NBC 5 has learned federal agents are investigating possible drug cartel connections to a Wednesday shooting at Southlake Town Center.

Officials say a masked gunman shot and killed a 43-year-old Southlake man in the parking lot of the affluent city's town center in what appeared to be a targeted attack.

Chief Stephen Mylett of the Southlake Department of Public Safety said his investigators are consulting with DEA, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security agencies on the attack. Other police departments in the area, including the Grapevine, Keller, and Colleyville departments are also consulting with Southlake officers on the case.

"I don’t want to speculate on the motivation of the suspects but everything we’re receiving is this is not a random shooting," Mylett told NBC 5 on Wednesday. "This was a targeted incident."

Police say the 43-year-old man had been sitting in the passenger seat of a Range Rover with his wife near Banana Republic, when a white SUV pulled up next to them.

Witnesses say a masked shooter got out and fired at least five rounds with a gun that possibly had a silencer on it. The male victim was hit multiple times by the gunfire and later died at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine.

The shooter escaped with a getaway driver and was last seen driving West on Southlake Boulevard, police said. Investigators only have a general description of the suspects.

Police said witnesses were not able to get the suspects' license plate.

"Surprised" Witnesses at Murder Scene

It was the first murder in the affluent suburb in 15 years.

"I’m very surprised, very shocked," said Rachel Fowle, who was shopping at the town square. "It's very unsettling it would happen in the middle of the day in such a populated area."

“We heard the gunshots,” says shopper Anum Abid.

“She heard pops like firecrackers and just heard screams,” says Kelly Simpson.  Simpson had been meeting her friend Wednesday night and heard gunshots ring out at the Southlake Town Square.

Abid’s and Simpson’s cars both got roped off in the crime scene tape after the shooting.  They returned to pick up their cars Thursday morning and are still shocked by what happened. 

So is Jeremy Tyson, who saw the victim’s SUV. 

“The passenger side was shot.  The window was busted in,” Tyson says.

Police Chief Stephen Mylett says investigators are getting information from nearby video cameras that lead him to believe this is an orchestrated killing, and the man who was murdered was the intended target.  That doesn’t put Anum Abid at ease at all.

“Had ski masks on, no one saw them, kind of pre-planned, that makes it even scarier,” says Abid.

The man’s wife wasn’t hurt.  The chief says she is traumatized, but is giving investigators the information she knows.

NBC 5 has uncovered the Range Rover they’d been sitting in during the shooting is registered to a man with a Post Office Box in Plano.

“They’re not good people who would do something like that.  I’m glad no one else was hurt,” says Abid.

Chief Assures Public of Safety

Southlake Police Chief Stephen Mylett took to Facebook to help assure the citizens of his community that they are safe.

In a statement posted to the Southlake Public Safety page, Mylett reiterated that the incident was not a "random act of violence."

"While I cannot go into the specifics of the evidence we have in our possession, I do feel I have the responsibility as your Chief of Police to inform you that this was a well-orchestrated, deliberate attack on a specific individual. I am confident the suspects involved in this attack immediately left our area and no longer pose a threat to Southlake residents," the statement continued. Read the full statement by clicking here.

Mylett and other authorities believe additional witnesses to the incident may not have yet contacted police. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Det. Karl Moore at 817-748-8127 or call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-8477.

NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this story.

A Montague County deputy who was shot by a wanted Colorado man says he only remembers bits of what can be seen in video from his dashboard camera.

Evan Spencer Ebel, who was suspected in the slaying of Colorado's prisons chief and a pizza deliveryman, shot Deputy James Boyd three times at point-blank range during a traffic stop.

Montague County Sheriff Paul Cunningham on Wednesday released dash-cam video of the March 21 shooting.

The video shows Boyd stopping the car for driving in the left-hand lane and not passing. As soon as Boyd approaches the car, Ebel can be seen quickly shooting Boyd three times -- twice in the chest and once in the head. He then speeds away.

After a minute, drivers stop to help Boyd and call emergency crews.

"I can remember stopping the car, making the approach, knowing something's not right," said Boyd, who has been recovering at a rehabilitation center in Dallas.

"I can remember being shot, and that's about the point I blacked out for 30, 45 seconds," he said.

"The only thing I can consciously remember is seeing the gun shoot off at me," he said.

Boyd is scheduled to go back to work on Friday, nearly two months after the shooting.

Even now, the video is still hard to watch, the sheriff said.

"I mean, I don't know what else to say-- I was mad," Cunningham said. "That was somebody [who] hurt one of my deputies. You know, you want to strike back."

"It's hard every time you watch it," he said, choking back tears. "You can almost feel the bullets when you're watching it."

Ebel was killed later that day in a shootout in Wise County after the high-speed chase.

Boyd said he's just grateful that his encounter with Ebel wasn't worse.

"If it would've gone one way or another, I could be dead," he said. "It was a very close call. It just wasn't my time."

More Local Stories:

• Possible Cartel Connections in Southlake Shooting
• Float Driver Says Train Seemed Still Before Crash
• Oklahoma Family Reunited Thanks To Media Outreach
• Man Pleads Guilty in Picasso Vandalism Case

A masked gunman shot and killed a 43-year-old Southlake man on the parking lot of the affluent city's town center on Wednesday in what appeared to be a targeted attack, police said, and NBC 5 has learned federal agents are investigating possible drug cartel connections.

The shooting happened in front of many witnesses between the Victoria's Secret store and the gazebo in the heart of the upscale town square. 

The victim was in the passsenger's seat of a Range Rover when he was shot multiple times, police said.

He later died at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine.

The victim's wife was behind the wheel at the time. She was unhurt.

Witnesses said the wife spoke in Spanish, asking for help.

 The shooter fled in a white SUV, driven by another man, and was last seen driving West on Southlake Boulevard, police said. Investigators only have a general description of the suspects.

The couple's 13-year-old son arrived on the seen soon after the shooting, police said.

"I don’t want to speculate on the motivation of the suspects but everything we’re receiving is this is not a random shooting," said Chief Steve Mylett of the Southlake Department of Public Safety. "This was a targeted incident."

It was the first murder in the affluent suburb in 15 years.

"I’m very surprised, very shocked," said Rachel Fowle, who was at the town square shopping "It's very unsettling it would happen in the middle of the day in such a populated area."

The victim's vehicle is registered to a man with a P.O. Box in Plano. Police have not released the victim's name.

Investigators were reviewing nearby security camera footage to see if it captured the crime.

Witnesses were not able to get the suspects' license plate, police added.

The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Country Club is ready to tee off in Fort Worth.

The first round will begin at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, but crowds still showed up at Colonial on Wednesday to take in the pro-am tournament.

The grounds of Colonial were filled with the familiar sound of irons and woods hitting golf balls down fairways during the tournament. The cart paths and fairways weren't overly packed like they will be this weekend, which made Wednesday less about golf and more about getting autographs from the professionals on hand.

"We've been sitting here for about two hours now and we got, I don't know, maybe 10 or 11," said Hudson Taylor, a Colonial youth member.

"We got Angel Cabrera and Hunter Mahan and a whole bunch of other guys that I don't even know," said Connor Edge, another club youth member.

Taylor, Edge and another boy were dropped off by their parents after school to attend the pro-am, but they did miss who they really wanted to see: Caden Honea.

"He teed off earlier," Caden Honea said.

The day brings just as many locals as it does folks from out of town.

"We live in Waco, just traveling up and see everything," Gina Kish said.

According to a 2007 PGA Tour study, the Colonial brings $47 million to Fort Worth's economy.

The professionals this week will hit the links after a $6.4 million purse while the spectators are simply here to watch them.

"I think the biggest thing to come out here is the people you see on TV," Kristi Shlee said. "You're going, 'They're really people?' and it's really neat to see."

The tournament concludes on Sunday. All tickets must be purchased in advance. Shuttles will be offered, as well as free bicycle parking over the weekend.

Funeral arrangements have been finalized for a Dallas firefighter who died in a burning condo complex early Monday morning.

The six-alarm fire destroyed the 24-unit building at the Hearthwood Condominiums in the 12300 block of Abrams Road.

All of the residents escaped without injury, but Stanley Wilson, 51, was trapped inside the burning building.

He was a married father of two sons and a 28-year fire department veteran.

Visitation will be Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Restland Funeral Home at 13005 Greenville Ave. in Dallas.

The funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Park Cities Baptist Church at 3933 Northwest Highway in University Park, with burial to follow at Restland Cemetery.

"They're there for us when we need them," Hearthwood Condominiums resident Linda Griffith said.

Investigators on Wednesday permitted her to rescue a cat from a unit at the complex that was not destroyed but was inside the area secured for the investigation.

"My friend Rose and her son had been trying to get in to get the kitty, and they weren't allowed to get in," she said.

A special team of investigators including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office and Dallas Fire-Rescue, dug through the wreckage Wednesday.

The ATF's national response team was set up to specialize in explosive and arson fires but can also be used in line-of-duty death investigations. Russ Morrison with the ATF said the team provides special equipment and expertise to help investigations.

Morrison said investigators have some clues about where the fire may have started in the complex but that conclusions about the cause of the blaze would take several days.

They hope to have more answers by the time of Wilson's funeral this weekend.

Heathwood Condominiums is a mix of owner-occupied and rental units.

Records show Dallas Code Enforcement Inspectors have been called to the complex eight times in the past year for three structure, two plumbing, two air conditioning and one swimming pool complaints.

Most code complaints were corrected by unit owners or the owners association, but inspectors were refused entry to units in three cases, according to city officials.

Several other fires have also occurred at the complex.

Resident Zi Chen said he was rescued by firefighters from a 2009 fire that destroyed a different 24-unit building in the complex.

"I actually overslept the fire alarm," he said. "I was actually the last one in the building, and the firefighters got me out without a ladder, so I am thankful."

That building was never repaired, and the empty slab remains at the complex today.

"There was some type of money issue that the homeowners association supposedly took out, so there's a lot of lawsuits going on," Chen said.

Chen said that blaze was the result of kids playing with fire in a garbage container and said he suspects this fire may be a similar cause, but investigators said it is too soon to know.

A Moore, Okla., woman says a passer-by pulled her from the rubble of her home minutes after Monday's deadly tornado.

Lynne Holman was trapped in the ruins of her bathroom, buried alive beneath pieces of her roof and house. The bathroom walls are the only ones walls in her house still standing.

"I'm shaking just thinking about it," she said. "It was really scary."

Holman just moved to Moore about seven months ago. She lived about half a mile away from Plaza Towers Elementary, which was also destroyed.

"I started feeling the wind on my feet as if I didn't have any shoes on, and it started to grab at my feet," she said. "I was thinking, 'I can't lay here; it's going to take me,' and so I like army-crawled into the bathroom."

Then Holman heard and felt the house fall around and on her.

"And to hear the house come apart and just to hear everything crashing around -- all I could do was scream," she said. "That was all I could do, was scream."

In the chaos, she heard a voice.

"But I started yelling, 'I'm in here,' and some guy came around and he goes, 'Oh, my God,'' she said. "He started pulling stuff off of me and got me out of the house."

When Holman returned on Wednesday, she found another survivor -- her kitten.

Her boyfriend called for the kitten, and they heard an answering meow.

"We started hearing this meow, and she came out. She was alive; she's not hurt," she said.

"It was incredible to see her come out of the rubble," Holman said.

Starting the first week of June, some residents of Dallas, Denton, Collin and Tarrant counties will be eligible for federal funds to help install tornado shelters in at their homes.

This $1.395 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant comes at a good time for North Texans, who watched tornadoes ravage through Granbury and Cleburne last week and Moore, Oklahoma earlier this week.

“I think this is going to give us a better sense of security when we do have these terrible storms and these terrible winds coming through,” said Molly Thoerner, North Central Texas Council of Government’s Emergency Preparedness Director.

NBC 5 Investigates first reported more than a year ago that the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the biggest metropolitan area in Tornado Alley, only received a fraction of the millions of federal dollars doled out for tornado shelters. Time-consuming paperwork was the roadblock for counties to get the grant money from FEMA. But some of the hurdles have been cleared.

Thoerner told NBC 5 over the past year, much of the paperwork has been completed, and FEMA grant money will soon be available to area homeowners in the form of rebates for safe rooms, which can cost thousands of dollars.

“We can’t wait to get our project started,” Thoerner said. “We’re really ready to move it to the next step.”

A homeowner or developer can be reimbursed for half the cost of an individual safe room in an existing or planned home up to $3,000. But these rooms must be from a vendor approved by the National Storm Shelter Association or the American Tornado Shelter Association to qualify for reimbursement. The rooms can be in the ground, above ground, indoors or outdoors.

There are other restrictions too. The rebate money will only be available in jurisdictions within the four counties that have FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation action plans. Properties in floodplains do not qualify. Homes more than 45-years-old need special review to determine eligibility. And pre-existing shelters do not qualify for the program.

“This go-round, we’re really targeting single-family residences,” Thoerner said.

Thoerner said the agency is in the final phases of getting a website up and running for residents to begin the application process.

“We think probably as this weather season continues there will be increased demand,” Thoerner said.

Applications will be taken on a first-come-first-serve basis, and the reimbursement process may take two months. But residents should act fast. Thoerner expected funds to run out within the first six months. However she said, as North Texans apply for the rebates, NCTCOG will continue to apply for federal dollars for shelters.

Bank customers are getting angry at a notorious bank robber who is still on the loose.

So far, the so-called "Mesh Mask Bandit" has robbed 19 banks in Dallas, Carrollton, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Addison, Farmers Branch, Lewisville, Plano and Garland since New Year's Eve.

The latest holdup was at a Chase bank in the 100 block of South Garland Avenue -- a mile away from the Garland police station.

"I'm pretty pissed that somebody would rob my bank that I've been doing business with for years," said customer John Fulgham.

Garland police said the bank has hired a police officer to be stationed at the location.

"I walked into the bank today and I saw the cops and I was like, 'I've never seen a cop in my life banking at Chase,' and I figured out something is going on," customer Osagie Smith said.

The FBI dubbed the robber the Mesh Mask Bandit because he wears a mesh mask that hides his face while still allowing him to see through it.

FBI spokeswoman Katherine Chaumont said the robber also wore a green track jacket and hat as he did in other robberies.

The robberies are all similar -- he walks into a bank, shows a gun to the teller, demands cash and runs off, the FBI said.

"It's really, really absurd," Smith said. "How does he get away with it? Every single time, he goes and he's succeeded."

Fulgham said he thinks investigators will catch up to the robber sooner or later.

"You will be caught; it's just a matter of time," he said.

Investigators are following leads and tips coming in every day. They also have a billboard campaign all over the Metroplex.

The Mesh Mask Bandit is considered armed and dangerous. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is urged to call the Dallas office of the FBI at 972-559-5000 or the North Texas Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-877-373-TIPS (8477).

The punishment phase in the trial of a Dallas man convicted of drowning two of his children is expected to come to a conclusion Thursday.

Naim Muhammad was found guilty last week of drowning his two sons, ages 5 and 3. Since his conviction, the jury has been hearing from family members, psychologists and state officials.

The defense attorney requested a mistrial during court Wednesday, but the judge denied it.

Muhammad, who originally was going to testify on his own behalf, decided on Wednesday against doing so on the advice of his counsel.

Closing arguments are expected Thursday morning.

The jury will then deliberate and determine whether Muhammad will face the death penalty or a lengthy prison sentence.

McKinney has begun to clean up damage left by Tuesday's storms.

Major wind gusts downed tree branches, pulled off loose shingles and caused other property damage.

"I'd say 60 to 70 mph at least -- it was really snapping trees left and right down here," Bill Cunningham said.

A mature tree near a home owned by his mother-in-law had split, hanging precariously above the property.

"It split down the middle, and the wind twisted it a little bit right over a shed, so they had to do something quick before it crashed into the shed," he said.

James Watt, owner of DFW Treetrimming, said his phone has been ringing off the hook since Tuesday afternoon with requests for tree removal in McKinney, Dallas, Coppell and other parts of the Metroplex.

"There were trees on top of houses, trees were split, about to go through the car," he said. "It just hasn't stopped."

The city of McKinney has also been responding to tree and branch removal calls.

A new video of a full-project fly-over of what the completed LBJ Express project will look like from above was released Wednesday, and it's as equally impressive as it is daunting.

The flyover gives a full aerial view along the 17-mile stretch heading north along Interstate 35E and east over the northern stretch of Interstate 635/LBJ Freeway.

Over most of the roadway, transitions between frontage roads, managed toll lanes, free lanes, and sub-surface lanes seems intuitive enough, but quickly appears harrowing closer in to the High Five.

In any case, it seems even those very familiar with the area will need to pay attention to signage; navigating the sprawling expressway, which, at its widest appears to have nearly 30 lanes of east-west traffic, could be challenging.

Officials with the LBJ Express released the following statement Wednesday:

"You will notice the TEXpress (priced-lanes) to the outside along I-35 and on the inside along I-635.  In many areas, these will be subterranean along I-635.  All said and done, there will be 2-3 frontage road lanes in each direction, 4 non-tolled lanes in each direction and 3 priced lanes (TEXpress Lanes) in each directions along I-635."

See the video below.

Construction on the $2.7 billion project began in the spring of 2011 and is expected to be completed in early 2016.

A school bus has been involved in a fatal crash in Wills Point.

Texas Department of Public Safety dispatchers said a vehicle and a school bus crashed head-on around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Trooper Jean Dark said the the vehicle drifted over and hit the bus at FM 751 and CR 3804 in Van Zandt County. The driver of the vehicle, 33-year-old Fernando Rios, was killed in the crash

Superintendent Suzanne Blasingamb says there were 36 students listed to be riding the bus.  The district is working to confirm how many had been riding the bus at the time of the crash.   Blasingamb says the children range from elementary school to junior high students.

Neighbor David Stover heard the crash.  He and other drivers rushed to help the kids in the smashed school bus.

“We all started getting the kids off.  I went around front to see about the driver.  I didn’t see the driver underneath.  It was so far under (the bus),” says Stover.

The kids on the bus had minor injuries.  DPS says 3 kids and the bus driver were taken to the hospital.  Paramedics tell NBC5 they were treated for injuries like a broken nose and cuts.

“Blood on their mouths, like they hit the seat in front of them,” is how neighbor David Stover describes the wounds.

Troopers say Rios had been driving north on 751 when his Camery veered into the bus’s lane.  The school bus driver tried to avoid the car and went into the northbound lane.  That’s when investigators say Rios corrected back into the northbound land and smashed into the bus head-on.

The driver of a pick-up truck was side-swiped by the bus and the car.  All 3 vehicles ended up in the ditch.

“She’s a good bus driver.  I don’t’ think there’s anything she could do,” says Stover.

Neighbors say it’s a dangerous stretch of road.

“It’s a 70 miles per hour speed limit on a curve.  People don’t follow the curve.  There’s been at least 4 fatalities here in the last 30 years,” says Stover.

The superintendent says there are counselors at the schools talking with the kids who survived the crash.

NBC 5's Greg Janda contributed to an earlier version of this report.

Postcards touting American Airlines and Delta logos are enticing North Texans with offers of free vacations, but both airlines said they have nothing to do with the cards and consumers should beware.

When the NBC 5 Investigates Consumer Unit contacted the Texas Attorney General’s office about these postcards, and the companies that may be behind them, the agency reopened its investigations.

“It looked very legitimate. I thought it was Delta Airlines, so I felt very secure,” said Malia Baker, who received one of these postcards in the mail.

On the front, there was a picture of an airplane, balloons and the company’s logo. On the back, there’s a toll-free number to call to receive a three-day, two-night hotel stay and two round-trip airfares within the continental United States.

When Baker’s husband Bill called the number, he found out in order to get the free getaway the couple would have to attend a sales pitch.

“They said now it’ll be a 90-minute meeting and you need [to] sit through that meeting and then you can have the tickets,” Malia said.

The couple decided to go to the presentation. But when they arrived, they found out the presenter wasn’t from Delta at all and they don’t know what company he represented.

“He was kind of sleazy. He was very pushy,” Malia said.

He was selling a high-priced membership to a vacation club. In fact, it cost $8,995 initially. And while that price kept dropping during the presentation, the Bakers were told they’d also need to pay an initiation fee and a yearly maintenance charge for life.

“I looked at Bill, my husband, and said, ‘Well, we don’t need to worry about that,’ because it was ridiculous,” she said.

“To me it looked like you were buying air, basically. Nothing but thin air,” said Bill Baker.

NBC 5 Investigates Consumer Unit has been contacted by five people who also received the postcards.

American Airlines told NBC 5 in a statement: “We’re aware of these postcards. This is NOT an American Airlines promotion… Our security team is aware and continues to investigate.”

“The best way for people to protect themselves is to exercise caution. If something appears too good to be true, it probably is,” American said.

Delta said: “Because Delta is not the source of the fraudulent activity, we cannot speculate on how the customers were selected to receive this misinformation. Delta’s information security team is continuing to monitor the situation. More information is available for Delta customers on delta.com.”

NBC 5 called the number on the back of the card. The representative claimed to work for several vacation companies, one of which was Platinum Travel Network, Inc. The owner told NBC 5 his company is affiliated with another company called Vacation Network, Inc., and that the use of American’s logo was a “marketing mistake.” He also said he planned to stop soliciting in the DFW-area because consumers are overly skeptical.

Records from the Texas Attorney General’s office show complaints against these companies, some dating back a decade. But until NBC 5 requested the records, the agency was unaware the companies were again soliciting memberships in Texas. After NBC 5’s request for records, the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division reopened its investigation, and now calls it “ongoing.”

It issued both companies a Civil Investigative Demand letter to “ascertain” whether either company “is engaging in or has engaged in false, misleading, or deceptive acts or practices in representations to consumers regarding discount vacation packages and services.”

Neither Vacation Network, Inc. nor Platinum Travel Network, Inc. returned calls from NBC 5 related to the Attorney General’s investigations.

However, the NBC 5 Investigates Consumer Unit learned that in 2007, Georgia’s Attorney General found Vacation Network, Inc. violated state law and the company agreed to pay consumers restitution.

The Federal Trade Commission said agreeing to attend a sales meeting for a prize is likely to subject consumers to high-pressure sales pitches. And if you received anything via bulk mail it’s not likely you won a prize.

Travel expert Rick Seaney, the CEO of FareCompare.com, said a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing when being persuaded to invest in travel clubs where consumers most likely won’t recover their money.

“It would have to have less than two zeros on the end for me to contemplate it,” Seaney said.

Seaney said there are no deep discounts for domestic travel right now because the market is tight. The best way to save on travel is to shop early.

“Think of the day you want to start shopping for your travel and shop one day earlier because most people in the United States procrastinate. And because they procrastinate they’re in the hands of the airlines,” he said.

Seaney recommended looking for fares three months in advance. He also said traveling on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday can save money. They’re the cheapest days to travel.

The Bakers don’t know what company sent them their postcard, but they didn’t bite.

“If felt great to say ‘No,’ ” said Malia.

As for the promised vacation for sitting through the sales pitch, when they tried to redeem the certificates they were told they couldn’t.

“The company that provided the certificates, or whose name the certificates were under, sent a message back and said, ‘I’m sorry there must be some mistake, but your certificates have already been used before so you need to get in touch with the company that gave them to you,’ ” Malia said. “That was without spending any money. So, just imagine if you spent money what would happen.”

If you have received one of the post cards and would like to file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General, visit this web site https://www.oag.state.tx.us/forms/cpd/form.php or call the AG's Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-621-0508.

A Lewisville woman whose brother lost his home in the Oklahoma tornado asked for donations for the victims -- and is overwhelmed by the response from friends, neighbors and even strangers.

Jennifer Lemmo asked for help Tuesday morning in an email to her church, First United Methodist of Carrollton; her children's schools, Castle Hills Elementary and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church; and her neighbors in the Castle Hills neighborhood.

"I felt hopeless, and I felt like I needed to do something," she said.

Others forwarded the email to more people, and word of her request quickly spread.

By the end of the day, the donations of water, toiletries and other items could barely fit in several rooms of her house.

"When the donations started coming in this morning at 8 o'clock, I had a little pile," she said. "And then by 9 o'clock, the pile grew. And then I started taking pictures and every hour, it just grew and grew and grew."

"I'm amazed," she said. "I know there's good people out there. They want to help. And I'm so proud of North Texas."

More donations came in after NBC 5's Tuesday night story on her donation drive.

People showed up at her front door Wednesday morning before the sun was up.

"Everyone that's wanting to give to Moore, Okla., is just breathtaking," she said. "It's amazing."

The crowd helped her load up the large donated U-Haul truck. The donations almost completely filled the truck.

"I saw pictures before I got here and I was like, 'Are you kidding me?' She did amazing; amazing," said Kelli Delgado, a friend who came from Austin to help.

Lemmo's brother, John Norman, lived across the street from Briarwood Elementary School, which was destroyed in Monday's tornado. He and his family survived but lost nearly everything they own, she said.

She plans to take the donations to Oklahoma on Wednesday with in a large truck donated by U-Haul.

Lemmo pulled out of Lewisville at about 10 a.m. to drive straight to Moore. She is taking her haul to area relief centers, as well as the American Red Cross -- after she gives her brother and nephews a big hug.

"I have shed so many tears and now I'm shedding tears of happiness knowing we're going to put a big hug and smile on the people of Moore," she said.

NBC 5's Brian Scott contributed to this report.

A missing 10-month-old girl has been found, and McKinney police have canceled the Amber Alert for her.

Isabella Reyes was found safe at about 7 p.m. in Laredo, near the United States-Mexico border.

Reyes recently was removed from her parents' custody and has been in the care of her grandparents.

Family members said Sandi Alcocer, 24, the baby's biological mother, took the baby on Tuesday, saying she was going to take her to Mexico.

NBC 5's Kevin Cokely contributed to this report.

The Dallas Stars will unveil a new uniform and logo June 4 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas.

Owner and Governor Tom Gaglardi, President and CEO Jim Lites, General Manager Jim Nill, Executive Advisor and Alternate Governor Mike Modano and Stars forward Jamie Benn will all be a part of the special event.

Special invitations to the event were sent in May to the media and full-season ticket holders.
 
"Since Tom Gaglardi took over as owner, we have been working diligently on a rebrand that is classic, simple and true-to-hockey," said Lites. "This event will showcase the results of that process to our loyal fans and will also provide us with an opportunity to announce several new developments about the future of our franchise."
 
The team said that, in addition to showing off the new logo and uniform, they'll address the current state of the franchise and will make a significant announcement regarding the 2013-14 season.
 

The city of Fort Worth is implementing Stage 1 water restrictions due to low supply levels.

The restrictions will go into effect Monday, June 3, when the Tarrant Regional Water District expects the available supply to drop to 75 percent.

The restrictions put in place by Fort Worth trickle down to those cities who buy water from Fort Worth as well.

"The watering restrictions apply to all 225,000 Fort Worth retail accounts, including those outside the city limits. It also applies to wholesale customers, the other entities that purchase treated water and resell it. In accordance with their contract, wholesale customers must enact the same restrictions as Fort Worth. The wholesale customers that regularly purchase water are Aledo, Bethesda Water Supply Corp., Burleson, Crowley, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dalworthington Gardens, Edgecliff Village, Everman, Forest Hill, Grand Prairie, Haltom City, Haslet, Hurst, Keller, Kennedale, Lake Worth, Northlake, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills,  Roanoke, Saginaw, Southlake, Trophy Club Municipal Utility District, Westlake, Westover Hills, Westworth Village and White Settlement," officials said in a news release.

Under Stage 1, customers are asked to significantly reduce outdoor watering -- which officials said can account for as much as 50 percent of the residential water used in the summer.

"Stage 1 limits outdoor watering with an irrigation system or hose-end sprinkler to a maximum of two assigned days per week for all customers. Residential customers whose addresses end in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9) are permitted to water lawn and landscapes only on Sundays and Thursdays. Addresses ending in even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8 or 0) may water on Saturdays and Wednesdays only.  Non-residential customers, including apartments, businesses, parks and common areas, can water only on Tuesday and Fridays. No watering is allowed on Mondays."

The time of day restriction, which prohibits outdoor watering with sprinklers between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., continues to be in effect, officials said.

Watering by hand-held hose, drip irrigation or soaker hose is allowed at any time. Residents are encouraged to limit such watering to a maximum of two hours per day. 

Other Stage 1 measures include the following:

• Vehicle washing is limited to the use of hand-held buckets and a hose with a positive shutoff valve. Vehicles may be washed at any time at a carwash.
• No hosing of buildings or other structures for purposes other than fire protection.
• Encouraging no hosing of paved areas, such as sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, etc.
• Encouraging hotels, restaurants and bars to serve water only upon request.
• Establishing new turf is discouraged, and a variance is required to do so.

Several North Texas school districts are dismissing early Tuesday or canceling afternoon events due to the threat of severe weather.

With the threat of severe weather forecasted Tuesday in North Texas, districts began taking a cautionary approach by dismissing early.

At about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday at Cleburne's Gerard Elementary, several students boarded buses for early dismissal.  Alvarado said, in a tweet, that they will be releasing students at noon and that a normal bus schedule will begin at that time. 

Early in the afternoon, officials with the Arlington, Grand Prairie and Dallas school districts canceled after-school events.

See a complete list of early dismissals and closings here (though not all districts are posting after school event statuses to this system).

Fort Worth police are looking for an 11-year-old boy who hasn't been seen since about 11 p.m. Monday night.

Police say 11-year-old Isaiah Alexander is black and has long hair. He was last seen in a blue Angry Birds T-shirt, blue jeans and black Nike tennis shoes.

The boy's mother told police he never came back in after being told to take out the trash at his home on the 5700 block of Blackmon Court in north Fort Worth.

Officers have searched on the ground using bloodhounds to no avail. Police also used their helicopter to look for the boy from the air.

Police are staying near family members homes in Fort Worth in case the boy turns up there.

Dallas police are looking for five men who stole a truck before running into a neighborhood after a dangerous police chase.

The chase ended around 2:40 a.m. on Woodmont Drive in southeast Dallas. Police had attempted a traffic stop on a pickup truck occupied by five men, but the truck sped away along US 175.

The pickup truck came through the neighborhood where all five occupants of the vehicle jumped out and ran away.

Police arrested one man who was seen running through the area, believing he may be connected to the stolen truck.

Investigators have not released the name of the arrested person, nor descriptions of the other men.

Mesquite Police are searching for clues and answers in an early morning shooting.

Officers were called to a group fight that turned into a shooting at the Peachtree Apartments, in the 1400 block of South Peachtree Road, early Tuesday morning.

Investigators say at least one person was shot and rushed to the hospital.

Detectives focused part of their investigation on a Ford SUV in the apartment complex parking lot. Police are not saying who owns the SUV or whether it may belong to a victim or the shooter.

A police lieutenant tells NBC5 that investigators are working to uncover if they have everyone involved in the shooting in custody.  Officers say there also could be more victims that haven’t be identified.

At least three witnesses were taken to the police department for questioning.  Police expect to release more information after 8 a.m., Tuesday.

The Keller school district is making changes in hopes of preventing senior pranks like the ones students pulled at three high schools last year.

The Keller Independent School District said in a statement Monday that it was paying close attention to "any kind of threat or the potential of 'senior pranks.'"

"Campus administrators are enhancing security measures with an increased presence of staff and security personnel during passing and lunch periods and have installed additional security cameras," the district said.

Last year, seniors at Timber Creek High School dumped liquid and baby oil in a hallway and released crickets, birds and rats into the school. Keller High School seniors had a "Hunger Games"-themed prank with fake swords. In the ensuing melee, students hopped on lockers and threw flour on the floor. And students at Central High School had a food fight.

Blake Kelly, a senior at Keller High last year, told NBC 5 that the school had no security.

"Assistant principals were going nuts, grabbing kids," he said. "It was nothing good."

Eight students at Central High School and four from Timber Creek were not allowed to participate in graduation because of the pranks.

"Keller ISD has high-quality students who we trust and respect, and we do not want a few misguided decisions to cause harm to other students or our schools," the district said in its statement Monday.

The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has now been paid more than $278,000 since the Nov. 5, 2009 shooting that left 13 dead and 32 injured. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty.

If Hasan had been a civilian defense department employee, NBC 5 Investigates has learned, the Army could have suspended his pay after just seven days.

Personnel rules for most civilian government workers allow for "indefinite suspensions" in cases "when the agency has reasonable cause to believe that the employee has committed a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment may be imposed."

Meanwhile, more than three years later soldiers wounded in the mass shooting are fighting to receive the same pay and medical benefits given to those wounded in combat.

Retired Army Spc. Logan Burnett, a reservist who, in 2009, was soon to be deployed to Iraq, was shot three times when a gunman opened fire inside the Army Deployment Center.

“I honestly thought I was going to die in that building,” said Burnett. “Just blood everywhere and then the thought of -- that's my blood everywhere.”

Burnett nearly died. He's had more than a dozen surgeries since the shooting, and says post-traumatic stress still keeps him up at night.

Burnett is now fighting a new battle; only this one is against the U.S. Army.

The Army has not classified the wounds of the Ft. Hood victims as “combat related” and declines to label the shooting a “terrorist attack”,

The “combat related” designation is an important one, for without it Burnett and other shooting victims are not given combat-related pay, they are not eligible for Purple Heart retirement or medical benefits given to other soldiers wounded either at war or during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon.

As a result, Burnett, his wife Torey, and the families of other Fort Hood victims miss out on thousands of dollars of potential benefits and pay every year.

To Burnett the shooting felt like combat.

“You take three rounds and lose five good friends and watch seven other people get killed in front of you. Do you have another term that we can classify that as?” asked Burnett.

The Army has categorized the shooting as a case of “workplace violence.”

“Sickens me. Absolutely sickens me. Workplace violence? I don't even know if I have the words to say,” said Burnett.

"They don't need to be treated like this. They don't need to sit and fight every day for this benefit or that,” said Torey Burnett.

As that fight continues, Burnett was stunned to see a letter detailing the more $278,000 Hasan has been paid since his arrest. NBC 5 Investigates received the letter from the Department of Defense in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

"There have been times when my wife and I cannot afford groceries. We cannot afford gas in our car,” Burnett said. “Literally, times where we ate Ramen noodles for weeks on end. This [that Hasan is still earning a paycheck] makes me sick to my stomach,” said Burnett.

Burnett isn’t alone in his outrage.

“We're giving the defendant in this case every benefit of the doubt. But yet we're not giving the benefits to the victims,” said Rep. Thomas Rooney (R) Florida

Rooney, a former prosecutor at Fort Hood, recently signed a bi-partisan letter urging defense secretary Chuck Hagel to "...reclassify the victims' deaths and injuries as 'combat related'..."

The letter said the current situation has "...resulted in an embarrassing lack of care and treatment for the victims and their families."

“What happened here is not a case of workplace violence. What happened here was an attack on our military by a terrorist element specifically targeting our military, which just so happened to be in the United States of America,” said Rooney.

Reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed Hasan was communicating with a member of Al Qaida prior to the shooting. Additionally, the government’s National Counterterrorism Center lists the shooting at Fort Hood as a “high fatality terrorist attack.”

Rooney said he's also willing to consider whether Congress should change the rules, so the Army could suspend the pay of soldiers arrested for crimes against fellow soldiers.

NBC 5 Investigates wanted to ask Pentagon officials about Hasan's pay and the decision to classify the shooting as workplace violence, but the Army turned down requests for an interview. However, the Army's Chief of Media Relations told NBC 5 Investigates: "The Department of Defense is committed to the integrity of the ongoing court martial proceedings of Major Nidal Hasan and for that reason will not further characterize, at this time, the incident that occurred at Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009.”

Burnett, who recently retired from the Army and moved to Arkansas to live with family and save some money, has joined dozens of other Fort Hood victims in a lawsuit against the Army demanding the benefits they believe they've been unfairly denied.

“I refuse to continue letting Nidal Hasan win. And I leave the "Major" part out, because even though, unfortunately, he's still being paid better than I am, he doesn't deserve that rank,” said Burnett.

A lawyer who once represented Hasan previously claimed his client couldn’t find a bank that would deposit his Army paychecks, but a spokesman at Fort Hood told NBC 5 Investigates that that issue has since been resolved; meaning Hasan or his family can access the money.

The Army could get some money back from Hasan by demanding re-payment for the cost of treating the wounds he sustained when a police officer shot him during the incident. However, military officials would not tell NBC 5 Investigates if they plan to do that.

With the trial expected to begin this summer, Hasan’s lawyer declined to comment on this story.

UPDATE: On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), reacting to the NBC 5 Investigates report that first aired Monday night, introduced an amendment (see it here) that would give the Fort Hood victims the combat-related pay and Purple Heart benefits they’ve been denied because the Pentagon has called the attack “workplace violence” and not an act of terrorism. Read more about Wolf's response to our investigation here.

Whether it's a natural disaster, a household disaster or a crime, first responders have to talk.

Arlington firefighters and police currently communicate on a 28-year-old analog radio system. The Arlington Fire Department is pushing to upgrade to a digital public radio system.

“When disasters occur and major crises materialize, our ability to connect to one another, between the cities, between the state and with our federal partners is critical,” said Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson.

Crowson says the current system is outdated. He is pushing for the city to upgrade to a digital public radio system, like many other cities across the country are doing.

“It's new technology, it's the latest technology. It allows public safety systems and agencies to be inter-operable with one another in a digital format,” said Crowson.

The new technology would not just expand who Arlington first responders can talk to -- other agencies in other cities - but it will also expand what they can do.

“A digital system with increase our capacity significantly affording us more radio channel availability, talk groups and will allow us to encrypt channels and talk groups to keep responders safe,” added Crowson.

Crowson noted that upgrading to the new $14 million digital radio system will allow the city to, not just talk about safety, but make sure it happens too.

“If we can’t talk to one another quickly and effectively then we put responders at risk, we put the citizens at risk.”

The city is currently pursuing funding options for the digital system.

Police say a man was walking on a roadway when a drunk driver hit him, pushing him over a guardrail and falling 19 feet to his death.

A pedestrian was killed in Grand Prairie after he was hit Sunday night by a driver accused of intoxicated driving.

Naiim Bethea, 19, was struck at about 9:40 p.m. on Corn Valley Road by Kirby Creek.

"He was walking in the lane of traffic, wearing dark clothing, and had headphones on, probably listening to music," Sgt. Eric Hansen said.

Police say George Roarx, 31, who was driving northbound on Corn Valley Road, knocked Bethea over the guardrail and down 19 feet into a creek bed.

Roarx is being charged with intoxicated driving but will not face charges in Bethea's death.

"Consulting with the DA's office this morning determined that the pedestrian was the primary contributor to the collision," Hansen said. "The driver is not being charged with any type of manslaughter but just the DWI offense."

Hansen said there are no signs prohibiting pedestrians where the accident occurred, but he advises that people use the sidewalk and bridge that are available across the street.

Kevin Johnson, who lives near the crash site, said he tries to avoid walking on that side of the road.

"Since I lived here I've walked on that side twice -- never again," he said. "I've always walked on this side, because they drive fast up and down here."