The officer who fatally shot a mentally-ill transient in the Midway District was allowed to view footage of the shooting before speaking with investigators, according to the attorney for the man’s family.

On Tuesday, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis released surveillance footage from April 30, when San Diego Police Officer Neal Browder shot Fridoon Rawshan Nehad to death in the alley of an adult bookstore on Hancock Street.

During a news conference, Dumanis explained why her office ruled the shooting as justified. She said a pen Nehad was holding could have easily been mistaken for a knife based on how he was twirling it and its appearance.

While Nehad’s family has been vying for the video’s release, their attorney, Skip Miller, said Dumanis withheld three pieces of information. On Wednesday, Miller released a transcript of the entire interview held between Browder and the SDPD homicide team.

In it, Browder and his attorney reveal they were allowed to review the surveillance video for 20 minutes before being interviewed by investigators. Miller said he checked around and the move is highly unusual.

“Highly unusual and I think improper to do it the way they did it,” said Miller. “It’s almost like they try to rig the outcome to give him preparation.”

However, Ed Obayashi, a former SDPD officer and current legal adviser for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, said it is not uncommon for officers to see video of the incident before giving their account.

"Some departments don't do it, other departments do it,” said Obayashi. “The trend is to allow the officer who was involved to view all of the relevant evidence for the purpose of refreshing, recollecting and strengthening the memory of that officer."

Miller also released what he called the complete, unedited footage that shows Nehad's death. The DA’s version has slight edits to emphasize certain aspects to the media.

WARNING: The video below is disturbing. If you cannot view it on a mobile device, click here.

[[363431951, C]]

The new video begins sooner than the one released by the DA, and it shows Nehad walking in the alley before coming to the area where he was shot. Miller said he wants the public to have the unenhanced version so they can judge what happened for themselves.

Obayashi told NBC 7 that seeing the raw footage does not change his opinion that the shooting was justified. He said a camera cannot account for factors like impressions and perceptions.

"Looking at the distance from where Officer Browder was and the victim and where the car was, there was no time for the officer to consider any other options,” said Obayashi.

[[363432271, C]]

Miller’s third new piece of information was a crime scene investigation. In it, he said police investigators determined Nehad was 25 feet away from Browder when shot – not 17 feet as the district attorney said.

“According to the police department’s own measurements, the officer was 25 feet away from Fridoon when he shot him down,” said Miller. “So I don’t understand why wouldn’t he have used less lethal force? Why wouldn’t he call for backup?”

Dumanis said she put together and released all material from the investigation that she thought was appropriate. Her office declined to file criminal charges against Browder, but a multimillion dollar lawsuit, filed by Nehad’s family, is still pending against him and the city.
 

Nearly 100 neglected animals rescued from a Central Texas property are being cared for at Fort Worth-area rehabilitation facilities, according to the Humane Society of North Texas, or HSNT.

In a written statement, the organization said a team of five investigators traveled to the property in Falls County, southeast of Waco, to rescue 53 chickens, nine horses, eight donkeys, eight piglets, six hogs, four cats, a goose and a dog from the property.

“It’s not something you get used to,” said Whitney Hanson with the Humane Society of North Texas. “You don’t get used to seeing animals treated like this. When I saw the photographs of the scene my heart just broke.”

The HSNT said the owner responsible for the animals was arrested last week on unrelated charges, leaving the emaciated animals to suffer.

The team was dispatched Dec. 21 after receiving a number of concerned messages from people who lived near the property. The owner agreed to hand over the animals Monday, which allowed the HSNT investigators to rescue the animals, the organization said.

HSNT arrived to find two dead horses in the pasture, which was barren of edible grass for grazing. The 15 remaining horses were either severely malnourished or borderline, the society said.

"It took months of starvation for these horses and donkeys to become as thin as they are and it will take months on a special feeding program to get them back to a healthy weight," said Dr. Cynthia Jones, HSNT veterinarian.

In addition to being unfed, the horses were all carrying heavy loads of intestinal parasites, which greatly increased weight loss, the statement said.

Several cats and dehydrated chickens were found inside the home, the floor of which was covered in animal feces, according to investigators.

The animals were taken to livestock properties run by the HSNT around Fort Worth. The organization asked for the public's help in funding rehabilitation costs, which were estimated to be about $15,000.

"There are people who are unable to care for their animals, but just don't reach out to organizations or don't know who to reach out to," said Hanson.

"This is always a good time for us to remind people if they're having trouble feeding their live stock, that they can call us and we will do what we can assist them or take in the animal so that we can find them a home so that they can be cared for properly," Hanson said.

The rehabilitation process included specialized feeding programs, deworming, vaccinations, and medications.

Donations can be submitted on the HSNT website, or by mail at 1840 East Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76103.

Anyone interested in adopting the animals saved from the Falls County property can email livestock@hsnt.org for more information.

NBC 5's Johnny Archer contributed to this report.

San Diego police say a 400-pound woman with a beard stabbed a man when he approached a group in East Village Wednesday evening.

The 39-year-old victim walked up to the group standing at 300 Park Boulevard and asked for a cigarette at 7:40 p.m.

As he was talking with them, a woman came up to him and told him to get away from her things.

The woman then stabbed the man in the left side of his neck, police say. She was last seen running south on Park Boulevard.

The victim was taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned woman weighing 400 pounds with a beard. She was wearing a white shirt and jeans at the time of the attack, according to the SDPD.

If you know anything about this incident, call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

A Japanese freelance journalist who went missing in Syria is facing execution by his captors if ransom demands are not met, NBC News reported.

The group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a non-profit organization based in France, posted the news of Jumpei Yasuda on its website Wednesday evening. Yasuda was allegedly detained by an armed group in an area controlled by al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front a few hours after crossing into Syria in July.

Yasuda intended to report details of the Islamic State's execution of his colleague Kenji Goto, who was killed in January, according to RSF.

In his last tweet, dated July 20, Yasuda explained that he had been avoiding disclosing his whereabouts because of the increased interference from an unspecified source, which he complained was preventing his work.

A white Christmas in San Diego? Well, at least as far as these polar bears are concerned.

The polar bears’ home at the San Diego Zoo was transformed into a winter wonderland last week thanks to 26 tons of fresh powder snow delivered.

The three bears -- Kalluk, Tatqiq and Chinook – were quick to roll around in the powder and wrestle each other in their natural-seeming habitat.

The surprise snow came to the zoo thanks to donor who contribute to an “animal care wish list.”

“This was a special day for the polar bears, and I could tell they really loved it,” Susan Purtell, senior keeper, San Diego Zoo, said in a statement. “It was great seeing them roll around in the snow, showcasing their natural behaviors.”

An armed man is wanted in an alleged kidnapping from a sports complex in Kearny Mesa and the carjacking in Ramona, San Diego County Sheriff's Deputies confirmed.

A baseball coach and his teenage player told deputies they had been kidnapped from batting cages on Hickman Field Drive in the Kearny Mesa area. They said the suspect had forced them into their Jeep Latitude at gunpoint and told them to drive.

The Jeep eventually crashed at San Vicente and Wildcat Canyon roads around 10 a.m. The adult was found about a mile and a half from the crash site, and the teen was discovered about a mile away after running from the scene. According to officials, the coach was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

Officers say they recovered a gun at the crash scene. There are bullet holes in the vehicle but officials say right now it's unclear if there was a struggle.

When a woman pulled over to help the suspect, whom she saw bleeding on the side of the road, the suspect then jumped into her SUV and carjacked her, officials said. The woman escaped from the vehicle on Main Street in Ramona, officials told NBC 7. 

San Diego Police, San Diego County Sheriff's Deputies and the California Highway Patrol are searching for the suspect's vehicle.

It is described as a silver, Mercury SUV with a sunroof, a roof rank and a Kansas Jayhawks license plate frame. The plate number is California 6KLF075.

Officials described the suspect as a white man, 50 to 60 years old, 5-feet 8-inches to 5-feet 9-inches tall, with a thin build. He was unshaven and may have been injured in the crash of the first carjacked vehicle.

He was last seen wearing black sunglasses, a zippered hoody, faded blue jeans and light colored shoes, deputies said.

Click here to see a map of the locations in this investigation.

If anyone spots the suspect, they should not approach him deputies warn. He's considered armed and dangerous. They should call 911. 

CHP investigators were handling the investigation into the collision.

Refresh this page for updates on this breaking news story. 

The San Diego County District Attorney's office is backtracking on comments made Tuesday about new guidelines for the release of crime scene video.

At a news conference, DA Bonnie Dumanis said law enforcement officials are developing new policies for the future public release of body-camera and crime scene surveillance video.

Dumanis said that group includes representatives from her office, the U.S. attorney's office, and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

On Wednesday, civil rights and criminal defense attorney Michael Crowley criticized Dumanis’s office. Crowley told NBC 7 any group that formulates new guidelines for the release of those videos should also include community members, including an outside attorneys and perhaps a journalist.

“It's strictly law enforcement,” Crowley said of Dumanis’s description of the working group. “And what are they going to do? They're going to get together and say, 'How can we keep it secret as long as possible before it gets taken to a judge and he says no, you have no reason to keep it secret?'"

The legal director of the ACLU Foundation of San Diego also criticized Dumanis.

“It is essential that community members participate in a transparent process to establish the protocol for disclosure of body-camera videos,” said David Loy. “To open that process is a first step toward building community trust in law enforcement, which is undermined by secrecy and exclusion."

When asked for a response to Crowley’s criticism of any working group that excludes community members, Dumanis spokesman Steve Walker told NBC 7 that his boss misspoke at Tuesday’s news conference.

Walker said the working group has not been officially formed, has not met, and has in fact not done any work on new guidelines for release of officer body-camera video and other crime scene videos. He said no decisions have been made about the make-up of that group.

Dumanis will talk with defense attorneys and the ACLU about their potential involvement with the group, according to Walker.

Police officers in Escondido have been spreading holiday cheer by giving $100 bills to deserving locals – part of a program made possible through a generous gift from an anonymous donor known simply as “Secret Santa.”

For the second year, the Escondido Police Department (EPD) has been passing out crisp $100 bills to North County residents in need of a little help around holidays.

Recently, an anonymous donor gave $10,000 to the Escondido Charitable Foundation along with just one request: that EPD officers hand out the cash to those down on their luck in an effort to help make the season brighter.

According to the police department, the donor recruited officers as “elves” because they regularly come into contact with the public, many times with residents who have fallen on hard times or who have experienced tragedy.

The Secret Santa also expressed an interest in helping the department forge positive interactions with the community it serves, police said.

To that end, for the past two weeks, Escondido police officers have been given new $100 bills and told to look out for residents who seem in need of a little extra help.

Officers approach those residents, explain the Secret Santa program, and hand them the money, much to the surprise and delight of the recipient.

On Wednesday, EPD Officer Mario Sainz handed out the last two $100 bills, as NBC 7 accompanied him on his good deed.

Sainz said he’s thrilled to be given the chance to partake in the program, and gives thanks to the unnamed donor from the bottom of his heart.

“He or she – whoever this person is – is making a tremendous difference with our relationships between law enforcement and the public. We want to continue to give where we can and build those memories and trust with the community,” Sainz told NBC 7.

On Wednesday, Sainz was able to give $100 to Escondido resident Maria Ordonez. As the officer approached Ordonez’s car and explained the Secret Santa program, Ordonez was speechless.

Sainz handed her the $100 bill, and Ordonez smiled with glee.

“I’m really grateful,” she told NBC 7. “With this money, I’m going to buy gifts for my family. We’re going to have a Merry Christmas. We’re really thankful. I’m so happy.”

After that encounter, Sainz approached resident Sarah Iglesias, a mother walking with her three children, and did the same for her.

Again, shock, followed by pure joy.

“I think it’s amazing. I’m a single mom, three kids. It’s Christmastime. It’s hard to get things when you’re trying to do everything on your own without any help,” Iglesias told NBC 7, bill in hand.

The mother was very grateful to the donor who made this possible for the police department to carry out.

“This is very – whoever this is – thank you. This is a very sweet gesture and this is going to go very far, especially for my kids, with Christmas in just two days,” the mother added.

Sainz said that earlier in the program, he was also able to give $100 to another resident whom he felt was deserving – a man trying to make ends meet for his family by delivering packages door-to-door for his wife’s mail order business.

“It was a wonderful experience to bring cheer to his family – an excellent opportunity,” Sainz said, recounting that encounter.

The EPD said other memorable Secret Santa giveaways this season include the time Officer Joseph Putulowski stopped a woman for a broken tail light on East Valley Parkway.

Putulowski noticed the woman’s back seat was filled with empty bottles and cans, which she planned to take to a recycling center with her two sons, both of whom have autism. The woman told the officer she planned to use the recycling money to buy presents for her sons. Putulowski gave the mother $100 to help put some gifts under the tree for the boys.

“This was such a rewarding experience for me,” said Officer Putulowski. “It was a privilege to be able to be the messenger for an incredibly generous person during this holiday season.”

Another time, EPD Officer John Mougier met a man and his six small children at a local church to hand him $200 after learning from their pastor that the father was struggling to provide even the basics for his family.

During another Secret Santa moment, EPD Officer Shannon Martin remembered an 82-year-old retired priest whose car was stolen earlier this year outside his home. Martin visited the retired priest, this time with a $100 bill to give him.

“It was great to find a sincere and genuine person who had been victimized by thieves and be able to brighten his day,” said Martin. “This man served his community for more than 50 years, giving his heart and soul to his congregation and never expecting anything in return. The $100 bill I was able to give to him meant the world to him, and made me proud to serve my city as a peace officer.”

Also recently, Lt. Allen Owens brought a $100 bill to the parents of an Escondido boy struggling with an unknown neurological disorder that requires very expensive medical treatments.

In addition to the cash, the officer also gave the boy and his brother, both big “Star Wars” fans, life-size model toys of Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper. The kids squealed as Owens unveiled their gifts.

The police department said many of the officers who participated in the Secret Santa program said they got as much out of the experience as the residents who received the bills.

A video of some of those aforementioned Secret Santa encounters can be seen on the EPD’s Facebook page.
 

At least seven people were killed Wednesday as an unusual spring-like storm system lashed the eastern half of the country, spinning off more than a dozen tornadoes in the Southeast.

The National Weather Service declared a "particularly dangerous situation" for a wide area, the first such warning anywhere in the country in a year and a half. Most watches and warnings had expired by 8:30 p.m. ET, but a few strong tornadoes were still possible Wednesday night across Middle Tennessee and parts of neighboring states.

The deaths came in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas, where in Atkins an uprooted tree killed an 18-year-old woman and hurt an 18-month-old child.

The rainy, gusty conditions – more reminiscent of June than December – spread north into the Midwest. Indiana emergency officials warned that outdoor Christmas decorations could turn into dangerous missiles.

"We're really concerned about the additional storms yet to come," said Danielle Banks, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel.

A Southern California couple were arrested Wednesday, accused of tricking a Texas man into a relationship, convincing him to name one of the suspects as his heir and then killing him, according to FBI documents.

Jake Clyde Merendino, a 52-year-old wealthy Texas retiree, was found dead on May 2 in a Mexico ravine near the highway between Rosarito and Ensenada. He had been stabbed many times.

Tied to his death are San Diego residents David Enrique Meza, 25, and Taylor Marie Langston, 20, according to a federal search warrant filed by the FBI.

Investigators said Merendino met Meza online in 2013 and sparked a relationship. Simultaneously, Meza was living with Langston, a Chula Vista High School graduate who was pregnant with Meza’s child at the time of the slaying.

Days after Merendino’s body was found, Meza produced a handwritten will that made him the only heir to Merendino’s estate, the FBI said.

A federal search warrant states on April 29, Meza and Merendino rented a car in Spring Valley and drove into Mexico so Merendino could close escrow on a $300,000, oceanfront condo at Palacio del Mar, an upscale development between Rosarito and Ensenada.

Because the new condo was not ready, the two men crossed back into the U.S. and checked into the Hercor Hotel in Chula Vista. On May 1, Merendino drove back to Baja California in his Range Rover, while Meza followed behind on his motorcycle -- a 2014 Christmas gift from the victim, according to the affidavit.

Federal authorities said the couple then checked into Bobby’s by the Sea hotel, not far from Merendino’s condo. The victim came down to the lobby between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on May 1, looking for a wine bottle opener, and at about 10:30 p.m., people at the hotel heard a motorcycle leaving the parking lot. Meza’s was the only motorcycle on the property that night, the search warrant says.

At 11 p.m., border cameras caught Meza entering the U.S. Merendino was last seen alive at about 1 a.m. on May 2, when he told a hotel security guard that he had to help a friend stranded on the road. His body was found off the highway at 3:33 a.m., five minutes away from the hotel.

While there were no cameras that showed Meza crossing back into Mexico, the search warrant states Meza was seen once again entering the U.S. at 3:57 a.m. on May 2. About 25 minutes later, Langston, driving a black SUV with no license plates, was seen at the same port of entry, also crossing into the U.S.

“Meza owns a black 2012 Hyundai Tucson SUV,” an FBI investigator wrote in the search warrant. “I believe that this black SUV with no license plate was Meza’s SUV, and I suspect that the plates were removed to disguise the identity of the registered owner of the SUV (Meza).”

At 7 p.m. on May 2, both Meza and Langston returned to Bobby’s by the Sea in the black SUV. According to hotel staff, he said he needed to pick up some personal items from the room he shared with Merendino. Mexican officials later reported to the FBI that Merendino’s $15,000, diamond-stuffed Rolex watch, iPhone, iPad and laptop were all missing.

After news of Merendino’s death spread, an attorney in Texas, who had drawn up his will in 1998, filed probate paperwork in Texas on May 8, but about a week later, Meza, through his attorneys, contested the will.

They filed a handwritten will, scribbled on letterhead from the Hercor Hotel, which Meza said was written by Merendino on Dec. 21, 2014. It named Meza as the victim’s sole heir.

According to the affidavit, investigators interviewed Meza in June when they served search warrants to his apartment and vehicles. During that interview, officials say Meza denied killing Merendino but did say he and Langston were planning on robbing him. He said he called Merendino on the night of his death and asked him to meet at the spot his body was found.

Meza told authorities that instead of robbing Merendino, he got cold feet and left. When Langston was interviewed, she said she crossed into Mexico on May 1 to visit Meza’s friend “Joe,” the search warrant states. She said they sat at Joe’s table for four hours, without eating, drinking or watching TV, and then returned home.

“Joe,” identified as Jose Aguilera by the FBI, told investigators that he had not seen Meza and Langston for about a year and a half and that the couple had never visited his home in Tijuana. According to the documents, Aguilera told agents that Meza called him a week after the killing and asked him to lie to police if they called, telling them that the couple came to his house.

Meza now faces federal counts of interstate or foreign domestic violence resulting in murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Langston is accused of obstruction of justice, false statement to a federal officer and conspiracy to obstruct justice. They are scheduled appear in court Thursday. It’s unclear if Meza and Langston have obtained attorneys.
 

A school cafeteria worker who was allegedly fired for giving a hungry student a free lunch has been offered her job back, NBC News reported.

Dalene Bowden, a server at Irving Middle School in Pocatello, Idaho, told NBC affiliate KPVI she gave a 12-year-old girl with no money a free lunch and offered to pay for the $1.70 cost of the meal. Instead, her supervisor placed her on leave and she was fired by the school district "for theft of school property" a few days later.

Her dismissal sparked outrage on social media, with a petition calling for her reinstatement garnering almost 74,000 signatures by Thrusday morning.

The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District declined to address specifics, but said in a statement that it allowed her a chance to return to work “in the spirit of the holidays.” 

In many respects, 2015 was an emotional year in news. The self-proclaimed Islamic State left a trail of terror on four continents, demonstrations and riots erupted in U.S. cities protesting police violence, the number of mass shootings surpassed days in the year by one count, and the world was forced to acknowledge Europe's growing migrant crisis after images of a 3-year-old Syrian boy's lifeless body on a Mediterranean beach went viral.

But despite war, violence and tragedy dominating the headlines, 2015 was filled with plenty of bright moments, too: the U.S. thawed relations with Cuba, tackled global warming and said "I do" to same-sex marriage. And then there was "The Dress."

From the tragic to the intriguing, here are the top 15 stories that dominated the news:

ISIS Goes Global [[347924741, C]]

In 2015, ISIS continued its rampage across the Middle East in a bid to expand its territory and establish a self-declared Islamic "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq. The group preaches that the end of the world is near and claims the world is made up of unbelievers who seek to destroy Islam, justifying attacks against other Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State expanded its footprint in 2015, seizing the Iraqi city of Ramadi — currently being retaken by Iraqi security forces — and the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site where the militant group destroyed monumental ruins and antiquities.

It has terrorized nations across the globe with coordinated attacks in Paris, Tunisia and Lebanon and the beheading of a captured citizen of Japan. The group also continued to target religious minorities in the region, beheading 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians kidnapped in Libya and killing and enslaving thousands of Yazidis.

ISIS' ability to galvanize its sympathizers to take action by urging extremists to carry out "lone wolf" attacks became evident in the wake of a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, by a husband and wife. Like the gunmen in the Sydney cafe siege and the Texas Draw Muhammad contest, the couple did not appear to have any direct contact with the militant group but had nonetheless been radicalized by its jihadist propaganda, according to FBI director James Comey.

SCOTUS Says 'I Do' to Same-Sex Marriage

In a landmark opinion, a divided Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can marry nationwide, declaring that refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples violates the Constitution.

The ruling "affirms what millions across this country already know to be true in their hearts: our love is equal," lead plaintiff Jim Obergefell, who challenged Ohio's ban on same-sex marriage, told reporters outside the court house. "The four words etched onto the front of the Supreme Court — 'equal justice under law' — apply to us, too."

But one Kentucky clerk defied the nation's highest court and became a household name. Rowan County clerk Kim Davis stopped issuing marriage licenses after the Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage, citing her religious beliefs and "God's authority." Two gay couples and two straight couples sued Davis, arguing that she must fulfill her duties as an elected official despite her personal religious faith. A federal judge ordered her to issue the licenses, and an appeals court upheld that decision. Davis refused and spent five days in jail for contempt of court.

Europe's Migrant Crisis [[324964541, C]]

A surge of refugees and migrants made their way across the Mediterranean to Europe in 2015, sparking a crisis as countries struggle to cope with the influx, and creating division in the EU over how best to deal with resettling people.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than one million migrants and refugees have entered Europe in 2015 by land and sea. Of those, nearly 800,000 people, mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans concentrated in refugee camps in Turkey, ventured across the Aegean Sea to reach Greek shores, the IOM reported.

Driven out by the Syrian war and other protracted conflicts, the desperate and deadly struggle to reach Europe gained international attention when images of a toddler's lifeless body found lying face-down on a Mediterranean beach, ricocheted across social media.

Though 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi was only one of approximately 684 refugees who died in the Aegean this year, the Syrian boy's death helped galvanized public opinion and pressure governments to take action.

#VideoTapesMatter [[301471201, C]]

Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Sam Dubose, Eric Harris and Nicholas Robertson joined a growing number of people killed by police this year. And though there isn't official government data for determining how many people have been fatally shot by police each year, according to a Washington Post tally, 944 people have been killed — 34 of them were black and unarmed.

But most of them did not become a household name. They did not garner a trending hashtag.

What separates them from the names listed above? None had viral videos of the shootings.

Due in part to the ubiquity of cellphone, surveillance, dashboard and body cameras, police encounters are captured on video more then ever before. And seemingly, as in the case of Laquan McDonald, who was fatally shot in 2014, charges against the officers involved aren't brought forth without the videos.

From Ferguson to Los Angeles, law enforcement killings of unarmed black men under questionable circumstances have sparked outrage, civil unrest and a heated national debate about policing in the United States. And thanks to the footage, a tectonic shift in public awareness.

Charleston Church Shooting

The slaying of nine people at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a white gunman reignited an old national debate about the rebel flag and other icons of the Confederacy, which some see as symbols of their Southern heritage while others as a painful reminders of America's darkest chapter.

The 21-year-old gunman, Dylan Roof, was an avowed white supremacist who, according to authorities, had a website featuring a 2,444-word white supremacist screed and posted photos of himself holding a Confederate flag on Facebook.

The shooting prompted calls for the state to remove the Civil War icon that has flown at the capital grounds for more than five decades. After mounting public pressure, on July 10, the Confederate battle flag was lowered for the last time.

Shortly after, companies like Wal-Mart, Sears, Amazon and Ebay announced they would also remove Confederate flag merchandise from their stores and sites.

The Iran Nuclear Deal

After a decade of diplomatic efforts that frequently appeared on the verge of collapse, the United States and its international partners, the U.K., France, Germany, Russia and China — collectively knows at the P5+1 — reached a historic accord with Iran to limit Tehran’s nuclear ability in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions.

The goal of the agreement is to limit the country's nuclear activities to peaceful purposes, and to block Iran’s ability to construct a nuclear bomb.

Before July's deal can be formally implemented, Iran must first meet all of the benchmarks set forth by the accord's negotiators. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been tasked to verify that required restrictions has been put in place for sanction to be lifted.

In December, the Obama administration said it expects to start lifting sanctions on Iran as early as January after the United Nations' nuclear watchdog found no credible evidence that Tehran has recently engaged in atomic-weapons activity.

But the agency reported that the country had pursued a program in secret until 2009, longer than previously believed, fueling critics in Washington, Israel and neighboring Gulf nations who say the deal will merely delay the country’s path to nuclear weapons.

'Deflategate' Blows Up

Americans may have never cared as much about air pressure as when New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was accused of under-inflating footballs during the 2015 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Brady led a 45-7 blowout of the Colts and took the Patriots to a fourth NFL title, but a league investigation later found that 11 of 12 of the Patriots' game balls weren't filled up to the minimum, 12.5 pounds per square inch, in the game. The case against Brady involved supposed instructions to equipment managers, including orders to destroy a cell phone, and an unwillingness to cooperate with an NFL probe.

It convinced Commissioner Roger Goodell, who handed out a four-game suspension for violating the integrity of the game. But many New England fans were unconvinced Brady had done anything wrong, with one Massachusetts woman's May obituary proclaiming "Brady is Innocent!!"

For a time, the scandal pierced the image of a player with a seemingly perfect life. But Brady had the last laugh, for at least this year – a federal judge overturned the league's suspension and the appeal won't be heard in court until after the 2016 Super Bowl, where Brady could win his fifth ring.

Nepal Rocked by Earthquake [[301303011, C]]

Deadly earthquakes twice rocked the top of the world in April, killing more than 8,000 people in Nepal, India and China, in the worst natural disaster of the year.

Nepal saw the worst damage and nearly all of the casualties when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit on April 25 near its capital, Kathmandu. The shaking triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that took the lives of 19 people at base camp.

The recovery effort turned tragic after less than three weeks, when a 7.3-magnitude rocked the area on May 12, killing dozens more. That day, a U.S. Marine helicopter carrying six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers on a relief mission went missing, and was later confirmed crashed.

The tremors were a reminder of the hulking power that made the Himalayas the tallest mountains in the world. It was so powerful that Everest moved over an inch southwest, according to Chinese mapping. 

#TheDress Does Impress

Answering "Blue and black or white and gold?" wrong could have ignited a friendship-ending debate when the effects of The Dress were in full effect this February. The striped dress in a low-resolution photo divided opinion like the Red Sea and showed just how powerfully the Internet had come to dominate our lives.

The debate scorched around the world once BuzzFeed wrote about it, with celebrities and strangers at the bar alike brashly declaring which side they were on. The BuzzFeed post was viewed more than 38 million times by the end of the year, and that doesn't take into account all the other places that highlighted the color-shifting dress, from this website to "The Tonight Show."

#TheDress went so viral it jumped out of the computer screen and into real life. Roman Originals, which made the dress and confirmed that it was blue and black, experienced a huge spike in sales of the dress this year. It did make one single white and gold version for a Comic Relief charity auction.

The Donald Trump Show [[338107532, C]]

After a history of flirting with a presidential bid, billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump launched his race to the White House by promising to "build a Great Wall" along the U.S. border with Mexico to keep out the "rapists and drug dealers."

The inflammatory comments ignited a media firestorm and forced Spanish-Language network Univision to dump Trump's Miss Universe pageant. The comments also propelled him into first place in the polls.  

Since then, Trump also made insulting remarks about Fox News' Megan Kelly and presidential candidate Carly Fiorina. He mocked Vietnam veteran John McCain's war record and taunted a reporter with a disability. He retweeted a joke about Iowans, following it up by insinuated Iowans had brain issues. He called for "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," in the last week, has used crude language to describe Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton's 2008 primary loss to Barack Obama.

For any other candidate, in any other time, any one of these would have spelled political suicide. Yet, after each one of Trump's seeming gaffes, he continues to lead the GOP field in national polls, leaving many wondering whether the “laws of political gravity” will ever “catch up” to him.

Cuba, U.S. on Speaking Terms

Fifty-four years of hostilities between the United States and Cuba officially ended this year, at least symbolically, when the Stars and Stripes was raised over the newly opened U.S. embassy in Havana.

There have been years of embargo and insults since diplomatic relations were broken off in early 1961, including the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, the nearest America ever came to nuclear war.

In 2000, the countries bickered over the fate of Elian Gonzalez, the 6-year-old Cuban boy found floating on an inner tube and taken to live with relatives in Miami, only for his father to claim, and successfully argue, that little Elian belonged back in the country his late mother had dragged him out of.

But by 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry was in Cuba to reopen the embassy, taking note of conflict and differences but "pushing aside old barriers and exploring new possibilities."

Pope Visits With New Message [[197828921, C]]

The Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. has spent much of the 21st century embroiled in scandal, but it was a heartening year thanks in large part to the visit of Pope Francis, the third time a pope has visited the country.

A three-city tour over six days in September boosted Francis' already winning image, saying all the right things about the clergy sex abuse scandal and giving Catholics an affable, relatable champion seeking to retune the church's message in a changing society.

From the moment he landed in Washington, Pope Francis' personality won over Americans' hearts. He followed President Obama out of the airfield in a humble little Italian car, took selfies with smiling children and addressed Congress – a first for a pope – about the need to embrace the climate and immigrants.

His parting message to a flock of hundreds of thousands in Philadelphia: raise a good family, whatever beliefs you subscribe to, and the Catholic Church appreciates you.

Animals Break the Internet

The day that gave us #TheDress also unleashed another insanely viral moment onto the Internet: two spunky llamas' escape from a Phoenix assisted living facility.

The police pursuit of an oddly elusive black and white llama down city streets captured more attention than almost any car chase has lately, with newscasts showing the helicopter feed live. The "llama drama" left viewers happy long after the fugitives were lassoed. 

That brief fascination was nothing like the uproar over the killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe. One of the most well-known lions in Hwange National Park, Cecil was wounded on July 1 and later killed by an American dentist and big-game hunter.

The furor burned so hot that the dentist, Walter Palmer, had to close his business for a time. While the shooting was legal, airlines and the U.S. government moved to limit what game trophies can be brought back to America.

Landmark Climate Change Accord [[287977901, C]]

With Christmas Eve seeing 70-degree temperatures up and down the East Coast, 2015 is virtually assured to be the hottest year on record, following a record-topping period from January-November. Warmer ocean temperatures are the main driver of heating trend, according to scientists. 

The rising thermometer is just one potential problem that researchers have pinned on climate change –extreme weather like the massive flooding South Carolina and extreme drought in the Western U.S. may be exacerbated by climate change, which made the landmark climate change talks in Paris this December that much more urgent.

The historic deal that nearly 200 nations agreed to in Paris this December would limit greenhouse gas emissions so average global temperatures don't rise more than 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. The accord was greeted with hugs and cheers from world leaders.

But the agreement has holes, according to critics. There are no sanctions to punish countries that don't abide by the rules, and even President Obama, a vocal supporter, said "no agreement is perfect, including this one." Days later, he appeared on NBC's "Running Wild with Bear Grylls" to show how much climate change has changed the landscape in Alaska.

The Curious Case of Rachel Dolezal

In a year where the Black Lives Movement changed the way presidential candidates talked about race and the National Book Award for Nonfiction went to a memoir about the burden of being black in America, the weirdest news story about race focused not on a black person but a white woman claiming to be black.

Rachel Dolezal was the head of an NAACP chapter in the Pacific Northwest when, in June, her parents told an NBC affiliate she was white despite representing herself as black for years.

Her hair, her skin color, even her family came under scrutiny as the nation wondered what made her want to misrepresent her race. She admitted as much on "Today" a month later, and said in November she has white parents, but also touched off a deeper debate about race in America. What advantage could she have gained when so many work so hard so that black people can receive the same privileges white people do?

While most of the reaction toward Dolezal was negative, some didn't see the harm, like the singer Rihanna. She called Dolezal "a bit of a hero" in an October interview: "Black is a great thing, and I think she legit changed people's perspective a bit and woke people up."

Demonstrators marched downtown on the Magnificent Mile over the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald.

Dozens were seen chanting "16 shots and a cover up," and "Rahm gotta go in 2016."  They also staged die-ins while on the street.

A group that calls itself The Coalition for a New Chicago said the march would start at noon on the south end of the shopping district and move north.

The Magnificent Mile Association said in a statement that they “respect the American freedom to assemble and the process in the pursuit of social justice. We hope that any assembly on Thursday will continue to be peaceful.”

The release of the dashcam video of the 2014 shooting of the black teenager has sparked protests across the city, including a citywide walkout on Dec. 9 with many calling for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s resignation.

Meanwhile, Radio calls obtained by NBC5 through a Freedom of Information Act request Wednesday reveal that a dispatcher requested a Taser to subdue McDonald the night he was shot 16 times by Officer Jason Van Dyke.

San Diego police are asking you to be on the lookout for a young man who has been missing more than 24 hours.

Joshua Collin Gibot, a 21-year-old resident of San Diego’s Mid-City area, was last seen Wednesday afternoon.

Officials are concerned because Gibot takes medication, is blind in one eye and has a diminished mental capacity, police say.

He is described as a thin, white man who stands 5-feet-3-inches and weighs 130 pounds. He has short brown hair, hazel eyes, glasses and is clean shaven.

When last seen, Gibot was wearing a black hat with the words “Rise Up” in brown lettering, a white flannel shirt and black pants.

If you know where he may be, call the SDPD at 619-531-2000 or the Missing Persons Unit at 619-531-2277.
 

Affirmed Housing has broken ground on Cypress, a $20 million, 63-unit affordable apartment complex in downtown San Diego’s East Village.

A statement from the San Diego-based developer said the transit-friendly project, at 1435 Imperial Ave., will include 62 studio units with support services for homeless individuals, and one manager’s unit. It is being built with $3.4 million in development funding and 62 federal rental housing vouchers awarded by the San Diego Housing Commission, through the commission’s Housing First – San Diego homeless action program.

Officials said Cypress will offer resident services by St. Vincent de Paul Village Inc., and is being built to meet Gold certification standards under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Apartment units will range from 275 to 350 square feet, with access to a 4,000-square-foot common area. Shared amenities will include a community kitchen, technology tables, lounge areas and an outdoor open space.

The six-story community will also have a solar array to offset 60 percent of its common-area electricity usage. The project’s designer is Carrier Johnson + Culture.

Two suspects were arrested on suspicion of stealing dozens of pieces of mail from residents in Encinitas, Oceanside and San Marcos, including from veterans.

Glenn Snider, a 35-year-old transient from Riverside County, and 26-year-old Alexis Pierce, also of Riverside, were arrested on multiple felony charges.

Carlsbad police said officers went to arrest Snider at a local hotel after receiving information he was wanted on a felony warrant.

There, police found dozens of pieces of stolen mail, including about 20 checks totaling more than $55,000 issued by the Semper Fi Fund. The checks were addressed to veterans and service members across the country, police said.

Police also seized several tools and pieces of equipment used to alter credit cards (police believe the suspects were altering credit cards to use them undetected).

Snider and Pierce are being held in the Vista Detention Facility on charges of possession of the identifying information of 10 or more people, possession of altered credit cards, possession of equipment used to alter credit cards, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine.

High tides along San Diego’s coastline could bring some coastal flooding through Christmas Day.

The National Weather Service issued a statement, noting low-lying areas, including Imperial Beach, South Mission Beach, La Jolla Shores, Cardiff and Oceanside, could see tides as high as nearly 8 feet.

Forecasters say area parking lots, streets and low-lying buildings could be at risk to flooding.

At Windansea Beach, the waves were damaging the famous surfer Shack. By 9:30 a.m. Thursday, caution tape roped off the Shack to prevent it from toppling over on a bystander.

In addition to the coastal flooding advisory, the weather service issued a high wind warning for the mountains and the coastal slope until 10 a.m. Christmas Day.

Here's another look at the waves at Windansea and Ocean Beach from our reporters Liz Bryant and Liberty Zabala.

The day after moving to San Diego County, a military family lost their truck, trailer and all their belongings to a “grinchly” thief. But now, thanks to the quick, generous actions of firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, they will once again have a Merry Christmas.

Francisco Garcia, a soldier in the U.S. Army, just moved to Imperial Beach from Texas Wednesday night with his wife Sienna and their 1-year-old son Adan.

But on Christmas Eve, they awoke at his parents’ house to discover the pickup truck and trailer, filled with all of their belongings, had been stolen from Florida Street. Inside were gifts for the little boy, his crib and Sienna’s wedding ring.

“The first thing that came to my mind was my son, all of his Christmas presents were in there, all of his clothes, his stuff from the hospital when he came home, his beanie, his wrist band and everything,” said Sienna.

Francisco is just days away from finishing up his four-year Army duty at Fort Bliss, Texas. The San Diego natives were so excited to be home, until their happiness was extinguished by the Christmas Grinch.

When San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the call at 9 a.m., they acted quickly to help salvage the holiday for this devastated family.

Deputies enlisted the help of sheriff’s detectives, professional staff, the Imperial Beach Fire Department and the Imperial Beach Fire Association.

Together, the group gathered donated cash, checks, presents and gift cards from local stores.

“We saw the gifts in their hands and I automatically started crying,” said Sienna, “because I knew what they were going to do. That was very sweet and touching.”

“I was expecting something bad again,” said Francisco. “They even told us there are still good people out here, even though this happens, there are still good people out here.”

Deputies are still looking for the stolen truck, which is a 2000 green Ford F-250 with Texas license plate DKT9824. The attached trailer was recovered, with nothing inside of it.

If you see it or know anything about the case, call the sheriff’s department at 858-565-5200 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 888-580-8477.

An Eastlake woman has made it her mission to catch the person who took a present meant for a 2-year-old right off her front porch.

Surveillance cameras show the suspect driving a Honda Civic with children’s bikes in the back. At about noon Tuesday, the driver stopped at Sarah Cruz’s home in Peachtree Circle, located in the Eastlake Greens area of Chula Vista.

In the video, a man with a grey DC hoodie covers his face, nonchalantly walks up to the front door and grabs a box sitting on the porch.

Inside, Cruz said, was a remote control helicopter, meant to be a gift for her 2-year-old nephew.

“A little boy lost a gift this Christmas,” she told NBC 7 on Thursday. “I really wanted to give it to him because he would love it. I know he’s into that kind of stuff.”

She said the suspect probably did not notice her small sign that reads “Smile, you’re on camera.”

While the gift cost her less than $20, Cruz said it is the premise of the theft that has her concerned and wanting justice.

“That’s just too low of him,” she said. “What if he took something like medicine that’s very important or something like that. Because every time he gets something, he doesn’t know what’s inside.”

Sarah has plenty of dirty diapers from her toddler that she is considering packaging up in hopes that the thief strikes again.