Nation IN BRIEF : MISSOURI : 4 Killings Charged to Veteran Sniper

A Vietnam veteran from Jamestown, Mo., was charged with murder after a shooting rampage in which a county sheriff, two deputies and the wife of another sheriff were killed. James Johnson, 42, was arraigned in Moniteau County Circuit Court in the town of California; prosecutor John Kay said he would seek the death penalty. Officials said they were mystified as to the motive for the killings, according to a reporter for the Jefferson City News Tribune who was in court. Johnson, a mechanic for the Missouri Air National Guard, received sniper training in the military and was considered an expert marksman, police said.