Killer’s Writings Foreshadowed Deadly Denver Shooting Spree

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Friday, Dec. 31. The new year is nearly upon us. No matter how you plan to ring in 2022, please know we at Patch wish you good health and happiness in the year to come.

Here’s a look at the headlines we’re following on this last day of 2021:

• If you're fully vaccinated and planning a winter cruise vacation, you may want to think again.
• Another TikTok challenge has landed a 12-year-old boy in the hospital.
• NASCAR driver Brandon Brown has now embraced the vulgar chant inspired by his name.
• Three siblings found dead in their home in October died from the COVID-19.

A man accused of killing five people in a rampage in Denver is believed to have written fictional books self-published online that named some of his real-life victims and described similar attacks.

The writings are part of the investigation into what led Lyndon James McLeod to carry out the shootings, which took place in less than an hour Monday at several locations around the metro area. McLeod knew most of the victims.

In one novel, written under the pen name Roman McClay, a character named Lyndon stalks a poker party and gains access to a building by posing as a police officer. He then fatally shoots everyone at the party and robs them before fleeing with his dog in a van. At least two victims were named in his writings. » Denver Shootings Suspect Wrote Books Previewing Attacks, via Denver Patch

• RELATED: Denver Area Shooting Spree: All 5 Victims Identified

Avoid Cruising, CDC Says

If you're fully vaccinated and planning a winter cruise vacation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging you to reconsider, according to new guidance released on Thursday. Amid a recent spike in coronavirus cases, which includes dozens of outbreaks on cruise ships, the CDC increased its travel warning for cruise ships to the highest possible level. » U.S. Travelers Should Avoid Cruises, Regardless Of Vaccination Status: CDC, via Across America Patch

Tiger Shot After Biting Cleaner

A critically endangered Malayan tiger at a Naples, Florida, zoo was shot and killed Wednesday after biting a cleaning service worker's arm and dragging it to his enclosure. The injured man was hired to clean the restrooms and gift shop after the zoo closed but was not authorized to be in the tiger enclosure, according to investigators. » A Tiger Bit Onto A Contracted Cleaner's Arm And Wouldn't Let Go. Deputies Had To Shoot It, via Fort Myers, Florida, Patch

PETA Takes On Feds

The animal rights group PETA has taken aim at the National Institutes of Health for contracting with a Virginia dog breeding facility that was recently cited for multiple animal welfare violations. The citations came after hundreds of puppies died in filthy, putrid, insect-infested conditions over a seven-month span. » PETA Accuses NIH Of Buying Beagles From VA Facility Cited By USDA, via Richmond Patch

TikTok Challenge Lands Boy In Hospital

A 12-year-old Connecticut boy was burned this week while attempting the so-called "Whoosh Bottle Challenge" from TikTok. The "experiment" involves the use of alcohol and a bottle, which is ignited and creates a "whoosh.” Numerous videos illustrating the experiment exist, some dating back more than a decade. » Boy, 12, In Burn Center After TikTok 'Whoosh Bottle' Challenge, via East Haven, Connecticut, Patch

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

• States Differ On Police Reforms After George Floyd Killing
• Nursing Home Workers Urged To Get Boosters As Cases Soar
• Gabby Petito Utah Probe Info To Be Released Soon: Report
• 'Slow-Motion Insurrection': How The GOP Seizes Election Power
• Domestic Violence Cases Often Rise Around New Year's Eve: Here's Why
• NASCAR's Brandon Brown Now Has 'Let's Go Brandon' Crypto Sponsor
• LL Cool J Struck With COVID, Cancels His New Year's Rockin' Eve 2022 Performance
• Experts Warn Of U.S. Omicron 'Blizzard' In Weeks Ahead, via Reuters

Around ‘The Patch’

• Milwaukee Area Urgent Care Hospitals To Close Temporarily Over Staff Shortage, via Milwaukee Patch
• Seattle Bartender Attacked After Asking For Vaccine Proof: Police, via Seattle Patch
• Kemp Deploys National Guard To Georgia Hospitals, via Atlanta Patch
• 3 Siblings Found Dead From COVID In Pennsylvania Home, via Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewood Patch
• ERCOT Declares Texas Power Grid Ready For Winter, via Austin Patch
• New Jersey Baker Youngest Ever To Compete On Food Network's Kid Baking Championship, via Hillsborough Patch
• Fans Will Have To Mask Up At Milwaukee Bucks, Marquette Games, via Milwaukee Patch

House Hunting

If you're looking to live and bathe like a Greek god, this Phoenix, Arizona, mansion is the home for you. Constructed with imported stone and marble, this dream home has a complete butler kitchen, media room, indoor pool and sauna.

This Day In History

On this day in 2019, the World Health Organization first learned of “viral pneumonia” cases in Wuhan, China. The disease was later determined to be COVID-19, which became a global pandemic in 2020.

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