Man charged in New York pharmacy killings to be arraigned

The gunman was seen on surveillance video during the Sunday morning robbery and shootings.Police charge David Laffer in weekend killings at a Long Island pharmacyLeffer's wife is also arrested and charged with robberyTwo pharmacy employees and two customers were shot, police say

New York (CNN) -- A man accused in the shooting death of four people inside a pharmacy in New York will be arraigned Thursday on murder charges.

Long Island resident David Laffer, 33, is accused of shooting two employees at Haven Drugs in Medford as well as two customers before leaving with prescription drugs Sunday morning.

He has been charged with first-degree murder and resisting arrest, Suffolk County police said.

Laffer's wife, Melinda Brady, 29, was also arrested. She was charged with third-degree robbery and obstructing governmental administration, authorities said.

Both Laffer and Brady will be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip, Long Island.

Police identified the dead as Raymond Ferguson, 45, and Jennifer Mejia, 17, both pharmacy employees, as well as customers Bryon Sheffield, 71, and Jamie Taccetta, 33.

Mejia's death comes just before her graduation from Bellport High School on Thursday, said school secretary Maryann Malcolm.

CNN's Rachel Garrett, Jason Kessler, Max Markham and Jordana Ossad contributed to this report.

CNN

Egyptian exec accused of hotel sexual assault is arraigned

New York (CNN) -- An Egyptian executive accused of sexually abusing an employee at a luxury hotel in New York was arraigned late Tuesday night.

A judge set bail for Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar at $50,000 and the defendant was ordered to surrender all travel documents.

The case has been adjourned until Friday to give Omar time to hire a private lawyer, the New York County District Attorney's Office said.

Omar was represented by a court-appointed lawyer at the arraignment. CNN was unable to reach her afterward for comment.

Omar, the chairman of a salt company who once headed an Egyptian bank, is charged with sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, forcible touching and harassment, police said.

The alleged incident took place at the Pierre Hotel on May 29 -- two weeks and a day after Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, was accused of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a housekeeping employee at another swank New York hotel.

Strauss-Kahn's attorneys deny the allegations, and he has since stepped down from the IMF to focus on his defense.

Omar, 74, did not immediately make a public statement.

The accuser told police the alleged attack took place when she went to Omar's room to drop off tissues he had requested. Authorities did not release additional details.

Omar is chairman of El-Mex Salines Company.

On its website, the company describes itself as a subsidiary of Chemical Industries Holding Company, a chemical production company. It is "one of the oldest international companies in (the) salt industry," the website says.

A spokesman for El-Mex Salines said Omar was head of the Bank of Alexandria 15 years ago.

El-Mex Salines had no immediate comment on the arrest.

The Bank of Alexandria was established in 1957 as an Egyptian joint stock company, according to its website. It was privatized in 2006.

CNN's Jason Kessler and Mary Snow contributed to this report.

CNN

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