Latest news with #RoderickSmith
CBS News
27-05-2025
- CBS News
Fort Worth grandmother shot nine times during church event prep now defying the odds
Family asks for help after Fort Worth grandmother survives shooting: "We're Still in Fear" Family asks for help after Fort Worth grandmother survives shooting: "We're Still in Fear" Family asks for help after Fort Worth grandmother survives shooting: "We're Still in Fear" A 71-year-old woman is recovering in a Tarrant County hospital after being shot nine times in her home, according to her family. Her name and photo are being withheld for security reasons. "We don't know who did this or why," said the Rev. Roderick Smith. "So, of course, we want to make sure that once she's safe -- one, that they don't come and do something else to her." Smith said the victim is his mother's older sister. The call about his aunt on May 16 came as a shock. Planning a memorial, then gunfire CBS News Texas Smith said his aunt, a former Fort Worth ISD employee and church leader, had just gotten off the phone with his mother. She had been planning a balloon release for a former co-worker who had recently died. "She said she literally had the phone in her hand and was putting it down," Smith said. "And she literally felt the first bullet and started hearing all the shots — about 20 to 30 rounds entered our home." Fort Worth police responded to the home in the 6400 block of Shasta Trail shortly after 2 a.m. on May 16. Investigators said a gunman walked between two houses and opened fire. No one else was injured. Surviving the attack "I've seen it where a young person gets shot with one AR or one assault rifle bullet and passes away. She was shot nine times," Smith said. "She's still with us." He said his aunt described a bullet entering her knee and watching it swell instantly. "She said, 'All I could do was call on Jesus. I just started calling on Jesus and screaming for help,'" Smith said. "She was able to pick up the phone, call her neighbor and say, 'Hey, I've been shot.'" The victim's grandson, who recently came to stay with her, declined to speak with CBS Texas. Smith said investigators have not indicated any connection between the shooting and his cousin's stay. Investigation ongoing Fort Worth police have assigned the gang unit to the case. Smith said there is surveillance video of the shooting, and the family hopes it will lead to an arrest. "Shot nine times on her right side. I know they had to go in and rebuild — restructure her whole knee, foot, arms, and stuff like that," Smith said. Her leg is improving. She can now bend it and wiggle her toes — a feat doctors weren't sure would be possible. A testimony of survival Smith said his aunt, a prophetess in her church, now has a new testimony to share. "God is just showing people that he's still in the miracle-working business," he said.
The Age
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
AFL's arrogance is no way to win fans
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. FOOTBALL The arrogance of this organisation is amazing ('AFL counting cost of abandoning Saturdays', 24/5). The AFL chose the name 'Australian', expanded into rugby states, but missed two Aussie rules ones (Tasmania and the NT). It will accept Tasmania, but only with a roofed stadium: a feature lacking at the MCG itself. I was letterboxed by my local club, at a tier below VFL (former VFA): 'Tired of football being big business? Get back to grassroots football, and walk down to your nearby oval and watch the local lads in action.' I was so impressed that I did. What will appear on screens in public bars now? Roderick Smith, Surrey Hills Talk about a free kick Caroline Wilson writes that the AFL may have handed the NRL a costly free kick, by removing Saturday night matches from free-to-air TV. Not only that, the super rugby union competition is also reaping the benefit of this, with its free-to-air broadcast of matches on Saturday nights, meaning that this engaging code has a virtual monopoly in a peak football-viewing timeslot. Matthew Hamilton, Kew Saying it like it is Thank you, Caroline Wilson, for expressing what many die-hard supporters already think of the AFL. David Cayzer, Clifton Hill Kudos for taking on 'head office' Kudos to Caroline Wilson for having the courage to be one of the few, if any, AFL media heavyweights to critically unpack the disgrace that is Saturday AFL broadcasting and take on 'head office'. Our country's only indigenous game, a game that allegedly belongs to the people in general, and fans in particular, is now denied its traditional home of Saturday for seven seasons to those Victorians who value paying the bills above enriching Kayo and its overseas owners. In 35-plus paragraphs, Caro nailed the issue in one sentence referring to the disenfranchisement of elderly, lower socio-economic groups and our rural cousins. AFL chairman Richard Goyder and ex-CEO Gillon McLachlan should be ashamed, along with their strategic advisers. Richard Davies, Point Lonsdale Timing left a lot to be desired Can someone enlighten me as to why the AFL, classified as a not-for-profit, put Saturday football behind a paywall during a cost-of-living crisis? Louise Angelides, Mount Eliza How about live games cater to more than kids It's good that the AFL provides us with a way to report antisocial behaviour at the footy. I was at the MCG game on Saturday and gave it a good workout. All of the fans around me were enthusiastic, joyous and respectful. Kids ran around with their footies and had a ball. But those good vibes were swamped by antisocial behaviour from elsewhere. Doof doof music from the speakers killed the chance of having a quiet chat with friends. A hundred identical ads flashed at me from perimeter-long screens on four levels. Infantile games on the ground and on the scoreboard were accompanied by shrieking commentary and countless appeals to make more noise. I understand the AFL's need to cater to 13-year-old kids but when that's the only demographic in its sights, older fans will turn away. I'll watch future games on TV carefully to see when it might be OK for me to go and see more games live. Barry Thompson, Castlemaine AFL needs to look closer at gambling issue Considering its heavy dependence on gambling revenue, the AFL is perhaps one of the least appropriate organisations to front a mental health awareness campaign. If the league is genuinely committed to mental health, it must also confront the serious toll gambling addiction takes on individuals' mental health and communities. Bruce McMillan, Grovedale
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside ‘Cop City': What Atlanta's Controversial Training Center Looks Like
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center — the southern DeKalb County facility colloquially known as 'Cop City' — officially opened its doors Tuesday after four contentious years of development. The 85-acre campus will serve as the training grounds for the city's police and firefighters, yet it has received strong pushback due to its environmental impact, $67 million taxpayer price tag, and prospect of police militarization being used against Black citizens. 'We need this training center so that we can better service you,' Roderick Smith, chief of Atlanta Fire and Rescue, said during a December media tour of Cop City. 'No matter what stories you've heard about what's going on or what's transpiring here, we've been very transparent about what this facility means to each department and what services we intend to provide.' Cop City was first announced in April 2021 by then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as a means of increasing morale and improving retention among Atlanta police officers following a wave of protests during summer 2020. Activists began organizing to oppose the facility almost immediately, but Stop Cop City — a movement of racial and environmental justice activists — received national and international attention after Georgia Bureau of Investigation SWAT shot and killed 26-year-old Manuel 'Tortuguita' Paez Terán there on the morning of Jan. 18, 2023. The unit was raiding South River Forest to clear out activists known as 'forest defenders' who were camping in the woods adjacent to where the facility is now located. The shooting spurred protests in downtown Atlanta that led Gov. Brian Kemp to declare a state of emergency. Local elected officials who sought to delegitimize the movement labeled people affiliated with Stop Cop City as 'domestic terrorists' and 'outside agitators.' Despite Stop Cop City gaining momentum, particularly on local college campuses, the political will to move forward with the facility never faltered. In June 2023, Stop Cop City launched the Cop City Vote campaign with the support of organizations like Working Families Power, Community Movement Builders, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. The campaign collected more than 100,000 signatures with the goal of putting the controversial training center on the ballot. Despite support for the referendum from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, former state Rep. Stacey Abrams, and Bernice King, the city refused to count the signatures to determine if enough had been gathered to force a vote. Mayor Andre Dickens has been a staunch supporter of the facility, asserting that more training is necessary to reduce instances of police brutality. Now that the training center is open, activists say they remain committed to fighting against the trend of increased spending on policing and decreased spending on public services. 'Our fight isn't over until Cop City falls and Atlanta reallocates funding towards services that actually keep our communities safe,' reads a press release from The People's Campaign to Stop Cop City, which held a press conference at Jackson Street Bridge on Tuesday. 'Cop City may be built, but Atlantans' resistance remains as strong and determined as ever.' Capital B Atlanta toured Cop City in December for an inside look at the training center. This is what we saw. Lt. Greg Lyon, commander of the mounted patrol, talks with the media. The horse stables that were previously located in Grant Park have been moved to the new training center. The name 'Cop City' nods to the mock city that includes a fake gas station/convenience store, school/apartment building, and two-story home where police and SWAT officers will practice conducting raids and responding to hostage situations and active shooter threats. Atlanta Police Chief Administrative Officer Marshall Freeman stands in front of the greenspace that will become a 0.9-mile walking trail that is open to the public. Police and fire recruits will take public safety courses in the main classroom building, which also has a community space designated for local groups like neighborhood watch to hold meetings. Recruits, officers, and firefighters will practice driving squad cars, fire trucks, or motorcycles. ABOVE: Atlanta Fire and Rescue Chief Roderick Smith stands in front of the mock fire station at the training center. BELOW: In the six-story burn tower, firefighters will practice rescues in full gear and conditions that simulate a house fire. The post Inside 'Cop City': What Atlanta's Controversial Training Center Looks Like appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
