offspring. they look so friendly and cuddly. that's it for abc 7 news at 5:00. i'm eric thomas. >> and i'm dio tonight, the coast-to-coast winter weather threat. the growing storm on the move. dumping endless snow, putting drivers at risk. and the powerful tornado just confirmed in the south. rob marciano standing by. the student murder manhunt. police on the hunt for more suspects after arresting a 13-year-old in the brutal stabbing. tonight, new details, including how that college freshman fought back when police say a group of teens surrounded, robbed and killed her. panic at the mall. a shooting sending christmas shoppers running for their lives at the height of the holiday shopping season. the moment the gunfire started. plus, no debate? the labor dispute threatening to derail next week's big

democratic presidential debate. all seven candidates refusing to cross the picket line at the college hosting the event. will the debate be cancelled? killed on duty. the chilling new video just released. update on a story that we brought you last weekend. police calling it an ambush and execution of one of their own. all happening in a police station parking lot. cities held hostage. hackers crippling cities. even one state's largest hospital network. the multiple cyberattacks. new orleans city government forced to shut down their computers, working off pen and pad. and loughlin's legal play. one hollywood couple at the center of the college cheating scandal, going on defense tonight. what they're accusing prosecutors of doing. and good evening. thanks for joining us on this saturday. i'm tom llamas. and we begin tonight with two big storms striking coast to coast. that snow making for dangerous

driving in the west, those colorado drivers trying to dodge out-of-control vehicles on some slippery roads and the confirmed ef-1 tornado slamming parts of florida. with winds of up to 110 miles per hour. and that rough weather in the west, look at that, barrelling eastward tonight with a one-two punch bringing more snow, ice and rain to millions and it's not even winter yet. abc senior meteorologist rob marciano starts us off. >> reporter: tonight, dangerous weather has much of the east u.s. under siege as two storms wreak havoc across the country. violent storms slamming florida. an ef-1 tornado touching down in flagler county, with 110-mile-per-hour winds uprooting trees. and ripping off roofs. treacherous travel conditions. in the northeast. heavy snow outside of erie, pennsylvania. blinding drivers there. cars sliding off the highway. downpours swamp the city

streets of boston, forcing suvs onto the sidewalks to avoid the flooding. and in the west, a new storm system now marching east. up to eight inches of snow falling near vail, colorado, triggering a multicar pileup along i-70. drivers struggling to maintain traction through the rugged mountain passes. heart-stopping moments caught on a nest cam in omaha, nebraska. roads covered in a sheet of ice, causing not one, but two car accidents. >> some dangerous conditions out there, rob joining us now from central park with the forecast. rob, a new round of snow, ice and rain in store for millions. >> that's right, tom. that western storm is catching up to the one here in the east. not much of a break between them for really anybody. the center of this one is still over pennsylvania. the backside of the precip will take time to spin out. but everybody's going to get the wind tomorrow. we got wind advisories up from albany to boston. and in the west, snow still coming down. warnings still posted for parts

of colorado, now watch as that stretches into kansas city and st. louis. strong storms on the south, more in the way of severe weather by tuesday. an icy mix in the northeast, especially inland and north of i-80. that's where we'll see some accumulation. it will be a rough commute both monday and tuesday. tom? >> rob leading us off tonight. rob, thank you. next to the urgent manhunt for the suspect of a murder college student. the college student struggling to get help before collapsing. one suspect, just 13 years old in custody in connection with the case. abc's stephanie ramos with new reporting tonight on how that student tried to fight back. >> reporter: tonight, with at least one suspect still on the run, new york city police are back on the scene of that hour horrific crime. divers searching a pond in that manhattan park, looking for evidence in the brutal murder of barnard college student, tessa majors. a 13-year-old was arrested

friday, charged with felony murder, robbery and weapons possession in connection with majors' death. the arresting officer testifying in family court the juvenile, whose identity is not being released, did not kill majors. the officer says the 13-year-old was found a few blocks away from the college with a knife, that he claims he gave to one of the other suspects. the juvenile implicated two others in the crime. police say his statement matches the grainy surveillance video investigators have reviewed from the park. >> they have one in custody. and he is the storyteller, he is the narrator. you get detailed information and you see that if that coincides with the physical evidence. >> reporter: the nypd has questioned a second teenager, just 14 years old, tonight he has not been charged. police say majors was walking in manhattan's morningside park in the early evening wednesday when she was confronted, robbed and stabbed to death. authorities say she fought back biting the finger of one of her

attackers and then managed to stagger up the steep staircase. she later died at the hospital. >> those responsible, however many there may be, will be brought to justice. >> reporter: tom, this is still a very active investigation. that 13-year-old is being held without bail and will appear in court on tuesday. his aunt says her nephew is innocent. tom? >> and the manhunt is still on tonight. all right, stephanie, thank you. now to washington and the historic full house impeachment vote looming next week. president trump tossed the coin at the start of the army-navy game in pennsylvania. even as he and his team brace for that wednesday impeachment vote on the house floor. with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell facing criticism from democrats accusing him of taking his cues from the white house. abc's david wright with the latest tonight from the white house. >> reporter: tonight, the battle lines over impeachment are sharp and hyperpartisan. >> i am trying to give a pretty clear signal i've made up my mind.

i'm not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here. >> reporter: speaking in doha, qatar, senator lindsey graham said trump will be on safer ground with a republican majority calling the shots. >> and i will do everything i can to make it die quickly. >> reporter: on fox news, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell vowed senate republicans will be in lockstep with the white house. >> we'll be working through this process hopefully in a fairly short period of time in total coordination with the white house counsel's office. >> reporter: president trump has said he'd like to call witnesses, but now says he'll defer to the senate. >> i'll do long or short. i have heard mitch, i have heard lindsey. i think they are very much in agreement on some concept. i will do whatever they want to do, it doesn't matter. >> reporter: democrats accuse senate republicans of pre-judging the evidence even before the trial begins. and, when the house votes this week, democrats from trump-friendly districts are under pressure to break ranks. 31 democrats are seeking

re-election in districts trump won, two of them have already said they're likely to vote no on one or both articles of impeachment. one may be switching parties. other moderates are weighing their decisions. >> i'm going to read everything, watch all the testimony and the hearings and read the transcripts, consult with scholars, and of course talk with my constituents. >> reporter: today, new jersey congressman tom malinowski got some boos when he told residents in his district he plans to vote for impeachment. >> i believe that on the two counts of impeachment that had been put before us that the vote should be yes and i will be voting yes. >> all right, some applause and some boos there. david wright joins us live from the white house. david, the house is planning that historic vote early next week. expected to pass even with those moderate democrats under so much political pressure. >> reporter: that's right, tom,

the vote likely to take place wednesday and the math in both chambers adds up. the democrats in the house believe that they have more than enough votes to impeach president trump. republicans in the senate believe they have the votes to keep him in office. as you know, tom, the constitution requires a two-thirds vote to remove a president. >> david, thank you. and this programming note tomorrow on "this week," george sits down with house judiciary chairman jerry nadler, house intelligence chair adam schiff and senator ted cruz of texas. we turn now to america cities facing paralyzing threats from hackers. the city of new orleans forced to shut down their computer systems. >> reporter: tonight, a state of emergency in new orleans after a cyberattack on the city's computer systems. >> we are now beginning recovery. >> reporter: officials directing all employees to power down computers, unplug devices and disconnect from wifi. the mayor says ransomware was detected, but it's unclear who is responsible. >> there's no evidence of personal data being lost at this

time. >> reporter: emergency services, 911, dispatching and police r d radios were unaffected. this year alone, the cybersecurity firm emsisoft reports 948 ransomware attacks on government agencies, health care providers and school districts, at a cost of more than 7 billion in taxpayer dollars. just days ago, hackers hit pensacola, florida, demanding a $1 million ransom. and in georgia, computer screens at the 911 dispatch center going dark. the network infected by malware. >> basically what we were left with was our radio system. >> reporter: hackers also crippling computer systems at new jersey's largest hospital network. as for new orleans, city hall has been shut down and all city websites are down. employees are using pen and paper to conduct business. tom? >> mona, thank you. next to to the chilling sr. video just released, what police are calling a cold-blooded ambush and execution of one of their own. the suspect coming up behind the officer opening fire last

weekend. new details on that case and here's abc's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: tonight, police releasing this chilling surveillance video of a gunman seen firing multiple times into a squad car, killing the unsuspected officer. authorities calling it an ambush and execution. you can see police rush out of this station in pursuit of the suspect. >> the suspect, he's down on the west side of the building. >> reporter: they chase him through the alleyway, killing the suspect. the officer, 27-year-old stephen carr. this week, a solemn procession to honor the fallen hero was led by carr's siblings. >> he came from a law enforcement family. he knew what the job was about and he just wanted to serve his community. >> reporter: tom, that officer had been on the force for just 2 1/2 years. now, tonight, authorities tell us that the investigation continues. tom. >> zachary, thank you. we're learning tonight about

that deadly attack that left six people including two gunmen dead in jersey city. the fbi recovering a white van you see it right there linked to the suspects. that attack at a kosher grocery store now being investigated as domestic terrorism. update on that mass shooting at the naval base in pensacola. abc news obtaining a joint intelligence bulletin. detailing what investigators have learned about that gunman since the december 6th attack. the suspect posting online months before the attack, the countdown has started. at least three people were killed and eight others injured in that incident. the investigation is still ongoing. we want to turn now to politics and the 2020 race. the big question marks swirling around next week's democratic presidential debate. the labor dispute and possible picket line at the college hosting the showdown. will the debate be cancelled? abc's rachel scott with the latest. >> reporter: tonight, a threat to boycott, placing the next democratic debate in jeopardy.

the seven candidates who have qualified vowing they won't cross a union picket line to get to the stage. >> i think it's a terrible look for the democratic party to have a debate and that runs afoul of union work rules. >> reporter: the democratic party now scrambling to find a resolution before thursday as a california labor union, unite here 11, plans to continue to picket on loyola marymount university's campus. >> and i don't believe we should cross the picket line. so i'm encouraging the dnc to try to work this out to find a new location or they're going to have to figure out what, how they resolve this. >> reporter: that union, representing 150 cashiers, cooks and dishwashers, in the middle of an ongoing labor dispute with sodexo, a company contracted to handle food services for the university, demanding better wages and health care benefits. the union sending this letter to the presidential candidates, outlining their plans.

in a statement the dnc says, "while lmu is not a party to the negotiations, they are working with all stakeholders to find an acceptable resolution that meets their needs and is consistent with our values and will enable us to proceed as scheduled with next week's debate." >> i believe that they are probably trying to work with all the parties to resolve this. because having these debates is critical for americans to see the differences between candidates, and this is obviously going to be a critical election for america. >> all right, rachel scott joins us now live from pittsburgh where several of the candidates were campaigning today. we're just a few days out from that next debate, will they find a solution before thursday? >> reporter: tom, this is not the first hurdle for the dnc. last month, they had to move this same debate from ucla over a different labor dispute. but tonight, both the party and the candidates are optimistic that they can find a solution before thursday. tom. >> rachel, thank you. and there's much more ahead on "world news tonight" this saturday. a shooting inside of a mall during the height of the holiday

shopping season. frantic shoppers seen running to safety, the latest from the police tonight. actress lori loughlin now fighting back in college admissions scandal, what she's now accusing prosecutors doing. and a reporter inappropriately touched on live tv. her alleged attacker arrested. the charges he's now facing. the charges he's now facing. 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 it's supposed to. trulicity is for people with type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. i take it once a week. it starts acting in my body from the first dose. trulicity isn't for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take trulicity if you're 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,

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their lawyers writing in a court filing, "the government appears to be concealing exculpatory evidence that helps show that both defendants believed all of the payments they made would go to usc itself for legitimate, university-approved purposes." >> it's very serious for a prosecuting attorney to withhold what may be exculpatory evidence. >> reporter: while other parents, including actress felicity huffman, have taken plea deals, loughlin and giannulli maintain their innocence. claiming they believe payments made to college admissions consultant rick singer were legitimate. >> in this case, unlike some of the others, there were actually falsified photographs and fake resumes created for lori's children. i think it's going to be pretty difficult to convince a jury that they somehow believe they were just making innocuous donations. >> reporter: the next hearing in the couple's case is scheduled for mid-january. they face up to 45 years in prison if convicted. tom? >> marci, thank you.

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time now for our "index." a shooting scare inside a busy mall in atlanta. new video shows frantic holiday shoppers running for safety when the shooting started inside a food court. police say the shooting was a result of an argument and is an isolated incident. one person was injured. police are now looking for that gunman. and the major medical headline tonight for some heart and diabetes patients. the fda approving a fish oil-based drug used to reduce potentially deadly complications of heart attack. vascepa would be used for those already taking cholesterol-lowering medicine. experts say the prescription therapy could benefit millions of high-risk patients. to georgia now, where a man has been arrested for a slapping a reporter's backside on air. the video of the assault on wsvb reporter

alex bozarjian during a live report in savannah, going viral, and prompting a police investigation. 43-year-old thomas callaway now charged with sexual battery after turning himself in. he was released on bond. an historic win at the miss world patient. miss jamaica tori-ann singh taking home the crown at the ceremony in london. for the first time, all five winners of the major pageants including miss universe, miss usa, miss teen usa are black women. and when we come back, the graduation years in the making. the single mom battling a serious illness, proving nothing can keep her down. it's a great story. stay with us. stay with us. down. it's a great story. stay with us. -twins! ell, audrey's expe. grandparents! we want to put money aside for them, so...change in plans. alright, let's see what we can adjust. ♪ we'd be closer to the twins. change in plans. okay. mom, are you painting again? you could sell these.

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>> chatora! >> reporter: that's chatora herring headed to a major milestone, 14 years in the making. >> it was just a long time coming. it's just something i had to do. >> reporter: chatora never thought she would see this day, after dropping out of college at 19. >> i didn't push myself like i should have. i married at 21. life just happened. >> reporter: and for chatora, life would continue to take unexpected turns. after having her first son, sinez, two years later, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. >> there's no cure for it. i always felt like i had control of everything and i'm just like -- sorry, it was very scary though. >> reporter: now a single mom and having ms, chatora was living life in pain every day, but she knew one thing -- she had to fight through for her son. >> it's very unpredictable and i prayed and prayed about it. and finally i was like, "i got this."

>> reporter: chatora would have a second son, sir james, but someing was always burning in the back of her mind, finishing that degree. >> it was my boys mostly. i was a single mom so i knew i had to do it for my boys. >> reporter: so two years ago, chatora went back to the university of arkansas at pine bluff. this time, she didn't just attend school, she doubled up on her credits. >> and i just told my boys, whatever life throws at you -- tell anybody this -- whatever life throws at you, you get through it you don't give up. >> reporter: and that motto, she has lived by. 14 years later, finally getting that degree. >> i wanted to scream. i was so happy. >> reporter: chatora not only graduating but making the chancellor's list and getting a 4.0 gpa in her last semester. >> never give up. tell my boys just never give up. >> a 4.0. thanks so much for watching. i'm tom llamas in new york. "good morning america" and "this week" in the morning. i'll see you right back here tomorrow night. have a great night. have a great night. morning. i'll see you right back here tomorrow night. good night.

tonight on abc7 news at 6:00, we're seeing the impact of all the recent rain. how it's wiping out drought conditions all over the state. and the nfl commissioner is weighing in on colin kaepernick and his chance at getting back in the league. a better understanding of whales. what scientists have discovered about their diets that are similar to humans. abc7 news at 6:00 starts now. >> now, news to build a better bay area. from abc7. >> get some of these guns out of our community. >> several bay area communities look to become safer offering incentive for people to turn in guns of all kinds, no questions asked. good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm dion lim. >> i'm eric thomas. preventing beggun vanliolence w

goal today. several buybacks on a day when the nation remembers victims of a mass shooting seven years ago. >> cornell barnard joining us live in san francisco with more on this story. cornell? >> reporter: yeah, at this church, remembering lives lost in the sandy hook mass shooting. earlier today, the preventing gun violence was the goal in a series of gun buybacks. >> to celebrate >> reporter: a vigil at third baptist church to remember lives lost to gun violence. >> imagine we were -- >> reporter: christine pelosi, house speaker daughter of nancy pelosi, reading the names of the children of sandy hook elementary. >> seven years ago today, little angels who have now been dead longer thanhe