A former San Diego Police detective and sergeant spoke to NBC 7 about the Mission Valley shooting that is now a triple homicide involving three young San Diego residents.

Earlier this week, investigators confirmed a victim found dead in a trunk in Riverside, Calif., was 24-year-old Gianni Belvedere, a Tierrasanta man who had gone missing last month. His brother and fiance, Sal Belvedere and Ilona Flint, were found shot to death Christmas Eve in a Macy's parking lot.

"This, to me, is a money situation more than anything else. They're probably trying to find out from [Gianni] if there's anybody somewhere that owed them," said Manny Lopez, a private investigator who served the San Diego Police Department nearly 11 years as a detective and sergeant.

"[Police] are going to have to determine who these [victims] were associated with. To me, it's not a stranger. It's got to be somebody that was either hired to do that or knew them themselves. That's why they killed them all, to keep the identity from coming across," he explained.

Members of the Belvedere family filed for bankruptcy in recent years and had liens and other financial problems.

Gianni Belvedere registered a food business in San Diego last year called La Primavera Specialty Foods. His fiance, Flint, posted pictures of the business's products on her Facebook page last March.

Lopez said he does not believe the homicides are a result of organized crime. However, he said whoever's responsible was trying to send a message.

“I think it was a lesson, 'We're going to show you. We're going to kill you, your relatives and your fiance so you better come up with whatever information or money or whatever,’” he said.

The triple homicide case remains under investigation. On Friday, San Diego police held a briefing on the latest developments in the case. Officials released new suspect description details of a man they believe may be linked to the crimes.

Late Friday night, Phil Mickelson decided the back injury he suffered during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open was doing to be too much to overcome.

Mickelson, the most successful San Diego native in golf history, withdrew from the tournament at Torrey Pines. Phil shot a 1-over 73 on the South course on Friday. Immediately after the round he was uncertain just what he was going to do.

"I have the entire year, I've got majors coming up, I've got other tournaments coming up and I don't want to get into bad habits,'' Mickelson said. "My game is pretty sharp getting ready to start the year, and I could tell I'm making terrible swings out there relative to the way I've been swinging."

Mickelson draws huge galleries to Torrey Pines. He is one of the most popular players on Tour, a responsibility he takes seriously. After his media session Mickelson, even in pain, spent several minutes signing autographs.

"I love this tournament and I want to play here," said Mickelson. "I love playing in San Diego, and this is a place where I grew up playing, so I really want to play. And part of me also says that I'm getting in bad habits, and if I hit it in this rough here, I've really got an issue because I've got to swing awfully hard to get it out and it jars it."

The 43-year-old will meet with doctors to diagnose exactly what is wrong with his back (the pain is located in his lower back, an area he says he's never had trouble with). He is scheduled to defend his title in Phoenix next week.

Well, this news should certainly work up any foodie’s appetite: San Diego Restaurant Week has been extended for another week!

That’s right, the dining event – which showcases flavorful culinary creations from more than 180 participating restaurants across San Diego County – was supposed to wrap up Friday but now, it’s coming back for seconds.

Organizers say extended Restaurant Week will continue Jan. 26 through Jan. 31 – the perfect way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the popular event meant to highlight San Diego’s vibrant food scene.

The game plan for round two will be the same as week one: choosing from this long list of restaurants spanning 12 unique regions throughout the county, foodies can enjoy special, multi-course, prix-fix menus for $10, $15 and $20 per person during lunch and $25, $35 and $45 during dinner.

Some restaurants on the very long list include 100 Wines in Hillcrest, Bertrand at Mister A’s on 5th Avenue near Balboa Park, Donovan’s Steak & Chop House in downtown San Diego, George’s Ocean Terrace in La Jolla, The Fish Market in Solana Beach and the Fig Tree Café at Liberty Station, among many, many others.

For the full list of eateries taking part in San Diego Restaurant Week, click here.

By the way, no special passes are required for the event, just a healthy appetite and maybe some reservations, depending on the restaurant.

Restaurant Week happens a few times per year. The last two times, the event has been such a hit organizers have chosen to extend it by a week each time.

Perhaps this delicious recurring pattern will lead to a renaming in the decade ahead: San Diego Restaurant Weeks. Sounds pretty darn good to us!
 

When the spring semester begins Monday, San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) students will see many new faces among faculty as 44 new hires join the staff at City, Mesa and Miramar colleges and San Diego Continuing Education.

The SDCCD said the new faculty additions come after a five-year hiring freeze. By August, the district plans to hire 43 more full-time faculty, the most staff hiring since 2006.

As the spring semester commences for some 72,000 local students, SDCCD Chancellor Constance M. Carroll said the future looks bright for the community college district and for California’s reinvestment in higher education.

“The addition of 44 new faculty members is good news for students,” said Carroll.

New hires include Mesa College alumna Anna M. Rogers, who’s joining City College as an assistant professor of English. She’s among nine new faculty at City College this semester.

At Mesa College, Dr. N. Scott Robinson is one of 13 new hires this spring. He’s a performer and expert in world music and ethnomusicology. Pablo Martin, an assistant professor of Communication Studies/Speech at Miramar College, is one of 11 new hires at that college.

Sam Phu, new assistant professor of Automotive Technology for San Diego Continuing Education, is one of 11 new hires there. Phu – an alumnus of Miramar College – also worked at Miramar College in the past as an adjunct instructor.

Besides new staffers, the SDCCD is also adding 1,000 more class selections and opening several major building across its campuses.

The SDCCD is the second largest of California’s 72 community college districts and serves approximately 130,000 annually.
 

San Diego police were searching for three suspects accused of assaulting and stabbing a man at a tattoo parlor in the Rolando Park area on Saturday morning.

According to police, the incident occurred at a tattoo shop located at 6189 University Ave. at about 9:30 a.m. when the 36-year-old victim was inside the shop and a woman knocked on the door.

When the man opened the door, two men rushed in, punched him in the face, and then stabbed him in the back, police said.

The male suspects and the female reportedly then fled the scene in an unknown direction.

Information regarding a motive behind the attack was not immediately available.

Police have yet to release a detailed description of the suspects.

SDPD’s Mid-City department was investigating the incident.
 

The number of this season’s confirmed influenza-related deaths in California has more than doubled in the past week, the state's Department of Public Health announced Friday.

So far, there have been 95 confirmed flu-related deaths in California, up 50 since health officials released figures last week, Dr. Ron Chapman, state health officer and director of the CDPH, said. Three children have died from the flu in California and all 95 victims were under the age of 65, Chapman said.

There are an additional 51 deaths -- not yet confirmed to be flu-related -- under investigation.

By this time last year, nine influenza fatalities had been confirmed. A total of 106 deaths were reported in the 2012-13 flu season.

First Flu-Related Death of Season in Long Beach Confirmed

“The increasing number of influenza-related deaths points to the severity of this flu season,” Chapman said. “Vaccination is so important, because it continues to be the best defense against the flu.”

The 95 confirmed deaths have been reported in major counties across the state, including these in Southern California:

• Long Beach
• Los Angeles
• Orange
• Riverside
• San Bernardino
• San Diego

Sacramento recorded the most fatalities with 10, but in the southern part of the state, Los Angeles and San Bernardino also reported high numbers of eight and seven, respectively.

5 Things to Know About the Flu Outbreak

Riverside called in the most recent child fatality, and others were noted in San Mateo and Los Angeles counties, according to health officials. All children were under 10 years of age.

For those individuals whose vaccination statuses were reported, 80 percent were not vaccinated and 20 percent were, health officials said.

H1N1, also known as “swine flu,” is still the predominant strain, CDPH said. Counties across the state and the nation have reported an increase in the number of cases, particularly of the H1N1 virus that caused a worldwide pandemic in 2009.

Flu Shots Urged Amid Spike in Sicknesses

As in the 2009-10 flu season, health officials said the H1N1 strain seems to affect a younger population that might not feel the need to receive an annual flu shot.

The reporting period for the most recent figures ended Jan. 18, meaning that deaths and flu cases confirmed since that date have not been accounted for and that county numbers might differ from state numbers because of a lag in confirming cases.

9 H1N1 Flu Deaths Reported in Calif.

New flu cases and hospitalizations remain at a level considered wide-spread by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and exceed expected levels for this year, though they have decreased over the previous week, according to health officials.

With at least two months left in the flu season, based on the average duration of flu activity determined by the CDC, California health officials said that there is no dearth of antivirals or flu vaccines and that it’s not too late to get vaccinated.

Pregnant women, the elderly and infants are at the highest risk and should contact physicians immediately to receive the most effective treatment, Chapman said.

To curtail the spread of germs, the doctor recommended the following:

• limiting contact with others
• covering your nose and mouth
• washing hands with soap and water
• avoiding the touching of eyes, nose and mouth.

Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue. For a map of where to get the flu vaccine in your area, click here.

Three people were killed in a shooting at Columbia Mall in Howard County, Md. Saturday, and five were injured as crowds of weekend shoppers rushed to find shelter.

The suspect, a man, was among those found dead. His body was found near a shotgun and ammunition, police said.

Police added that they were "confident" that there was no other shooter involved. 

Police identified the two killed as Brianna Benlolo, 21, of College Park, Md. and Tyler Johnson, 25, of Ellicott City, Md. Both were employees of Zumiez, a store on the upper level of the mall that caters to young shoppers, police said at an afternoon press conference.

Zumiez issued a statement on its Facebook page Saturday evening expressing deep sadness over the shooting: "The Zumiez team is a tight knit community and all of our hearts go out to Brianna and Tyler’s families."

The shooting threw the popular mall into chaos. Witnesses described hearing the shots shortly after 11 a.m., and watching some victims fall, while others fled. 

"They just kept shooting and it didn't stop," said one witness.

She said she heard what sounded like "something being dropped" and then realized the sound was gunshots.

She rescued one child and then ran back to her job at a children's hair salon to secure the others.

"I work in Cartoon Cuts; I was downstairs getting a tea for my boss," she said. "And all of a sudden I heard ... it sounded like someone dropped something. And all of a sudden I see people fall, three people fall to the ground. I don't know what happened to them. And all I see is people going down to the floor and running.

"I just saw everybody run, so I ran."

Another shopper said he was in Sears when the shots rang out. "I heard a bang, and I was like man, that kinda sounds like a gunshot," said the young man.

"Then I see people running, and I hear some people screaming, and I heard it again -- boom, boom, boom. And people just started screaming and running. It was just complete madness."

• RAW VIDEO: Eyewitnesses Describe Chaotic Scene

Law enforcement sources told NBCNews that the shooting appears to have begun with a domestic dispute. However, Howard County Police have not confirmed that report, saying the motive remains unknown and they do not know the identity of the shooter.

None of the shots came from police, said Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon.

The five people who were injured have been transported to Howard County General Hospital. One victim suffered a gunshot wound to the foot. The other four had medical conditions or minor injuries, possibly related to the rush as shoppers ran for shelter.

The injured have been treated and are in good condition, according to the hospital.

• PHOTOS: Dramatic Scenes From the Columbia Mall Shooting

The scene is now secure, and the mall is evacuated.

Another eyewitness, a young woman, said she was in a PacSun store when the shooting happened: "We just heard gunshots, and then this lady came into the store and said there's a guy with a gun ... Me and my friend just ran in the back room.

"We were crying and we were just scared out of our minds, because our thought was that we were going to get shot."

News4 spoke to one man who said he was in phone contact with his daughter, who was taking shelter in a Bank of America inside the mall, along with dozens of others.

"People were panicking," the man said.

Howard County Police said the mall would be closed through "at least" Saturday evening.

The mall, which is officially named "The Mall in Columbia" but is widely known as Columbia Mall, is located in Columbia, Md., between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

The shooting was the latest in a series of shootings in public locations. Earlier this week, one person was shot and killed at Purdue University and another was also killed at South Carolina State University.

Tweets by @HCPDNews

Rady Children’s Hospital officials have announced that 11 of their patients were suffering from influenza amid a troubling rise in flu-related illnesses and deaths in San Diego and statewide.

On Friday, Rady Children’s officials released statistics regarding flu-related illnesses at the hospital since January 1.

In total, 13 patients have gone to the ICU with influenza since January 1, according to the data.

Officials said two of the 11 patients currently suffering from a flu-related illness at the hospital have been admitted into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The mysterious killings of local residents Ilona Flint, Salvatore Belvedere and Gianni Belvedere have rocked San Diego. Now, more than a month into this unsolved case, many questions remain unanswered as the San Diego Police Department continues to put together pieces of the puzzle.

Here’s a timeline of key events in this triple homicide case, which first began on the early hours of Christmas Eve with a deadly shooting outside Westfield Mission Valley Mall.

Dec. 24, 2013 – The Christmas Eve Shooting:
At around 1:15 a.m., Ilona Flint and Salvatore Belvedere, both 22 years old, are critically shot in a parking lot outside the Macy’s department store at San Diego’s Mission Valley Mall. Despite being shot in the head, Flint manages to call 911 to report the shooting, telling dispatchers she’s injured near the mall. Minutes later, officers locate the wounded duo inside a vehicle in the 1600-block of Camino Del Rio North. Flint is pronounced dead at the scene. Salvatore, suffering life-threatening gunshot wounds to the head and torso, is transported to a local hospital. SDPD Lt. Mike Hastings holds a briefing on the Christmas Eve shooting and says police are looking for a possible suspect, described as a 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-11 man wearing tan pants.

Dec. 26, 2013 – Gianni Belvedere is Missing:
Two days after the parking lot shooting, the families of both Flint and Salvatore hold a brief news conference announcing that 24-year-old Gianni Belvedere – Sal’s older brother and Flint’s fiancé – has gone missing. Police confirm Gianni was last seen on Dec. 23 around 10 p.m. at his Tierrasanta home. “Gianni, we need you to come home,” pleads one family member, between tears. "Please call us." Investigators confirm the Christmas Eve shooting does not appear to be connected to any sort of robbery. Lt. Hastings says a possible vehicle of interest in the case is a 2008-2011 dark gray Honda sedan.

Dec. 27, 2013 – Salvatore Succumbs to Injuries, Search Continues for Gianni:
The Belvedere family confirms that Sal has died from injuries sustained in the Christmas Eve shooting. Police say they’re still searching for Gianni, and issue a missing person bulletin describing Gianni as an Italian-American man with brown hair and brown eyes. He’s 6 feet tall, 165 pounds and likely driving a four-door, dark green 2004 Toyota Camry XLE with the Utah license plate B154VZ. The Belvedere family says Gianni may have also been at the mall with Flint and Sal at the time of the shooting.

Dec. 28, 2013 – Vigil Held for Flint:
Loved ones hold a public candlelight vigil for Flint at La Jolla Shores. Friends describe Flint as a loyal friend and hard worker. Friend Andre Briones tells NBC 7 that Flint and Gianni had been dating for about eight years and were engaged to be married. Both Flint and the Belvedere brothers were originally from Utah. Flint moved to San Diego after Gianni and his family relocated here from Utah. Briones also says the Belvedere brothers would often take turns picking Flint up from work and says the trio were the best of friends.

Jan. 1, 2014 – Vigil Held for Sal:
Approximately 100 loved ones gather at Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach at sunset on New Year’s Day to pay tribute to Sal in an emotional vigil. The family says Crystal Pier was one of Sal's favorite surfing spots. The Belvederes also say Gianni is still missing and announce that a reward for information leading to his safe return has climbed to $10,000. "If you've seen the car, seen him, think you've seen him, please report it to Crime Stoppers, San Diego PD, to the news media, anybody," Gianni's uncle Paul Donato pleads. "We need any clues we can get our hands on to bring him home to put a little closure to this whole nightmare that we're living right now."

Jan. 7, 2014 – No Gianni, No Anwers:
Two weeks to the date of the shooting outside Mission Valley Mall, investigators say there is still no trace of Gianni. Lt. Hastings tells NBC 7 that this is one of the most unusual cases he’s seen in his 20-year career. Officials also confirm that Gianni’s cell phone and credit cards have not been used since he vanished.

Jan. 17, 2014 – Body Found in Trunk of Missing Man’s Car in Riverside, Calif.:
The dark green Toyota Camry with the Utah license plate described in the SDPD’s missing person bulletin for Gianni is found in Riverside, Calif., about an hour-and-a-half north of San Diego County. A passerby calls authorities at around 11:45 a.m. and reports that a foul odor is coming from the trunk area of vehicle, which is parked at a shopping center. When officers arrive on scene, they open the trunk and find the decomposed body of a man inside. On Jan. 18, a Belvedere family member confirms the victim in the trunk is Gianni. The SDPD says it’s working with the Riverside Police Department on this development. An autopsy is scheduled for the following week.

Jan. 23, 2014 – Confirmed by PD: Victim in Trunk is Gianni:
Police officially confirm that the man found dead in the trunk of the car in Riverside is, in fact, missing San Diego resident Gianni Belvedere. The cause of death is not released but detectives clarify that Gianni was a victim of homicide.

Jan. 24, 2014 – New Suspect Details Released, Police Determined to Solve Case:
At a press conference, SDPD Lt. Mike Hastings releases more details of a possible suspect tied to the triple homicide case. He says the suspect – seen at Westfield Mission Valley on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2013 – is a man wearing a black hoodie with white bands in the biceps area of the sweatshirt, tan pants and white tennis shoes. He is described as an unknown race, standing 5-foot-10 to 6-feet-tall. It's believed the suspect was at the Mission Valley mall at 11:15 p.m. the night before the shooting of Flint and Sal and then returned to the mall at 12:15 a.m. on Dec. 24. Lt. Hastings assures the Belvedere family and the public that the SDPD is working diligently to find answers and says investigators have spent hundreds of hours on the case. “If this case can be solved, this case will be solved,” Lt. Hastings says.

At this point, we now wait. No further information has been released on the triple killings, though the SDPD says investigators will continue briefing the media when there are major developments.

A history hunter and military expert in San Diego recently uncovered what he believes to be a passport used by Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele, also known as the “Angel of Death,” to flee to Argentina in 1949.

"This is it, this is as good as it gets. An object like this has an ability to speak to you,” said Craig Gottlieb, the 42-year-old former Marine who bought the passport.

Gottlieb is a collector of military antiques and firearms. He lives in San Diego’s North County area and has also been a regular on TV’s “Pawn Stars.”

Gottlieb told NBC San Diego he purchased the passport in October from an Argentinean researcher who got it from a woman who worked as Mengele’s secretary up until his death in 1979.

Mengele was a German doctor whose horrific experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp on Jewish and Gypsy children, including many twins, garnered him the moniker of the “Angel of Death.”

In 1949, Mengele fled Germany and headed to Argentina.

Gottlieb said the passport he purchased proves Mengele made that journey using forged documents from Genoa, Italy under the name "Gregor Hellmuth,” one of the many aliases Mengele is believed to have used after leaving Germany.

"This guy lived under the nose of multiple governments for 30 or so years, never caught, never brought to justice, and something like this you could never get away with today,” Gottlieb said.

Even given the passport’s significance, some have questioned whether an artifact of its nature should be given any attention, let alone sold to collectors for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Gottlieb said he looks past that.

For him it’s much more about a larger effort to preserve history, especially in the face of those who deny the Holocaust ever happened.

"To me [it’s] something that's connected to an individual, person, place or event in history that's epic, that's what you know, that's what I'm all about,” Gottlieb said. "Look in this guy's eyes and you see something deeply disturbing but it's something we need to be consciously aware about as human beings."

In addition to the passport, Gottlieb (pictured right) purchased three police documents, which purport to show that the Argentinian government not only knew who Mengele was when he entered the country, but that he was also trying to get his real identity back. Historians say Gottlieb did this in an attempt to do business with his relatives back in Germany.

As is the case with any discovery of this magnitude, two questions have been raised: Is the passport real and how much will it sell for?

Gottlieb said he intends to have the passport examined by experts to ensure it’s not a well-designed fake. If it is indeed authentic, an expert has said it could go for as much as $250,000.

However, selling it for a profit isn’t necessarily what Gottlieb hopes to do, he said.

Instead, Gottlieb plans on donating the find to an institution like the Museum of Tolerance or the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

In this way, Gottlieb said, it can continue to remind everyone of the horrors Mengele and other Nazis committed years ago.

"When you look at something like this you are forced to face an evil that we don't really look at anymore," he said.

A day after two men were charged in a “revenge porn” conspiracy, one of the alleged victims recalled how she was crushed when a topless photo of her circulated around the Internet.

Kayla Laws is one of eight alleged victims of two California men who were arrested Thursday for allegedly hacking into email accounts to steal nude photos that were then posted on a “revenge porn” website.

Read: Vigil Planned for Woman Who Died After Beating Outside Nightclub

"You think that it can't happen to you, but it can," Laws said in an interview with NBC4 from her Studio City home. “I was just so damaged by it. I just wanted to stay in my room. It just all hit me like a ton of bricks."

It took nine days to get the photo removed from the now defunct isanyoneup.com website, which was taken over by an anti-bullying site. She realized the damage had been done when someone saved the photo and mass-texted it out to everyone.

"They would message me saying, ‘Hey, you look good, baby.’"

Read: Passengers Fight for Control of Greyhound Bus After Attack on Driver

One of the revenge porn website suspects, identified as Hunter Moore, is believed to be the mastermind behind the website. Charlie Evens is charged with hacking into emails to steal the private photos, federal prosecutors said.

Evens' mother said Thursday that he was a good son, volunteered for the Special Olympics, and tutored autistic kids.

Laws' "selfie" was saved in a folder in her gmail account.

"I was in my underwear and only one boob was showing,” she said.

Law’s mother helped push a bill through the state legislature that got Governor Jerry Brown's signature in October that makes revenge porn a crime in California.

"When Hunter Moore goes to trial and to see what the outcome of that is, I think will determine whether or not justice has been served," Laws said.

A man who reportedly held a female hostage and led police on a high-speed pursuit along Interstate 15 on Sunday morning, died after being shot by a police officer, according to San Diego and Escondido police.

SDPD officials report that just after 7 a.m., officers spotted a small brown pickup truck along the northbound I-15 at Aero Drive in Kearny Mesa.

Police say the driver of the pickup truck made a minor traffic violation.

When officers went to pull the vehicle over, the truck fled, beginning a high-speed chase, according to EPD.

During the pursuit, the suspect reportedly called 911 and spoke to a California High Patrol official.

According to investigators, the male caller threatened to shoot the truck's female driver if officers stopped the vehicle. EPD officials say the man claimed he had kidnapped the girl and referred to her as his "hostage." He also claimed to have explosives.

As the chase continued, police say they deployed two sets of spike strips on northbound I-15, one set at State Route 56 and another at Camino Del Norte.

Both attempts at stopping the vehicle were unsuccessful, police said.

At around 7:45 a.m. the pickup truck exited the I-15 on Centre City Parkway, near Country Club Lane, in Escondido.

Police say they deployed a third set of spike strips near the area, but were still unable to stop the vehicle.

The truck later came to a stop just north of Country Club Lane.

Police say the suspect then got out of the truck, and a confrontation between officers and the suspect ensued.

According to police, at one point the suspect displayed a gun and was aiming it at the driver.

Officials said the officers felt their lives, as well as the hostage’s, were at risk. EPD confirmed a San Diego police officer fired a single shot at the suspect, fatally injuring him.

The female driver suffered minor injuries during the incident, and she was transported to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.

Authorities said they were going to search the vehicle. Although officials reported the suspect had a gun, police have yet to confirm if they confiscated any weapons.

The Escondido Police Department will lead the investigation going forward.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

The two people killed in Columbia Mall on Maryland Saturday were young co-workers at a shop popular with teens -- and one was a store manager raising a 2-year-old child.

A few details about their lives are beginning to emerge as the investigation into Saturday's deadly shooting at the mall continues.

Brianna Benlolo, 21, of College Park, Md., and Tyler Johnson, 25, of Mt, Airy, Md. were shot and killed Saturday inside the Zumiez store where they worked, police said.

The suspected gunman, Darion Marcus Aguilar, of College Park, Md., died at the scene of an apparent gunshot wound.

• WATCH: Remembering the Victims of the Columbia Mall Shooting

Brianna Benlolo

Benlolo had a 2-year-old son, said her housemate, Corey Lewis. Lewis called her "a wonderful mom and a wonderful person."

He said she had lived in the College Park house for about two months.

Benlolo's grandfather, John Feins, told the Associated Press in a telephone interview from Florida that his granddaughter's job at Zumiez was her first since she went back to work after her son's birth.

"She was all excited," he said.

He said he had spoken with his daughter, Brianna's mother, earlier in the day, but didn't know who the gunman was or whether the person knew his granddaughter.

He described his daughter's family as a military family that had moved frequently and had been in Colorado before moving to Maryland about two years ago. He said his granddaughter was on good terms with her son's father, and they shared custody.

"I mean what can you say? You go to work and make a dollar and you got some idiot coming in and blowing people away," he said.

Tyler Johnson

Tyler Johnson had recently moved to Mt. Airy, Md. from Ellicott City, Md. His family told News4 that they were too shaken up to speak about his death.

But a neighbor in Mt. Airy said he was stunned to hear that his quiet neighbor was the victim of the shooting.

"Floored -- had no idea," said Gregg Todd. "I didn't even that know he worked in the mall. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family -- very nice, very quiet, very good family."

On Johnson's Facebook page, he is frank about his process in recovery, announcing celebrations of his one and two years of sobriety. He started working at Zumiez in November, 2013.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A 5-year-old girl who was seriously injured on Wednesday when she was hit by an SDG&E utility truck, which also struck and killed her mother, was released from the hospital on Saturday, according to the girl's family.

Relatives of the girl, who they identified as Anahi Rodriguez, told NBC 7 they were happy to have her home after she spent days at Rady Children’s Hospital following the tragic car accident.

For Anahi and her family, the road to recovery will be a long one as they begin to deal with the loss of Anahi’s mother, Ana Herrera Rodriguez, who died from injuries she sustained in the car accident.

According to police, Rodriguez, Anahi, and their 4-year-old neighbor were hit as Rodriguez walked the girls to Balboa Elementary School at around 7:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

As the trio approached Cottonwood Street, between Osborn and Earl Streets, an SDG&E utility truck plowed into them.

Rodriguez was pinned underneath the vehicle and later died from her injuries.

Anahi was transferred to Rady Children’s Hospital with serious injuries from the accident, including a fractured pelvis and liver damage. She remained hospitalized until around 3 p.m. Saturday, her family said.

Family said Anahi will spend the next six weeks in a wheelchair.

The 4-year-old girl injured in the accident was also hospitalized. She was released on Wednesday.

On Friday investigators announced that the driver of the SDG&E truck was distracted when he hit Rodriguez and the two girls.

As of Saturday, no charges had been filed against the driver. SDG&E officials said the accident is under investigation and they are cooperating with authorities.

On Saturday evening, family and friends gathered for another nightly memorial for Rodriguez. At the time, family members told NBC 7 that they had yet to tell Anahi that her mother had passed away.

“It's really hard for me and her dad. We really don't know how we are going to tell her,” said Julie Guitterez, Anahi’s cousin.

For now, family and friends said one of the most important things they can do is to remember Rodriguez and the sacrifice she made for her daughter and the 4-year-old neighbor.

A memorial for Rodriguez  has been planned for Tuesday at the California Burial Chapel in National City.

In the first ruling of its kind, a judge has ruled that pornographic performers in California should be treated as employees and covered by workplace laws requiring condoms, fighting a standard that industry officials say often categorizes performers as independent contractors.

This month's decision comes in the wake of Los Angeles porn production’s third moratorium within a year after performers tested positive for HIV.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) on Thursday called the judge’s decision a "landmark" ruling. The nonprofit in February 2013 filed several “Notice of Safety or Health Hazards” complaints with California’s Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Appeals Board (Cal/OSHA) against the subject of the court case, Treasure Island Media, for the lack of condom use in the company’s gay adult films.

Privacy Requested for Porn Performer After Positive HIV Test

AHF’s initial complaints were part of a series of filings targeting the producers of unprotected gay sex films, but several of Treasure Island’s Cal/OSHA citations were specifically tied to one 2009 film submitted as evidence. The film in question depicts several men having unprotected sex, as well as the collection of an exorbitant amount of semen by one performer, according to a news release by AHF.

Treasure Island was taken to task for its lack of condoms, as well as its absence of an “exposure control plan” that would curtail contact with semen and other infectious bodily materials, according to the court ruling.

“For the first time ever in California, Cal/OSHA’s Appeals Board has, in a formal trial of an appeal of several violations lodged against a California adult film company, overruled the appeal and upheld the citations and fines originally issued,” AHF President Michael Weinstein said in a news release.

Treasure Island Media did not immediately respond to NBC4’s phone calls requesting comment.

Porn Production To Resume After HIV-Related Shutdown

Weinstein said that Treasure Island has been outspoken in its opposition to condom use in its films, and that the company appealed the original citations it received and took its OSHA case to trial.

The media company, according to AHF, claimed the performers in their films were independent contractors -- meaning, the section of the regulations regarding bloodborne pathogens did not apply to the adult film industry.

“The get-out-of-jail card for porn producers has been that their performers are independent contractors, and therefore worker protection laws don’t apply to them,” AHF spokesperson Ged Kenslea said.

In most cases, producers just settle and pay their fines, he said.

Since 2009, AHF has filed complaints against 16 to 20 different porn producers -- gay and straight –
including Hustler, Vivid, Reality Kings and Bang Bros.

Cal/OSHA rejected Treasure Island’s appeal in a graphic 36-page ruling filed with the Department of Industrial Relations’ Los Angeles Legal Unit earlier this month.

Administrative Law Judge Mary Droyovage issued a broad rebuke to the adult film company and ruled that the issues found in the original citations -- including failure to establish exposure control to bloodborne pathogens and “other potentially infectious materials” (which include semen) and failure to observe universal precautions during production of films -- are “serious,” according to the ruling.

Droyovage found the violations to be serious because of a “substantial probability that employees would suffer serious exposure resulting in serious physical harm or death if violation occurred.” 

"Revenge Porn" Victims Press For New Laws

Weinstein said the Cal/OSHA ruling against Treasure Island is a milestone in three ways:

• “The ruling unequivocally states that the adult film performers are employees, not independent contractors, as the industry regularly asserts, and as such are indeed covered under OSHA workplace safety statutes.
• “It is the first time an adult film company cited (by Cal/OSHA) has gone to a full trial for appeal instead of settling, paying -- or ignoring -- its citations.
• “It is the first time an adult film company has lost in this precedent-setting court ruling.”

As a result of the ruling, Treasure Island will have to pay a fine of about $9,000 -- an amount Kenslea calls a “drop in the hat” for an industry as lucrative as porn.

Production in Los Angeles County’s profitable porn industry has dropped significantly -- 95 percent within a year -- since November 2012, after voters passed Measure B, which made condoms mandatory during film production in the county.

The AHF-sponsored measure was aimed at preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases within the industry’s actors.

Producers and actors within the industry have challenged the voter-approved law, saying that it infringes on actors’ First Amendment rights and is driving the industry out of Los Angeles and California, among other complaints.

In 2012, AHF kicked off a statewide campaign to take Measure B to Sacramento. Furthering the campaign, Assemblyman Isadore Hall, III (D-Los Angeles) in 2013 introduced Assembly Bill 332, a statewide law that would require condom use by all adult film performers in California. 

Permits for Adult Films Drop Drastically in Los Angeles County

Kenslea told NBC4 on Sunday the bill has yet to gain traction, but has hopes it will be reintroduced later this year, citing the landmark decision as a step in the right direction.

Since Treasure Island appealed their citations, the recent Cal/OSHA ruling has set a precedent for the performers and producers, as a slew of worker protection laws must now apply to them.

Though AHF plans to to continue to follow its barrier protection campaign, Kenslea said the organization will not go as "full force” thanks to the judge’s plan to enforce worker protection laws.

A 23-year-old man and several minors were arrested for violating a social host ordinance as San Diego County Sheriff's deputies broke up a house party in San Marcos on Saturday evening, according to officials.

Deputies said they received a 911 call from a woman who gave them the address to a home located at 1420 Borden Road at about 10:45 p.m.

The woman reportedly didn't give any further details beyond the address and was heard crying before the phone line disconnected.

Deputies headed to the scene in order to check on the woman and upon arrival discovered a large house party was underway.

Officials said that when deputies knocked on the home's front door, a man identified as Jason Gonzales opened the door and said he was the host of the party.

After opening the door, Gonzales got into a physical altercation with deputies, at which point he was arrested for resisting arrest and for violating a social host ordinance, according to deputies.

Deputies said they also arrested several underage minors at the party who were determined to be intoxicated.

It wasn't immediately clear what happened to the woman who gave deputies the address. According to Sheriff's officials, deputies were unable to locate her.

Police say they know who shot two people, and then himself, inside a crowded suburban mall not far from Washington, D.C. Saturday.

But they still don't know why.

Sunday, police identified Darion Marcus Aguilar, of College Park, Md., as the gunman who shot and killed two people at the Mall in Columbia in Columbia, Md. Saturday. Aguilar died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

One other person was shot and injured, and four more people were injured as shoppers rushed to find shelter in the chaos after the shooting.

Late Sunday, police said they had not determined a motive, or even how Aguilar and the two victims were related.

"At this point -- we still have more work to do, still have more interviews to do -- we have no known relationship between the victims and our shooter," Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon said at a news conference late Sunday.

The police have seized evidence from Aguilar's home, including a journal in which he expressed "general unhappiness" about his life.

But a motive is still elusive. "There are a lot of unanswered questions,'' McMahon said at another news conference, earlier Sunday.

• WATCH: Neighbors Describe Intense Investigation at Aguilar's Home

Aguilar's body was found near a Mossberg shotgun and ammunition, police said. They also said the shooter had a backpack with explosives in it.

The homemade devices included flash powder and household items, police said Sunday. McMahon called them "not very sophisticated."

Overnight, police searched the mall, including all its stores, with almost 20 bomb-detecting K9 teams. They did not find any other explosives.

Also overnight, police tracked Aguilar's progress through the mall on surveillance video. It shows Aguilar took a cab to the mall, getting there about 10:15 a.m., McMahon said. Aguilar went downstairs in the mall, then came back upstairs to the site of the shooting.

Police said Aguilar fired six to eight shots from the shotgun, apparently purchased in December in Montgomery County, Md.

• PHOTOS: Dramatic Scenes From the Columbia Mall Shooting

Police said Saturday the two killed were Brianna Benlolo, 21, of College Park, Md. and Tyler Johnson, 25, originally of Ellicott City, Md. and more recently of Mt. Airy, Md. Both were employees of Zumiez, a store on the upper level of the mall that caters to teen shoppers.

McMahon said it took officers longer to identify Aguilar because they feared his body may have been booby-trapped with explosives. Police used robots to help check the body.

• MORE: Mall Shooting Victims; A Mom, a 'Nice Neighbor'

Police also have searched the Hollywood Road home in College Park where Aguilar lived with his mother, and seized some potential evidence.

So far, little is known about Aguila. Police said he had no criminal record.

He graduated in 2013 from James Hubert Blake High School in Montgomery County, said Dana Tofig, a schools spokesman. Students who attended school with Aguila said he was an avid skateboarder.

• MORE: Police Dispatchers React to 911 Calls

The five people who were injured were transported to Howard County General Hospital. The injured were treated and released Saturday, according to the hospital.

The mall was closed Sunday; it will reopen Monday at 1 p.m. There are two memorial sites planned Monday, one at the entrance near Starbucks, the other inside at center court.

The shooting threw the popular mall into chaos. Witnesses described hearing the shots shortly after 11 a.m., and watching some victims fall, while others fled. 

"They just kept shooting and it didn't stop," said one witness.

She said she heard what sounded like "something being dropped" and then realized the sound was gunshots.

She rescued one child and then ran back to her job at a children's hair salon to secure the others.

"I work in Cartoon Cuts; I was downstairs getting a tea for my boss," she said. "And all of a sudden I heard ... it sounded like someone dropped something. And all of a sudden I see people fall, three people fall to the ground. I don't know what happened to them. And all I see is people going down to the floor and running.

"I just saw everybody run, so I ran."

Another shopper said he was in Sears when the shots rang out. "I heard a bang, and I was like man, that kinda sounds like a gunshot," said the young man.

"Then I see people running, and I hear some people screaming, and I heard it again -- boom, boom, boom. And people just started screaming and running. It was just complete madness."

• RAW VIDEO: Eyewitnesses Describe Chaotic Scene

Another eyewitness, a young woman, said she was in a PacSun store when the shooting happened: "We just heard gunshots, and then this lady came into the store and said there's a guy with a gun ... Me and my friend just ran in the back room.

"We were crying and we were just scared out of our minds, because our thought was that we were going to get shot."

News4 spoke to one man who said he was in phone contact with his daughter, who was taking shelter in a Bank of America inside the mall, along with dozens of others.

"People were panicking," the man said.

Zumiez issued a statement on its Facebook page Saturday evening expressing deep sadness over the shooting: "The Zumiez team is a tight knit community and all of our hearts go out to Brianna and Tyler’s families."

The mall, which is officially named "The Mall in Columbia" but is widely known as Columbia Mall, is located in Columbia, Md., between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

"The Columbia Mall has a very unique place in the county," McMahon said Sunday. "It's not just an economic institution. It's really a place of community."

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