A man and a woman were found dead in a San Marcos mobile home Monday in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide, planned in documents found at the scene, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Residents were told to evacuate or shelter in place as deputies and a SWAT team responded to the 11000 block of East Barham Drive in the San Marcos Mobile Estates. They first received a report of gunshots at about 3:40 p.m., sheriff's officials said.

Deputies surrounded the mobile home to try to contact the people inside, and they deployed flash bang grenades when they got no response for three hours.

When the entered the home, they found two bodies. Neighbors say Bill and Inge Gery, a couple in their 80s, own the home.

According to sheriff's Lt. John Maryon, the shooting was a murder-suicide motivated by the woman's declining health.

Investigators found a handgun and evidence to indicate the man had been planning this for some time.

"There is a note that was left behind that kind of outlines the plan and other documents left behind to help facilitate things that would occur after a person's death," said Maryon.

Those who had evacuated seemed less surprised at the outcome and more sad that it came to this.

"It just probably go to the point where he couldn't stand seeing her go through the pain," said neighbor Ken Scott. "He probably just thought of it himself that he wanted to do something."

As the Chargers and local government negotiators prepare to sit down at the bargaining table Tuesday, court documents say the team allegedly began talking about a stadium with Carson city officials in mid-2013 – farther back than anyone suspected.

In an amended complaint filed against the city of Carson, Richard Rand, a real estate developer, says he started trying to find Carson an NFL team in 2008. In 2012, his company Rand Resources signed an exclusive agreement to be the city’s agent for an NFL deal.

But the lawsuit alleges another company, U.S. Capital, began working with the city on a similar mission in at least the summer of 2013, meeting with NFL team representatives “including the San Diego Chargers, about relocating to Carson,” the document says. Rand Resources wants $56 million in damages.

That timeline, if true, would mean the Chargers set the ball rolling on a Carson stadium deal about a year earlier than previously believed.

The team has maintained that a Carson stadium would be their “Plan B” and their first choice would be staying put in San Diego. Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos will be discussing that “Plan A” Tuesday with Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

“The timing is right,” said Tony Manolatos, the spokesman for Faulconer’s Citizens Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG). “The city and county are on good financial footing, so that's encouraging."

But sources told NBC 7 the back-and-forth between city and county officials and the team has turned “toxic” -- a word that does not raise expectations already on the low side.

Is Team Spanos inclined, at this early stage, to engage on the overall framework of the Mission Valley redevelopment plan that CSAG rolled out?

"If they're confident saying that, I think we're headed toward a major campaign toward a new stadium in Mission Valley,” said the Voice of San Diego’s Scott Lewis, who has extensively covered the Chargers’ stadium dilemma. “If they're not willing to say that, then we may have an indication that the Chargers told them this whole framework is not something they're interested in."

There's reason not to rush things too much. In this high stakes poker game, early bet-hiking and bluff-calling could result in needless "lose-lose" outcomes.

But the Bolts don't want to lose a race to the L.A. market with Stan Kroenke, the multibillionaire owner of the St. Louis Rams who has bought up land in Inglewood for a stadium of his own.

"He has more money than God, and his wife has more money than him,” said Manolatos. “He wants to build a stadium in Inglewood; he was blowing things up this weekend to prepare that stadium. So he's driving a lot of this. And Stan has the money, he has the land. So everybody is sort of trying to play catch-up with Stan."

Conventional wisdom says the Chargers are reacting to Mission Valley site and financing plan put forth by CSAG and Faulconer with "the sound of one hand clapping” at best.

They've gotten so far along with their "Plan B" in Carson that the San Diego city and county negotiating team will need fallback proposals from their financial consultants and breathing room from the NFL to pull out a Hail Mary that the Bolts will embrace.

"There are too many people in San Diego, and they have such a strong presence here in San Diego to just jump ship and go to another city. They'd be risking a lot,” said Little Italy resident Deanna Degidio.

Even among longtime Charger fans, there's a sense that maybe the team has overstayed its welcome.

"You know, we want a winner -- and at any cost,” said El Cajon resident Dennis Cooley. “So I think it's time for a new team. Hiring good people. Gotta get a new ownership in here at get a winner on the field."

During Tuesday’s time at the negotiating table, Faulconer and Spanos are expected to come up with a game place for the proposed 65,000-seat stadium in Mission Valley.

The CSAG financing plan includes a $1.1 billion price tag and has the Chargers paying for $300 million of it. The proposal also banks on the city selling 75 acres of public land for $225 million.

A bar owner in suburban Chicago says he will remove a two-way mirror in the women’s restroom of his bar but on his own terms.

“I understand where it makes women feel uncomfortable,” Cigars and Stripes BBQ owner Ronnie Lottz said in a YouTube video posted Monday intended to “set the record straight” on the recent controversy surrounding his bar. “In the beginning of this it was very, very difficult for me to understand because I didn’t have the mindset of [someone] standing behind the mirror or I would think that someone would do that, it just never occurred to me.”

The issue first surfaced in April when a comedian by the stage name of Tamale Rocks discovered the two-way mirror in the women’s restroom with full view of the toilet as she prepared to perform at the Berwyn venue and posted a video on social media.

"Why, when I go into a public bathroom, when there's an expectation of privacy, am I having to do that due diligence? It's a bathroom!" Rocks told NBC Chicago.

Lottz initially defended the mirror, saying his bar was “a giant funhouse” and there was “no hanky panky going on in that bathroom.”

Lottz said the mirror, which has been around since the early 2000s, was originally designed to scare restroom users by hanging a witch’s head behind the glass as a Halloween gag.

While Lottz promises to take down the mirror, he said he wants to do it on his own terms.

“I’m going to have to take down the mirror,” he said in the video. “But I’m not going to take down the mirror because of the actions of one person. I’m not going to do it. It was a misguided video.”

Lottz claims the comedian took the video about an hour before the performance, but never came to him with her concerns.

“She performed her set and stayed at the bar well after and never once said anything to me about the mirror,” Lottz said. “If she would have come to me directly, or even went to the police, this whole situation could have been avoided.”

Lottz said undoing the social damage to his bar has been difficult, but community support has been overwhelming.

“I’ve never intended to make anyone uncomfortable or to do anything outside of entertaining my guests and giving Berwyn the bar they deserve,” he said. “I love this community and their support during this has been overwhelming.”

Lottz didn’t specify when the mirror would be taken down.
 

Caitlyn Jenner’s blockbuster debut as a woman — with a stunning photo on the cover of Vanity Fair — has a special and powerful significance for one San Diegan who has endured lifelong struggle with his gender identity.

“She is doing something so important,” gay activist Nicole Murray-Ramirez said of Jenner. “Because she could have done this undercover. She could have gone to Europe, stayed there, and had a different life. Because there are nations that are much more accepting of transgender. But Caitlyn isn’t going anywhere. She’s staying here. And she’s letting the world know.”

Murray-Ramirez spent five years of his life as a preoperative transsexual in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

He had cosmetic surgery, breast implants and hormone treatment. But on the cusp of sex change surgery, Murray-Ramirez had second thoughts and, after some intense introspection and psychotherapy, decided not to take that final step, instead embracing life as a gay man.

Murray-Ramirez had a strong and very positive reaction to the Vanity Fair cover photo, which he saw for the first time Monday when NBC 7 showed him the magazine’s website.

“Just by being her and sharing her story — no matter what you think of her — she’s a hero,” Murray said. “Because she’s brave.”

Murray-Ramirez was especially impressed by Jenner’s decision not to drastically change the shape of her face or enlarge her cheekbones and lips with “Hollywood-type” cosmetic surgery.

“Because in surgery — and I’ve had surgery — people go to extremes sometimes. Be they male, female, whatever. And she’s not going to the extreme that Hollywood does.”

Instead, Murray-Ramirez said Jenner “truly wants to reflect femininity. She wants to be a natural woman.”

Murray-Ramirez, who is a longtime activist in the San Diego LGBT community, dismissed critics who think Jenner’s television interview and Vanity Fair cover are designed to capitalize financially on the public’s fascination, or for some — revulsion — with sexual identity issues.

“It isn’t the money,” Murray-Ramirez said. “I’ve met transgender who are extremely wealthy. They could pay for everything, and they did. But they were not happy until they had the complete change and were able to become who they always were.”

But some struggle with Jenner’s transformation and the impact they think it might have on their families.

Kensington resident Sandy Dillon said she should be heartbroken if this was her father.

“It’s so much easier on the other side, outside looking into somebody’s family,” she said, “saying, ‘It’s OK, everyone can be who they want to be.’ But I think if it was me, I think I would have had a really hard time with it.

Still, reaction to the photo has been generally positive, and Murray-Ramirez said Jenner’s debut as Caitlyn will be a special and very positive help for teenagers who are struggling with their gender identity.

“And she’s going to take it to a level that Americans will not only more educated, but hopefully more understanding,” he said.

Murray-Ramirez also hopes people of all sexual identities and preferences will look beyond the photos of the “new” Caitlyn Jenner and identify instead with the person inside and the struggles Jenner has dealt with much of her life.

“She’s beautiful, but transgender women and men are just like all women and men. Some are going to be good-looking, some are going to have feminine (or masculine) bone structures, and some aren’t. It’s what they are inside, and who they really are, that determines how we should treat them,” said Murray-Ramirez.

San Diego Police Department's property and evidence room is not up to standard, compared to other property rooms in the county, a grand jury reports.

The grand jury investigation found there's little communication between the District Attorney and the SDPD concerning the retention or disposing of evidence.

That lack of communication has caused evidence to be kept after cases are closed, resulting in the need for more storage space and a delay in returning evidence to owners.

The police department was advised to fix its deficiencies and communicate better with the DA's office.
 

A 70-year-old man sailing alone across the Pacific Ocean was rescued by a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier returning home to San Diego.

USS Carl Vinson rescued the man Sunday from his 35-foot sailboat, 400 nautical miles from Hawaii.

Using a satellite phone, the man sent a text to his wife asking for help. That message was relayed through the U.S. Coast Guard, Pacific Fleet Command and the U.S. 3rd fleet.

The sailor, who had spent a month on his boat, was airlifted by the crew of a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter including two search and rescue swimmers.

Once the helicopter landed on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, the rescued mariner was treated by Navy medical staff.

He was said to be in stable condition and would be airlifted to San Diego in the coming days.

The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group returns to San Diego Thursday after a 10-month deployment supporting strike operations in Iraq and Syria. 

Police activity in Oceanside prompted a “soft” lockdown of an elementary school Tuesday morning as police tried to contact a man in the area suspected of domestic violence.

Oceanside Police Lt. Leonard Cosby said there was a heavy police presence in the 1400 block of Temple Heights Drive near Temple Heights Elementary School at around 10:20 a.m. The campus was placed on soft lockdown, meaning students were staying inside classrooms and weren’t allowed on the playground.

Lt. Cosby said officers were attempting to make contact with a man suspected of domestic violence after a victim called authorities saying she wanted to get her belongings from the suspect’s home in the area, but needed assistance from police.

Officers tried to contact the suspect by calling and making announcements over a loud speaker, but he didn’t answer. Officers temporarily blocked off the area to traffic so they could work the scene.

Officials said there was no immediate threat to the school and no evacuations had been ordered.

By 11:05 a.m., police said the area had been cleared and there was no threat to the neighborhood or school.
 

A stain on a wall beneath a painting of Jesus has some parishioners in Rhode Island wondering if it's a miracle or just a mystery. 

The painting hangs inside the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist in Newport.

The reddish line is right below Jesus' feet on the cross.

The church's vicar is calling it a sign of a Holy Presence, but won't go as far as calling it a miracle.

"God is saying to us, pay attention, I'm here. I'm present. I'm at work," says Father Humphrey. 

The stain has been there for years and has been washed off from time to time, but it keeps reappearing, according to father Humphrey.

Deputies are searching for a man and woman accused of targeting trucks belonging to landscapers in the Poway area and stealing equipment from the vehicles, including leaf blowers and tree trimmers.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department believes the two suspects are behind at least seven burglaries in the Poway area since May 10. All cases have involved vehicles associated with landscapers and the theft of landscaping equipment from those cars.

Each burglary in the series has taken place at an apartment complex, investigators said.

The most recent case out of Poway happened on May 18 around 1 a.m. Investigators said a witness saw a man in his mid-20s take tools from a victim’s truck. The man loaded the stolen items into a silver or gray two-door sedan driven by a heavy-set woman also in her mid-20s. The man was wearing a hoodie, according to the witness.

The sheriff’s department said there was a similar vehicle burglary in Ramona on May 25 with suspects matching the same description as the May 18 case in Poway.

A 2001 silver or gray Honda sedan was used in the Ramona crime with the California license plates 4NOG855. Investigators said the car was recently sold and they could not find updated ownership details. A photo of the suspect vehicle was released Tuesday.

The investigation is ongoing and no suspects have been arrested.

Anyone with information on this burglary series should contact the Poway Sheriff’s Station at (858) 513-2800 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters can choose to remain anonymous. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to arrests.
 

Police searched a US Airways flight from San Diego and its passengers after it landed Tuesday at Philadelphia International Airport.

The airport confirmed there was a police investigation going on around 6:30 a.m. after flight 648  landed as scheduled in Philly with 88 passengers and five crew on board.

The aircraft had taken off from California at 10:35 p.m. PDT and landed in Philadelphia on schedule shortly after 6:15 a.m. EDT.

"The TSA Operations Center in Washington, DC had received a phone threat stating that there was an explosive device on the plane," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan. "Out of an abundance of caution" the airport declared a bomb threat and moved the plane to a remote area.

Photos showed emergency vehicles from the airport, Philadelphia Fire Department and Philadelphia Police parked near the Airbus 320 parked on the foggy tarmac. Passengers calmly deplaned around 7 a.m., going down stairs onto the runway where dogs appeared to be sniffing for something.

A K-9 team could also be seen boarding the plane. Sullivan said both airport K-9s and the Philadelphia Police Bomb Squad examined the plane and passengers and gave the all clear.

No injuries were reported.

"There was nothing dangerous aboard the plane... it was a hoax phone threat and certainly not a very one," said Sullivan.

American Airlines/US Airways spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said that after being taken by bus to the terminal that passengers would be met by customer service representatives that would help get them to their final destination.

Philadelphia Police and federal investigators would work to find the source of the phone call.

A police chase turned into a pursuit on foot after five people jump out of a car Tuesday in Chula Vista.

The pursuit ended at Hilltop Drive and Casselman Court.

Around 11:30 p.m. Monday, police officers spotted a U-Haul van near Coronado Avenue and Outer Road.

The van matched the description of a similar vehicle that was reported to be casing businesses, officials said.

When officers tried to stop the van, the driver continued onto Interstate 805 in Chula Vista. Soon after, the driver stopped the van in a cul-de-sac and five people jumped out of the car.

Officers caught four of the people. Two had tried to escape onto I-805.

The driver was able to escape but officers say they have the man’s driver license information. He now faces felony evasion charges.

A building considered historic by some in San Diego's gay civil rights movement was destroyed last week by mistake, city officials said Monday.

Preservationists were in the process of trying to save a building at the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Florida Street in University Heights.

Inside the old white building on the corner, charter documents were first created for San Diego’s LGBTQ Center.

The developer was granted the demolition permit Friday afternoon to tear it down. The city admits they granted the demolition permit by mistake.

By the time everyone realized the error, it was already too late.

Jaye MacAskill peaks through a fence at a huge pile of wood and debris.

“This represents the very humble beginnings of what grew into a huge movement here in San Diego,” MacAskill said.

As president of SOHO, Save Our Heritage Organization, MacAskill fights to preserve buildings of historical significance.

The group was working to convince developer HG Fenton to incorporate the building into plans for a 165-unit mixed use apartment community.

Almost everyone here welcomes the development with open arms, but the building on the corner remained a bit of a sticking point.

"This was the only building identified as being potentially historic,” MacAskill said.

An HG Fenton spokesperson says they received a valid demolition permit around 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Less than three hours later neighbors snapped photos of a backhoe tearing the building down.

There was just one problem - the permit process bypassed the city's historic resources staff, a process considered a safety net for those counting on more time to save the building.

A department director told NBC 7 they're investigating the error.

MacAskill feels wronged by the city and the developer

"They knew the city was requiring them to go through an additional historical review,” she said. “How are they going to explain temporary amnesia on Friday afternoon when they decided it was time to get rolling."

HG Fenton says they've spent months proposing a variety of ways to honor the LGBTQ community with their new development. The developer even offered to move the building to another location.

But a compromise never happened and now the building is really history.

On the bright side for neighbors in University Heights, the project, which was first approved 10 years ago is finally moving forward with a transformation coming to the blighted block filled with vacant buildings and boarded up windows.
 

A brushfire that forced the temporary evacuation of 20 mobile homes in Riverside County is being held at 80 acres.

Officials say the blaze in the desert town of Thermal is 40 percent contained early Tuesday.

The fire began Monday in the community northeast from Palomar Mountain and north of the Salton Sea.

The fire burned heavy brush along with tamarisk and palm trees.

County fire Capt. Lucas Spelman says at times, the flames were 15 feet high.

A mobile home park nearby was evacuated, but residents were allowed to return several hours later.

Two firefighters were treated at a hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

There's no word on what caused the fire.

The mother of a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer killed on his motorcycle in an apparent road rage crash shared fond memories of her son Tuesday, a man known for his smile and quick wit.

"He had a quick wit, fun personality and was so friendly that it was hard not to be his friend. He had a great laugh that you could hear as he enjoyed life," said Kathy Buob, fondly remembering her son, Zachary Buob, 39.

On May 28, at around 5:30 p.m., Imperial Beach resident Darla Jackson, 26, was driving her black Nissan Altima on northbound Interstate 5 near E Street in Chula Vista when officials said she got into some type of dispute on the roadway Buob, who was on his motorcycle.

After the two drivers transitioned from I-5 to eastbound State Route 54 and passed National City Boulevard, Jackson allegedly intentionally hit Buob’s motorcycle, running him over, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Buob was critically injured in the crash and died a short time later at a local hospital. Jackson was arrested and now faces one count of murder in what investigators are calling an act of road rage.

A witness to the incident captured the alleged road rage on cellphone video just moments before the deadly collision. In the footage, a dark-colored car can be seen tailing a motorcycle.

Buob’s mother, Kathy, is now left with the pain of her son’s untimely death, planning a funeral for him. She released this statement to NBC 7 Tuesday, titled “Memories of Zach Buob”:

Zach was a loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend. The military was his 2nd family. He spent 20 years in dedicated service to our country. He served as a Gunner’s Mate on the USS Antietam. Then he went to the Naval Special Warfare Command. He especially enjoyed the camaraderie working as a Chief Petty Officer with the Naval Special Warfare Command. We have heard from the service members who worked with him that he was well liked by all who served with him. He had his quirks but once you got use to Zach that was just Zach!!

His favorite things in life were his family, riding motorcycles, and dirt bikes with his Dad, childhood friend, cousins, and close riding buddies. He was an uncle to a two and a half year old niece. He was getting to know her when he would come home to San Jose for visits. He loved her very much. Zach reached out to his cousin who had recently moved to San Diego and offered his home to her. He helped her out when she needed it without question. He helps his friends, if they need it. He had a kind and caring soul. That will be truly missed by so many people. I was not aware of how many people’s lives our son had touched. He had many friends with children. He was always good with the children. I read that one little girl called him Uncle Zachy. That was so sweet to read. It touched my heart that this little girl cared about my son.

Our son, Zach will always be remembered for his smile, joking around with his family and friends and the love he showed to all of us. That will be missed most of all. We still find it extremely hard to believe this has happened to our family. We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the Naval Special Warfare Command for all their terrific support they have been giving us since Friday, May 29th. They are standing by us every day. The Chaplin has prayed with us, our neighbors Zach grew up with and just to be with us as we talk about our son. We are a Navy family! We appreciate all the support they have shown us.

Kathy said the family is trying to grieve and cope with the sudden loss and burial of her son.

In regards to Jackson, the alleged road rage driver, Kathy said the family simply had no comment.

Buob’s cousin spoke briefly with NBC 7 on Monday and said the Navy was planning a memorial for Buob in San Diego in the upcoming weeks. She said the family would hold a private ceremony for him as well.

The cousin described Buob as a “generous guy” who helped her in a time of great need. She also said he was a very cautious driver.

"He was all about safety,” she told NBC 7. “[I] wouldn't be surprised if he was confronting the suspect about reckless driving."

"He would often stop people driving fast through the neighborhood. Reprimanding them and saying there are children in the neighborhood," she added.

Jackson will be arraigned Tuesday afternoon on the murder charge.

Buob’s friend, Amanda Cramer, told NBC 7 that a group of his friends planned a motorcycle ride to the courthouse to honor Buob as Jackson is arraigned.

Meanwhile, Jackson’s mother, Margie Jackson, told NBC 7 her daughter is not a murderer and the crash was an accident.

"They made it sound like she viciously went after him," said Margie. "Please, who does that? No. Not my daughter."
 

Nearly a half ton of marijuana was found hidden on a 35-foot yacht sailing into San Diego’s Mission Bay, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) marine interdiction agents stopped the yacht Friday around 2 a.m. near the entrance to the bay located directly north of downtown.

The boat and the two people on board, a 33-year-old woman and a 51-year-old man, were returning from Mexico.

CBP agents say they were on routine patrol when they moved the yacht to a nearby marine and called in a drug-sniffing dog from the U.S. Border Patrol.

The dog alerted, officials said. After that, agents say they found 91 packages hidden in various secret compartments, including under false decks.

The bundles of marijuana were wrapped to resemble wood paneling.

In total, the packages contained 1,194 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated street value of about $715,800, officials said in a news release.

The two U.S. citizens were taken into custody. The yacht and the drugs were seized.
 

Vandals created a giant swastika out of tiles on a South San Francisco high school football field, police say, prompting an investigation.

Police suspect the vandalism occurred on Friday after the El Camino High School graduation. Someone used the field tiles from the event to make the symbol, police said.

School officials say the symbol was made from tiles that snap together, and there was no damage to the field. The symbol was removed on Monday.

Robin Braun Belinsky said she was driving by the campus field Monday night when she spotted the swastika on the 40-yard line.

"It's really sad that this still continues to happen," said Belinsky, a Brisbane resident.

Belinsky said she was made fun of for being Jewish growing up and the vandalism reopened those old wounds. Belinsky took pictures and video to document the vandalism.

"It's up to us to let people know," she said. "It was an ugly thing to see -- really jarring."

Belinsky said the vandals need to be found and punished.

Anyone with information involving the matter is asked to call the South San Francisco Police Department at 650-877-8900.

A South Florida family has been reunited with their beloved Boston Terrier Lola seven years after they last saw her. 

"Lola! Oh my God, look at her. I can't believe it," said Julie Arango while she and her daughter Celina played with the pet.

Lola likely ran away after digging holes under the fence in the family's backyard. The family learned their lost pooch had been found more than half a decade later when they received a phone call from Linda Gall.

Gall found the dog on Craigslist Sunday and took her in as her own. She brought Lola to a vet's office in Plantation and a microchip revealed she belonged to someone else. 

Gall said the people who have been caring for the pooch for the last seven years were downsizing and had to give the dog away.

"Yes I'd love the dog but ... it belongs to the right owner and it's going to them," Gall said.

For Celina Arango, the news was almost too good to be true. She was just 12-years-old when Lola got away and has held onto a photo of her old pet.

"I didn't believe it. I've heard stories of looking online trying to find the same dog and people say I think it's your dog and it's not, there's no way that's my Lola. But that for sure is my dog," Celina said.

Celina turns 19 on Wednesday, so she considers the reunion as the perfect birthday gift.

She plans to take Lola up to Orlando where she's attending Valencia College.

"I'll take her with me and get comfy with her sleeping in my bed with me ... just be happy up there," Celina said. "Even though it's been seven years, we're going to pick up right where we left off."

Police found a 5-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl dead in an East Haven home during a natural gas leak on Tuesday afternoon that also sent their mother and three responding officers to the hospital. Police are investigating the children's deaths as "suspicious."

East Haven police and firefighters responded to a medical emergency at 541 Strong Street in East Haven at 2:41 p.m. on Tuesday and found a 36-year-old mother despondent with apparent injuries.

Upon further investigation, they discovered the gas was on in the home and found two children dead when they went inside to search for other occupants.

Dispatchers received a 911 call just after 2:40 p.m. from a woman who identified herself as a friend of the mother.

"My friend sent me a letter that she was going to kill herself," the caller said. "She says she cut herself, but I can’t get in the house." 

Responding officers didn't report seeing any trauma on the kids' bodies and said that the position of the bodies didn't reveal anything suspicious. But police are still currently classifying the deaths as "suspicious," East Haven Police Chief Brent Larrabee said. Police didn't elaborate on why but said it will be up to the medical examiner to determine the causes of death.

The children attended a New Haven magnet school, according to statements from New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and Supt. Garth Harries.

“Under circumstances like this we are reminded how arbitrary manmade borders are; these children from East Haven were enrolled in a New Haven school and played baseball in a local Pop Smith league,” Harp said in a statement. “Today our entire community grieves in the sudden darkness where the bright light and promise of these young lives had been shining.”

“The New Haven Public Schools community is heartbroken by this unimaginable tragedy. We hug our children a little tighter as we mourn the loss of these beautiful young lives whose smiles lit up the school each day," Harries said a statement. "Their family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers. We will support our students and staff with counselors and social workers as they cope with this devastating loss.”

Three officers who were exposed to the gas were treated by East Haven firefighters at the scene, then transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. At least two of them have been released from the hospital.

The children's mother was also taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, including gas inhalation and injuries on her arms, police said. Police didn't elaborate on her arm injuries or say how she sustained them.

No one else was found in the home.

Police said it's unknown whether the gas was in the air because of a breakage or whether someone turned it on, but Larrabee said, "I would say from observation it was probably turned on."

Investigators haven't interviewed the mother yet because she's still being treated at the hospital, but they are waiting to speak with her.

The woman was conscious when she left the scene, but was dazed and traumatized and had difficulty responding, police said.

The names of the mother, children and three police officers will not be released until their families are notified.

The father was at the scene and was "devastated," police said.

"Our condolences go out to the family, friends and relatives of this family. It's a sad time for our town and our community," East Haven Mayor Joe Maturo said during a news conference on Tuesday evening.

Carolyn Parillo, a neighbor, expressed devastation about two children who died in the home just across the street from hers and said that "we've seen those kids playing."

She doesn't know what she can say to her neighbor that will help, but said she is "just very sorry for their loss."

“It’s going to be on our minds for a very long time I’m sure," Parillo said.

Lisa Criscuolo, the next-door neighbor, said her family has been living on the street for 23 years and they've "never seen anything like this."

She has seen the mother out in the yard as the children played and said "today is definitely a tragedy day for our town and for our street."

“It’s definitely going to be something that I’ll always remember," Criscuolo said. "I wish I didn’t have it embedded in my head but I will.”

Strong and View streets were shut down in East Haven due to the police investigation at the home, but only the block around the house on Strong Street was closed as of Wednesday morning.

State police major crimes detectives, the New Haven state's attorney's office and office of the chief medical examiner are assisting with the investigation.

The police officers are doing OK, but seeing the two deceased children was difficult, so they will be provided with counseling as needed, Larrabee said.

The East Haven school system has also been notified in case any children in the area need support, Maturo said.

Police ask anyone with information about this incident to call the East Haven Police Detective Division at 203-468-3827.

The first bargaining session in what figures to be extensive negotiations involving the future of professional football in San Diego began at noon Tuesday and ended one hour and fifteen minutes later.

Confirmed attendees in the downtown office tower setting: Mayor Kevin Faulconer, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, County Supervisor Ron Roberts and the city's negotiating experts, along with Chargers board chairman Dean Spanos and Spanos' special counsel Mark Fabiani.

Spanos offered no comment emerging from the session, before getting into the elevator with Fabiani -- who offered no comment himself.

In a joint statement, Faulconer, Goldsmith and Roberts said, "It was a productive discussion on a variety of issues, and both parties agreed to meet again within the next several days.”

Given the brief time the parties spent together, it would seem Tuesday's meeting merely was the kickoff toward a number of substantive, detail-oriented discussions of the site and financing plan released May 18th by Faulconer's Citizens Stadium Advisory Group.

It's not clear to what extent Spanos, the mayor and city attorney will be present until outside consultants for the team and the city have thoroughly engaged on the project's framework, numbers and construction logistics.

Tony Manolatos, spokesman for Mayor Faulconer's Citizens' Stadium Advisory Group said, "Today was an important step in the right direction."