two law enforcement officers. the suspect also shot and in custody. what we're learning. and that shooting coming as the supreme court makes a major ruling on guns. the 8-1 decision involving domestic violence and why justice clarence thomas was the sole dissenter. also tonight the dangerous heat on both coasts. 90 million under alerts and the two new tropical disturbances. we're tracking them. joe biden and donald trump entering the final weekend before their first presidential debate, now just six days out. and in the battle for big money, which candidate is winning? plus, our new reporting the top three names on mr. trump's vp list. the horrifying murder in houston. a 12-year-old girl killed. the two undocumented migrants now charged after being released into the u.s. the summer travel season in high gear as the potential good news about the cost of your get away. and stonewall, 55 years later the new space immortalizing the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. life in another american town has been brutally and tragically upended by a mass shooting. just a short time ago authorities updating reporters in fordyce, arkansas, where 13 people have been shot, three of them killed when a gunman opened fire at a grocery store. this video capturing a man with a long gun in the parking lot, but police have not confirmed who he is. among the many wounded are two law enforcement officers. one witness on the scene describing people lying in the parking lot and not knowing if they were dead or not. state police say the suspect was struck in a shootout with officers. he is alive and in custody tonight. our sam brock has late details on this breaking story. >> reporter: the sounds of gunfire tonight erupting by an arkansas gas station. as police confirm a mass shooting at a fordyce grocery store an hours drive from little rock claiming the lives of three people. >> this situation is secure and contained. there are no active threats to the community. >> reporter: one video shows a man walking through the parking lot with a long gunpointing and firing, although police have not confirmed who that is. state police say eight other civilians were injured, their conditions ranging from nonlife threatening to extremely critical. two members of law enforcement were also shot, but police say will survive. the volley of bullets nearly taking more lives. >> oh, i was crying. i was nervous. i was having a breakdown, and i heard and he had shot at my momma car, and it was the tire. and he missed us by like an inch. and, you know, i was just sitting there. i was praying, holding my sister's hand because i was scared, you know? >> we both were scared. >> reporter: police also saying the shooter tonight critically injured and in custody. this as the u.s. has experienced more than 230 mass shootings this year documented by the gun violence archives including nine just over the weekend. from two killed at a juneteenth celebration in round rock, texas, to 36 rounds fired at a splash pad in michigan injuring nine including an 8-year-old child. tonight, arkansas officials tryg t console yet another community inning. >> it's tragic. our hearts are broken. >> sam, what do we know about the victims in this case? >> so, lester, right now police are not providing any details, but our affiliate there reports one of the victims was a 23-year-old nurse on her day off just out for grocery shopping. she leaves behind a 10 month old child. le? >> all right, sam brock tonight starting us off, thank you. that shooting comes on the same day the supreme court issued a major decision on guns upholding a federal law that bans domestic abusers from having them. laura jarrett has more. >> reporter: tonight the u.s. supreme court upholding the federal law that bans domestic abusers from owning firearms. >> this is a powerful step. >> reporter: in a nearly unanimous 8-1 ruling, both conservative and liberal justices finding that barring people with restraining orders from possessing guns is consistent with the second amendment. chief justice john roberts adding, since the founding, our nation's firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms. the case was brought by zackey rahimi, ordere totay away from his then-girlfriend in 2020 after he physically assaulted her and threatened to shoot her. a texas court found he posed a credible threat to her physical safety. he's still behind bars. justice sotomayor today pointing to estimates showing a woman who lives in a house with a domestic abuser is five times more likely to be murdered if the abuser has access to a gun. justice thomas, the lone dissenter, not disputing the danger posed by rahimi, instead arguing in the interest of ensuring the government can regulate one subset of society, today's decision puts at risk the second amendment rights of many more. but domestic abuse survivor a pgdia mossberger is praising the court's decision. she and her three children escaped her abuser 20 years ago. today emotional at the thought of what could have been her fate. >>icidely to an abuser this is just a piece of paper, but to victims of domestic violence, it's peace of mind. it's a sigh of relief that we can move on and we don't have to look over our shoulders. >> and laura, we are still waiting on some big rulings from this court. >> yes, lester, the justices still have more than a dozen cases left outstanding this term including whether the former president is immune from any prosecution at all, one that could upend hundreds of cases against january 6th rioters and yet another significant abortion related case, lester. >> laura jarrett, thank you. we'll turn now to the dangerous heat wave that is headed right into the weekend for tens of millions. here's erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: tonight over 90 million americans are under heat alerts as the thermal dome tightens its grip. from the ohio valley to the mid-atlantic, scorching temps 10 to 20 degrees above average. >> when you go outside, i feel like i'm melting. >> reporter: extreme temps causing travel chaos. today in philadelphia dozens of firefighters battle flames near train tracks, and at new york's penn station, more delays. amtrak trains slowed down due to the heat. >> the same thing happened on monday. it was delayed. i got to work 45 minutes late. >> reporter: down south as families look for relief from the heat, tragedy. in florida, a couple died after getting caught in a rip current, leaving t six children behind. in minnesota flooding after a severe thunderstorm dumped up to 10 inches of rain in a matter of hours. and in california, an early start to the fire season. the number of acres burned so far is up almost 1,500% compared to last year. according to nasa the number of summer heat waves in the u.s. has roughly doubled over the last four decades. so far this year they've recorded more than 12,000 record highs at weather stations across the country, and thi just the first full day of summer. with more triple-digit temps in the forecast for the weekend, officials warning stay inside and stay hydrated. erinclaughlin, nbc news, new york. >> all right, let's bring in bill karins. you're tracking a pair of tropical threats tonight. >> lester, the first threat is right along the georgia, florida coast. it has not strengthed which is great, but it is bringing a rip current threat up and down the southeast coast. that will be the big story as we go through the weekend. the rough current and rip current threat. the other area is similar to alberto and does have about 560% thans of developing. this shtd not bring the heavy rain and flooding threat to texas. the other thing we have to watch over the weekend severe storms. significant storms from des moines to green bay and possibly heading towards chicago tomorrow night, and also the north east numerous storms as we head throug weekend. all right, bill, thank you. let's turn to the race fopresidennow with just six days until the first biden-trump debate. the former president seeing a surge in campaign contributions h men g after a key group of voters. dasha burns is in pennsylvania. >> reporter: tonight former president trump erodinresident biden's lead in the campaign ch race. fall bringing i $141 d million since may for the trump campaign, outpacing president biden's $85 million in the same period. it comes with the first presidential debate less than a week away. >> look forwardo the debate on thursday night, and we have to show that the man is grossly incompetent. >> reporter: mr. trump holding informal policy sessions with advisers. president biden hunkered down at camp david for intensive press. tonight the vice president weighing in during an exclusive msnbc interview. >> i think the debate is gng to make clear the ntrast between ourpresident, the works on behalf of the erican people, fight for the american people, and the former presidt who pretty much is full time fighting for himself. >> reporter: a strong performance could help win over like kirk, a republican who voted for nikki haley in the primary. you voted in the pennsylvania primary for a candidate that wasn't in the race anymore. why? >> i just felt it was important that my voice was heard, and i think to really send a message that there are others out there like me, you know, that would prefer an alternative to president trump. >> reporter: nikki haley won 20% of republican primary voters in his home county of erie, pennsylvania, after leaving the race. the biden campaign targeting these voters with ads and staff while haley has since endorsed t the question now, where do these voters go in november? >> my vote would probably be between biden and a protest vote. >> reporter: the debate will be a major moment for undecided voters. david langdon says he isn't sold on either candidate but is eager to watch. >> a 90-minute debate on his feet with no notes is going to tell the nation whether biden is able to run another four years or not. >> and dasha, you're learning more about mr. trump's search for a running mate. >> reporter: lester, that'sht. anr debat for rump the who and whhi announcement. tonight the field has winnowed to three top contenders doug burg m, jd vance, and florida senator marco rubio. lester? >> dasha, thank you. you can watch that first presidential debate thursday night right here on nbc. in the race to the white house the immigration debate is being fueled by a string of high profile crimes police say were committed by migrants, the latest involving two men charged with murdering a 12-year-old girl in texas. here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight two venezuelan migrants are under arrest in houston charged with murdering 12-year-old jocelyn. >> they took away my first born. i was a teen mom. grow, mature. >> reporter: immigration authorities say the suspects crossed the bord earlr th yr and were released into the u.s. by the border patrol. police say the men strangd jocelyn and dumped her body in a creek. her mother is devastated. >> nobody deserves to lose a child. no one deserves to bury their child. it's hard. >> reporter: just days ago another undocumented immigrant from ecuador was arrested in new york city accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in broad daylight. and last week an undocumented immigrant from el salvador was arrested in oklahoma. police say he raped and murdered rachel morin, a mother of five from maryland. >> i just want to take this time to thank all of the law enforcement for all their hard work. >> reporter: former president trump blames the biden administration's border >> this monster should never have been allowed into our country. and if i was president, he would have never been able to come in. >> reporter: still, studies suggest immigrants are actually less likely to commit crimes than u.s. born citizens. and an nbc news review of 2024 crime data shows overall crime levels dropping in cities that have received the most migrants. the biden campaign has repeatedly criticized the charged language mr. trump has used to describe undocumented immigrants. >> they're poisoning the blood of our country, that's what they've done. >> reporter: and the president has called out republicans for tanking a bipartisan border funding bill earlier this year. >> it's outrageous. folks, i'm not interested in playing politics with border or immigration. i'm interested in fixing it. >> reporter: polls show immigration is top issue for voters. it's likely to be a major topic in next week's debate. lester sph. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. we'll take a break. and in 60 seconds an american long held in turks and caicos learns his fate. and with record numbers of americans expected to hit the roads this summer, the good news about travel prices. stay with us. ing screened ♪ ♪ is why i'm 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more still face sentencing. also tonight now that summer is officially here, some welcome news if you're hoping to take a vacation. brian cheung explains why this season travel is getting cheaper. >> reporter: christina ashby's family of six loves taking outdoor vacations. >> as long as i can keep them occupied to where they collapse into bed at the end of the day, i call that a win. >> reporter: now she's getting ready for this summer's get away. >> i'm up for pretty much anything as long as it doesn't cost very much. >> reporter: good news. this year it'll actually cost less. >> thi summes absolutely the best summer for domestic and international travel post pandemic. we've seen a full recovery in prices across flights, accommodations, and rental cars. >> reporter: for example, domestic air fares are down 6% by an average of almost $20 compared to last year. same with rental car prices at your destination. in orlando daily rate down $10 per day. fueling that car cheaper, too, with gas prices down over 12 cents nationwide. hotel rates, meanwhile, in line with last year. those savings helping to pay for fun that may be more expensive. dining out as well as concert and movie tickets all pricier than this time last . to tak advantage of those gas prices. and because of a love of the outdoors and a tight budget, choosing to camp and cook. >> the restaurants even fast food, the prices are astronomical right now. >> reporter: experts say for those still planning, avoid the peak holidays like july 4th and labor day,nd try to travel mid-week. >> if you're going somewhere domestic you'll save about $50 per ticket if you can fly on a tuesday or wednesday. >> reporter: cooling travel prices a welcome reprieve in a hot, hot summer. brian cheung, nbc news. up next for us here tonight, two airmen are now speaking out on why they say they want to leave the u.s. military over the war in gaza. hings you love. some things should stand the test of time. long lasting eylea hd could 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