Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/304293
ByKateBrumback The Associated Press KENNESAW, GA. A FedEx employee wearing ammuni- tion draped across his chest "like Rambo" opened fire Tuesday at a package-sort- ing center outside Atlanta, wounding six people before apparently committing sui- cide, police and witnesses said. In addition to a shotgun, the gunman also had an un - disclosed number of Molotov cocktails, but he did not use themintheattack,policesaid. The shooter, who was not publicly identified, was found dead inside. He worked as a packagehandleratthesprawl - ing facility, Cobb County po- lice Sgt. Dana Pierce said. Investigators have an idea of what his motive may have been, but they were not pre - paredtodiscloseityet,Pierce said. Threeofthewoundedwere hospitalized in critical condi - tion, including two who were in surgery with life-threaten- ing injuries. Thegunmanfirstshotase- curity guard at a shack out- side the building before head- ing inside, Pierce said. DavidTitus,aFedExtruck driver, said he was just com- ing to work around 6 a.m. whenhesawasecurityguard get shot in the abdomen. He said he heard more gunfire later from inside the build - ing. "It was chaos," Titus said. "Everyone was running, ducking and hiding, trying to get out of there." FedEx clerk Liza Aiken said she was working when she heard something drop, looked to her left and saw the gunman. "He had bullets strapped across his chest like Rambo" and held a knife, Aiken said at the entrance to a park - ing lot where employees had gathered after the attack. Before she could continue, a woman wearing a FedEx jacket told Aiken to stop talking and led her away. The two people in surgery were a 28-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman. The third critical victim was a 22-year-old man, said Dr. Michael Nitzken of Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. Another man, 38, re - mained at the hospital but was stable. Two other vic- tims — a 42-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man — were treated and released. The FBI and other agen - cies were working to collect evidence at the package cen- ter in Kennesaw. ShootiNG EmployeeopensfireatFedExsortingcenter By tom hays The Associated Press NEW YoRK When he wasn't busy being what prosecutors portray as the ruthless leader of a violent drug gang, Ronald Herron was moonlighting as a rap - per known as Ra Diggs. Herron's gritty body of work, including music vid- eos with titles like "Live by the Gun, Die by the Gun," has become a point of con- tention as his murder case nears trial in federal court in Brooklyn. Jury selection began Tuesday. In court papers, the gov - ernment and the defense have debated whether the recordings are evidence of real crimes committed by one of the city's high - est ranking Bloods or are constitutionally protected — and inadmissible — ex- pressions of free speech that his lawyers have lik- ened to Johnny Cash's "Fol- som Prison Blues." In one video, Her- ron brags about wearing body armor, saying, "I'm gripped up, I'm vest upped ... I'm ready for war man, on all fronts." Both sides are awaiting a ruling on whether the government can show jurors portions of that recording and 12 oth - ers gathered during the in- vestigation of a narcotics dealing enterprise. It's a le- gal question that isn't iso- lated to Herron's case. In another case ending in a conviction last year, a Manhattan judge allowed prosecutors to show ama - teurrapvideostarringade- fendant charged in a string of armed robberies, agree- ing that it was evidence he had access to guns. The video, inspired by "The Joy" by Kanye West and Jay-Z, showed the defen - dant driving the getaway car in a staged hold-up. Earlier this month, New Jersey's Supreme Court heard arguments about whether the trial judge in a drug-related shooting case should have barred pros - ecutors from reading 13 pages of the lyrics to ju- rors, including one in which the defendant boasted about "four slugs drillin' your cheek to blow your face off," that were written before the crime. In the Herron case, pros - ecutors allege he lived his lyrics in a criminal career that began with his arrest as a teenager on robbery and weapons charges. By the late 1990s, he rose to a leadership role in a Bloods faction called the Murder - ous Mad Dogs that sold crack cocaine out of a hous- ing project in his Brooklyn neighborhood, they say. In 2001, Herron was charged in a fatal shooting. He was acquitted of murder butconvictedofdrugposses - sion and sent to prison until 2007, when he went back to hisneighborhood,reclaimed his turf and resumed killing rivals, prosecutors say. One of the killings was payback for the 2009 shooting of one of Her - ron's top lieutenants, nick- named Moose, authorities said. Herron chased the shooter into the courtyard of a housing project and pumped several bullets into him, they said. A video from a docu - mentary-style series titled "Ra Diggs TV" shows the wounded Moose recover- ing in a hospital bed and talking to Herron about the fate of the man who shot him. Herron is heard saying, "See you soon at a cemetery near you, man." The defense has argued that the videos are fictional works of art expressing the 32-year-old Herron's views on the hardships of inner- city life. They cited studies in academic journals that have concluded rap lyrics, whenallowedasevidence,of - tenaremisinterpretedtothe point of prejudicing juries. Among the Ra Diggs rhymes cited by defense papers: "I ain't working no slave at no age ... And it's like in this day and age, if I ain't get paid, then the ham - mer's getting cocked and something's getting spray." CouRtS Fight over rap lyrics at New York murder trial BrantSanderlin—theaSSociatedPreSS Fedex employee lisa aiken, wearing bandana, is embraced by a co-worker as other Fedex employees gather at a skating rink following a shooting tuesday at a Fedex facility in Kennesaw, Ga. By Bill Barrow The Associated Press AtLANtA Deciding which party controls the Senate for the final two years of Presi- dent Barack Obama's tenure could come down to women — both the handful who are running in significant races and the moderate female vot - erswhooftenmakethediffer- ence in close elections. With Republicans need- ing a net gain of six seats to claim the Senate majority, Democrats want to replicate the kind of advantage among femalevoters—theso-called "gender gap"— they usually post in presidential election years. To do it, they're an - gling for advantage in mid- term election states with competitive races on issues they believe will make a dif- ference:Pocketbookpolicyon minimum wage and pay eq- uity, education, health care and insurance coverage for contraception. "There's no secret that over the last couple of cycles, women have been a dispro - portionate part of the tar- geted persuadable voters," said Democratic pollster and strategist John Anza- lone, a top campaign adviser to North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan. The larger the gen- der gap for Democrats, he added, "the more likely they are to win." Republicans, meanwhile, bristle at the implication that the GOP agenda hurts women. In the 2012 elections, President Barack Obama cruisedtore-election,andhis party kept control of the Sen - ate in part with their battle cry that on those issues and more, the GOP was waging a "war on women." Those in the GOP say the November results will be more about the economy and th e co un tr y' s ove ra ll d ir ec - tion,withvoterdiscontentto- ward Obama, his job perfor- mance and — critically, his signature health care over- haul — trumping whatever issues Democrats try to em- phasize. Of course, maximizing the gender gap could be tricky for Democrats in a midterm election year when an older, whiter electorate makes it even harder for Democrats to motivate their core sup - porters and win over inde- pendents, who are more con- servative. "In states where Demo- crats don't win that often, thisisnottheyearthey'rego- ingtoreversethetrend,"said Republican pollster Glen Bol- ger,whoworksforNorthCar- olina GOP Senate front-run- ner Thom Tillis. "It's hard to overcome the fundamentals with tactics, no matter how good a campaign you run." Anzalone conceded as much, but said the Demo - cratic strategy isn't about winning on single,hot-button issues "isolated to women." Instead, it's about a range of issues that combine to "help take Republicans off their narrative." It's not just Democrats wooingwomen.Eveninraces where both candidates are men, the competitors are acutely aware of the need to appeal to female voters, or a t le as t no t al ie na te t oo many. In Colorado, for ex - ample, Democrats back- ing incumbent Sen. Mark Udall have attacked Re- publican Rep. Cory Gard- ner for his previous support of a so-called "personhood" amendment, a provision that recognizes legal rights for fetuses from conception. Gardner has since backed off, a signal of how sensitive the issue could be in the pe - rennially competitive state, according to exit polls con- ducted for The Associated Press. ELECtioNS Women candidates, voters could decide Senate www.redbluff.mercy.org/veincare GetaLeguponYour Health With the St.ElizabethCenter for Vein Care. Call anytime 888-628-1948 for a referral for varicose vein treatment options redbluff.mercy.org/veincare NoticeofOpening the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Sec. 8) WaitingListfor Plumas, Lassen, Tehama and Sierra Counties Effective April 30, 2014 the HCV Program (Sec. 8) Waiting List will be open until further notice. Applications may be obtained by: • calling 800 993-5399 Ex. 112; or • calling 530 283-2466 Ex.112; or • visiting the office at 183 W. Main Street, Quincy; or • visiting www.plumascdc.org; or • requesting an application in writing from: Plumas County Community Development Commission P.O Box 319 Quincy, CA 95971 Faxed applications will not be accepted. www.tehamafamilyfitness.com Tehama Family Fitness Center 2498SouthMainSt.RedBluff•528-8656 Pump&Run June 7, 2014 TheTehamaFamilyFitnessCenterpresentsanewunique strength component to the traditional 5k race. The Pump and Run is a bench press and 5k competition. Participants will weigh in the morning of 6/7/14 at 8am at TFFC, and bench press either their body weight or a percentage of it, depending on age and gender (divisions) with a maximum of 30 reps. Each completed repetition of the bench press will reduce individuals 5K times by 30 seconds. The 5K race will take place once all competitors have attempted the bench press. The 5K course will begin and finish at TFFC. The majority of the race course loops through the Hospital campus. TFFC hopes to inspire the runner to lift weights and the weight lifter to run! WeightDivisions for Men & Women Call for details 528-8656 RUNNINGS ROOFING SheetMetalRoofing ResidentialCommercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane Ownerisonsiteoneveryjob ServingTehamaCounty 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 No Money Down! "NoJobTooSteep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA. LIC#829089 Proceedssend"KidstoCamp"attheSalvationArmyDelOroCamp All costs for tournament are tax deductible. Tax ID#94-1170408 Hole-In-One ~ Sponsored by Corning Chevrolet Buick Publishedthroughaneventco-sponsorshipagreementwithTheDailyNews The SalvationArmy Hosted by Red Bluff Elks Lodge Salvation Army "Kids to Camp" Charity Golf Tournament Saturday, May 31, 2014 Sevillano Links Golf Course Shotgun start at 10am 4 person scramble $100 per person price include golf, golf cart, range balls, tee prizes and & buffet *Mulligan package *Putting/Chipping Contest *Packages can be purchased at the tournament Limit 36 foursomes, 1st come, 1st served. Rain or Shine! Deadlineforregistration is May 24, 2014 There will be a silent auction & raffle Sponsorship opportunities are available: Call Fran Fazio, Tournament Director at (530) 527-8530 or Mike Drury, (530) 527-3193 SEND ENTRIES TO SALVATION ARMY 940 WALNUT ST., RED BLUFF CA. 96080 Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate SERVICESATLOWERPRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K MembersWelcome STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! GreenMountainGrills & Accessories Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties Whenitcomestofinding the perfect home, make sure you have the right realtor on your side. MeetYour Dream Team Stromer Realty (530) 527-3100 590 Antelope Blvd. Bldg. A, Suites 10 & 20 Red Bluff ~ Specializing in residential to ranches ~ http://redbluff.stromerrealty.com | NEWS | redBlUFFdailYneWS.coM WedneSdaY, aPril 30, 2014 8 A