also tonight, another deadly shooting rampage across two texas cities. six people killed. a 34-year-old army veteran under arrest tonight. the dramatic rescue. a chopper pulling people from floodwaters as an atmospheric river drenches the northwest with more rain on the way. the fighting raging in gaza. our new reporting. is israel preparing to flood hamas tunnels with seawater? the u.s. charging four russian soldiers with war crimes. the horrific things they're accused of doing to an american. two months after he was ousted as house speaker, kevin mccarthy making a big announcement about his future. donald trump revealing what he'd do if he wins the white house again. what he said about dictatorship as his gop rivals meet on the debate stage tonight. and from "all in the family" to "sanford & son" to "good times," remembering sitcom genius norman lear. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, everyone. breaking tonight, police in las vegas still on the scene at the university of nevada where there are multiple victims dead in a shooting on campus. authorities say the suspected assailant is also dead. word of an active shooter sent a swarm of police officers rushing to the scene just before noon pacific time. campus police posting a message to those in the area to run, hide, or fight, a frequently taught mantra in this age of mass shootings. the university is just minutes from the vegas strip and practically adjacent to the las vegas airport. the afternoon's tragedy following a string of shootings in texas that left at least six dead. that suspect is in custody tonight. we'll get to more of that in a moment, but let's begin with late details concerning the campus shooting in las vegas. here's steve patterson. >> reporter: tonight, terror in las vegas. >> you heard loud shouting. immediate panic. everyone dropped down to the floor. >> reporter: just before noon a gunman opening fire in beam hall. law enforcement sources telling nbc news at least three people are dead, and the suspect is also dead. >> i want to say to the community, there's no further threat. >> reporter: this chilling warning posted on the campus website urging students to run, hide, fight. terrified students sheltering in place. >> we only looked through the window for a couple minutes because we didn't want to keep looking through, nervous if he could shoot up there. >> reporter: we spoke to this english professor while he was on lockdown. >> we heard the clips of semiautomatic weapons just going for what felt like about 30 seconds. it was a very, very disturbing thing to hear. >> reporter: police evacuating buildings one by one. they said they have no indication of a motive. >> the fact that this happens over and over again is ridiculous. >> reporter: six years ago the city of las vegas was devastated by the deadliest mass shooting in u.s. history, killing 58 people at a music festival. tonight another mass shooting, less than four miles away. >> we can't even send our kids to school without worrying if something like this is going to happen, so it's very alarming and disturbing and scary. >> and, steve, i know a lot of chaos at the start of all this. other campuses in the area were actually locked down. >> reporter: well, lester, of course, all classes for the rest of the day, they are canceled on campus, that remains on a soft lockdown. on top of soft lockdowns at local grade schools and all remaining state colleges across nevada. tonight the university announcing the men's basketball game between unlv and dayton canceled as well. >> steve patterson, thank you. this shooting comes less than a day after another series of shootings in two cities in texas where six people were killed. morgan chesky has late details on the suspect under arrest tonight. >> reporter: tonight in texas, police poring over five crime scenes spanning eight hours they say are all connected to a single gunman. >> we strongly believe one suspect is responsible for all of the incidents. >> reporter: authorities identifying the suspect as shane james, a 34-year-old now charged with capital murder, who served in the army as an infantry officer as recently as 2015. investigators say his shooting spree began tuesday morning at an austin high school. >> officer apparently has been shot. >> reporter: james opening fire on a school resource officer wounding him. inside the school this teacher knew this wasn't a drill. >> you hear lockdown over the intercom. what goes through your head? >> keep the kids safe. take action, protect the kids mainly. >> reporter: no students were harmed but nearby less than an hour later. >> thought i heard fireworks. pop, pop, pop. >> reporter: a shooting in south austin leaving two dead followed just hours later by another shooting. police reporting a cyclist wounded near a highway. finally tuesday evening, a crucial burglary call. >> officer needs assistance. officer needs assistance. has shots fired. >> reporter: police arresting james after they say he shot an officer and killed two more people, and late today, san antonio authorities connecting james to another homicide 60 miles away. a couple found dead in side their home. >> these are believed to be the parents of the suspect that's currently in custody in travis county. >> reporter: six alleged murders and tonight still no known motive. >> they were wonderful people. every time i talk about it, it hurts me. wonderful people. a good man. >> reporter: and tonight outside the travis county jail where james is currently being held, we've learned he was arrested last year for assaulting multiple family members, who went on to later tell investigators that james did suffer from a history of mental illness. lester. >> morgan chesky, thanks. in the northwest at least two people have died after days of torrential rain and flooding. miguel almaguer is just outside seattle. miguel, rivers are raging there tonight. >> reporter: yeah, lester, believe it or not, the floodwaters here are expected to recede, and eventually the rain is going to stop. that's the good news. the bad news, another weather system is on the way for an area already waterlogged. bloated and bustling, tonight many of the rivers, streams, and creeks that carve through the pacific northwest are bursting at the seams fueled by days of relentless rain. the dangerous fast-moving torrents are leaving some 8 million people in the region under flood alerts. across washington, emergency teams race from rescue to rescue. the coast guard plucking one driver to safety then hoisting a family from their home, which was suddenly surrounded by four feet of rising water. today, an hour outside seattle, the damage has been done to some homes in granite falls. >> i put a lot of time and effort in this, and it just took one thing to take it all away. >> reporter: the deluge which triggered the flooding, the first of three atmospheric rivers, dumping several inches of rain in the biggest cities. outside portland, authorities fear at least two people were swept away by powerful currents when flash flooding turned deadly. >> how would you feel if you watched your best friend go in the water knowing you couldn't do nothing about it. >> reporter: with up to ten inches expected to fall by tomorrow, today's reprieve from the next system will be short-lived. >> the water is rising high, and we're getting ready to get out. >> reporter: a region desperate to dry out, now finding itself in the bull's-eye of yet another storm. miguel almaguer, nbc news, granite falls, washington. in the middle east tonight, israel approved an increase of fuel shipments into gaza as the military steps up its campaign targeting hamas in the south of the gaza strip, and we've now learned it is considering flooding hamas tunnels. richard engel now with late details. >> reporter: israel says it's destroying hamas in gaza above ground and below targeting what it says are 300 miles of hamas tunnels. military officials showed nbc news videos they say were taken in the northern gaza city of beit hanoun. a soldier points to a hamas tunnel outside a classroom. israel has blown up some. now a u.s. official says the israeli military is exploring a new tactic, flooding the tunnels with seawater. >> is that under consideration? >> i can't comment on any of our future operational activities, what we're planning to do in the future. we are focusing on dismantling the terror infrastructure that hamas has embedded within and underground. >> reporter: some of hamas' hostages may be inside those tunnels. at tuesday's tense meeting with prime minister netanyahu, a released hostage accused the government of playing roulette with their lives. this 12-year-old and her family now live in tents near the egyptian border with other children. she walks barefoot to collect thorn bushes to burn for cooking. the thorns pricking their hands. "we are fed up with our belief -- lives because of this war. we can't find food. we can't find anything. we drink dirty water," she says, and tonight in rafah gazans came under attack rushed to a field hospital. >> who came to emergency now without anesthesia. this is genocide. >> reporter: israel says it warns palestinians with leaflets, online maps, and robocalls before carrying out strikes against hamas, and verifies targets to avoid civilian casualties. >> and, richard, i know you had a chance to ask an israeli colonel today about the devastation in the north. what did he tell you? >> reporter: he said that israeli forces are making progress in gaza, but acknowledged the military campaign is so destructive, that the entire city of beit hanoun has been made uninhabitable. lester. >> richard engel, thank you. also tonight the justice department charged four russia affiliated soldiers were charged with war crimes against an american citizen in ukraine saying they beat him, tortured him, and threatened to kill him in a mock execution. the soldiers have not been arrested. in 60 seconds, congressman kevin mccarthy says he'll leave congress after being ousted as speaker. and the new controversy involving former president trump on the eve of the next debate. for your pigment is no exception. it's time you had a proven choice to help restore what's yours. opzelura is the first and only fda-approved prescription treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo... proven to help repigment skin... over time. restoring what's yours. it's possible... with a steroid-free cream that you can apply... yourself. opzelura can lower your ability to fight infections including tb or hepatitis b or c. serious lung infections, skin cancer, blood clots, and low blood cell counts occurred with opzelura. in people taking jak inhibitors, serious infections, increased risk of death, lymphoma, other cancers, and major cardiovascular events have occurred. the most common side effects were acne and itching where applied. if you're on the pursuit, repigmentation may be within reach. so, are you ready? ask your dermatologist about opzelura. pursue it. former house speaker kevin mccarthy announced today he'll leave congress at the end of the year. peter alexander is following this, and, peter, this could have a major impact on the slim republican majority. >> reporter: lester, former speaker kevin mccarthy made history this fall as the first speaker to be ousted from power in a congressional move. it punctuates a dramatic downfall for the california republican who served just nine months as speaker before eight conservative republicans joined democrats to force him out. critics accuse mccarthy of helping rehabilitate former president trump's image after the january 6th capitol attack. mccarthy says he plans to stay involved in gop politics, and his seat in a red district is likely to stay republican, but until his replacement is chosen, it's another challenge for mike johnson who is already working with a narrow republican majority. >> peter, thanks. tonight, four republican presidential candidates are taking part in a debate, but it's the front-runner who won't be on stage who is back in the spotlight. garrett haake is in tuscaloosa, alabama. >> reporter: just hours from another republican debate that he is skipping, front-runner donald trump dominating headlines with this answer about abuse of power. >> do you in any way have any plans whatsoever if re-elected president to abuse power, to break the law, to use the government to go after people? >> you mean like they're using right now? >> reporter: pressed later. >> you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody. >> except for day one. >> except for? >> he's going crazy. except for day one. >> meaning? >> i want to close the border and i want to drill, drill, drill. >> that's not retribution. >> i'm going to be -- [ applause ] i'm going to be -- you keep -- i love this guy. he says you're not going to be a dictator. are you? i said, no, no, no other than day one. we're closing the border, and we're drilling, drilling, drilling. after that i'm not a dictator, okay? >> reporter: but mr. trump has long promised payback vowing for a special counsel to investigate the biden family. >> we're going to come after the people in the media who lied about american citizens, whether criminally or civilly. we will figure it out. >> reporter: as president biden told donors tuesday, if trump wasn't running, i'm not sure i'd be running, later clarifying, he'd stay in the race even if mr. trump did not. many polls show former president trump leading president biden in a head-to-head matchup. >> i'm not the only one who can beat him but i will defeat him. >> reporter: nikki haley and ron desantis will share center stage at tonight's debate. each hoping to emerge as the alternative to the front-runner who leads the gop field by some 40 points, lester. >> garrett haake, thank you. up next, why it's so hard to charge officers on federal task forces in questionable shooting cases. our investigation next. otas someone living with type 2 diabetes, i want to keep it real and talk about some risks. with type 2 diabetes you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. even at your a1c goal, you're still at risk ...which if ignored could bring you here... ...may put you in one of those... ...or even worse. too much? 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and the fbi did not have a search warrant. atchison ran to a neighbor's home where police cornered him under a pile of clothes. according to fbi documents, atlanta police officer sung kim saw him move his right hand and thinking he had a gun shot him. local prosecutors say atchison was unarmed and defenseless. atchison's aunt, tammy sutherstone. what about that moment stands out the most to you? >> the hurt in my sister's face. the pain of losing her only son, to know he was unarmed and afraid and was killed in that manner, that is what really hurt me more than anything. >> i was already prepared, and this is going to be a fight. >> reporter: that fight is especially hard because kim, a local atlanta police officer, was part of that fbi task force, a designation that at the time meant he did not need to wear a body camera. it also brings its own set of protections, especially from local prosecutors seeking information about the case. >> if the federal government makes it literally impossible to get that information, local prosecutors' hands are tied. >> reporter: the case is being handled by fulton county district attorney fani willis, best known for charging former president donald trump and 18 others with election interference in georgia, but this case could prove more difficult. an nbc news investigation found from 2018 to 2022, 223 people were shot by federal officers, task force officers, or local police in cases tied to doj enforcement. in the cases for which nbc news obtained documents, the shootings were justified 98% of the time. part of the reason may be the prosecutor's inability to even build a case. >> we have found in the prosecutions we've done that the federal agencies were very uncooperative, and so i imagine that other prosecutors around the nation may have tried to do the correct thing to bring charges, and they find that there are so many roadblock, it becomes impossible to do. >> reporter: during that five-year period we examined, atchison's case is one of only two that resulted in charges. willis has charged kim with murder, but part of her challenge, she says, is the slow pace in getting files and case information from the justice department. >> and you find that -- you believe that people are being purposefully uncooperative, and then they give you a document back, and it's literally the entire page is redacted. >> that has happened to you. >> that is an actual thing that has happened. >> reporter: the department of justice did not specifically respond to willis' comments but said because there are circumstances where the use of force may occur, we recently updated our policy to ensure it parallels the best practices of federal, state, and local law enforcement. earlier this year, kim's case was moved to federal court where historically judges have ruled that federal law protects officers from being prosecuted by local authorities. kim has retired from the atlanta police department and pleaded not guilty. both he and his attorney declined our request for comment. the doj says it expanded the use of body cameras, and the fbi tells nbc news, we've got to keep doubling down on our partnerships with state, local, and federal law enforcement. it's not enough to co-exist, we've got to complement each other and be truly integrated. kim's trial date has not yet been set. until then jimmy hill says he will keep going for his son. >> and he should still be alive today, and we're going to continue to fight. there's no giving up. >> reporter: blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. and up next tonight, he created "all in the family," "the jeffersons" and so much more. remembering visionary norman lear and 101 years of laughs ahead. , i'm . - i'm lea. and we live in north pole, alaska. - as i got older, my hearing was not so good so i got hearing aids. my vision was not as good as it used to be, got a change in prescription. but the thing missing was my memory. i saw a prevagen commercial and i thought, "that 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the sky now. but it's gross. there is no way we're landing. are you sure no one is watching? gwen mallard! do it now, or we leave without you. ok. finally, he changed the face of television. norman lear, the groundbreaking sitcom creator, has died at 101. joe fryer now on his legacy of laughs. ♪ those were the days ♪ >> reporter: norman lear made the small screen bigger. >> we are the jeffersons. >> reporter: stretching tv's boundaries to share new stories. >> this is the big one. >> reporter: and project new voices. >> i've never been in a situation in my life however tragic where i didn't see some comedy. >> reporter: he built the foundation for his tv empire in the '70s with "all in the family." >> you are a meathead. [ laughter ] >> reporter: the groundbreaking show used humor to tackle hot button issues like race. >> one, two, three. [ laughter ] >> reporter: while its spin-off, "maude" addressed abortion months before the supreme court decision. >> just tell me, walter, that i'm doing the right thing, not having the baby. ♪♪ >> reporter: with shows like "sanford and son," lear depicted life for black americans, a family dealing with poverty in "good times." ♪ well we're moving on up. >> reporter: a successful couple in "the jeffersons." >> how can you afford to live in a place like this? you ain't tall enough to be no basketball player. >> reporter: a vocal opponent of the religious right in the '80s he created a nonprofit called people for the american way. >> don't tell us we're bad christians or good christians depending on our political point of view. >> reporter: age never slowed him down. in his mid-90s he rebooted a classic series, "one day at a time," with a latino family and spoke with him in 2021. >> as good a time in this business as anybody's ever had in any business ever, and i love it. >> reporter: today "all in the family" star rob reiner paid tribute. i loved norman lear with all my heart. he was my second father, and from judd apatow, norman lear changed the world. joe fryer, nbc news. and that is "nightly news" for this wednesday. thank you for watching, everyone. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. i was born in the year 2000. at 2023. i'm tired of it. we continue to follow breaking news and las vegas. police responding to a mass shooting on campus.