A US sheriff's deputy has been shot dead and two other people have been found dead in rural Arkansas.

Tornadoes ripping through central Arkansas have killed at least three people, injured 25 others and destroyed several homes, authorities said today.

A police officer in a small US town used a stun gun on an unruly 10-year-old girl after he said her mother gave him permission to do so.

An alleged attack at a Massachusetts gay bar, the killing of an Arkansas officer and the killing of a mother of three – Jacob Robida left a streak of unexplained violence that ended in a fatal shootout with authorities.