The week at a glance ... United States

last updated 8 January 2015

Columbus, Ohio

Generous robber: A thief robbed a Columbus bank this week and handed out $100 bills on the street, before fleeing with the rest of his loot. Authorities say the suspect demanded money from a teller while displaying a handgun in his waistband. He then ran to the street, where he encountered a mother and daughter who were window shopping. He gave them each $100, assured them it was real money, and continued running. The startled women immediately went into the bank and returned the bills. “She told me she had to set the right example for her daughter,” said FBI Special Agent Harry Trombitas. “She was being a good mom.”

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Landmarks flooded: Swollen by torrential rains, the Cumberland River spilled over its banks this week, submerging much of downtown Nashville in muddy water. The high water extended as far as Mississippi and Kentucky and caused at least 29 deaths, most involving drivers attempting to cross flooded roadways. Some of Nashville’s most famous sites, including the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, sustained heavy water damage, and thousands of residents and tourists had to be evacuated. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen declared 52 of the state’s 95 counties disaster areas, and President Obama promised federal emergency aid. “This is going to be a long time in cleaning up,” Bredesen said.

Cops shot: One police officer was killed and four others were wounded in an early morning ambush in a neighborhood plagued by vacant houses and drug dealing. Officer Brian Huff, a 12-year veteran described by colleagues as a “gentle giant,” was killed after responding to a 911 report of gunfire inside a vacant apartment. The four wounded officers are all expected to survive. Police arrested 25-year-old Jason Gibson, who was also wounded, and recovered a .45-caliber gun from the scene. The suspect was already facing assault charges and had been released from custody in January after posting a bond. “There is nothing more important for the government to do than to protect its citizens,” said Police Chief Warren Evans, “and if that means more jail beds, that’s what we have to do.”

College killing: A member of the University of Virginia’s men’s lacrosse team was charged this week with the fatal beating of a young woman who played for the college’s women’s lacrosse team. Yeardley Love, 22, was found face down in a pool of blood in her bedroom, her face bruised and her right eye swollen shut. Police say George Huguely, 22, waived his Miranda rights and admitted that he had bashed Love’s head against a wall after their relationship ended. He has been charged with premeditated murder. Both students were expected to graduate from the historic college, founded by Thomas Jefferson, this month. “Everyone loved her,” said Mike Kerrigan, a student. “It’s such a loss.”

Ahmadinejad in New York: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to New York City this week to call the U.S. the “main source” of nuclear tensions in the world. “Those who carried out the first atomic bombardments are among the most hated individuals in human history,” he said, speaking at a U.N. conference on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Speaking later, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denounced the Iranian leader’s “tired, false, and sometimes wild accusations.” The verbal showdown took place as the U.S. continued its efforts to rally the U.N. Security Council to impose new sanctions on Iran for its uranium-enrichment program.

SEAL on trial: A witness in the politically charged court-martial of a Navy SEAL said this week he saw him punch an Iraqi prisoner, and that the prisoner was left bleeding from the face after three other SEALS roughed him up. Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe, 24, is accused of assaulting a blindfolded Ahmed Hashim Abed, the alleged mastermind of the killing of four U.S. military contractors in Fallujah in 2004. Navy Petty Officer Third Class Kevin Demartino told jurors that he saw McCabe hit Abed while he was in U.S. custody. In taped testimony, Abed claimed he was repeatedly punched and kicked. McCabe’s attorney contends that Abed caused his own injuries to embarrass the U.S. More than 20 members of Congress have written to defend the “heroic actions” of the accused SEALs. Two other SEALs have been acquitted.