are we? i'm a little nervous. >> double dare show. >> i always wanted to be on "double dare." >> lester holt is next. we'll see you at 6:00. breaking news tonight the dramatic takedown after a deadly shooting spree just a short time ago. police capturing the suspect wanted in the killings of four people at three different crime scenes >> i just saw ten police officers with guns, rifles and handguns going crazy >> the suspect's father and brother among the dead six teen marines arrested on charges from human smuggling to drug offenses, the dramatic arrests happening during a battalion formation. >> jeffrey epstein placed on suicide watch. he was found injured in his jail cell with marks on his neck.

was he attempting to take his own life or could he have been 37 max plane, how itinmate could throw a wrench into your travel plans and drive up ticket costs especially for the holidays another major city laying down the law on escooters as deaths and injuries rise. are they too dangerous for the road and our journey to the top of the world where scorching heat is melting nature's wonders. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening we begin with breaking news, a killing spree that held los angeles in suspense for much of a day just ended with the capture of a suspect. since this morning six people have been shot, four of them killed the shootings happening at three locations in l.a. san fernando valley including a city bus where the latest victim was shot molly hunter is in l.a. with the latest >> reporter: tonight the suspect is in custody.

>> he's armed with a 9 mm auto >> reporter: dramatic video shows s.w.a.t teams zeroing in he went to an apartment in the valley shooting and killing his brother and father and wounding his mother >> i saw police just raiding the building next to me and saw ten police officers with guns, rifles and hand guns going crazy. >> reporter: hours later at a gas station in north hollywood he shot two people killing his girlfriend and leaving the other person in critical condition on the run from there, then he attempted to rob someone at an a atm. then he boarded a bus nearby shooting at persons at close range. he was even asking people for clothes as he ran. police have confirmed the person shot on the bus has died after that shooting. police tracked down the shooting walking on a nearby street authorities took him down by tasering him police now seeking to question

him in connection with at least four murders across the san fernando valley. lester >> molly hunter, thanks. and also breaking in southern california today, the dramatic mass arrest of 16 u.s. marines at camp pendleton. the junior enlisted troops busted as they stood in formation facing charges related to drugs and human trafficking miguel almaguer has late details. >> reporter: the 16 marines at camp pendleton were taken into custody today during battalion formation. the dramatic takedown by ncis part of a morning sweep. the marines arrested for various legal activities ranging from human smuggling to drug related offenses the u.s. marine corps saying in a statement an additional eight marines were taken aside to be questioned on their involvement in alleged drug offenses unrelated to today's arrest. >> i don't remember this number of people being arrested all at once and so it's extremely unusual

for a sweep to be made with this number of arrests. >> reporter: withholding specifics as the marine corps investigates, officials confirm the arrests came after information was gained from a previous human smuggling investigation. on july 5th, two marines were charged with transportation of certain aliens for financial gain after they agreed to transport three mexican citizens for $8,000 with possibility of additional charges, the marines say none took part in the southwest border mission 16 accused of breaking the law and betraying their motto of always faithful. the marines who were arrested today and those who were also pulled aside for questioning at camp pendleton remain in the custody of ncis investigators. this matter will be addressed in the military court system, not the civilian one

lester >> all right, miguel thank you. next tonight, jeffrey epstein the multimillionaire and accused sex trafficker was placed on suicide watch after he was found injured in a new york jail stephanie gosk and the questions over what happened inside his cell >> reporter: jeffrey epstein was found on the floor of his cell semiconscious in a fetal position with marks around his neck there are conflicting explanations from multiple law enforcement sources. one theory is that epstein tried to take his own life another is that the 66-year-old faked a suicide to try to get transferred from this notorious jail in manhattan. but the possibility that epstein was attacked is also being considered two people familiar with the incident tell nbc's new york station that epstein shared a cell with nick, a former police office accused of murder. his lawyer says his client was questioned but is not a suspect.

>> he did nothing wrong at all and he's not being investigated for doing anything wrong he's not been accused of doing anything wrong >> a judge denied epstein's bail after he pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges leaving him locked up until trial, a sharp contrast to life in his luxury homes in new mexico, new york, and the caribbean. local zoning permits show epstein was expanding his compound from this island to a second one these islands are public property, but jeffrey epstein made it clear the rest of the island is not. he's been doing construction here up until his arrest we're told that this white shed was built only a few months ago. epstein may never be back. the rest of his life could be spent behind bars. there's more bad news related to boeing's troubled 737 max planes southwest airlines today cancelling max flights until

next year. holidays here's tom costello. >> reporter: no airline in the world owns more boeing 737 max's, all of them grounded, forced to cancel 20,000 flights this year. southwest said it's cutting service to newark airport and doesn't expect to fly the max until january 5th at the earliest >> we're unhappy that it's taking so long we're in the dark on a number of technical matters. >> reporter: grounded since march 14th, no plane has been grounded so long southwest hoped to have 75 maxes in its fleet by year's end american 40, united 30 but if they can't fly it during the winter holidays, that could impact holiday travel. >> we're likely to see fewer seats av popular but frequently travelled during the holiday season. >> with new planes stacking up in seattle, boeing is warning it

could cut production if faa recertification is delayed until the fall or winter >> this is a bad situation that keeps getting worse for boeing and for the airlines that fly the max. >> reporter: boeing tells nbc news the safe return of service is the company's top priority. the advice is start looking for air fares for the winter holidays and if you see a good price, grab it one day after robert mueller testified before congress, democrats tonight are still debating whether to pursue impeachment of the president white house correspondent kristen welker is here kristen, this is a big split among democrats and it didn't change because of yesterday. >> certainly democrats are still very divided about how to move forward. capitol hill sources tell nbc news there's broad agreement the mueller hearings did not deliver the kind of punch they were hoping for

it may have blunted momentum, but there are still democrats who are not ready to give up on impeachment. ultimately it's up to nancy pelosi who had a meeting with democrats last night, made it very clear she's not on board with the idea. president trump believes the hearings were a win for him as democrats, lester, are preparing to file a lawsuit to try to force the president's former white house counsel don mcgahn to testify there were angry confrontations on immigration and trump administration's border policies. jeff bennett has that story. >> reporter: tonight divisions over the migrant crisis. house democrats condemning how the trump administration split migrant families sometimes sending parents back to their home countries without their children >> you were doing deportation before the reunification without knowledge the parents are being reunified. >> yes >> in other words you're

kidnapping the child >> not kidnapping the child. >> taking a parent without their child is kidnapping. >> reporter: the trump administration is under fire for the family separation policy and continues facing criticism over reports of deplorable conditions at facilities along the border one of the facilities in the el paso sector where disturbing allegations emerged about overcrowding and the mistreatment of children in clint. according to a document, the head of the sector is being reassigned to detroit. he recently spoke with gabe gutierrez. >> the children that were there were receiving hygiene >> reporter: aber in, a guatemalan migrant talked about conditions he experienced. he described having nowhere to sleep for days giving his food to younger children so they wouldn't go hungry and seeing a guard punch a boy in the stomach. a customs and border protection official tells nbc news his claims are inconsistent with

agency records of his time in custody. more challenges for a boreder in crisis jeff bennett, nbc news washington tonight puerto rico is preparing for a transfer of power after the governor resigns following nearly two weeks of demonstrations protesters say more needs to be done about what they see as rampant corruption gabe gutierrez is in san juan. >> reporter: tonight protests have turned to parties on the streets of san juan. >> bye bye this is it >> reporter: governor ricardo caved overnight to intensifying pressure amid the threat of impeachment. hearing the news, the island exploded >> this is like my -- i can't even describe it we have been waiting for this for so long. >> reporter: now puerto rico's secretary of justice is said to

take over next week. but to many of these protesters, she's already controversial, seen as one of his political allies vasquez inherits a government dealing with a year's long recession, allegation of rampant corruption, and rebuilding after hurricane maria. joyce's grandmother died in the storm's after math >> this is not a joke. these are lies itese are your people and you o the puerto rican people have spoken >> reporter: now the focus shifts to the prosecution of several local officials who were arrested and charged with corruption here earlier this month. lester all right gabe, thanks next a deadly heat wave sweeping across europe, shattering records in several countries including france which poses a fire threat to notre dame cathedral >> reporter: since anything in paris was built, over 108 degrees roasting american tourists

>>t fountain this was amazing >> so hot architects fear the roof of notre dame cathedral could collapse in belgium it's the hottest since 1883 in the netherlands more records smashed. in britain, 100 degrees in july for the first time europe may have to get used to it recently it's had the five hottest days in the last 500 years. in portugal wild fires are raging in france, repeat of the 15,000 heat wave deaths a decade ago, air conditioning not big in europe it's same as chocolate no match for the heat. relief and rain is in sight, the warning now for wild storms and lester in this country alaska has warmed twice as fa arest of the state and now parts of alaska are el this summer as new records are being set in the southern part kevin tibbles went to alaska to

see the effects firsthand. >> reporter: alaska' blue white giants are dying falling to rising temperatures. >> 34 degree water recently melted ice and snow. >> reporter: pat guides tours on the glacier. >> on 2009 you used to be able to step on the ice from the end of the trail >> reporter: today we have to kayak to the glacier's face a mile away, nimbly making our way past icebergs that have broken off. >> perhaps as recently has 30 years ago, where we're kayaking now would have been under hundreds of et >> reporter: he's come to see the damage firsthand >> this is the warmest month on, this region. >> reporter: on july 4th, anchorage set a new record at 90 degrees. forest fires leave a haze that hangs in the air

fisheries, a $6 billion industry are jeopardized. and the ice keeps melting. a helicopter is now the only way to reach the top they say the spencer recedes 100 feet a year. >> this is a phenomenal place of natural beauty the tragedy is it's disappearing before our very eyes >> reporter: matt's tour business ascending path is also receding >> i love what water creates, but the cause of it is heartbreaking. >> repr:atmosphere, it g hotter and melting glaciers causing water levels worldwide to rise. >> in many other places you can't see those changes but they're occurring. climate change is affecting everybody. >> the glacier is like a canary in a coal mine >> monuments now in retreat. kevin tibbles, nbc news, alaska. still ahead the explosion of

scooters and injuries and the drastic measures some cities are taking also the wild ride at the airport, scary moments as a 2-year-old wanders away from his mother

next tonight the latest american city to slap new restrictions on those popular escooters as the number of deaths and injuries on them rises across the country are they too dangerous for the streets? here's nbc's vicky wynn. >> reporter: on the streets, in bike lanes, even on highways last year motorized scooters accounted for 39 million rides in cities across the country there are major concerns in atlanta, two riders died last year, one just last week, a 37-year-old man run over by a bus. the driver not at fault, but the incident sparking protests and prompting city leaders to pause issuing permits to companies

head and facial injuries tripled over a decade. >> we're seeing significant injuries to the head and face, broken faces, broken noses, cuts we're seeing people who have injuries to their neck >> reporter: many cities are struggling with balancing safety and convenience. >> great way to get around we love them go to lunch, come back, no parking. good for the environment >> they go like 15-miles-per-hour. you can get it to 25 just got to be careful on them >> reporter: nashville tightened its scooter rules after a rider died in may. >> i don't want any families to experience the pain me and my family are experiencing right now. >> reporter: companies, cities, and riders looking for solutions to make sure the new way of getting around is as safe as it can be vicky wynn, nbc news new york. the scary moment as a toddler goes his own way at a busy airport

that took him deep inside atlanta's hartsfield jackson airport. gadi schwartz has more >> reporter: six different surveillance cameras capturing just how quickly a toddler can get into trouble at the busiest airport in the world the 2-year-old darting away from his mother who is printing a boarding press, hoisting himself up his mom rushing over in a panic. the agent stopping the belt but not soon enough. the boy was swept into a baggage room where he tried crawling he heads up another conveyer now crying before sliding into a room full of tsa agents who scooped him up five minutes after the ordeal began >> at that moment he became all of our child you know, and you wanted to take care of him. >> reporter: the boy's hand was injured, but he's expected to be okay his mother told authorities she only looked away for a second.

airport officials reviewing the tapes to make sure this never happens again. what a wild ride glad he's okay when we come back, inspiring america with a life-changing gift for one little girl

we end the broadcast tonight with the story of a little girl on new york's long island who got a big surprise that's changed her life. joe fryer has our inspiring america report >> reporter: in life, all of us could use a helping hand for five alice carillo, that hand is pink her left hand is smaller than her left

so, engineering students at the university of cincinnati designed a mechanical one. alice's mom recorded the moment she first tested it, opening a drawer >> this is amazing that it can do this. >> reporter: before walking over to her soon-to-be step dad >> can i grab your hand? >> yes, you can. >> reporter: a moment that touched hearts >> it was incredible sweet of course we were crying the entire time. >> reporter: that sentiment was shared by those who made the hand they're part of a nonprofit called enable uc >> it reminded me what i'm doing this, why i'm putting so many hours into understanding this process. >> reporter:li swing and play with barbies. when she took it to show and tell, she did something most of us take for granted. you like giving high fives can i get a high five? something so simple made

possible by something so complex. alice's helping hand >> i love you. >> reporter: joe fryer, nbc news, new york >> good for alice and those talented students who built her new hand that's "nbc nightly news" for the thursday right now at 6:00, it's one of the biggest homeless encampments. what home depot is doing to get it moved and why that could make matters worse. i'm tracking thunderstorms. we will have a brand-new update on the heat coming our way. an exclusive. the school that's getting ready to strip the name cesar chavez from its campus. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thanks for being with us. wiping away the legacy of

ceac cesar chavez. that's what many say they will do. the district is transforming all the schools to improve academic performance. critics say that disrespects the memory of an icon. we have the story you will see only on nbc bay area. >> reporter: the name is still on the sign here. this used to be a k through eight school. it's about to become a robust middle school exclusively. at the moment, the chavez name is not part of the future plans here. he fought for civil rights until his death in 1993. he has streets, parks and schools named after him. including this one. >> it's probably a good name for the school. he is doing a lot for the