captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. tonight the city of tulsa, oklahoma is on edge after a series of similar shootings left three people dead and two others wounded. all the victims believed to have been targeted randomly were shot early yesterday as they stood or walked outdoors on tulsa's north side. the shootings appear to be linked though they're being careful not to characterize the nature of the attacks. all victims are blacks and witnesses described the attacker as a white man. that some some in the community questioning whether this might have been a hate crime. tonight the fbi join in the investigation. nbc's john yang is following the story for us. >> reporter: in just a few hours, three people found dead and two others wounded. all within three miles of each other on tulsa the north side. it began just after 1:00 a.m. friday when a woman was found shot to death in a yard in a residential neighborhood. three minutes later, two men found wounded just two blocks away. both expected to survive. and 1:50, a man found fatally wounded. at 8:30, the last grisly discovery, a man shot in the chest outside a funeral home pronounced dead at the scene. investigators said the victims, all of them black, appear to have been picked at random. >> the victims were in the street, and not really in their yards. so i would think that, you know, people were walking up and down the street, being targeted. >> reporter: according to investigators one of the survivors said his attacker was a white male driving a white pickup truck. they caution, it's too early to say whether race played any role in the shootings. >> i'm worried about, more about three of my citizens being murdered. if this is in the direction of a hate crime that's where we'll go and prosecute them for that as well. >> reporter: local authorities ask the fbi for possible witnesses in a city with only 11 homicides this year before friday, residents of tulsa's predominantly black north side of on edge this easter weekend. >> right now everybody just needs to get closer, present themselves and do whatever mesh are, necessary legally, legally, to protect themself. >> this is tulsa, oklahoma. we should have the ability to stand out on your porch any time, day or night, that you want to, to walk down your street anytime day or night that you want to. >> reporter: community leaders are urging time, police are urging vigilance. >> go about your business. at night, i would be aware what's going on. >> reporter: at the city holdsth breath why police hunt down what they describe as a lone wolf killer. nbc news, chicago. in virginia beach tonight dozens of residents at an apartment complex, many elderly, are looking for new places to live after a navy fighter jet crashed into their homes yesterday. as the navy investigates exactly what happened to the jet, local residents are still marveling at the fact no one was killed. here's nbc's tom trump. >> reporter: these are new, up-close images of the charred fa-18 hornet. the navy says catastrophic mechanical failure had it crash into this apartment complex. the navy is not identifying the two pilots and won't say if error on their part caused the crash. >> we will not rush to judgment. we will get everything down, examine it carefully. >> reporter: a before and after view shows how the fiery wreck destroyed three buildings and damaged 50 units. the two pilots and only four people from the crash zone suffered minor injuries. while some left everything, many say it's a miracle no one was killed. >> you want to define a miracle, what happened here yesterday meets that definition for me. >> reporter: larry craig says strangers pulled his 87-year-old mother to safety as her apartment went up in flames. >> she told me she would have ran back in and got her purse. >> reporter: for sam, the fa-18 hit a stone's throw from his backyard fence. >> i heard three really loud booms. about that time debris flew through the back door. >> reporter: friday's crash happened on his birthday. >> this is a hell of a way to remember your birthday? >> one really big candle. tell you that much. >> reporter: it wasn't a joyous occasion but he and dozens of people survived to celebrate another day. for nbc news, virginia beach. president obama's weekly radio address today was a reflection on two important religious holiday, passover and easter, both being celebrated this weekend. and coming at a time when religion and politic, in the mix on the campaign trail. nbc's mike viqueira reports from the white house. >> reporter: at the national cathedral in washington today, volunteers prepared the sanctuary for easter services. as political leaders including president obama has an easter spiritual meaning. >> for me and count lds other christians, easter weekend is a time to reflect and rejoice. >> reporter: during this holy season, religion remain as part of the political dialogue. >> when i came to the united states senate i really did find the lord. >> reporter: signs the public is turns off. nearly four in ten americans say too much expression of faith and litics. 30% say too little. a virtual reversal from two years ago. >> let's get out and vote. let's get the job done. >> reporter: other attitudes are changing as well showing growing acceptance of mitt romney's mormon faith among most voters but lingering doubts among evangelicals. at a town hall meeting, mitt romney was asked about his church's views or interracial marriage. >> do you believe for a white man to co-create way black? >> no. >> reporter: he came back to the question of ron paul and spoke of his role as a mormon pastor. >> giv me an occasion to work on personal basis dealing with unemployment, with marital difficulties, with health difficulties of their own or with their kids. >> reporter: and rick santorum is a favorite of evangelical voters. >> that we pray, hallelujah, amen. >> reporter: this week president obama hosted the annual easter prayer breakfast add the white house and last night a passover seder for staff and friends. though attitudes may be changing, americans still value religious faith in leaders. >> a reminder of not only what binds us together as a nation, but also what binds us together as children of god. >> reporter: and, lester, interesting note the evolution of the president's easter weekend address as the first three years very secular largely about the economy. only two mentions of jesus or god in those first three year. today the president spoke of god or jesus a total of seven times in a speech that was all about space. lester? >> mike viqueira in washington. thanks. the big political issue remains the economy and a jobs report that missed expectations has raised new questions about just how strong our recovery really is. cnbc's simon hobbs is here now in new york to tell us more. >> the economy may be weaker than we thought and that the unusually warm weather essentially hid that from us. extra sunny day in the start of the year driving many employers to take on earlier. in retail and construction, and at the time, pulling forward about a temporary effect may be appear permanently stronger. conversely, it may be payback time. job growth in march, much of spring recruiting already occurred. usually distortions like this are adjusting figures. the affect of this year's weather may be too extraordinary for models to remove it. employment is still growing, but it's the real taste of the recruiting that's slower, the stock market for one, may have a troubled opening on monday. back to you. >> simon hobbs, thank you. the economy and jobs will be on the agenda tomorrow as nbc's david gregory talks with democratic senator richard durbin and john kasich of ohio, tomorrow on "meet the press." in sanford, florida, city officials preparing for the possibility of a decision next week on whether to charge george zimmerman in the shooting of trayvon martin. nbc's kerry sanders has the latest. >> reporter: protesters marched again in florida today. 42 days since the fatal shooting. for some, patience is wearing thin. it's become a waiting game. will 28-year-old george zimmerman face charges in the death of trayvon martin or will the initial decision by the state attorney to let him go stand? >> i believe that george zimmerman should be arrested, and have to prove in court his side of the story. >> reporter: but this morning -- >> in the court of pub lik opinion it appears he's just ready for sentencing. >> reporter: george zimmerman's attorney spoke with lester holt on the "today" show. >> we believe based on the evidence that it's altogether likely he's not going to be charged, but if he is, we'll confident he'll be acquitted. >> reporter: trayvon's family lawyer expects nothing short of arrest. >> killed trayvon martin in cold blood when he only had a bag of skittles, he had a .9 millimeter gun. >> reporter: central to the case is florida's controversial stand your ground law. it says in part, a person is justified in the use of deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. at several hearings this week in florida -- >> i am standing before you, because this law makes me scared for my son. >> reporter: state lawmakers listened as both sides talked passionately about stand your ground. >> a law that received little national attention until trayvon martin's death. >> it's a good-intention law but it may be too broad. i wanted legal minds to use this law on both sides of the aisle to come up with a solution for it. >> reporter: the special prosecutor in this case could present the evidence gathered so far to a grand jury, which meets next tuesday, but that said, she's under no obligation to present the evidence to a grand jury to determine whether charges warranted or not. she could make that decision on her own, and, lester, she's under no deadline. >> kerry sanders, thanks. turning overseas now to north korea which is getting ready to launch a long-range rocket next week. nbc's richard angell is inside the secretive country. >> reporter: good evening from pyongyang. normally north korea doesn't allow in foreign journalists. that was evident as we flew in today. arriving at airport and we went through a meticulous security check, officials went through all our bags and cases and we were told no cell phone, blackberries, no smartphones gps device no kinds of communication dwigss a devices are allowed into this country. we are here at the official invitation of the northern korean government, told to witness the launch into orbit of a small observation satellite. north korea is expected to launch this observation satellite sometime between the 12th and the 15th of this month. it says to show its scientific prowess. the united states, however, is deeply skeptical of this launch. it says it is really a test of the three-stage rocket that is going to be used to send this small observation satellite into orbit. it is the same type of rocket that could at least in theory be also used as an intercontinental ballistic missile. lester? >> richard engel in north korea. rebel troops and syrian soldiers and civilians dead and thousands of others head to the boarder of turkey to try to escape the violence. renewed clashes come at the urge a of cease-fire. when ke come back, colleges, afford action. what happened to change that? and later, a special feature of "to kill a mockingbird." what a 50-year-old film means to so many still today. a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. 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[ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. the artist thomas kinkade died yesterday at his home in california, and even if you don't know his name chances are you'll recognize his work. you may have one of hit paintings hanging on your wall. an estimated 1 in 20 homes have his or tartwork in it. everyday people certainly appreciated him. here's nbc's michelle frances. >> reporter: at the gallery outside new york city, neighbors fought back tears thinking about the death of their favorite artist. >> it really is going to be a loss. >> reporter: abrams and his wife are longtime kinkade collectors and own more than a dozen of his paintings. >> we've got them in our house. >> reporter: the american painter died friday at the age of 54 at his northern california home. his family said from natural causes. the self-described painter of light would often hide the names of his wife and four daughters in his artwork and became best known for his inspirational paintings from cottages and sweeping landscapes to city scenes and disney paintings brought to life. >> the community is, he gave a peace most people don't have today. >> reporter: an estimated $100 million in yearly sales. adding to kinkade's popularity, many of his collectors and workers in his gallery felt a special connection to the artist, and even had a chance to meet him. >> and everything he does, he puts his heart and soul into. >> reporter: even though his work was brushed off by art critics, he likened his style to that of norman rockwell and painted to maybe people v. as much as i travelled i found certain of the foundational value, faith in god, home, family, these are the things that everyone's hungry for. >> reporter: the artist and his or the wark accessible and affordable for fans like teena marie. >> my goal, own a ret.k. >> reporter: she was surprised with her first kinkade painting. an early gift for their wedding in may. >> that more memorable that we were able to pick it up today on -- on what is a sad day, but we were able to make another one live. >> reporter: michelle franzen, nbc news, west nyack, new york. when we come back, a beloved film gets a presidential introduction and a special airing coming to your lovingroom tonight. showed me the pressure points on my feet and exactly where i needed more support. then, i got my number. my tired, achy feet affected my whole life. until i found my number. i tried the free dr. scholl's foot mapping center. in two minutes, i got my foot map and custom number. i'm a 440. that matched up to the dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with the right support and cushioning i need. i am a believer. i'm a believer! i'm a believer. go to drscholls.com to find your closest walmart with a foot mapping center. ready? as i'll ever be. break a leg! i used to love hearing that phrase... but not since i learned i have... postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture. i want to keep acting but a broken bone could change that. so my doctor and i chose prolia® to reduce my risk of fractures. prolia® is proven to help make bones stronger. proven to help increase bone density. i take prolia®. it's different. it's two shots a year. 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"to kill a mockingbird" was her only book, and though she rarely speaks publicly, this week she said she was proud to know that gregory peck's portrayal of atticus finch lives on in a world that needs him now more than of. again that special broadcast, on the usa network. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today," then right back here tomorrow evening. have a good night, everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com