Two bodies were discovered as firefighters battled a house fire Friday in the North County community of Rainbow, and investigators are now looking into the possibility of foul play.

The fire started around 1:30 a.m. inside the home in the 1900 block of Rice Canyon Road.

When crews arrived, fire was coming from the back of the home and engulfing half of the structure.

The house, which is part of a fully operational nursery on almost two acres of land, is currently up for sale.

Deputies with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department have not released identity or gender on the fire victims, but county property records list husband and wife Hyon Hong, 78, and Chang Hay Hong, 76, as the owners. 

Their realtor Joe Mears told NBC 7 the couple immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea in the mid-80s, and once they sold their home, they planned to move back to be near friends. 

Detectives called Mears around 5 a.m. Friday to tell him the sad news. 

"I said, 'They're not dead?' He said, 'Yes,' and then he alluded to the fact that -- and he could not go into details; I respect that -- but they did have bomb and arson here, and I kind of got that there may be a reason for malice, some kind of homicide, which I hope is not true," said Mears. 

Neighbors of the couple said if it was the Hongs who died, it would be a huge loss for the community.

"They were so sweet. They were just caring people," said neighbor Vanessa Torres.

"It's a shame to lose a neighbor. It's tough," echoed neighbor Buddy Santamaria.

Investigators with the department's Bomb and Arson Team were on site to try to figure out the cause of fire.

They are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information about the fire should call the homicide detail at 858-974-2321 or if it's after hours, call 858-565-5200.

A U.S. Marine convicted of badly beating a man outside a country music concert in Chula Vista was sentenced Friday in a San Diego-area courtroom to one year behind bars and three years probation.

Last month, a jury found Sgt. Raymond Sharkey guilty of two felony counts of assault and battery in the brutal September 2012 beating of Zachary Zander.

At the sentencing, Sharkey's attorney, Jason Conge, delivered a last-minute argument for probation instead of jail time, telling the judge that the evidence shows there were several Marines involved in the beating, and to put it all on Sharkey would be unfair.

"I know if he could have gone back and he could change what he did that night, I know he would. But he can’t,” said Conge.

Zander and his friends were tailgating in the parking lot at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre during a Jason Aldean concert when they got into a violent altercation with Sharkey and a group of Marines.

At Sharkey’s preliminary hearing last October, Zander testified that the confrontation between the groups quickly escalated and the group of Marines severely battered him. Zander said he was beaten so badly, he suffered several broken bones in his face and underwent reconstructive surgery. He was also treated for a broken leg, broken nose and chipped teeth.

On the stand at that time, Zander said he felt as if his assailants were trying to kill him.

“While I was on the ground, I was being hit repeatedly in the head. I felt a sharp pain in my leg. That’s when I assumed someone stomped on my leg – broke it, or kicked it and broke it,” Zander testified.
“[I] also felt someone’s hand trying to gauge fingers in my eyes; I felt someone's hand go in the side of my mouth and begin trying to turn my cheek to turn my head and expose it."

The victim said the fight began after the Marines were bothering several women in Zander’s tailgating group, prompting him to step in and confront the men. Zander said Sharkey was the first in the group to punch him in the face.

Sharkey maintained his innocence through his trial, but was ultimately convicted.

At Friday's sentencing, about 20 Marines from his platoon showed up to support him. His attorney reminded the judge that Sharkey has had eight years of service as a Marine and the trial process has taken him from his duties, including being deployed. He argued Sharkey is not a danger to society.

On the other side, Zander's mother, Cheryl Zander, spoke of the pain and fear her family has endured. She said she's had nightmares since the night of the beating that Marines were coming to stalk and attack her and her family.

Cheryl also spoke of spending all hours of the day and night caring for her son after the beating, feeding him with a syringe and giving him medication. She begged the judge for severe punishment for Sharkey.

Keith Zander, the victim's father through tears, also spoke before the judge. He said he too had recurring nightmares about Marines following the beating of his son.

“I kept dreaming of these groups of demonic thugs hiding on the edge of our property, planning to ambush our loved ones with. My dreams would end with chainsaws, knives, baseball bats,” he said.

The father reminded the judge of the terrible pain his son experienced. He said Zander lost 15 pounds, had to be fed only soft food and wound up with eight bolts in his jaw.

“He said it was like his face was being hit by a bolt of lightning,” added Keith.

A letter written by Zander was read on his behalf as well. It stated, in part:

“I have never felt such a feeling of helplessness and complete inability to protect myself or those around me. That feeling of the resulting extensive injuries I sustained affected me physically, emotionally and mentally."

In the end, Zander's parents said they were pleased with the Sharkey's sentence but said their battle isn't over.

“There’s one guy down and four or five other guys that have not been brought to justice yet,” said Keith. “At this point, that’s what our objective is going to be – to deal with the NCIS and military.”

“It’s a good outcome and I hope it sends a message to other Marines that this behavior is not acceptable. Their job is to defend their country, which we are part of," said Cheryl. "I hope and pray that this was just a rogue group and unusual behavior. I know that it shouldn’t color the whole Marine Corps. But it was very, very tragic and brutal and we are very thankful for what was handed down today.”

 San Diego County has seen more than double the number of pertussis cases this year compared to last, according to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA).

Nine new instances of whooping cough, which may have left others exposed, brings the county’s total to 895.

Just 120 cases were reported by this time last year, and for the whole of 2013, 431 cases were confirmed.

“The county and state are experiencing an epidemic of pertussis,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., a county public health officer.

She said infants are at the greatest risk for severe illness or death from the disease. 

According to the HHSA, the new cases were reported at the following locations, and all but two patients were up-to-date on their immunizations:

• A 7-year-old at Mason Elementary School
• An 8-year-old at Dailard Elementary School
• A 9-year-old who was not up-to-date with immunizations at Indian Hills Camp in Jamul
• A 10-year-old at Normal Heights Elementary School
• An 11-year-old who was not up-to-date with immunizations at Lincoln Acres School
• A 14-year-old at Hillsdale Middle School
• A 15-year-old at San Ysidro High School
• A 16-year-old at Altus Charter School of San Diego and El Cajon Learning Center
• A person at Boys and Girls Clubs of Oceanside

Pertussis begins with a cough and runny nose that progresses after one or two weeks to rapid coughing fits with the characteristic whooping sound.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children get the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine at 2 months old, 4 months old, 6 months old, 15 to 18 months old and 4 to 6 years old.

Students entering seventh grade are required to show proof they got the Tdap booster shot, and experts say all pregnant women should get the booster in their third trimester.

The leaders of some of the groups coordinating rallies against undocumented immigrants this weekend are Tea Party backers with histories of colorful, and sometimes controversial, tactics protesting the Obama administration.

Critics of the recent surge in children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, and of plans to house them, are protesting nationwide Friday and Saturday, on highway overpasses, in state capitals and at Mexican consulates.

William Gheen, the president of Americans for Legal Immigration, describes himself as a veteran campaign consultant who has fought illegal immigration for a decade. He says he previously worked for North Carolina's state government as a legislative assistant and on the Senate sergeant-at-arms staff.

More recently, Gheen and his group have attracted attention, and their share of criticism, over the years for their colorful activist tactics and public remarks.

Gheen once organized a campaign urging supporters to send used underwear to Obama and to House Speaker John Boehner, in mocking response to a call by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for new underwear for detained immigrants. He has also said his group decided to call Obama "Dictator Barack Obama."

• Kids Crossing the Border: What to Know About the Immigration Crisis

But critics say that Gheen overstates his group’s influence and that Americans for Legal Immigration is essentially a one-man show.

He has come under fire for the distribution of the donations made to his group. According to OpenSecrets.org, which tracks money in politics, the group has spent $1,904 against Republicans, including South Carolina's Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, in primaries for the 2014 midterm elections and has spent no money campaigning for Republicans or Democrats — at the same time Gheen was taking a $69,379 salary.

Gheen has also been criticized for saying at a rally that Graham was gay and for urging him to come out, ostensibly so his sexual orientation would not be used against him. Graham has long denied suggestions that he is gay.

• Protesters: Dallas School Is Unfit to House Undocumented Kids

"We’re hoping to raise awareness about the Obama-inspired illegal immigrant surge at our southern border," Gheen said of the rallies.

He accused Obama of trying to transfer the immigrants to shelters around the country as a means of lessening the chances they might be deported, and he said the undocumented children's age should not affect how they are treated.

“The law applies to everyone, and the law needs to be enforced,” Gheen said. “These children and adults with them should not be housed and transported at taxpayer expense to the interior of the country and dispersed.”

• "That Was Me": New Citizens Sympathize With Immigrants

Organizing the protests alongside Americans for Legal Immigration is Overpasses for America, a Tea Party-affiliated group that encourages demonstrators to protest on highway overpasses to capture drivers' attention.

The group's founder, James Neighbors, said that undocumented immigrants should be quarantined because they might have communicable diseases like tuberculosis or hepatitis C, a charge critics say is unfounded.

“People are fired up all over the country about this,” Neighbors said. “They’re tired of seeing America invaded.”

Neighbors is no stranger to protests on overpasses. He previously organized the group Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment, which encouraged Obama’s critics to take their protest signs to overpasses. He was inspired to form that group, he explained, by the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi.

Last year, some of that group’s leadership resigned after accusing him of using money donated to the group for personal use — accusations Neighbors says are lies.

Neighbors said he borrowed money that had been donated specifically for his use while he was in the midst of a workman’s compensation dispute. A former Oklahoma corrections officer, he was injured while protecting a coworker during a fight between inmates, he said.

• Undocumented Mom: Gangs in Honduras Threatened My Kids

To critics like Henry Fernandez, a senior fellow at the progressive think tank the Center for American Progress, Neighbors' affiliation with impeachment efforts show how fringe his anti-immigration effort is.

Fernandez said he didn't expect the immigration protests to draw many people in most places.

One of the organizations, Overpasses For America, pushes "this broad range of conspiracy theories, where the government is trying to take the country away and rights away from real Americans, whatever that might be," he said.

And all three are small groups on the fringe, he said.

North Texans unhappy about the border crisis are letting their voices be heard at protests Friday and Saturday.

Dozens of people gathered in downtown Dallas to protest Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins' work to bring 2,000 undocumented immigrant children to the county for care, while protesters in Fort Worth took to the street in front of several government agencies on West 7th Street.

Those protests were among 10 planned in North Texas and hundreds being held across the country, as part of a nationwide response to the undocumented immigration surge and what opponents call immigration reform amnesty.

• Immigration Protest Organizers Include Veteran Obama Critics

At the Dallas protest, people who support Judge Jenkins' efforts came out to the same block to counter-protest. Supporters of the plan to take in the immigrant children said it’s our human responsibility to care for the children.

Jenkins released a statement in response to the demonstration.

"I am focused on working with our community, faith leaders and federal partners on helping traumatized children in crisis move from detention on the border to compassionate care here," he said. "Leaders can empower grace and mercy or incite fear and anger, but it's the community that responds. Dallas County residents have overwhelmingly chosen compassion."

The protests — launched by Make Them Listen, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC and Overpasses for America — will continue Saturday.

North Texas protest locations, according to Americans for Legal Immigration:

FRIDAY
Dallas: 411 Elm St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fort Worth: 501 W. 7th St., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Arlington: Overpass at Davis Street Bridge at I-30, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Corinth: Corner of I-35E and Swisher Road, 7 a.m. to noon
Waxahachie: Cantrell Overpass at I-35, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rockwall: Horizon Road and Highway 30 Overpass, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

SATURDAY
Fort Worth: Overpass at 2850 Heritage Trace Parkway at I-35 West, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Allen: Highway 75 at Exchange Overpass, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rockwall: Horizon Road and Highway 30 Overpass, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Waxahachie: Cantrell Overpass at I-35, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

A market robber is believed to have accidentally killed his accomplice during a fight with the owner of the El Sereno store they were robbing Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

A 21-year-old man allegedly shot a 35-year-old man at the market at 11:15 a.m., according to police.

"There was an altercation with the store owner, who tried to take the rifle away,'' LAPD officer Nuria Vanegas said.

The man who was shot was wielding a machete, police said.

The men's names were not immediately released.

The store owner was uninjured.

El Sereno is about 8 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

 An 8-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital Friday night after she fell from the balcony of a rental home in Mission Beach. 

The fall happened around 6:45 p.m. in the 700 block of Isthmus Court. 

Emergency crews took the girl to Rady Childrens Hospital, but officials have not released her condition. 

People nearby told NBC 7 the girl will be fine and has a broken wrist. 

On July 10, an 11-month-old baby girl died after she tumbled from the third story window at an apartment complex. 

Check back for details on this developing story. 

More and more homeowners are buying umbrellas -- but not the kind that protect them from the rain. Instead they are buying umbrella insurance policies with coverage that starts at a million dollars.

“I want to protect what I’ve spent my entire career building,” said Terry Kaltenbach.

He pays for a $2 million policy so he can sleep better at night.

“If someone comes and stumbles in your driveway or something like that and you get sued, it attaches to your homeowner policy and covers all the way up to the limits of the policy,” explained Kaltenbach.

An umbrella policy kicks in where your automobile and home policies end.

Attorney Gary Quackenbush said umbrella insurance is a very affordable way to extend liability coverage on multiple assets.

“Because it raises the limits if there is a claim that exceeds your existing policy limits,” said Quackenbush, “you’d be covered.”

State Farm agent Walt Waggener said a $1 million policy can be as cheap as $200 a year, depending on factors like the number of cars, drivers and rental properties. A $2 million policy often runs around $400.

“The umbrella policy shouldn’t be purchased for the amount of your assets,” said Waggener. “The umbrella policy should be viewed as a wall of protection between whatever assets you have and those people who would like to take them away in a lawsuit.”

Waggener told NBC 7 his agency has seen two losses among his clients where a $2 million policy helped save his clients’ home or income. One involved a traffic accident and the other a boating accident; in both cases the settlement exceeded the maximum limit of the individual car and boat coverage.

“The umbrella policy gives you a lot more money with which to pay for the other person’s problem,” said Waggener.

Financial experts suggest people with dual incomes exceeding $100,000 with a home should consider buying an umbrella policy. Even renters could consider a policy if they have a substantial income. An umbrella could also come into play if the homeowner owns a dog, swimming pool, trampoline, tree house, play set or an ATV -- anything that could invite a lawsuit.

“It’s a way to avoid bankruptcy,” said Gary Quackenbush.

He said homeowners should consider getting coverage at least two or three times their assets.

“There’s no magic number,” said Waggener, “It’s just a good idea to have more of it than less of it.”

A 6-day black rhino was already seen trotting around the exhibit on Friday morning -- in adorable fashion.

The baby rhino alternated between staying close to his mother and running and exploring the exhibit. Mom Lembe showed her protection of the calf by keeping her tail pointed up, a cue that lets her baby know she’s on high alert and watching him.

The male calf, born on July 12, was a significant birth for the San Diego Zoo, as black rhinos are critically endangered species and only 5,000 are left in the wild because of poaching.

A news release Friday from the zoo didn't say whether the young calf had a name yet.

This is the 15th black rhino born at the Safari Park and fifth calf to Lembe and father Jambia. Both mother and calf are visible to guests taking the Safari Park's Africa Tram tour.

In February, a one-horned rhino named Parvesh was born at the zoo.

Zoo officials said the Safari Park is the foremost breeding facility in the world for the rhino species.

A Utah teenager who has battled a brain tumor for the past 15 years has become San Diego's first pediatric patient to receive a specialized cancer therapy.

Natalie Wright, 17, underwent her final round of proton therapy cancer treatment at the Scripps Proton Therapy Center on Summers Ridge Road Friday morning.

The treatment was first made available to adult patients in San Diego back in February but Wright recently became the first child to receive the therapy.

Wright was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of two and has undergone numerous rounds of chemotherapy. Specialists said this new treatment, however, reached parts of the tumor that previous ones could not.

Wright’s father said her treatment began on June 6. Over the past month, the teen has had 30 treatments – one each morning – lasting about a half-hour each.

On Friday, before returning home to Utah, the teen took a moment to thank the hospital staff.

“I just think that being away from home for six weeks was a long time, and you guys were all so nice. It just made me feel so good, to have that comfort, and to have that love and support,” she said. “I’m just so grateful.”

Wright said she’s felt good throughout the proton therapy process, and her father said that is a huge relief.

“She’s felt good the whole time. That’s the great thing about proton therapy – she really doesn’t feel the effects so that’s a lot different than neurosurgery,” he told NBC 7.

Before leaving, Wright unveiled a piece of superhero artwork that she drew herself, which will stay at the Scripps Proton Therapy Center.

The artwork features a quote from iconic “Superman” actor Christopher Reeve that Wright found on the internet: “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

Wright is one of less than 900 pediatric patients in the U.S. to receive the proton therapy care this year. The Scripps Proton Therapy Center is the newest of just 15 of its kind nationwide.
 

A 54-year-old San Diego woman was stabbed by a stranger Friday who became enraged because she was smoking, according to police. He has been arrested on an attempted murder charge.

Police say Terrance Behan, 70, confronted the victim on Mission Boulevard in Mission Beach at around 10:40 a.m. because she was smoking. He grabbed her and put a knife to her throat, according to police.

The pair struggled, and the woman broke free. Behan then stabbed the victim on the left side of her chest, police said.

The victim suffered a small laceration to her chest and abrasions on her throat. She was treated at the scene, while Behan was taken into custody.

Behan was booked into San Diego Central Jail on an attempted murder charge. He’s scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The incident remains under investigation, and anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
 

The fastest growing group of U.S. military veterans in need of a little help are post-9/11 vets and a San Diego-based program is doing its part to offer that assistance.

On Friday, Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) held its 27th Annual National Stand Down for Homeless Veterans event. Volunteers gathered at San Diego High School to provide services to hundreds of former military service members who live on the streets.

The outreach event began with breakfast and coffee. With more than 100 agencies present and providing help, vets were then offered showers, barbers, medical care, dental care and clothing. Other services included picture IDs for those who needed them, counseling services, chaplain services, shelter information and access to 12-step meetings.

Many of those veterans in need of a hand up are young, and the military has been their only career.

“I just turned 18 when I got into the Army. Since I’ve been an adult that’s all I’ve known,” said Quai Wentt, whose career as an officer in the Army ended this year.

Wentt said it has taken some time to figure out what she wants to do next.

Thanks to one of the many agencies partaking in the Stand Out event, Wentt is getting the support she needs to move forward in the civilian world.

Rick Ochocki of the Veterans Village of San Diego said the recession has been very hard on young veterans.

“[These are] men and women who have been working for eight to 10 years and are discharged into a civilian economy that maybe isn't ready to absorb them,” he explained.

Wentt, who is a psychology major, is taking the steps to build a new life. She has clear aspirations for her future.

“I want to do research on mental health disorders and the biological mechanisms behind that and I think that is a way I can give back,” she said.

San Diego’s Stand Down event runs through Sunday.
 

The news didn’t take long to spread before a San Diegan was mourning the loss of a good friend aboard Thursday’s ill-fated Malaysia Airlines jetliner.

For Dr. Douglas Richman, who teaches at University of California San Diego and runs the Center for AIDS Research, the tragedy of the passenger plane downed by a missile fired from a separatist-held region in Ukraine hits very close to home.

“Within an hour or two I think there were people who knew he was on the plane,” said Richman.

He’s referring to Dr. Joep Lange, his friend of 25 years.

Lange was among the nearly 300 passengers on Flight 17. He was on his way to an international AIDS conference in Australia when the jetliner was shot to the ground.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Richman told NBC 7 he can’t help but feel a rush of personal and painful feelings.

“Obviously a bunch of anger – a bunch of jerks who got themselves a big gun and decided to shoot a plane down,” he said.

The two AIDS researchers met in the late 1980s while working in the area of HIV drug resistance and immediately became good friends, visiting each other on a regular basis in the years to come.

“He was a remarkable human being and a great researcher and innovator,” said Richman. “There are many others working in this area, not many who are as clear thinking and innovative as he was.”

Some media outlets are reporting more than 100 AIDS researchers on the doomed flight, although NBC News has not confirmed that number and believes it will turn out to be much lower.

Richman, who opted not to attend this year’s conference, is nervous he will know additional victims if and when they are identified.

On Friday, President Barack Obama confirmed one American, Quinn Schansman, 19, was among those killed on the flight.
 

 The man whose body was found charred in the aftermath of the Poinsettia Fire in Carlsbad did not die from the flames, a medical examiner’s report reveals.

During May’s destructive firestorm, the burned remains of 47-year-old Adolfo Velasco were discovered outside the Maldonado Grower’s Farm by the farm’s owner.

Maldonado had employed Velasco several years before his death, but Velasco had since quit and lived in an encampment on a county-owned field next to the farm, according to the report.

In the course of their investigation, medical examiners discovered from medical records that Velasco had a history of alcohol abuse and unspecified illness and he died with a blood alcohol content of 0.35 in his system.

• Read: 2 Bodies Found in Rainbow House Fire

Although he was found in the burned area, “there is no evidence suggesting that [Velasco] was alive and breathing at the time of the fire. Such evidence would include soot present in the airways,” the report reads.

Instead, the medical examiners determined Velasco died from cardiovascular disease, with chronic alcoholism as a contributing factor.

His manner of death is considered natural.

Sparked on the Omni La Costa Golf Course, the Poinsettia Fire burned 600 acres and destroyed 23 homes and apartment buildings in Carlsbad, but no other injuries or deaths were reported.

The private property losses totaled $12 million. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Officials say an eight-year veteran of the NYPD has been stripped of his badge and gun because of his use of a chokehold while arresting a Staten Island man who later died in police custody.

Authorities said Saturday that Officer Daniel Pantaleo has been place on modified assignment pending further investigation into the arrest of 43-year-old Eric Garner, which was captured on cellphone video showing the chokehold, a tactic prohibited by NYPD policy.

WATCH RAW VIDEO OF THE CHOKEHOLD HERE

Officials said another officer involved in the arrest, a four-year veteran of the force who has not been identified, has been put on administrative duty but has not had to surrender his gun and shield.

Earlier on Saturday, the Rev. Al Sharpton rallied with supporters and the family of Garner, whose arrest was captured on a cellphone video that has sparked outrage among some community members. Garner's wife collapsed in tears on stage.

"The issue is not whether one was selling cigarettes. The issue was how an unarmed man was subjected to a chokehold, and the result is he is no longer with us," Sharpton said after leading the crowd in chants of "no justice, no peace."  

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said in a statement that the NYPD's decision regarding Officer Pantaleo was politically motivated.

"The department’s modification of this police officer under these circumstances is a completely unwarranted, kneejerk reaction for political reasons and nothing more," Lynch said. "It is a decision by the department that effectively pre-judges this case and denies the officer the very benefit of a doubt that has long been part of the social contract that allows police officers to face the risks of this difficult and complex job."

The Staten Island District Attorney is investigating the death of Garner, who was being arrested for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes on Victory Boulevard and Bay Street in Tompkinsville at about 4:45 p.m. Thursday, according to police.

While he was being handcuffed, he went into cardiac arrest, police said. He was taken to Richmond University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

• Father Beats Accused Child Abuser

Video of the arrest obtained by the Daily News shows Garner saying repeatedly "I can't breathe, I can't breathe," as officers hold him down and cuff him. The video shows one officer using a chokehold on Garner, a tactic prohibited by the NYPD.  

Mayor de Blasio said he was "very troubled" by the video and promised a thorough NYPD investigation in conjunction with the office of Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr.

"It is too early to jump to any conclusions about this case--we must wait for all the facts and details of the incident to emerge," de Blasio said.

The mayor recalled Garner as a beloved father and grandfather.  Witnesses said Garner was "gentle."

• Bank Robbery Victim's Family Describes "Nightmare"

"He was a gentle giant. That man should not be dead," said the Rev. Lloyd Land. "He was as nice a person as you would ever want to meet."

Ramsey Orta, 22, who shot the video posted by the Daily News, told The Associated Press that Garner had just broken up a fight between two other men when the police approached him, claiming they'd observed him selling loose cigarettes.

"Before they even grabbed him, he told them he wasn't feeling good and that's why I pulled the camera out and started recording," said Orta, adding that Garner was asthmatic.

Police have launched an investigation in response to threatening graffiti targeting hipsters in San Francisco's Mission District.

The graffiti, which appeared on a wall Friday morning at 24th and Bryant streets, has since been painted over. The graffiti also warns hipsters they have six months to leave the area, and warns "if you don't my soldiers will gladly come gunnin. Kill hipster yuppies."

The graffiti appeared around the corner from the Roosevelt Tamale Parlor, which Aaron Presbrey purchased recently with the goal of preserving it.

"Some of that could be directed toward me personally," Presbrey said of the graffiti.  "I'm also concerned about the affect on business and if people want to come to the neighborhood."

• Bank Robbery Victim's Family Describes "Nightmare"

Presbrey is not the only one feeling uneasy. San Francisco-resident Sheerein Hosseini called the graffiti intimidating and wonders if those responsible are also vandalizing cars.

"Before my car got broken into yesterday someone tried to break the windshield wipers," Hosseini said.

Police said they are reviewing surveillance video and trying to match the signature to known taggers. Police also said they do not believe the graffiti is gang related.

• Father Beats Accused Child Abuser

Supervisor David Campos said a changing population is creating tension in the Mission District.

"There are issues of gentrification and displacement," he said. "But the way to deal with it is through dialogue."

An 11-year-old girl has died after she was struck by a stray bullet in a West Side Chicago home Friday evening.

It happened in the 3900 block of West Gladys Avenue in the Garfield Park neighborhood at about 9:30 p.m.

Community activist Andrew Holmes tells NBC 5 that the bullets came through a bedroom window and struck Shamiya Adams in the head while she was at a sleepover.

Police said the girl was in a first-floor bedroom at the time of the shooting, but could not confirm if she was at a friend's home at the time.

• Father Beats Accused Child Abuser
• Woman Skips Forgery Sentencing With Fake Doctor's Note

Police initially reported the girl was 10 years old, but said Saturday morning she was 11.

Adams was initially taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office confirmed Saturday morning that the girl had died.

"We do need these individuals and we need them in custody as soon as possible," Holmes said.

Aaron Hills said his daughter was the young girl's best friend and was in the room at the time of the shooting.

He said the girls were having a sleepover with friends and the group was about to make s'mores in the house when the shots were fired.

"They was in there making sandwiches with marshmallows with graham crackers and a bullet came through the window and hit Shamiya in the head," Hills said. "We have to put a stop to it. Get out and talk, don't be scared no matter who it is. If you know something, say something. It doesn't matter who you are."

• Stranger Stabs Woman for Smoking: Police

Rosemarie Jones was in the home when Adams was shot.

"It's sad, just sad," she said. "They were just sitting there and I hear shots and I come in and she was laying on the floor. They were fixing to make s'mores in the backyard but I told them to come in the house because I didn't want them making a fire back there. I told them to come in and do it in the microwave so all the kids came in and sat in the room."

The shooting has sparked outrage in the community.

"You took a joyful, sweet innocent child," Hills said.

"Violence cannot be tolerated and it's not condoned," said David Pope, a minister in the area. "We are praying this traffic circumstance will turn into a triumphant one."

Jones said she was doing her best to keep children off the streets.

"I'm trying to get kids off the streets," she said. "They are in the house fixing to do something good and get together and this happens in the house."

Adams' grandmother said the young girl had a twin brother and an older brother.

"She was adorable," said Nanette Dailey. "Shamiya we love you baby."

The young girl is the second juvenile girl to be shot in the neighborhood Friday and is among more than 20 people shot overnight in the city..

Earlier, a 12-year-old girl was among three shot in the same neighborhood around 3:30 p.m., police said.

The shooting happened in the 700 block of North Ridgeway Avenue.

The girl, along with a 33-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man were shot when someone approached them on foot and opened fire.

Both the girl and the woman, who was shot in the face, were taken in stable condition to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

The man suffered a graze wound to the calf and was treated at the scene, police said.

An 83-year-old man is facing an attempted murder charge in Miami after an apparent case of road rage led to shots being fired Friday afternoon.

According to Miami Police, Mario Perez-Tano, 83, was stopped at a traffic light in his red Volkswagen Beetle at the intersection of NW 12th Avenue and 7th Street in Miami. Another driver in a white Acura was going the same direction as Perez-Tano and tried to get in front of Perez-Tano’s car.

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Police said Perez-Tano blocked the other car and then got out of his vehicle with a .38 caliber handgun and shot at the Acura. The bullet went through the driver’s side window and grazed the driver on the arm.

Miami Police said the Acura tried to drive away from the scene and Perez-Tano took several shots at the car. Police stopped Perez-Tano and found the gun on his waistband. He was taken to the Dade County Jail on one count of attempted murder.