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LI war journalist killed in Syrian attacks, husband killed and wife injured in house fire and other LI news headlines for Wednesday, February 22, 2012

LongIsland.com

One Dead and One Hurt in Fire; Man Arrested for DWI with Kids and Drug Possession; Bay Shore Man Denies Killing Ex-Girlfriend and her Child; Long Island Journalist Killed in Syria;

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One Dead and One Hurt in Fire

A Manorville man is dead and his wife injured after a fire broke out in their home last night. 73-year-old Albert Rosen went into cardiac arrest after inhaling too much smoke. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Rosen’s 70-year-old wife was also taken to the hospital but her condition was not immediately known. It has been reported that a dog also died in the house fire. The cause of the fire is unknown but is not believed to be suspicious.

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Man Arrested for DWI with Kids and Drug Possession

25-year-old Aaron Tarkin was arrested Tuesday afternoon after driving with his children in the car while he was under the influence of alcohol. Police witnessed Tarkin driving erratically on New York Avenue in his Hyundai Sonata just after 1pm. Tarkin had been taking his two sons, ages 8 and 5, out for lunch when he was stopped and found to be under the influence of alcohol. Police also found drugs and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle. Tarkin was charged with driving while intoxicated with a child, a felony under Leandra’s Law. He was also charged with unlicensed operation of a vehicle, endangering the welfare of a child, operation of a motor vehicle without an interlock device, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a hypodermic needle.

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Bay Shore Man Denies Killing Ex-Girlfriend and her Child

24-year-old Jerry Lewis has been charged with the violent and brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend, Shakeela Planter, 21, and her 2-year-old son Jaiden but Lewis is denying his guilt in the case. Lewis allegedly stabbed Planter repeatedly and beath Jaiden to death in December inside Planter’s North Bay Shore apartment. Prosecutors say “severe bite marks” were found on the boy’s body. After the killing Lewis fled to Maryland, where his mother resides, and later surrendered to police who sent him back to New York. Defense attorney Craig McElwee is looking to investigate whether any psychological issues were involved.

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Long Island Journalist Killed in Syria

Long-time war journalist Marie Colvin, a Long Island-native, was killed in Syria during a shelling attack on rebel bases by President Bashar Assad’s regime. Colvin, who was from Oyster Bay, had been working for Britain Sunday Times. Her death came only hours after she appeared on CNN reporting about the bloodshed in Syria. Colvin spoke with Anderson Cooper on his program, AC 360, explaining the reality of the violence in Syria. After airing an amateur video of a boy who died being cradled in the arms of his father Colvin said, “That’s the reality… There are 28,000 civilians, men, women and children, hiding, being shelled, defenseless; that little baby is just one of two children who died today.” The Assad regime has repeatedly claimed that the attacks are not directed at civilians but terrorists inside the country. “It’s complete and utter lie,” says Colvin. Colvin was a veteran war correspondent and may have been the only Western journalist in Syria covering the brutal attacks on Homs. Even after receiving injuries while covering Sri Lankan conflicts in 2001 that forced her to wear an eye patch over her left eye, Colvin vowed to continue her work as a war correspondent, stating that she would not “hang up my flak jacket.”

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