A brawl between two women turned deadly in a California Toys ‘R’ Us on 11:30 am on Friday morning. Authorities reported that the fight that was started by one woman punching another in the face, was punctuated by the men accompanying them pulling guns on each other. The shootout ended with both men dead from being shot by the other’s gun.

Both women had children with them, witnesses report. Who knows how many children witnessed the shootings.

The victims names were released as Alejandro Moreno, 39, of Desert Hot Springs, and Juan Meza, 28, of Cathedral City. No one else was injured.

Witnesses Scott and Joan Barrick said they were in the check out line of the store when the conflict started between two women, each escorted by a man. They reported that although both women were located close to the checkout area, neither looked as if they had purchases.

“One woman suddenly started punching the other woman, who fought back as blood flowed from her nose,” said Scott Barrick, 41. The man with the woman being assaulted pulled a gun halfway out of his pocket, then put it back, he said.

“He pulled his gun right next to me. I turned to look for my wife, and she was already hiding,” Scott Barrick said.

“I was scared,” said Joan Barrick, 40. “I didn’t want to die today. I really didn’t want to die today, and I think that’s what we were all thinking.”

Palm Desert Councilman Jim Ferguson was told that two men with handguns shot and killed each other, bringing him to say, “I think the obvious question everyone has is who takes loaded weapons into a Toys “R” Us? I doubt it was the casual holiday shopper.”

Although authorities said that they did not think the violence was related to the onslaught of shopping on the holiday, they refused to offer an opinion as to whether the shooting was gang-related.

Toys “R” Us issued a statement expressing outrage over the violence.

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After being placed in a playpen, a 1 year old child from Greenwich, Connecticut, was strangled from a roman blind. She was found with the cord wrapped twice around her neck, a parent’s worse nightmare.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported a voluntary recall from Ikea, the company who sells the Iris and Alvine Roman Blinds, exclusively. Involved in the recall were approximately 670,000 IRIS and ALVINE Roman Blinds, sold at IKEA stores across the nation from July 2005 and June 2008. The blinds were manufactured in India and distributed by IKEA Home Furnishings. Ikea blinds can be returned to them for a full refund.

This is not the only time that a child has been hurt from a window blind and it is an ongoing safety concern. In June of 2008 a two year old girl also from Connecticut, placed a looped window blind cord around her neck and then slipped off the radiator that she had been standing on. Her five year old brother saved her life by picking her up to loosen the hold of the cord. She vomited and had deep tissue bruising, but has recovered completely. The problem is the loop that is used to lower and raise the roman blind.

Another 7,300 insulated blackout roller shades and insulated Roman shades manufactured in China by Green Mountain Vista Inc. The shades were sold across the nation by Target.com, The Linen Source, Country Curtains, Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, The Curtain Shop of Maine Ann & Hope, Plow & Hearth,The Sportsman’s Guide, and the Solutions catalog. They dates they were sold were between June 2005 and September 2008.

Most blinds now on the market have two strings hanging down with a safety bracket to wrap the cord around, instead of a continuous loop.

CPSC reminds consumers to examine all Roman Blinds and shades in their homes. If looped pull cords are present or exposed inner cords are found on the back of blinds or shades and children are in the home or occasionally visit your home, please consider replacing them with blinds or shades that do not have exposed pull cords or inner cords.For more information on these blinds, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

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