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Police: Fourth suspect arrested in fatal Omaha shooting

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a fourth suspect charged in a warrant for a north Omaha shooting death has been found and arrested.

Omaha police say in a news release that 49-year-old Melton Felder was found and booked into an Omaha jail Friday night. He was wanted in the death Wednesday of 21-year-old Brandon White. Felder has been charged with first-degree murder in the case.

He joins three others already charged. A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old have been booked into Douglas County Youth Center on suspicion of first-degree murder. The Associated Press generally doesn’t name juveniles accused of crimes.

Police say 18-year-old Allana Smith surrendered Friday. Court records say she’s charged with first-degree murder, robbery and use of a weapon to commit a felony. The records don’t list an attorney for her.

Nebraska sheriff plans to use seized vehicle to fight drugs

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A county sheriff in the Nebraska Panhandle says spoils taken from out-of-state drug dealers will help his office and other area law enforcement agencies crack down further on illegal drugs.

Cheyenne County Sheriff John Jenson said three vehicles seized from out-of-state drug traffickers will be used in future drug investigations.

Jenson says his office and the Cheyenne County Attorney’s Office have completed forfeiture orders on three of five vehicles used in a car-hauling operation that was a front for carrying marijuana and hashish.

Two of the seized vehicles will be used by the Western Nebraska Intelligence & Narcotics Group drug task force. The third, a large SUV, will be used by his office in Sidney for administrative purposes.

Fourth suspect charged, sought in fatal Omaha shooting

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police have charged a fourth suspect in a warrant for a north Omaha shooting death carried out earlier this week.

In a news release Friday, Omaha police said they are seeking 49-year-old Melton Felder for what they say was his role in the death Wednesday of 21-year-old Brandon White. Felder is charged with first-degree murder in an arrest warrant.

He joins three others already charged in the shooting death. A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old have been booked into Douglas County Youth Center on suspicion of first-degree murder. The Associated Press generally doesn’t name juveniles accused of crimes.

Police say 18-year-old Allana Smith surrendered Friday. Court records say she’s charged with first-degree murder, robbery and use of a weapon to commit a felony. The records don’t list an attorney for her.

Police identify man whose body was pulled from Omaha lagoon

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police have identified the body of a man pulled from a downtown Omaha lagoon.

Police say 31-year-old Hector Castaneda-Vasquez died in the lagoon, named ConAgra Lake, in Heartland of America Park.

Sonar operated from a rescue boat found Castaneda-Vasquez’s body Thursday morning. Long poles were used to bring the body to the surface. A 911 caller reported around 10 p.m. Wednesday that a man was crying for help from the lagoon. A subsequent search was called off after about three hours and resumed Thursday.

The lagoon is up to 19 feet deep in some places.

Officials reminded the public that swimming in the lagoon, which features a large fountain, is not allowed.

Man arrested, charged in April shooting death of Omaha man

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A suspect has been arrested and charged in a fatal north Omaha shooting earlier this year.

Omaha police say in a written release that 20-year-old Malcolm Ward, of Omaha, was arrested Wednesday. Online court records show he was charged Thursday with first-degree murder and two weapons counts in shooting of 29-year-old Brandon Mutum. Ward’s public defender did not immediately return a message Friday seeking comment.

Police say officers were sent to a north Omaha home a little after 3 a.m. on April 20 for a reported shooting and found Mutum wounded. He was taken to Nebraska Medical Center, where he died.

Officials say Mutum had been shot several times.

Authorities ID motorcyclist killed in eastern Nebraska crash

PRAGUE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a motorcyclist who died after colliding with a van in eastern Nebraska.

The Saunders County Sheriff’s Office identified him as 59-year-old Glenn Linholm, who lived in Valparaiso.

The accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on Nebraska Highway 79 near Prague. The Sheriff’s Office says Linholm and another motorcyclist were southbound when Linholm’s bike struck the passenger side of the northbound van as the van was turning west. The other motorcyclist managed to miss the van.

The Sheriff’s Office says Linholm was pronounced dead at a hospital. The van driver wasn’t injured.

3 teens arrested in northeast Omaha slaying

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three people have been accused of killing a 21-year-old man in northeast Omaha.

Authorities say Brandon White was found by officers around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday and died later at an Omaha hospital.

A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old have been booked into Douglas County Youth Center on suspicion of first-degree murder. The Associated Press generally doesn’t name juveniles accused of crimes.

Police say 18-year-old Allana Smith surrendered Friday. Court records say she’s charged with first-degree murder, robbery and use of a weapon to commit a felony. The records don’t list an attorney for her.

Man died at hospital after shooting, Omaha police say

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man who was found shot in northeast Omaha has died at a hospital.

Officers sent to check on gunshots around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday discovered the man, who was taken to Creighton University Medical Center. Police say he died there.

Police identified him as 21-year-old Brandon White.

No arrests have been reported.

Census: Texas has 4 of top 5 fastest growing large US cities

HOUSTON (AP) — Everything is bigger in Texas, including population booms.

Figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau show that four of the five fastest-growing large cities in the U.S. during the 12 months leading up to last July 1 were in Texas, including some in its sprawling suburban areas.

Conroe, a Houston suburb, was the fastest-growing, increasing by 7.8 percent during that span. That growth rate was more than 11 times higher than the national average.

Next on the list were the Dallas suburbs of Frisco and McKinney, which had growth rates of 6.2 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively. Rounding out the top five were Greenville, South Carolina, which grew by 5.8 percent, and the Austin suburb of Georgetown, which had a 5.5 percent population increase.

Local and state officials attribute the growth to various factors, including the Texas’ robust job market and the cities’ diversified economies, lower costs of living and skilled workforces that earn higher wages.

Authorities find man’s body in downtown Omaha lagoon

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have recovered the body of a man reported missing in a downtown Omaha lagoon.

Fire officials say sonar operated in a rescue boat found the body around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, and long poles were used to bring the body to the surface of the lagoon in Heartland of America Park. The man’s name hasn’t been released.

A 911 caller reported around 10 p.m. Wednesday that a man was crying for help from the lagoon, which is referred to as ConAgra Lake. A subsequent search was called off after about three hours and resumed around 8 a.m. Thursday.

The lagoon water is up to 19 feet deep in some places. It remains unclear why the man was in the water.

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