Teen arrested in face-shooting case
Relative turned in suspect, who was out on bond in murder case
Police completed a day-long manhunt for Antoine Wimes early Tuesday evening.
Open Letter to Dr. Cindy Loe, Superintendent of Fulton County Schools
Dr. Loe:
By giving parents an option of whether or not to let their chidren listen to the President of the
Further, I believe you have set a dangerous precedent. Speeches by politicians to any school organization, group or class must be vetted or not allowed. At the least parents must be notified that their child can "opt out" without penalty. Let's say a state representative wants to give a speech to the American History class, before that can happen the teacher must get approval from the system office, the speech must be pre-approved and parents sent letters letting them know their child can "opt out" of the class that day without penalty. At the end who is hurt for missing the class? The student - regardless of their political leanings they missed an opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue and learn a little about being tolerant of others.
Dr. Loe, I'm dismayed that your administration would bow to such a stunt from a few disturbed individuals. Teaching my children to get along with everyone and respect authority has been undermined by the Fulton County School System.
The easy answer to parents wanting to remove their children would have been - "do it quietly". Your action only raises the noise level in the room. In my original comments on the system's website, I called the move to give parents an "opt out" bigoted; I stand by my comments.
This WAS one of those teachable moments you and your staff failed miserably. From this I'm taking the stance that NO elected official of any stripe should be allowed to speak at or during any school related function.
It's my hope that parents will stand up and let the school system know this action is being driven by a group with an agenda and it's not in the best interest of our children. I'm sure this would have never happen at any time BEFORE the election of President Obama.
James Reese
Parent
404-421-5399
P.S. My sons will not wear school uniforms on Tuesday, instead they will wear President Obama t-shirts as a sign of support for the Office of the President of the
Teen arrested in face-shooting caseRelative turned in suspect, who was out on bond in murder casePolice completed a day-long manhunt for Antoine Wimes early Tuesday evening. The 17-year-old was arrested for allegedly shooting a Chattahoochee Hills woman in the face Monday evening. The woman’s toddler was severely beaten, police said. Wimes’ sister is Neely’s best friend, police said. The whole thing was drug- and gang-related, Chattahoochee Hills police Chief Damon Jones said. “I own this world, like Scarface,” Wimes shouted to reporters when he was taken in to the Chattahoochee Hills police station earlier Tuesday evening. He emerged to find his mother and another woman waiting outside, as police loaded him into the back of a squad car. “I love you Tot. I love you, Mama,” he said, as he looked through the barred windows and held both his thumbs up. Wimes was out of jail on $250,000 bond for murder and aggravated assault charges from February for a shooting in southwest Atlanta, Fulton County jail authorities said. Wimes’ family told police he cut off his ankle monitor early Monday morning. He was staying with his family in Chattahoochee Hills, police said. By Monday night, he and McCoy, were at Neely’s home at 7555 Barnes Road, Jones said. Neither had a car, and police believe they hitched a ride to Neely’s home. “We speculate that a person must have dropped them off, but didn’t know why,” Jones said. “They must have left when they heard shooting.” A knock came at Neely’s door sometime after 8:30 p.m., Monday. McCoy and Wimes were outside, and demanded money, police said. When Neely didn’t comply, she was shot twice — once in the face, and once in the upper torso with a .9 mm pistol, police said. Police responded to reports of shots fired, and found Neely lying in a pool of blood. The baby, one-year-old Defante Neely, was bruised but awake, Jones said. “The child had a lot of bruises to the forehead,” Jones said. “And crushing-type wounds.” A briefcase was taken from the home, police said. But instead of money, the briefcase contained a handgun. McCoy, also known as “Dino” was arrested within an hour of police reaching the scene, Jones said. The Michigan native has several prior arrests in his home state, but had only been in Chattahoochee Hills for about three months, police said. Fulton County Police and Sheriff’s departments, Union City police, and Coweta and Douglas county sheriff’s departments were called into help with the search. Crime scene technicians and K-9 search dogs were brought in to look for Wimes. By late Tuesday afternoon, police had a mug shot of Wimes distributed to metro Atlanta media outlets to help with the search. Around 6:45, Wimes went to a relative’s home on Rico Road and Vernon Grove Road, about a mile from Neely’s home. Jones said Wimes asked to use the phone there, and the relative — having seen his face on TV — called police. Wimes went across the street to an abandoned house at 7575 Rico Road, and went into the attic to hide. Police arrived on the scene and called for a Fulton County police dog. While officers awaited the K-9, they told him to come out over the loudspeaker, Jones said. “We told him, ‘come out with your hands in the air, or we’re going to send the dog in,’” Jones said. Wimes came to the front door, saying he gave up, but immediately ran behind a nearby bush, keeping his hands in the air, Jones said. “He later told me he wanted to be shot by police,” Jones said. Wimes and McCoy are each facing charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, armed robbery and cruelty to children. They are currently being held at the South Fulton Municipal Regional Jail in Union City, and are expected to be transferred to the Fulton County Jail for an initial court appearance later this week. Neely is said to be in serious condition at Atlanta Medical Center, and her child remains at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. Jones thanked all the many different police agencies, media outlets and community members who helped find the two suspects. “We had a pretty violent crime for this area,” he said. “We had everybody in custody in 22 hours with everybody working together.”
|
Home invasion intruders include victim’s brotherBy KATIE LESLIE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution A Fairburn woman is recovering after being attacked during a home invasion that police say was committed by a group of men, including the victim’s brother. WSB-TV is reporting the incident occurred around 2 a.m. Tuesday when Tiajuanna Harris heard noises at the backdoor of her home on Shadow Creek Court and called 911. Two men burst into the home and entered her bedroom, demanding money, according to the report. Police say one of the men was Quincy Shoulders, the woman’s brother. The mother of four was pistol-whipped during the attack, Det. Charles Israel of the Fairburn Police Department told WSB-TV. None of the children was injured. When police arrived, they found 25-year-old Quentin Bigby in Harris’ yard with a gunshot wound. Police believe Shoulders shot him, according to WSB-TV, but are still determining why. Police are looking for Shoulders and three others, according to the report. WSB-TV reports that Harris is recuperating and Bigby is in critical condition at an unnamed hospital. For updates, check ajc.com.
|
Woman shot in overnight robberyBy MIKE MORRIS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Fulton County police Wednesday morning were looking for the man who shot a pedestrian during a robbery attempt off Fulton Industrial Boulevard. The 28-year-old victim was walking in the 3800 block of Wendell Drive about 12:45 a.m. when she was approached by a black male who demanded money, Fulton police spokeswoman Melissa Parker said. “They had a brief argument and the male shot the female in the abdomen,” Parker said. “The woman, whose name has not been released, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment of wounds that Parker said were not life-threatening.
|
After much anticipation the new high school on Hall Road has a name - Langston Hughes. According the school's website the name came about after rejecting a number of alternatives including Maynard H. Jackson, Vanguard, South Fulton and Fairburn. The committee chaired by the of the new Principal Dr. Michael Robinson and included teachers, students and parents representing Creekside, Westlake and Renaissance. The name Hughes was suggested and accepted after the initial names didn't seem to fit the objectives of the new school.
James Mercer Langston Hughes, best known as Langston Hughes, (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and columnist. Hughes is known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance.
Apparently Hughes connection to the Harlem Renaissance was instrumental in the selection. Renaissance is the name of the middle school and elementary school along the Hall and Jones Road.
The school will apparently have a vocational theme - including the only automotive tech course in South County. The academic staff will be selected in the coming months and hopefully Dr. Robinson is as serious about athletics as he is academics. South County is in need of another competitive athletic program.
Other details about the school are still to be determined - mascot (The Bisons, Stallions and Panthers) and school colors will be chosen by the student body.
For those that haven't seen the new school it's identical to Westlake High.
| “This is a wonderful testimony to everybody sitting on this board,” said Commissioner Tom Lowe. He added the financial crisis in Atlanta that has the city cutting staff and closing recreation centers “could never have happened here.” |