vigil for Anthony Hofer, 17, an Olympian High School student. Mourners in black gathered where Hofer died, released black balloons in his honor and circulated the hashtag #blackforTony on social media.

“I love him and will miss him a lot and I’m always going to be thinking about him,” said Alex Contreras. “He’ll always be my best friend.”

A jogger discovered the teen’s body on the side of Heritage Road near Sleep Train Amphitheater Thursday – a path Hofer walked often, his friends say. It was just five minutes from his home.

Chula Vista Police said the cause of Hofer’s death was not apparent, so they are waiting for the results of an autopsy for answers. Investigators did say he had trauma on his face and parts of his body, and he had no shoes or socks on when he was found.

“They have taken one of my borrowed babies,” said family friend Kim Gonzales. “They’re a coward for leaving. Not only was it my borrowed baby, he was everyone’s borrowed baby.

At this time, police are calling this a death investigation and are hoping witnesses come forward with any information.
 

A Northern California man who drove his car onto the sand in Mission Bay on Fourth of July was sentenced to jail Friday.

Villiami Pomale, 45, will spend a year in jail and five years on probation for driving through Pacific Beach crowds with an blood-alcohol level at twice the legal limit.

After getting involved in a crash on Mission Boulevard, Pomale drove on the sand for almost half a mile. 

Beachgoers ran for cover and even grabbed children to get them out of the way. Images from the incident show tire marks on beach blankets and towels.

Officers say they eventually caught up with Pomale and took him into custody. No one on the beach was injured.

Pomale pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, felony driving under the influence causing injury, and misdemeanor reckless driving.

Sarah Palin hosted Republican candidates Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz on her show, "On Point with Sarah Palin," for a friendly interview Friday that steered clear of the tough questions they faced duing their first debate earlier this month.

Trump criticized the current tax code, calling it "a joke," and slammed the "horrible" treatment of the country's middle class and veterans, vowing to improve their lives. "If I win … believe me, the vets will be taken care of," he said. Palin did not prompt him to explain what he would change.

She invited Cruz and Bush to sound off on the recent controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood, Hillary Clinton's email server scandal and the proposed Iran nuclear deal, which Cruz called "profoundly dangerous to our country."

President Barack Obama appointed the country's first special envoy for hostage affairs following a review of the government's current hostage policies, the White House announced on Friday.

Former State Department official Jim O'Brien will be tasked with "one overriding goal," according to Secretary of State John Kerry, to whom O'Brien will report: "using diplomacy to secure the safe return of Americans held hostage overseas." 

O'Brien will also communicate directly with the families of hostages—a response to criticism from families of American hostages who complained that the U.S. government left them in the dark.

O'Brien will be part of a "fusion cell" made up of officials from the FBI, the State Department, the Pentagon and CIA.

He previously worked as a presidential envoy to the Balkans during the 1990s and a senior adviser to former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.

Police in Thailand arrested a suspect in the deadly Bankok bombing that killed 20 people at a crowded Shrine earlier this month.

National police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told Reuters that the suspect fit the description of a man seen on a surveillance video leaving a backpack at the scene.

Thavornsiri added that police raided an apartment used by the suspect in northern Bangkok and discovered possible bomb-making materials.

The bomb detonated at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok's commercial center on Aug. 17, killing 20 and wounding dozens more.