State & Local
ty/eiiiicsi.
Page 2
The Battalion
Wednesday, April
fio'ne r
Gun injures two after teenager
smuggles weapon into high school
The Associated Press in Austin, said the shooting victims, Rashonda Spar]
T-rt-iTt 1 Q -a nrH o 1 7 rri-rl TxrVi/^co r-» o ctt
ROUND ROCK — A 1 6-year-old student was in po
lice custody Tuesday after a gun he smuggled into an
Austin area high school accidentally fired, injuring two
students taking a first aid class, authorities said.
Travis County sheriff’s department chief of staff
Andy Saenz said authorities were considering a variety
of charges against the teen-ager, who allegedly took a
pistol to McNeil High School in a knapsack.
Saenz said “two other students who were implicat
ed” also were in custody.
“It looks like he was showing the gun to somebody
and in the process of putting back into his backpack, it
discharged accidentally,” Saenz said.
“Students in the classroom were watching a film and
luckily several of them were sitting on the floor because
the bullet literally flew over their heads,” Saenz said.
The bullet traveled through a wall into an adjoining
classroom, struck a student in the shoulder and then
lodged in the right leg of another student, Saenz said.
“The class where the bullet went into, the students
were being taught first aid,” Saenz said. “It became a
real-life scenario very quickly until the EMS team could
arrive on the scene.”
Larry Besaw, spokesman for Brackenridge Hospital
in Austin, said the shooting victims, Rashonda Spark
man, 18, and a 17-year-old girl, whose name wasn’t
released because she is a juvenile, were both in good
condition.
Besaw, who said he couldn’t comment on the girls’
injuries, expected both to be released from the hospital
in the next two days.
Officials said they believe the suspect planned to try
and sell the gun on campus.
“We believe the weapon may have been stolen in a
burglary,” Saenz said. “So new sets of charges may
come from that set of facts.”
Saenz said about 40 students in the two classrooms
where the shooting and injuries occurred were being
questioned by police and counseled to reduce any
snock they may have been suffering.
“The students were emotionally shaken,” said Nick
Boltz, community relations director for the Round Rock
Independent School District. “School counselors and
sheriff s department counselors were with the students
this afternoon.”
“We are very concerned for the safety of our stu
dents,” said Boltz, adding that this was the first gun-re
lated incident on record at a Round Rock school. “A lot
of people have moved to this district because they per
ceive we have excellent and safe schools.
Camera records murder at video store
Campus News Briefs
Facuity member receives
HELP achievement award
Past chapter honorees are John R. Blocker,
Williams, Kay Bailey Atchison and Donald Zale
Robert T. Bisor, special assistant to the vice presi
dent of finance and administration at Texas A8tM, was
selected as a 1994 Young African-American Achiever
by the Human Enrichment of Life Programs Inc.
(HELP) of Houston.
Bisor was selected as one of 58 finalists from a
group of more than 7 0 applicants.
The selections were based on leadership, commu
nity service, pursuit of excellence and high personal
standards.
HELP provides social services geared toward
young adults and senior citizens.
A&M College of Medi
fills health care positioi||54l
Dr. Richard Street was appointed associateo
of the Institute for Health Care Evaluation in
A&M’s College of Medicine.
Street, a professor of speech communicate
internal medicine, will start his new position.]
diately.
Business honor society
recognizes former student
1/ T
Young scientists showcal /
research at regional fair
Texas A&M’s chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, the
national honor society for collegiate schools of busi
ness, has honored Creed L. Ford III as its 1994 hon-
Ford, executive vice president of operations for
Brinker International Inc. in Dallas, is an A&M gradu
ate from the Class of ‘ 7 5.
A banquet honoring Ford will be April 7 at the
College Station Hilton.
More than 1 50 aspiring local young sclents
showcase their researcli during the 20th anniii
zos Valley Regional Science and Engineerinjj
Wednesday and Thursday at Texas A&M.
High school students from Brazos, Gri: l ^ „
Houston, San Jacinto, Walker and Wash; Id | c
counties will display their research projectsfri
a.m. to 7 p.m. Tnursday in the Zachry Engine: i
Center. I f
The top two projects will advance to the45s I ^.V
ternational Science and Engineering Fair, whid &
be May 8-14 in Birmingham, Ala.
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Two Blockbuster
Video employees, who unlocked the
doors to let in one last customer,
were gunned down in a quick, cold
blooded act that was captured on the
store’s surveillance cameras, a friend
of one of the victims said Tuesday.
Killed Easter night were Brad
Lindsey and James Armstrong. Po
lice released only still shots of the
video that shows Lindsey’s slaying.
But a friend described his moments
as relayed by police.
“It was cold-blooded, like an ex
ecution. That’s the worst part about
it. But they do have it on video
tape,” said Ron Ross, a friend of
Lindsey’s.
“That is the saddest part. He was
shot in the back — just once, but it
was instantaneous,” said Ross, who
also employed Lindsey part-time at
Hit Records. “He was dead immedi
ately so at least he didn’t suffer
any.
The bodies of Lindsey, 20, and
Armstrong, the 26-year-old night
manager, were found early Monday.
An undetermined amount of cash
was taken from the store.
Police said one of four video
cameras showed one of the employ
ees opening the doors to let the as
sailant into the store, which had
opened March 24 at the Casa Linda
Plaza Shopping Center in East Dallas.
“It was at or near closing,” said
Dallas police Lt. Ron Waldrop. “This
Memorial Student Center
L.T. Jordan Institute
for International Awareness
Fellows Presentation
John Crosby, a graduate student in
International Business, will discuss
Effects of the European
Community on French
Corporations
Wednesday, April 6, 1994
7 p.m. in Rudder 402
Reception Following
For more information, please contact the L.T. Jordan Institute Office at 845-8770.
Persons with disabilities are requested to call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs.
Before your attendance can grow,
your audience needs to know , , ,
Increase your organization's visibility
with the All-University
Calendar and Semester Calendars !!
1994 Summer Semester Calendar
Dates are due
April 8, 1994
in the
Department of Student Activities
by 5 PM
Questions? Call 845-'! 133
for more information.
is the last person they let in.”
Later videotape showed the as
sailant wielding a gun. Police de
clined to release the complete tape
or say how much of the crime it
showed. Ross said police told him
only Lindsey’s slaying was caught
on camera.
It’s the latest violence to be cap
tured on security cameras. Last
month, a cash machine in Califor
nia videotaped a carjacking in
which two students from Japan
were fatally shot.
The shooting death of a gas sta
tion clerk last year in the Dallas
suburb of Mesquite was recorded
on a store security camera. Two
suspects were later arrested in each
of those attacks.
Disabled fight to be heard by Gongres
The Associated Press
AUSTIN — Advocates for the dis
abled said Tuesday they are fighting
to be heard in Congress on health
care reform, with one warning that
disabled people will remember the
battle at the ballot box.
“No more bull. No more Band-
Aids,” said Justin Dart Jr. of Wash
ington, a disability rights advocate
who spoke at a National Council on
Disability town meeting.
The 49 million disabled Ameri
cans who want reform “don’t have
big-money PACs (political action
committees). We can’t buy TV ads
and Madison Avenue lobbyists,”
Dart told the president-appointed
council, on which he previously
served and which will report to
President Clinton and Congress.
But their number includes 3 5
million voters — and millions of
families and friends — “and we
have long, long memories,” said
Dart, who uses a wheelchair.
“We’ve got to win this fight.”
The council’s Austin session is
among five town meetings on
health care reform scheduled
around the country in areas where
:ongressional member
>pposed or have an open
the subject,” said John
acting council chairman.
The group hopes test
from disabled people “will
to convince them the right
vote and the right way to;
said.
Gannon said the coundl
has made recommends
health care reform, includii
for guaranteed insurance ft
viduals and a ban on exdt
people from insurance b;
pre-existing health conditio
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The Battalion
JULI PHILLIPS, Editor in chief
MICHAEL PLUMER, Managing editor KYI F BURNETT, Afflelite
BELINDA BLANCARTE, Night News editor DENA DIZDAR, Aggielifeetki
HEATHER WINCH, Night News editor SEAN FRERKING, Sports edilc
TONI GARRARD CLAY, Opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, PhotoeM
JENNIFER SMITH, City editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, SpecialSedkmsed
Staff Members
City desk — Lisa Llliott, Juli Rhtxlen, Kim McGuire, Eloise Flint, jan Higginbotham, Goneen Pipher, James6r
Angela Neaves, Mary Kujawa, Melissa Jacobs, Stephanie Duix? and Joseph Greenslarle
News desk — Rob Clark, Andreana Coleman, Josef Elc hanan, Mark Fvans and Drew Wasson
Photographers — Mary Macmanus, Stewart Milne, Tim Moog, Blake Griggs, David Birch, Amy Browning 1
Hsieh, Jennie Mayer, Raun Nohavitza, Nick Rodnicki and Amanda Sonley
Aggieiife — Margaret Claughton, Jennifer Gressett, Paul Neale, Traci Travis and Claudia Zavaleta
Sports writers — Mark Smith, Drew Diener, Nick Georgandis, Jose De Jesus Ortiz and Kristine Ramirez
Opinion desk - Jay Robbins, Lynn Booher, Roy Clay, Lrin Hill, Mk hael Landauer, Jenny Magee, Melis«Mf
Frank Stanford, Jackie Stokes. Roliert Vasquez and Dave Winder
Graphic Artist - Pey Wan Choong
Cartoonists - Boomer Cardinale, Chau Hoang, George Nasr, Kalvin Nguyen and Gerardo Quezada
Clerks- Eleanor Colvin, Wren Everslx»rg. Jennifer Kedx»r, Tomiko Miller and Brooke Perkins
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Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods), atK*
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