about a half hour. >> we are keeping you busy. thanks for joining us, as a reminder, lester holt is next. >> hope to see you at 6:00, bye. tonight, several breaking stories as we come on the air. the deadly shootout. a police officer and three civilians killed the suspects holed up in a store, opening fire the massive response s.w.a.t. teams swarming the scene neighborhood schools on lockdown. residents warned to take cover how it all came to a dramatic end also tonight, the articles of impeachment against president trump unveiled democrats charging him with abuse of power and obstructing congress the presiden la into the oval offi tonight what they talked about in that meeting. our nbc news exclusive. attorney general william barr's new attack on the ig report that found no anti-trump bias in the

fbi's russia probe and what he says about the conspiracy theory spread by the president that ukraine interfered in 2016 the growing mystery. a plane flying to antarctica disappearing with 38 people onboard the urgent search tonight. the new england patriots under fire. the team admitting it violated nfl policy, taping a rival's field and sideline is it spygate all over again? what coach bill belichick is saying. and the fast-moving storm sweeping from texas to new england and the dangerous travel impact. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening there is a lot to get to tonight, including the impeachment charges rolled out today, but still breaking as we come on the air, the new jersey neighborhood turned into a deadly urban battle zone. six people killed after an hours' long gunfight at a grocery store. the shooting of a police officer turning into a violent standoff gunfire ringing through the

residents to take cover. the dead include a police officer, a father of five, alon with three civilians and the two suspects rehema ellis is in jersey city. >> reporter: police moving in towards the supermarket as the horror unfolds on a residential block in jersey city. moments earlier, a hail of gunfire. a shootout between police and suspects holed up inside the building tonight, authorities say at least one police officer and three people were killed inside the supermarket along with two suspects >> we entered the building about ten minutes ago. there are multiple deceased inside the building. >> reporter: senior law enforcement officials tell wnbc it began this afternoon the suspects shot the officer as he approached them in a cemetery to question them as part of a murder investigation the suspects then fleeing to the store, sparking the snd >> a stray bullet coming

to hit and all. >> reporter: there was that much gunfire? >> that much i told you. >> reporter: local schools were placed in lockdown witnesses say for more than an hour exchanges of gunfire could be heard between police and the gunman >> i saw two people came out of a truck across the street and they ran in. they shoot before they run into the store >> it became like a war zone >> reporter: tonight police are identifying the slain officer as detective joseph seals, a 39-year-old married father of five authorities are pointing out this is still an active scene here tonight, and police say two other officers who were hit have been treated and released they also say that they're examining a u-haul van that they say was stolen by the suspects they're checking it for possible explosive device lester >> high drama and tragedy. thank you, rehema. now to impeachment and a sobering milestone reached today as house democrats turn weeks

of testimony, evidence and speeches into actual articles of impeachment against the president, charging him with high crimes and misdemeanors and calling for his removal from office. hallie jackson is at the white house tonight. >> reporter: a moment months in the making for just the fourth time in u.s. history >> the house committee on the judiciary is introducing two articles of impeachment, charging the president of the united states, donald j. trump, with committing high crimes and misdemeanors >> reporter: the first article introduced by house democrats, abuse of power, charging the president with dangling a white house meeting and military aid money to ukraine in exchange for its leaders publicly announcing investigations that would benefit his re-election. the second article obstruction of congress for blocking testimony from key administration officials in what democrats describe as unprecedented categorical and indiscriminate defiance they say the time to act is now. >> if we did not hold him accountable, he would continue to

undermine our elections. >> reporter: president trump defending himself late tonight do you believe your impeachment is inevitable, sir? >> well, i think the democrats -- i can't imagine they vote for it, because we did nothing wrong. i think it's a disgrace that people can make impeachment out of nothing that was a perfect conversation >> reporter: the president's allies argue the democrats' case is based on hearsay. >> when you have an abuse of power, it can be anything they want it to be it's wafer thin evidence. >> speaker pelosi, adam schiff and her counterparts have been abusing the power of impeachment because they're afraid donald trump will get re-electeded on his own. >> reporter: today's announcement sets up a house vote to impeach the president as soon as next week, and with democrats in the majority, it's expected to pass along party lines. but that does not mean the president would be removed from his job two-thirds of senators would have to approve that after a trial next month and with supportive

republicans in control there, the president is almost certain to stay in office >> hallie, we saw one of the split screen moments today. democrats delivering impeachment minutes before the president delivered on the mexico trade agreement. why today? >> reporter: speaker pelosi says the timing you reference is not a coincidence as she now undercuts the president's argument democrats are doing nothing but impeachment. so it's a win for her and president trump, even if he accuses democrats of doing this deal on the replacement for nafta out of embarrassment, he says, over impeachment. >> hallie jackson at the white house, thank you. as the impeachment drama over the ukraine scandal played out today, president trump had an unusual meeting with none other than a top russian official at the white house kristen welker is at the white house. kristen, what happened in that meeting? >> reporter: lester, on the sam day democrats unveiled those impeachment articles over ukraine, president trump was here at the oval office meeting with the russian foreign minister, sergey lavrov now just moments ago, president trump tweeted out a photo of that meeting

the president has faced criticism for being too cozy with russia after it interfered in the 2016 election the president says he has been tough on russia you may recall the last time lavrov was in the oval office in 2017 it was controversial the president had just fired fbi director james comey and bragged to lavrov it would relieve pressure in the investigation into russian meddling. the president also revealed highly classified information to the russians. now tonight the president says he discussed many issues with lavrov, including election meddling. lester >> all right, kristen, a lot of eyes on that meeting today, thank you. one day after the justice department's inspector general found no evidence of political bias by the fbi in its investigation of the trump campaign, attorney general william barr took issue with that finding today in an exclusive interview with our pete williams >> reporter: in his harshest criticism yet of the fbi's investigation of the trump campaign, attorney general barr said the fbi started with the thinnest of suspicions and kept

pushing, even after the investigation went nowhere, calling that a threat to democracy. >> there has to be some basis before we use these very potent powers in our core first amendment activity and here i felt this was very flimsy. i think probably from a civil liberties standpoint, the greatest danger to our free system is that the incumbent government used the apparatus of the state, principally the law enforcement agencies and the intelligence agencies, both to spy on political opponents, but also to use them in a way that could affect the outcome of the election >> reporter: the inspector general said that while he did not believe the fbi was politically motivated, he could not find a satisfactory explanation for why the fbi repeatedly made serious mistakes in seeking to conduct surveillance on carter page, a former trump campaign adviser barr suggested he believes the fbi was biased >> the core statement

in my opinion by the ig is that these irregularities, these misstatements, these omissions were not satisfactorily explained, and i think that leaves open the possibility to infer bad faith. >> reporter: i think a lot of people will hear what you're saying here and think well, that's just bill barr defending trump your concern about the fbi's investigation is what civil libertarian? >> i think our nation was turned on its head for three years. i think based on a completely bogus narrative that was largely fanned and hyped by an irresponsible press, and i think that there were gross abuses of fisa and inexplicable behavior that isn't tolerable in the fbi >> reporter: and what about the notion that ukraine might have the missing clinton email server, a claim the intelligence community has repeatedly said has no foundation?

>> fortunately, i haven't gotten into the ukraine thing yet. i don't know i'm not even sure about the nature of these allegations. >> reporter: and barr says john durham, the prosecutor he assigned to do a separate review of the fbi may not be done until this summer lester >> all right pete williams tonight, thank you. let's go overseas now developing in new zealand. they're issuing a new warning this evening after that volcano eruption another explosion could happen in 24 hours. janis mackey frayer is in new zealand tonight. >> reporter: tonight new zealand police confirming the eight people missing on white island are presumed dead. the island itself still too dangerous for rescue teams to approach >> we will not be moving until the situation is safe for us to operate in. >> reporter: 47 people were on the island when the volcano erupted, including nine americans newlyweds matthew and lauren urey were on their dream honeymoon to new zealand then a late night voice message to his mother in pennsylvania saying they had been on the island and were

badly burned >> terrified, any horrible emotion you can imagine. i hung up and quickly called him back and at least got to hear his voice, that he was at the hospital, but his hands were severely burned he really couldn't use the phone. >> reporter: white island, or whakaari, is visible from the shore. for a closer look, we headed out by boat it's pretty choppy water out here we need to stay back five nautical miles, but that is white island you can see the volcanic ash still hovering over the craters. the island is still unstable there is a chance it could erupt again. thom, why tourists, including children and retirees, were allowed ere,gnoring warnings i nbc news, whakatane, new zealand. >> some harrowing under way right now in the ocean off the tip of south america for a plane carrying 38 people that disappeared.

tom costello has late details. >> reporter: the missing plane is a 40-year-old chilean air force c-130, believed to have gone down in the icy waters between south america and antarctica commanders say the plane left punta arenas monday headed for a base on antarctica when it disappeared over a violent stretch of ocean called the drake passage, losing radio contact at 6:13 p.m. about halfway through the trip he says we are using all resources available, humans, planes, ships, national satellites. onboard, 38 civilian and military personnel headed for an oil platform many of their relatives waiting for word in the capital of santiago as teams fear the plane may never be located tom costello, nbc news, washington in florida, the u.s. navy has grounded almost 175 military aviation students from saudi arabia after

last week's deadly shooting rampage by a saudi air force lieutenant at a navy base in pensacola. the groundings were part of what a navy official called a safety stand-down and operational pause. in houston, the police chief is defending controversial comments he made about gun control after one of his officers was fatally shot here is gabe gutierrez. you brag about every piece of legislation you care about. start caring about cops, children, and women and everyday gun violence >> reporter: houston police chief art acevedo's frustration boiled over after one of his officers died saturday in the line of duty. it was directed at nd tate leadership, national rifle association. >> i don't want to see their little smug faces about how much they care about law enforcement when i'm burying a sergeant because they don't want to piss off the nra. make up your minds who is side are you on gun manufacturers? the gun lobby or the children who are getting gunned down in

this country every single day. >> reporter: sergeant christopher brewster was shot and killed responding to a domestic violence call chief acevedo is blasting federal lawmakers for not reauthorizing the violence against women act and not supporting a provision that would stop anyone convicted of domestic violence from owning a firearm if they're living with a significant other. critics say right now the law has a so-called boyfriend loophole because it doesn't apply to people who aren't married. houston's police union is condemning the timing of the chief's comments, calling them offensive and inappropriate. why take the stand now? >> do we wait until the next officer gets killed i know where my heart is and at the end of the day, i'm going to fight for my cops. >> reporter: senator playing politics with tragedy whil sources close to john cornyn tells nbc news the law already prohibited the suspect from owning a firearm, and the boyfriend loophole did not apply. the nra is pointing to the union's response and says it stands with rank and file law enforcement. meanwhile, sergeant brewster will be laid to rest here on

thursday lester >> all right, gabe, thank you. in florida, the ups driver killed in that shootout last week has been laid to rest frank ordonez, a father of two honored days after he wa caught in crossfire between police and two armed men who carjacked his truck. ordonez's family is questioning the police response but authorities say they stand by their actions. we're monitoring a fast line of storms from texas up through new england, threatening travel tonight and through tomorrow al roker is tracking it al >> lester, we've got a wintry mess stretching almost 2,000 miles from corpus christi up into new england as you see on the radar, we've got some strong storms down through the south. a wintry mix making its way now tonight from texas to new england. cold air rushing in behind the front, and as we move through tomorrow, that rain will change to snow in the northeast. lake-effect snow showers continuing airport delays stretching from new york all the way down to new orleans and then by tomorrow, in the next 24 hours, an arctic blast comes in some areas will see

temperatures drop 30 degrees from where they are today lester >> all right, al, thank you. just ahead, the new scandal in the nfl. why was a patriots video crew filming the sidelines at a bengals game was it cheating or an honest mistake also, the amazing holiday surprise at one company when the employees opened their envelopes. on the economy, a unique leader.

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and high skill vocational training so people can succeed in the new economy. economic security .. lower cost health care and affordable middle-class housing. proven leadership on jobs .. to build an economy where people don't just get by, they get ahead. i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message. all right. next for us tonight, that admission from the new england patriots breaking nfl rules with an incident bringing back memories of their infamous spygate scandal. with more on that, here is miguel almaguer >> reporter: tonight the new england patriots admit they unintentionally broke nfl rules when a team videographer was caught recording a opponent's sideline from inside a press box. it happened sunday as a patriots advance scout was watching the bengals who the patriots play this weekend. coach bill belichick denying his staff was involved in another cheating scandal. >> i had no

involvement in this and no knowledge of it >> reporter: the patriots, who say they were credentialed to be inside the press box, blame the incident on an unintended oversight it happened they say during the production of "do your job," a behind-the-scenes look at their organization following a team scout. when questioned, the crew immediately turned over all footage to the league and cooperated fully >> is it fair to call the patriots cheaters? >> yes. >> reporter: in 2007, the patriots were fined for spygate, filming play signals of an opponent and in 2015, there was also deflategate >> it's a terrible headline for the patriots because half the country already thinks they're a bunch of cheaters. so everybody is obviously going to jump to conclusions. >> reporter: with the patriots set to play the bengals sunday, the matter will be handled on the gridiron new england insisting the playing field is even miguel almaguer, nbc news >> the story stoking the passions of fans everywhere up next, the holiday surprise these workers never dreamed of

it's that time of year when some companies hand out holiday bonuses. but just watch as joe fryer shows us what happened at one company. >> reporter: at the holiday party for st. john properties in baltimore, employees were handed envelopes like the ones you see at the oscars. >> and now you can open your red envelopes. >> reporter: but this was no movie this was their bonus >> i'm so happy. i thank them from the bottom of my heart. >> reporter: in all, the real estate development company is handing out $10 million shared by 198 employees. the amount received is based on tenure, bonuses ranging from $100 to $270,000 the average payout is $50,000. >> i'm definitely going to pay it forward. definitely i have to you don't get a gift like that and not share it >> reporter: scott connelly has been a maintenance technician at st. john for 29 years. >> i keep thinking about it

it's like winning the lottery a little bit it's something that you never expected. >> reporter: executives say this was a way to celebrate reaching a major company goal >> we heard things such as i'm buying a new corvette, i'm the first time in my life it literally brought tears to our eyes. >> reporter: a real estate company making a real difference. joe fryer, nbc news. >> that is a merry christmas. up next, a little boy and his inspiring christmas story you won't want to miss

finally, inspiring america, thanks to a little boy from texas who shows us how it means so much more to dahlgren >> i like this rob repot. ter:e

looking for a story to warm your heart this holiday. >> it's a really good day of celebration. >> reporter: meet elliott wyche. >> my dad is the best. my mama is the best. and everyone i know is the best. >> reporter: a 4-year-old with a rare genetic defect >> he essentially is walking around, running around with only half of a heart. >> reporter: he had his first of three open heart surgeries at just 4 days old. >> that was a long story. >> reporter: but he is more interested in giving than getting this season. >> we've got room back here. >> reporter: when facebook followers that the little boy nicknamed the tin man asked what he wanted for christmas, his family set up a toy drive. instead of keeping the gifts, they decided to give them away. >> all the kids who don't have toys say thank you. >> reporter: inviting the arlington s.w.a.t. team to come and collect dozens of toys, a surprise to their way to say thanks >> my heart is beating tonight, and i don't know what to do.

>> he is going through so much, but he is giving back. he is my hero. >> there you go, dude. >> oh, my gosh >> reporter: a little boy with a heart of gold, no matter what the doctors say. >> merry christmas >> reporter: kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >> that's a picture, and that's the spirit of the holidays, and that's "nightly news" for this tuesday i'm lester holt. thank you for watching, everyone, and good night right now at 6:00, paying to get guns off the streets. south bay law enforce. ban together after two high profile shooting sprees. tonight why one agency isn't participating. also a bay area woman listed among the missing after the deadly volcano eruption in new zealand. first it could be a huge change for students applying to college. the uc system headed to court over the sat and the act. the news at 6:00 starts right

now. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. the days of cramming for the s.a.t. or a.c.t. the lawsuit wants the uc system to drop the tests from the process. >> the contention is it unfairly benefits those who can afford to pay to prep and punishes those who can't. melissa colorado joins us with more. >> reporter: this is a big deal for high school students that might be cramming for those tests right now. uc berkeley has publicly criticized the use of the tests and is approving the dropping of the standardized test scores. not that far from campus, we found a test prep center wihere the directors say it's time to drop these tests. >> i have a really big s.a.t. book. >> reporter: like homecoming and prom, studying for the s.a.t. or a.c.t. is a right of