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1 killed, 3 injured in chain-reaction Capital Beltway crash

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A Massachusetts woman died and three others were injured in a five-vehicle, chain-reaction crash Tuesday on Interstate 495 near Alexandria.

Troopers were called to the wreck in the through lanes of westbound I-495 near Telegraph Road at 5:33 p.m. after a Dodge Ram struck the right rear of a Lexus sedan stopped in traffic, state police said in a release.

The impact led the Lexus to run into the back of a Ford F-150 that was also stopped in traffic. The Ram, meanwhile, went airborne after striking the Lexus and hit the F-150, as well as a GMC Savana and a Nissan Rogue, state police said. The Ram eventually came to rest on its side.

A passenger in the Lexus, Lauren Johnson-Lavender, 69, of Massachusetts, died at the scene.

Three others in the crash suffered injuries and were transported to area hospitals.

Charges are pending, state police said.

1 adult hurt, no kids harmed after shooting at Virginia elementary school, official says

An adult was wounded in a shooting at a Virginia elementary school Wednesday morning, according to an official who responded to the scene and confirmed no children were injured. Jim Wood, a Waynesboro city council member whose district includes Westwood Hills Elementary School, said in a phone interview that the shooting was an isolated event and that the shooter is no longer a threat. He declined to further elaborate on the suspect's status. “This is a one-on-one incident,” said Wood, who was at a nearby event Wednesday morning and went to the scene. He later went to a church, where he said children were being reunited with their families. The adult victim was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, Wood said.
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