Union chief faces child assault charges

A suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in Fitchburg Friday shot himself yesterday during a standoff with police at a Westminster motel, authorities said. Ha Yang, 25, was being sought after the discovery of the woman in his 80 Grove St. apartment at about 7:30 p.m. Friday, said Tim Connolly, a spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. The woman has not been identified, but police called the case a homicide and ordered an autopsy. Yesterday, Yang was surrounded by police at the Rodeway Inn for several hours. After officers shot tear gas into the room, they heard a single gunshot and later found Yang, who was shot in the head. He was taken to Leominster Hospital and transferred to U-Mass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

Two people were killed yesterday when they were hit by a car in Webster, while another person was killed several hours later in a crash in Charlton, State Police said. Robert G. Farner, 81, and Chloe K. Farner, 77, both of Cottonwood Shores, Texas, were in the breakdown lane on Interstate 395 North changing a tire on the camper they were towing. About 6:40 a.m., they were hit by a car driven by Geoffrey K. Wahome, 21, of Lowell. Wahome was treated and released from a hospital a few hours later. In Charlton, Joyce Mitchell, 70, of Spencer was killed, while a passenger in her car, Karl Mitchell, 75, was seriously injured in an accident at Route 20 and Richardson Corner Road. The driver of the other car involved, Alena Y. Komissarova of Charlton, had minor injuries. Both accidents are under investigation.

A 4-year-old boy was in critical condition yesterday after being found Friday submerged in a pool in Lawrence. Christian Guerrero and his father, Juan, were visiting the wife of Lawrence Patrolman Ivan Melendez when the little boy went missing. The adults searched inside the house before finding the boy face-down at the bottom of the Melendezes’ outdoor pool. They called 911 at 8:06 p.m., Lawrence Police Chief John Romero said. “It’s a tragic accident at this point,’’ he said. Christian Guerrero was taken to Lawrence General Hospital and then airlifted to Boston Children’s Hospital, where he remained in intensive care yesterday.

County records show David Souter, retired Supreme Court justice, has bought a home in Hopkinton, after living most of his life in a 200-year-old farmhouse in Weare that his grandparents once owned. Records show Souter, who is 69, purchased a 3,500-square-foot Cape Cod-style home on Thursday from Michele Perkins, New England College president, and her husband for $510,000. (AP)

Vermont authorities are warning that the state’s rain-swollen rivers could pose a danger for the next few weeks to boaters. Captain Ron Hubbard of the Brattleboro Fire Department Dive Team said the rainy weather makes the rivers unpredictable. Canoeists and kayakers are being urged to use life vests and head protection. Rescuers this week rescued a 17-year-old girl trapped in the Black River. (AP)