The official cause of death. Neighborhood shootout. Police ducking for cover when a trio of alleged bank robbers on the run shower their vehicle with bullets. Miracle survivor speaks. The man stranded in the wild, pinned under his atv for days, speaking out about how he survived. Plus, show of support. The kindness of strangers embracing the grieving husband of an el paso victim. A moving memorial reminding him he is not alone. Good evening. Thanks for joining us on this saturday. Im whit johnson in for tom llamas. We begin tonight with the severe storm threat. That hail coming down hard in western indiana. 19 million in the storm path across the plains and midwest. The apparent Lightning Strike in South Carolina. A School Counselor posting this frightening moment. Caught in a rainstorm. And fire is the fear in parts of the tinderdry west. The redflag warnings in five states for scorching temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds. These images from colorado. Witnesses say fireworks may have touched off that blaze. Abcs senior meteorologist rob marciano starting us off tonight. Reporter severe summer storms hitting the heartland again with damaging winds gusting over 60 miles per hour. Nearly 19 million americans in the storm zone tonight. From the plains to the midwest, fierce winds, torrential rains, and large hail. Just outside the kansas city metro area, punishing thunderstorms tearing rooftops off buildings. Watch this Surveillance Video of lightning nearly striking this South Carolina man. The bolt missing him by inches, seemingly diverted by his umbrella. Jolted, but luckily no major injuries reported. In the west near grand junction, colorado, this fire erupting overnight during a Fireworks Show at a local festival. We could see some of it come down, and then next thing we knew a tree was up and just went, like wildfire. Reporter the area around the festival was evacuated. No injuries were reported. Rob marciano joining us now. Rob, theres dangerous weather youre tracking now. A couple of clusters of severe storms. Western new york, central new york, ithaca towards the Capital Region and across central pennsylvania as well. That watch up for another couple of hours. In kansas, the high plains there, south dakota, a couple of severe thunderstorms there. North of the kansas city, which got hammered last night, getting closer to chicago in the morning. Reinvigorated in the afternoon. By 7 00 p. M. Cleveland will be with this. Redflag warnings posted. We mentioned the fires in the west. Very low levels of humidity, reai aoss nds there. They were hit hard the last two days, and that will continue through the carolinas tomorrow. Those summer storms youll be tracking it. Thank you. Ecte tohe Daytona Beach man accused of being fascinated with Mass Shootings. Police arresting 25yearold Tristan Scott wix for his Text Messages which describe mass killings in disturbing detail. Just the latest incident in a nation on edge in the wake of the Mass Shootings in el paso and dayton. Reporter tonight, this body camera video showing the Moment Police arrested a florida man after he allegedly sent a series of Text Messages threatening a mass shooting. Tristan wix, a 25yearold from Daytona Beach, was taken into custody on friday. Do you have any weapons we need to know about . Reporter local police were alerted about the texts by an exgirlfriend. He wants to die and have fun while hes dying and he wants to shoot people the way the sniper did in las vegas. Reporter the Text Messages released by police. In one, wix allegedly writes, a school is a weak target. Id be more than likely to open fire on a large crowd of people from over 3 miles away. Id wanna break a world record for longest confirmed kill ever. In another he writes a good 100 kills would be nice. I already have a location. After recent massacres in el paso and dayton, the fbi is asking for the publics help to stop potential copycats. In westchester county, new york, a doctor was arrested. Police say he had an arsenal of weapons used to threaten his exwifes family. And in Central Connecticut State university, this man was arrested after allegedly posting online about interest in committing a mass shooting. Even using instagram to show himself supposedly wearing body armor and a helmet. Wix has been charged with making written threats. Hes currently being held without bond. Whit . Our thanks to you tonight. Next to the new questions around the investigation of the death of jeffery epstein. The accused sex trafficker stunning the world, taking his own life in a manhattan jail cell. The official autopsy results Just Announced by the medical examiner and what his legal team is vowing tonight. Heres stephanie ramos. Reporter tonight Jeffrey Epsteins attorneys questioning whether his death was a suicide, saying they are not satisfied with the ruling. They claim, it is indisputable that the authorities violated their own protocols, and that they plan to conduct their own investigation and will even pursue, quote, legal action to view the pivotal videos if they exist as they should of the area proximate to mr. Epsteins cell. Sources tell abc news that epstein, who was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, hanged himself with a bed sheet. His accusers vowing to get justice. While i am angry that mr. Epsteins death means hell never personally answer to me in a court of law, my resolve to pursue justice has only strengthened. Reporter tonight new details emerging about his final days in prison. According to the new york times, epstein tried to protect himself from other inmates by transferring money into their commissary accounts. He reportedly paid his lawyers to visit the jail for as many as 12 hours a day, giving him the right to see them in a private meeting room. The times also reporting he seldom bathed. His hair and beard were unkempt. These details coming out as the investigation into epsteins allegations intensify, with authorities searching his properties in the caribbean and new mexico, looking for evidence that others may have conspired with him. Jeffrey epstein and his network of enablers stole from me. Stephanie ramos joining us live. There have been more cases filed in court with those accusers, attempting to go after potential coconspirators. Exactly right. Two more women are suing his estate. They say they were recruited by an unnamed epstein employee. This is in addition to the lawsuit filed by his long time friend Ghislaine Maxwell whos also accused of recruiting for him. Maxwell denies wrongdoing. Stephanie, thank you. Appreciate it. Next to the intensifying war of words between the president and the congresswomen. President trump urging israel to bar two american lawmakerers from visiting. Swipes getting personal against Rashida Tlaib and getting an emotional reaction. Rachel scott reporting from near the president s resort in bedminster, new jersey. Reporter an emotional congresswoman Rashida Tlaib telling her constituents why she rejected israels offer to visit her elderly grandmother in the west bank. Thank you for today allowing me not just to be your congress member, but also a granddaughter of a of a grandmother living in occupation. Thank you. Reporter she applied to visit on humanitarian grounds after being denied entry for her political views. She was granted that offer on the condition she did not speak out against israel. Initially accepting, then saying with her familys support, she changed her mind. My family, my uncle everybody was like, there will be a dark cloud over you if you come with them forcing you to bow down. Reporter this week, President Trump leaned on israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu to stop tlaib and congresswoman ilhan omar, from traveling to israel. Tweeting, it would show great weakness. I think it would be a terrible thing, frankly, for israel to let these two people who speak so badly about israel come in. Reporter netanyahu listened, canceling the visit of two elected members of congress over their support of the boycott israel movement. Tlaib was also planning to see her family, including her grandmother. President trump quickly turned his political play into a personal attack, tweeting, the only real winner here is tlaibs grandmother. She doesnt have to see her now. Questioning if the whole thing was a complete setup. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi using the president s own words weakness against him and netanyahu. We cannot let their weaknesses stand in the way of our ongoing relationship. Rachel scott joining us now from new jersey. Rachel, democrats including some of his 2020 rivals quick to react here, accusing President Trump of politicizing the u. S. israel relationship, calling it a mistake in the long run. Exactly, whit. Some democrats say this is more than another attack from the president. They say politics like this weaken our Global Leadership and will only hurt the u. S. israeli relationship. Whit . Rachel scott in new jersey. Thank you. This programming note, more on all of this and the latest on the 2020 race tomorrow morning on this week. We move on to the deadly explosion overseas. Dozens of people kill in the afghanistan, including women and children. Many wounded when a blast ripped through a packed wedding hall in western kabul. Hundreds may have been inside at the time of the explosion. The violence shattering more than a week of calm in the afghan capital. Those rising tes on the streets of hong kong. Police and protesters going into an 11th week of clashes as gathering Chinese Forces loom across the border. The big question on everyones mind will china storm the city . Ian pannell reporting from a region on the brink. Reporter tonight, tensions mounting in hong kong. On the streets of this Global Financial center, a dangerous game of cat and mouse between police and protesters who are showing no sign of backing down. A rapidly developing and highly volatile situation here in hong kong. Protesters surrounded the Police Station earlier. Now you can see the riot police have come out in force. Some protesters dropping debris from buildings at police. This officer pointing his gun in return. Our Clayton Sandell is also on the scene. Police are now running toward the protesters. They are charging forward now, headed for the crowds. Reporter there were no serious clashes tonight. But theres now a growing fear about where this all goes. And just outside the city, chinese paramilitary troops staging by the thousands in this stadium. Tanks ready and drills conducted right on the hong kong border, a thinlyveiled threat. The city, a semiautonomous chinese territory, is now bracing for what could be the biggest demonstration yet in just a few hours time. Protesters both supporting and against china. We are not chinese reporter taking to the streets earlier. Youre not scared . Im scared, of course. Really scared. But i think this is worth it to find our democracy and freedom. Reporter chinas leaders warning theyve enough power to quell this unrest. 11 weeks of clashes started with protesters successfully delaying a proposed extradition bill with china. This week coming to a head in violent altercations in one of the worlds busiest airports, and tonight fears it will only get worse. A volatile situation. Ian pannell joining us from hong kong. Ian, as you mentioned there, with the city bracing for what could be that biggest demonstration yet, and these clashes dragging into an 11th week. Do the protester have one common goal here . Reporter the protesters have five clear demands, but they do all revolve around having more freedom and control and resisting what they see as chinese interference in their own affairs. For china, they fear what this is really about is trying to get independence, and if they make any concessions here it will set a dangerous precedent back home. The gulf between these two sides is now dangerously wide. Whit . Ian pannell in hong kong for us. Thank you. Back here at home to the new development in the new york city bomb scare. A Police Source telling abc news they have taken a person of interest into custody. Larry griffin of west virginia, hospitalized from a possible drug overdose. Griffin faces questioning related to rice cookers found in a subway station and on a street corner, spark fear. Bomb squad investigators determined they were safe. Now to the moving memorial for the victim of an el paso shooting and a husband asking for help. You may have seen this picture of antonio brasco, losing his wife of 22 years in that mass o. His invitation to the public and what it inspired. Thousands of strangers showing up to pay their respects. Heres abcs kaylie hartung. Reporter a community ripped apart by tragedy. Tonight, united as one family. El paso coming out in force to support this man, antonio brasco, burying his wife of 22 years. Shes one of us. Thats why. Reporter antonios wife Margie Reckard was Grocery Shopping at walmart on august 3rd when the gunman opened fire, taking 22 lives. Antonio feared he would mourn his devastating loss alone. These images capturing the sort sorrow and the nations attention. A man widowed, left with no other family, inviting anyone to attend his late wifes service. Last night, el pasoens arrived by the thousands to support him. We didnt know margie, but i had to tell my family, we have to be there as a family, all of us. Reporter they waited for hours outside in the heat. We love you. Oh, thank you. Reporter for just a few moments with antonio. I love yall, man. Reporter the community promising him they will be there for him. As united that el paso is. And as strong as el paso is, we will heal. Reporter antonio tonight overcome by grief and gratitude. I love el paso. Im glad to be your family. Reporter tonight, all 22 victims of the massacre in el paso now laid to rest. Thanks to the generosity of this community, none of the victims families paid a cent in funeral costs. An inspiring show of support. Thank you. Much more ahead this saturday. Confrontations turiont between opposing groups in portland, oregon. The new images just coming in. A suspect smashing displays with a sledgehammer. How the stores owner chased the thieves away. The neighborhood shootout caught on camera. Three suspected bank robbers shooting at deputies. How it all came to an end. W it all came to an end. How it call came to an end. Port, chantix is proven to help you quit. With chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting. Chantix reduces the urge so when the day arrives, youll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. When you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or lifethreatening allergic and skin reactions. Decrease alcohol use. Use caution driving or operating machinery. Tell your doctor if youve had Mental Health problems. The most common side effect is nausea. Quit smoking slow turkey. Talk to your doctor about chantix. My money should work as hard as i do. 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A trio of suspected bank robbers in the midst of a halfhour police chase, hitting a deadend and starting a gun battle. [ gunshots ] two suspects firing more than a dozen rounds before a deputy calls for backup. Shots fired, shots fired. Reporter then the third suspect with shots of his own. A second deputy returning fire, hitting that suspect in the thigh and calf as he flees. Theyre out here on a rampage, shooting, robbing, just doing whatever. Reporter Officials Say the chase began here inside a credit union where the suspects demanded and made off with cash. These newly released images showing the robbers donning masks, armed with extended magazines and guns designed for a high rate of fire and minimal accuracy what the sheriff called instruments of death. The only way were going to protect this community is to put these people in prison and they stay there. Reporter tonight all three of these suspects are in custody. They are all facing multiple counts of bank robbery and attempted murder. Whit . Trevor ault, thank you. When we come back, the river rescue caught on camera. Five people including children thrown into the water after a boat collision. Nearby fishermen stepping in to help out. Boat collision. Nearby fishermen stepping in to help out. I have the power to lower my blood sugar and a1c. Because i can still make my own insulin. And trulicity activates my body to release it like its supposed to. Trulicity is for people with type 2 diabetes. Its not insulin. I take it once a week. It starts acting in my body from the first dose. Trulicity isnt for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Dont take trulicity if youre allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, or severe stomach pain. 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Prpharmacist recommendedne memory support brand. You can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. To the index of other news. To the index of other news. Tense standoffs between opposing groups in portland, oregon. A rally of farright activists was met the counterprotesters on the far left. Police had to break up a handful of small clashes between demonstrators. At least one person was taken to the hospital. Several arrests have been made. A brazen smash and grab robbery caught on camera in california. Surveillance video shows the suspect smashing a jewelry display case with a sledgehammer at a store in santa monica. The owner attempts to push one man outside when a second suspect hits him with a sledgehammer. They all then take off. Police say three teenagers and one adult were later arrested. To massachusetts where three adults and two children rescued after their boat capsized. Video shows three passengers clinging to the overturned boat in the river. The coast guard says the boat flipped over when it collided with a fishing vessel. Fishermen helped pull four people out of the water. The captain also rescued. An idaho man lucky to be alive tonight after he was pinned by his atv for three days. Howard coates says he was out for a ride when he crashed into a tree and became trapped under the fourwheeler. The 66yearold used parts of his toolbox to survive. Took the top off my toolbox and used that to catch rain water. I dont much believe in miracles, but my wife says it is. Hard to disagree with that. Coates was eventually discovered by his son and brother. Hes now recovering from a broken hip. When we come back, america strong. The emotional first day of school for a town rebuilding from wildfire and their hope for the future. And a dock with a boat, maybe. Why havent you started building . Well, tylers off to college. And moms getting older. 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Unfortunately, it cant do anything about that. Now that you know the truth. Are you in good hands . Colon Cancer Screening for people 50 and older at average risk. I took your advice and asked my doctor to order cologuard, that noninvasive colon Cancer Screening test. The delivery guy just dropped it off. Our doctor says it uses advanced science. Its actually stool Dna Technology that finds 92 percent of colon cancers. No prep, and private. Colon Cancer Screening thats as easy as get, go, gone. Ask your doctor if cologuard is right for you. Covered by medicare and most major insurers. Finally tonight, rising from the ashes. The first day of school and a fresh start for a town ravaged by wildfires. America strong. Good morning. Reporter first day of school, a yearly ritual for kids and parents with smiles, backpacks, even some anxiety. The students here looking like so many others across the country. There you go. Smile. Reporter but at Paradise Ridge elementary school, its both a homecoming a new beginning. A little nervous today. Reporter these are the kids of paradise, california, the town destroyed by raging fires last year, their homes and their lives going up in flames. We grabbed our animals and some food and some clothes and were getting the heck out of here. Reporter many residents of paradise still live miles away in makeshift housing. But parents like the springsteens, who lost their home, are determined to return to paradise, and that starts with bringing their three kids to school here. Because this is our town, we are planning on moving back, and we want to support it every which way we can. Reporter by school bus and by car, more than 400 students now attending this elementary school. Paradise mom shawnta hansborough knows this is the only place she wants her kids to be. We were born and raised here in paradise, and we are committed to building paradise back up. We are going to rebuild our home and this is where we want to live. Reporter the children and parents of paradise back to school hand in hand, starting over together. Welcome home to all of them. Thanks for watching. Im whit johnson in new york. Gma and this week in the morning. Well see you back here tomorrow. This week in morning. Well see you back here tomorrow. Tonight on abc 7 news at 6 00, a new twist to the homelessness in San Francisco caught on video. The rally planned tomorrow. Plus, new developments with the campfire and the efforts to identify the victims who died. Google is on a buying binge where it is quietly gobbling up properties in the bay area. Abc 7 news at 6 00 starts now now news to build a better bay area, from abc 7. Right away a commuter alert. If the east bay is in your plans you may want to consider. Work on b. A. R. T is not only delaying trains, it is backing up traffic on highway 24. Today marks the first day of construction on the tracks. It affects three stations, orinda, lafayette and walnut creek. Work is going on not just for one weekend but as many as six, and because of the construction and the equipment, b. A. R. T needs to work on the rails. Lanes on highway 24 have been shut down as well. Drivers are feeling those effects. Yes, they are. While theres no Train Service between orinda and walnut creek, it is part of an effort to build a better bay area by improving b. A. R. T service. There are shuttle buses running to replace the trains, so riders should expect delays up to 40 minutes. Abc 7 News ReporterCornell Barnard joins us live from the orinda b. A. R. T station with a look at how people are dealing with all of this. Cornell. Reporter yes, eric, dion, buses have been rolling all day here in orinda between this station and walnut creek because lafayette station, b. A. R. T station, is closed. Riders have been getting where they need to go for the most part, but drivers hitting the brakes, impacted by b. A. R. Ts Major Construction project. I said we almost didnt even go to San Francisco because it was going to be such a long time to get here, yeah. Kind of a hassle today or what . Yes. Reporter jane from antioch thought about staying home today but eed