uSTEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man who survived the 1999 Columbine school shooting and later became an advocate for fighting addiction has died.
Routt County Coroner Robert Ryg said Saturday that 37-year-old Austin Eubanks died overnight at his Steamboat Springs home.
There were no signs of foul play. A Monday autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death.
Eubanks was shot in the hand and knee in the Columbine attack that killed 12 classmates and a teacher, including Eubanks’ best friend.
He became addicted to drugs after taking prescription pain medication while recovering from his injuries. He later worked at an addiction treatment center and travelled the U.S. telling his story .
Eubanks’ family says in a statement that he “lost the battle with the very disease he fought so hard to help others face,” KMGH-TV reports.
The family added: “We thank the recovery community for its support. As you can imagine, we are beyond shocked and saddened and request that our privacy is respected at this time.”
uMAN CHARGED IN ABDUCTION OF 8-YEAR-OLD TEXAS GIRL: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A man has been charged in the abduction of an 8-year-old girl who was snatched from a street in Fort Worth, Texas, as she walked with her mother.
Fort Worth police say the girl was found safe Sunday, about eight hours later, at a hotel in nearby Forest Hill.
Police say 51-year-old Michael Webb was arrested on an aggravated kidnapping charge. He is being held without bond.
Officer Buddy Calzada says a man grabbed the girl Saturday evening, and sped away with her in a car. Police released surveillance video of the car . Police found Webb and the girl at the hotel after witnesses reported seeing the car there.
uTEMPLE MEMORIAL TO FLORIDA SHOOTING VICTIMS IS SET ABLAZE: CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — A wooden temple built as a memorial to the 17 victims of a Florida high school mass shooting has been set ablaze in a symbolic gesture of healing.
The “Temple of Time” public art installation was set afire Sunday at a ceremony hosted by the cities of Parkland and Coral Springs, where Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students live.
The families of several Parkland victims attended the ritual burning of the 35-foot (10-meter) tall temple. Described as “therapeutic” by some, the ceremonial fire is supposed to symbolize the release of pain still left inside.
San Francisco-area artist David Best created the 1,600-square-foot (150-square-meter) Asian design with a spire roof, helped by several volunteers.
A lone gunman’s attack killed 17 students and staffers and injured 17 others on Feb. 14, 2018.
uOPRAH GIVES $500,000 TO HIGH SCHOOL AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM: NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Oprah Winfrey announced she’s giving $500,000 to an initiative at a New Jersey high school that’s aimed at keeping kids off the streets.
Principal Akbar Cook’s “Lights On” program keeps West Side High School in Newark open on Friday nights from 6 p.m. to midnight. WPVI-TV reports kids can play basketball, shoot pool, play video games or even use a recording studio.
Winfrey’s gift will help the program operate three nights a week over the summer. She told hundreds of cheering students Friday during a surprise visit that she was inspired by “all of the great things that are happening here.”
Cook garnered headlines last fall for installing washing machines so students who couldn’t afford to wash their clothes wouldn’t miss school because they were being bullied for wearing dirty clothes.
uCHILD PUTS CAR IN REVERSE, ACCIDENTALLY RUNS OVER MOTHER: CHELMSFORD, Mass. (AP) — Police in Massachusetts say a mother has been struck by her own car and seriously injured after her child accidentally put the car into reverse while she was loading the vehicle.
Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney says the 37-year-old woman, who authorities haven’t identified, is expected to survive the Sunday morning incident.
Police say the woman’s 9-year-old son shifted the car into reverse while she was standing at the open driver’s side front door. They say the woman tried to dive for the brake pedal, but was pinned and then run over by the vehicle.
The vehicle continued down the driveway and came to a stop after striking a rock wall opposite the house. The child wasn’t injured.
uPELOSI BEING HONORED WITH JFK PROFILE IN COURAGE AWARD: BOSTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is being honored with the 2019 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
Pelosi is being recognized for her efforts to pass former President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law and for helping Democrats reclaim control of the U.S. House during last year’s elections.
Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late president, calls the California Democrat “the most important woman in American political history.”
Kennedy said Pelosi, who has served in the House since 1987, “leads with strength, integrity and grace under pressure.”
uWOMAN KILLED BY FLORIDA PASSENGER TRAIN SHE TRIED TO BEAT: LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida passenger train struck and killed a woman who was trying to cross the tracks.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday that 31-year-old Princess Davis was walking with another woman when they attempted to cross the tracks in Lake Worth Beach, Florida.
Spokesman Teri Barbera said in an email that the conductor sounded the horn, but Davis tried to beat the train Saturday.
Barbera said the death appeared to be accidental, but the case remains open pending autopsy findings.
The train is part of the Virgin Trains USA fleet, recently rebranded by British billionaire Richard Branson from its previous incarnation as Brightline.
More than a dozen people have died from after hit by these trains since test runs began in July 2017.
