REGIONAL BRIEFING

Monday, November 5, 2007

METRO

Police Shoot Deer on Red Line Tracks at Wheaton Station

An injured deer wandering on Metro tracks and a platform in Wheaton caused major delays on the Red Line yesterday before being shot by Metro police, authorities said.

"The deer was all over the place for about four hours," said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.

The incident began about 7:30 a.m. with a report of a bleeding deer on the tracks between the Wheaton and Glenmont Metro stations in Montgomery County. The deer jumped on the platform at Wheaton several times, prompting authorities to clear the platform, she said. "It would go on the tracks and back to the platform," Farbstein said.

Trains were run on a single track, causing major delays for more than four hours, Farbstein said. "Trains were running at a very slow speed in an effort not to strike the deer," she said.

Metro Transit Police shot the deer after efforts to drive it away failed, Farbstein said. Residual delays on the Red Line continued until after 1 p.m., she said.

-- Delphine Schrank

THE DISTRICT

Police Identify Man and Woman Killed in Separate Shootings

D.C. police have identified the man found fatally shot Friday night in a car in the Brookland area of Northeast Washington.

They said Rick Kearney, 24, of the 2800 block of Jasper Road SE was found in the passenger side of a car in the 4000 block of Ninth Street NE.

Police also reported the fatal shooting of a 59-year-old woman whose body was found Thursday afternoon in an alley behind the 900 block of 12th Street NE. They identified her as Alberta Dunton and said they had no fixed address for her.

-- Martin Weil

Man Found Dead in Southeast Of Trauma and Gunshot Wounds

D.C. police responding to a call found a man dead yesterday in the 1700 block of 18th Street SE.

The man suffered head trauma and gunshot wounds and was found about 9 a.m., according to police.

No further details were immediately available. The case is being investigated by the force's violent crimes unit, police said.

-- Delphine Schrank

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Off-Duty Officer Has Car Stolen At Gunpoint in Temple Hills

An off-duty D.C. police officer was the victim of a carjacking in Temple Hills late yesterday, authorities said.

The officer, who was in plainclothes, had just parked in the 3400 block of 29th Avenue about 4:30 p.m. when a car pulled up, said Cpl. Diane Richardson, a Prince George's County police spokeswoman. A man wielding a gun exited the passenger's side and demanded that she get out of her red 2006 Dodge Charger, Richardson said.

The drivers of both vehicles remained at large last night.

-- Elissa Silverman

VIRGINIA

Roanoke Group Planning To Launch Shared Bike Program

A Roanoke group is creating a bike-sharing program that would let people sign out bicycles at area businesses.

Sharebike is partly modeled on programs in cities such as Portland, Ore., and Paris.

Organizers want to provide inexpensive, environmentally friendly, calorie-burning transportation for people who don't drive or don't need to for where they are going.

The group is collecting and repairing used bikes, raising money and staging trial runs.

Although theft, abuse and breakage have plagued other programs, organizers say they will try to curb such behavior by asking participants for identification, contact information and a signed release.

-- Associated Press