In an interview with NBC Nightly News' Lester Holt Vice President Joe Biden shared his reaction to the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

His response was short and straightforward:

"How did we get here?"

"I looked and saw ... an African American on the ground with two police officers over top of him," he said. "What I didn't know at the time is that a homeless person called in and said there's a guy threatening me with a gun."

While acknowledging that institutional racism "exists throughout our society," Biden said the way to begin to close this perception gap is fairly straightforward: cops need to be better trained in de-escalation tactics. And they need to know who they're policing, just as citizens need to know who they're being policed by.

A Chihuahua named Jack Sparrow began acting erratically and later tested positive for methamphetamine, prompting police in Southern California to arrest his owner on suspicion of felony animal cruelty, authorities said Monday.

in Fontana, his owner was arrested on suspicion of felony animal cruelty, authorities said Monday.

It was the day after the Fourth of July when Jack’s owner, 21-year-old Isaiah Nathaniel Sais, brought him to the Inland Valley Emergency Pet Clinic in Upland.

The dog was suffering from convulsions and seizures, veterinarians said.

Sais said the dog was acting strange and may have eaten methamphetamine, according to Fontana police. Vets tested Jack and discovered he had ingested meth. When they told Sais the test results, Sais left the clinic with Jack.

The vets, thinking Jack’s life could have been at risk, called police, who went to Sais' home in the 10400 block of Hemlock Avenue. Officers found that Jack was still apparently affected by the drug and was living in conditions that suggested neglect, police said.

Jack was taken back to the animal hospital and was still recovering Monday. Police said the dog was hypersensitive to noise and sudden movements. He will be taken to a foster home when his condition improves.

Police arrested Sais on suspicion of felony animal cruelty Friday in Rancho Cucamonga. Information on an attorney for Sais was not immediately available.

An active duty U.S. military service member was arrested Monday in connection with a high speed chase through San Diego County and a homicide investigation in Riverside County.

Jared Bischoff, 25, of Riverside, was handcuffed following an hours-long police pursuit that began at 4:45 a.m. and followed several Southern California freeways.  Bischoff, who is currently enlisted in the U.S. Navy, is accused of killing his girlfriend Sunday, according to Riverside Police. 

Bischoff was in the driver's seat of a white Kia when San Diego Police attempted to pull over the vehicle on Interstate 805 in the Clairemont area.

Riverside Police had requested assistance tracking down Bischoff after a woman was found with multiple stab wounds Sunday evening near the intersection of Calmhill Drive and California Avenue in Riverside.

The woman, identified only as Bischoff's girlfriend, died from her injuries at a nearby hospital.

As San Diego Police and later California Highway Patrol officers attempted to pull over the Kia registered to Bischoff, the driver would not stop.

The vehicle traveled along Interstate 5 at speeds nearing 100 mph, according to SDPD before turning onto eastbound State Route 78 and eventually northbound Interstate 15.

Spike strips set up just north of State Route 78 failed to stop the Kia as the driver continued to evade police.

Just before 6:30 a.m., the vehicle pulled over in Riverside near Arlington Avenue and State Route 91.

A man behind the wheel surrendered without incident. He was later identified as Bischoff.

He has been booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for murder according to Riverside Police.

Bischoff is attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, according to Commander John Perkins, Public Affairs Officer at Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The U.S. Navy is not releasing details of his rank or year of service at this time.

Jassmine Woodford said she’s known Bischoff for approximately 18 months and was shocked to learn about his arrest.

"He was just here, you know, we just saw him he looked normal, totally fine,” Woodford told NBC 7 explaining how Bischoff stayed at their home Sunday night.

She said the suspect and her husband had duty together and it's normal for Bischoff to stay with the family when he has duty in San Diego instead of driving home to Riverside.

“He was gone before he was even up,” she said.

Firefighters responded to a small brush fire near Julian Monday afternoon.

The nearest ground access was Farmers Road, according to Cal Fire officials.

Air units estimated the size of the fire to be approximately two acres with a moderate rate of spread.

Within an hour, the fire had grown to 15 acres according to a Cal Fire post on Twitter.

The forward rate of spread had stopped at 2:30 p.m. according to Cal Fire spokesperson.

It may take at least two hours to fully contain and mop up.

No structures in the area were threatened.

No word on cause.

Blood donors are needed to fill a critical shortage, the San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) warned Monday.

“Supplies are low and the advent of Zika has worsened the challenge,” said San Diego Blood Bank CEO, David Wellis in a written statement. “There is no substitute for blood donations are critically needed."

There is currently a nationwide need for blood and platelet donors. All blood types are needed.

To be eligible to donate blood you must be at least 17 years old (15 and 16 year olds may donate with parental consent), weigh at least 114 pounds and be in general good health.

Anyone who has traveled outside of the United States has to wait 28 days after returning to donate blood.

Eligible blood donors are encouraged to schedule an appointment to give by visiting www.SanDiegoBloodBank.org or calling 1-800-4-MY-SDBB (1-800-469-7322).

The San Diego Blood Bank serves hospitals in San Diego, Orange, Imperial and Los Angeles counties.

Deputies who exchanged fire with a Fallbrook standoff suspect following an hours-long suspect have been identified. 

The standoff began on Thursday just after 9:30 a.m. when deputies arrived at the home on Huffstatler Street, east of Interstate 15 and north of Rainbow Valley Boulevard.

Suspect Jose Armando Garcia, 47, was believed to be suicidal with a gun, deputies said. A negotiator began talks with Garcia that lasted several hours.

At around 2:30 p.m., Garcia left the home and fired a handgun, deputies said. Deputies returned fire, striking Garcia.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was said to be in critical condition. He may face weapons and assault charges, deputies said.

Investigators say Garcia threatened his wife and teenage daughter prior to the standoff with deputies.

The deputies involved in the standoff have been identified as Deputy Vanessa Rocha and Deputy Giovani Pantoja. 

Rocha has been a deputy sheriff with the department for eight years. She is assigned to the Fallbrook Sheriff's Patrol Sub-Station.

Pantoja, assigned to the Vista Sheriff's Patrol Station, has been with the department for four years.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Detail at (858) 974-2321. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

If you work at a job that pays minimum wage in the City of San Diego, you just got a raise. 

Monday, the minimum wage for workers at small businesses in the City officially increased to $10.50 an hour. 

San Diegans voted to approve Proposition I during the June 7 primary and the measure passed with 63 percent approval. By January 1, 2017, the minimum wage will increase to $11.50 an hour in San Diego, making it higher than California’s minimum wage requirement.

The ordinance will also require employers to give workers a minimum of five paid sick days a year.

The City is now working to ensure the law has teeth. Councilman Todd Gloria, who authored the legislation, wants to make sure business owners follow the new rules. Monday, officials also approved an implementing ordinance for the new law. 

The councilman says $400,000 will now be directed to the city treasurer to create an 'enforcement' office, which will receive and adjudicate complaints, provides noticing standards to employers and sets penalties for non-compliant businesses. 

Employers who violate the law are subject to a civil penalty no less than $500 and no more than $1,000 per violation, with a maximum fine for first-time offenders. Further details on enforcement can be found on the City's website here. 

"Wage theft is a huge problem and that's been true before our local ordinance was passed," Gloria said. 

He said the City is working with community based organizations to let local businesses know that those who evade the law could face fines or even have their business license suspended.

San Diego’s Office of the City Treasury will enforce these rules.

"If it is identified that an employee was short-changed, the City would work with the employer to recoup those lost and back wages. If it's identified that the employee not only short-changed the worker, but retaliated against the worker, there would be additional fines associated with that," Gloria said. 

But he said their goal is to also educate business owners about their rights.

The minimum wage hike is getting mixed reaction from some local small business owners.

"It's just one more layer of burden I don't want," said Jamie Newbold, who has owned Southern California Comics for 19 years. 

He has 10 employees and pays new hires $12 an hour, so the new minimum wage law is not a problem, for now. 

But when it goes up next year to $11.50 an hour and, eventually, $15 an hour, as ordered by the state, he says he will be concerned.  

"At the level that my store operates now, if everybody I have working for me went to 15-dollars an hour, then it could be a burden," he said.

The new Enforcement office will establish a system to handle employer complaints and figure out how to fine violators.

The new oversight isn't something Newbold is thrilled about.

"It's more interference from the government. It's me being scrutinized by agencies or people that I never even projected entering my life. It's more hassle," he said.

Another business owner said she is happy to pay her workers a higher wage.

“The backbone of my business is my employees,” Alma Rodriguez, founder of Queen Bees, said. "For me, the advice for other business owners like myself, is to keep them motivated, keep them doing the right thing. It's just good karma for all of us."

The family of Philando Castile, the black Minnesota man fatally shot last week by police during a traffic stop, plans to file a lawsuit in the wake of his death, their lawyer said on Tuesday. 

Glenda Hatchett, the former host of TV's "Judge Hatchett" show, is representing Castile's family. Speaking at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Hatchett said Castile's death was a "horrible, horrible, senseless tragedy." She called for a special prosecutor in the case.

Valerie Castile, Philando's mother, said her son "was a humanitarian.”

"He was a pillar in this community," she said. "The children that he worked with loved him. He didn't deserve to die like that.” 

In what country is it, she asked, "that being honest and telling the truth will get you killed. You answer that one for me."

Castile, who was about to turn 33, was killed last Wednesday in Falcon Heights, a suburb of the Twin Cities. The Hennepin County medical examiner's office said the school cafeteria worker died of multiple gunshot wounds. 

Castile's fiancée, Diamond Reynolds, live streamed the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook. She said Castile was shot while reaching into his back pocket for his ID, NBC News reported. 

Hatchett, 65, is a former chief judge of Fulton County Juvenile Court in Atlanta.

"I am deeply concerned about what seems to be an epidemic of African-American men being killed by police officers," she said in an earlier statement. "We have often seen demonstrations and debates and I raise the critical question, 'When will there be systemic reform?'"

Amazon's Prime Day is back with big discounts on electronics, shoes, clothes and beauty products. 

Before you start dropping items in your basket, consider some tips on how to get the best deals out of the day.  

Make a list of items you'd like to purchase and use Amazon's "wishlist" feature to bookmark items you've researched that you need. 

The deals will go fast, so you if think you see something you like, click "buy" to put in your cart and reserve it for 15 minutes. Be sure to Google the item to check its historical prices to make sure it's really a good deal.

The deals are only available to members of Amazon Prime's $99 per year special membership club. But you can sign up for a free trial membership just for the sale and then cancel before your first month is up. Click through for more tips and tricks. 

Hillary Clinton's lead over Donald Trump narrowed to 3 points this week following FBI Director James Comey's recommendation that no criminal charges be brought against the former secretary of state over her use of a private email server, according to the latest from the NBC NewsSurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll conducted online from July 4 through July 10, 2016.

Comey's critical statement on Clinton's handling of the matter was not positive. Her lead over Trump has deteriorated in the past couple weeks since her lead peaked two weeks ago.

Eighty-two percent of voters agreed that it was inappropriate for Clinton to use a personal email server during her tenure as secretary of state while 56 percent of voters also said they disagreed with Comey's recommendation that Clinton not be prosecuted.

Chelsea Manning's lawyers confirmed late Monday that the U.S. Army whistleblower attempted suicide in prison where she is serving a 35-year sentence for espionage.

Manning, who was convicted in 2013 of sending more than 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks, was taken to the hospital on July 5.

She tweeted late Monday, saying, "I am okay. I'm glad to be alive. Thank you all for your love. I will get through this." Manning was returned to the all-male U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where her lawyers were unable to reach her.

Military officials have denied her request to grow her hair in accordance with female grooming standards.

Support is pouring in for Dallas in the wake of last week's deadly attack on police, which left five officers dead and injured half a dozen others.

Among those rallying behind the police department are two young girls, 12-year-old Lauren Roach and 11-year-old Landry Nelon, who dropped off a check for $10,000 — money they raised in just two days with a lemonade stand in North Dallas.

"We felt really bad for all the victims' families," said Lauren. "At first we thought we would get about $100, but after we got to about $5,000, we realized we could really get this really high."

"We just really feel that every little penny counted," Landry added.

Two other girls, 9-year-old Emmy Roberts and her 8-year-old sister Lily, also helped.

"People were just driving by," said Lauren's mother, Tracey Roach. "They didn't want lemonade, they didn't want anything, just giving them 20s, 50s, you name it, just giving money. And everybody saying, 'Back the blue, back the blue, we support Dallas, we support families, help Dallas become a better place.'"

The Dallas Police Association has yet to tally up all the donations, but figures they are well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Southwest Airlines donated a check for $75,000, while Houston police donated $20,000.

The department has also received donations of time. 

Volunteers — many from neighboring police departments — packed DPA headquarters to help prepare for Monday night's candlelight vigil at Dallas City Hall. 

"The thin blue line, we're all brothers and sisters," said Heath Wester, president of the Texas Municipal Police Association. "So a part of us died as well, and we want to lend our helping hand and support to Dallas [police] and all of Dallas to let them know they're not alone." 

"To just imagine the pain that they're going through, we're just hopeful that we're able to just show a little bit of support and ease some of that pain," said Ray Hunt, president of the Houston Police Officers Union.

Dallas police said they were touched by the overwhelming show of support.

"It's unbelievably moving," said DPA First Vice President Fred Frazier. "You know, you break down at night, when you start thinking about everything when everybody's gone. But when you go back to work, you're so busy, your mind just has to go back to work. We'll heal, its just going to take some time." 

Police Chief David Brown was back at the podium Monday and "running on fumes," he said, three days into his investigation into the nation's deadliest day for law enforcement since the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

While giving his latest update on the case, Brown called his team the best department in the country, urged disaffected young people to "become part of the solution" and appealed for lawmakers to "do your job" by doing "something on guns."

"We're doing ours," Brown said. "We're putting our lives on the line. Other aspects of government need to step up and help us."

It was the latest example of Brown as leader of the Dallas Police Department speaking out in calling for more community support and for the public to take greater action in solving societal problems.

Robert Taylor, a professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas, in assessing Brown's performances, praised him for "starting the healing process" after the attack and bringing the "community together to support the police department."

Brown, a 33-year Dallas police veteran, is known for being fiercely protective of his officers.

"I think saving a life should trump every policy you have," Brown said back in a 2013 interview with NBC DFW. "It should be the most predominant thing. Now you can't be reckless, it's got to be reasonable, but saving lives to me trumps everything."

That was also the calculus on Friday morning in the decision to use a bomb affixed to the end of a robot to kill Micah Xavier Johnson, the Army Reserve veteran who Dallas police identified as the gunman responsible for killing five and wounding nine officers and two civilians.

Brown later explained that using the robot was the only way to get to Johnson, who said he had planted bombs around the area and threatened to hurt more people, without exposing officers to greater danger.

Brown said Monday that he would make the same decision again.

"I would use any tool necessary to save our officers' lives," he said.

Of the nine wounded officers, Brown said Monday that four were Dallas police, three were Dallas Area Rapid Transit officers and two were from the Dallas County Community College police.

"Our profession is hurting. Dallas officers are hurting. We are heartbroken. There are no words to describe the atrocity that occurred to our city," Brown said Friday.

The chief, who took time after the shooting to reach out to victims' families, has great experience with loss, both in his personal life and on the police force.

Long before the Dallas police force faced its devastating attack, Brown lived through the murders of his former police partner and his younger brother.

His former partner, Walter Williams, was shot on assignment in 1988 and later died in the hospital, according to The Dallas Morning News. His brother was killed three years later by drug dealers.

Just a few weeks after being sworn in as police chief, Brown experienced another loss when his oldest son, who shared his name, died in a shootout with police after he killed a 23-year old man and a police officer. His son, who was 27-years-old, had a history of mental illness and was reportedly having a psychotic episode at the time, The Washington Post reported.

“My family has not only lost a son, but a fellow police officer and a private citizen lost their lives at the hands of our son," Brown told The Guardian at the time. "That hurts so deeply I cannot adequately express the sadness I feel inside my heart.”

Brown joined the force with the intention of going to law school and eventually becoming a prosecutor. Instead, Brown left college early seeking to make a difference in his community. He found himself embracing police work and rising through the ranks, becoming police chief in 2010.

"I'm the kind of person that I probably wouldn't protest or complain," Brown said Monday. "I'd get involved and do something about it by becoming part of the solution."

Brown has earned a reputation over the last six years for trying to foster a positive relationship between the city's citizens and the police force, seeking to counter the divisiveness that has grown in other communities across the country. Using community policing efforts to decrease the use of force in citizen encounters with police has been a major goal for Brown.

The police chief has credited these community efforts with plummeting excessive force complaints, making 2015 the 12th consecutive year of crime reduction and bringing the city's overall crime rate to a 50 year low.

The number of Dallas police officer involved shootings has decreased every year since 2012. And according to the department's website, the force has had only one, non-fatal, officer involved incident this year.

There were 990 people killed in police-involved shootings nationwide in 2015, The Washington Post reported.

Still, crime in Dallas has gone up this year and the department has had troubles with officer recruitment and retention, The Atlantic reported. 

Brown, for his part, said that turnover stemmed from officers having salaries that were too low, and he’s “working to correct that."

"This is the best department in the country," Brown said Monday. "This tragic incident will not discourage us from … changing and reforming policing in America."

For African-American police officers in the U.S., being both black and "blue" can mean being caught in the midst of a cultural crossfire.

America is reeling after two black men were fatally shot by police near St. Paul, Minnesota and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the subsequent killing of five officers in Dallas during a peaceful rally in response to those slayings.

The events occurred after a spate of high profile deaths of black men, women and children at the hands of the police over the past few years, which has given rise to the "Black Lives Matter" movement and stirred public debate about the need for policing reforms.

"I've been black a long time," said Dallas Police Chief David Brown, who's black, responding to a reporter's question about bridging the gap between the community and police. "It's not so much of a 'bridge' for me, it's everyday living. I grew up here in Texas ... it's my normal to live in this society that had a long history of racial strife ... we have much work to do, particularly in our profession and leaders in my position need to put their careers on the line to make sure we do things right."

On Monday, the City of Poway celebrated their most famous citizen with the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial statue.

A bronze piece to be designed by Texas artist Seth Vandable will honor the late baseball legend Tony Gwynn. 

Gwynn's widow, Alicia Gwynn, thanked city leaders for the honor for her late husband and their family.

She also thanked the citizens of Poway for respecting her husband's space and allowing him to be a neighbor.

The memorial is expected to be completed by early 2017.

A San Diego Police sergeant on administrative leave pleaded not guilty to domestic abuse allegations Monday. 

Sergeant Oscar Armenta was arrested just after 8 p.m. Sunday, July 3, following an incident that occurred near Island and Seventh avenues in San Diego's East Village, police department officials said.

Details were not provided by the SDPD other than to say the incident involved domestic violence. Witnesses said Armenta was arguing with his girlfriend when the alleged violence happened. 

Armenta, who was off-duty at the time of the incident, was booked into the county jail, police said.

In court Monday, Armenta pleaded not guilty through an attorney to a felony domestic violence abuse charge, a misdemeanor domestic violence battery charge and two simple battery charges, stemming from injuries Good Samaritans sustained when they tried to intervene. 

"Any domestic violence incident is enormously regrettable and unfortunate and we in the District Attorney’s office treat every domestic violence offender the same," said Deputy District Attorney Melissa Diaz.

Armenta does not have a prior record, she said. 

Diaz said they have asked for a criminal protective order for the victim and for the Good Samaritans that tried to intervene. She later added the DA's office will subpoena the victim to testify. 

Armenta has been employed with the SDPD for 13 years, according to spokesperson Lt. Scott Wahl. 

"We hold ourselves to the highest standards and take the conduct of all our employees very seriously," Wahl said. "This matter will be investigated thoroughly and he is facing both criminal and administrative consequences as a result of this incident."

Armenta was placed on administrative leave while the incident is under investigation.

He is expected to appear in court again on Aug. 22. 

If he is found guilty, Armenta could face 4 years and six months in prison. 

Family and friends are mourning the loss of a Lakeside couple they say touched many hearts after both died in a crash over the weekend, leaving behind their three young kids. 

Christopher Goodrich, 35, and his wife, Luz Goodrich, 32, were riding on their motorcycle on Interstate 5 in San Clemente when a suspected drunk driver crashed into them, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers said. 

Medics rushed them to the hospital, but both later died. Luz had just celebrated her 32nd birthday on Saturday, one day before the crash. 

The deadly crash has been heartbreaking for family and friends. 

"They touched a lot of people," said Elissa Nava, Chris's sister. "They were very happy and bright and everybody loved to be around them. Extremely funny and they just loved each other....so much."

Chris was an Army veteran who did three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he suffered a gunshot wound. 

Family members say Luz was always by his side, taking care of him and their three young children, who are 11, eight and three years old.

"They were very good people, very good," said George Goodboy, a family friend. "And I'll miss them. They'll forever be in my thoughts."

A GoFundMe has been created to help the family with expenses. Money left over will be given to the children. Click here to donate. 

A caregiver accused of abusing an Oceanside woman and her best friend has been arrested and will face charges of murder, Oceanside Police said Monday.

Margaret Wood, 94, died July 9, according to investigators.

NBC 7 viewers may remember that Wood and her best friend, 92-year-old Marian Kubic, were injured in an April 16 confrontation with Kubic's caregiver.

Surveillance video captured the incident in which Wood suffered a cracked skull and broken nose. After 11 weeks, she succumbed to her injuries, her family said.

"Watching her body deteriorate was absolutely the worst thing I have ever seen," said daughter-in-law Lisa Wood, who spoke with NBC 7 from her Orange County home. Lisa was in hospice with her mother-in-law when she died Saturday. 

"It's hard even though we knew this was going to be the outcome," Wood said. "It's still really hard when it's final."

Oceanside Police said William Sutton, 66, was arrested Monday morning on a charge of murder following Wood's death. He was booked into the Vista Detention Facility. In an earlier attempt to interview Sutton, his attorney told NBC7 that he would not comment on the case.

Sutton is accused of beating Wood and throwing her down three porch steps outside Kubic's home.

Previously, Sutton pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder and willful cruelty to an elderly adult.

Marian Kubic, 92, of Oceanside, died on May 27. Her family told NBC 7 that even though Kubic was not injured in the incident, her health deteriorated soon after.

Sutton was not charged in Kubic's death. 

If convicted on all counts, Sutton could face up to 14 years in prison.