Arlington Morning News (Newspaper) - September 16, 1999, Arlington, Texas MARTINS HENCHCLIFFE DOESNT LET SIZE STOP HIM PAGE 1B Own Newspaper www arl Arlington Texas Thursday September 16 1999 Sections 25 cents JIM N Gunman opens fire at FW church Two girls hug inside South Fort Worths Bruce Shulkey Elementary School after a shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church Wednesday The survivors of the shooting went next door to the school after the incident The Dallas Morning John Shooter kills self at least seven others at teen rally By Michael E Young Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News FORT WORTH A gunman opened fire on a prayer service at a Fort Worth church Wednesday evening killing three teenagers and three adults before fatally shooting him self police said A seventh victim died later at the hospital Seven others were injured several critically police said According to witnesses the gunman entered Wedgwood Baptist Church in South Fort Worth shortly after 7 where 60 to 70 teenagers were celebrating See You at the Pole Day with a concert and rally The man dressed in black slammed through the door of the sanctuary shouting profanities and then started firing with a large caliber semiautomatic handgun police and witnesses said At least one bomb exploded as people scram bled from the church Lt David Ellis said cers were searching the scattered backpacks and handbags left behind for other bombs They also worried that the body could be Its horrible Theres no other way to describe Anita Barnard said These were all wonderful kids This is going to affect them for Chris Applegate 12 said he was in choir prac tice when the gunman burst into the room cleared by state Dailey maintains previous allegation By Valerie Fields Staff Writer of the Arlington Morning News The Texas Education Agency cleared the Grand Prairie school district Wednesday of charges it deliberately placed a disproportion ate number of students in special education class es and exempted them from a state mandated academic test But state education determined Grand Prairie officials erroneously reported the actual number of black children in special education classes at Dickinson Elementary School The conclusions generally pleased Superintendent David Barbosa although he said he had an obligation to determine why the district provided inaccurate infor mation to state officials I have the responsibility to find out how it Dr Barbosa said For whatever reason there was a The agency ordered the district to file a report with the correct num ber of black students exempted from the at Dickinson Grand Prairie NAACP president Ollie Dailey who lodged the com plaint against the district last month expressed mixed emotions about the findings Mr Dailey remains convinced the district unfairly misidentifies the number of stu dents needing special education courses We still have some issues we have to he said referring to district administrators Mr Dailey also argued the discovery that the district lied about the number of African American students exempted from taking the supported the basic complaints of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People It vindicates the NAACP and Please see TEA on Page Goodwill game Arlington Morning News Mike Fuentes Lynda K Anderson president and chief operating officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and Norm Lyons Texas Rangers vice president for community development both will attend Fridays Rangers game where aware ness of sickle cell anemia will be promoted Texas Rangers shortstop Royce Clayton bought 232 game tickets for young sufferers of the disease The game will feature special Royce Clayton baseball cards See story on Page Students meningitis case confirmed By Julie Elliott Staff Writer of die Arlington Morning News A at Wood Elementary School in southwest Arlington was diag nosed with meningococcal meningitis Wednesday morning The student was hospitalized Monday after his parents reported that he suffered from neck pain and symptoms dur ing the weekend School officials said they plan to take extra precautions with other students in the coming days Officials sent home a letter to all parents of Monday Since fifth graders are in a wing by themselves Principal Sandra McNutt wanted to inform Wood Elementary taking precautions parents but not alarm them The student was not in school on she said Since this was a time when he could have been extremely con it is good he The students mother called to say he was diagnosed today but that he is out of ICU and doing a little better So we really look to that as a After school ended Wednesday some parents and students at the school at 3300 Pimlico Drive expressed concern about the situation Jim Jimeson who has a sixth grader at the school said although his daughter was not in the classroom with the sick student he would take tions My children are healthy and dont have any symptoms but I am concerned and will keep checking Mr Jimeson said The school has been really good about all of But Shanda Jimeson his daughter said she is more concerned about her sick friend who was in her class last year I feel kind of badly and hope he is all Shanda said It is pretty scary espe since the football players are going to the doctor to make sure they are OK 1 hope everyone is Please see School on Page We were singing a song and then in the mid dle of the song this guy opened the door and fired one he said He just kept telling us to stay still We all just jumped under the benches and he fired about 10 more shots Somebody said Run and we all started The gunman reloaded several times fired repeatedly then took a seat in the last pew of the church He put the gun to his head and shot himself witnesses said Police found victims in the churchs entry foyer and sanctuary Lt Ellis said Most of the shootings occurred in the sane he said Theres and bodies everywhere Its tragic Its obviously the Please see Snooting on Page Details of stabbing revealed Father thought God would protect son By Ben Tinsley Staff Writer of the Arlington Morning News FORT WORTH Michael David Flach told police he was convinced God would stop him from stabbing his son according to a signed statement read into court records on Wednesday The American Airlines flight attendant said in the statement that on Friday after an hour of Bible study and reflection on the torment in his life he took young Brandon laid him on his back in the kitchen and picked up a knife Trust Mr Flach said to his son stabbing him in the chest and abdomen Mr Flach said Brandon looked up at him and gasped The statement was read at a bond reduction hear ing before Tarrant County Magistrate Gene Grant on Wednesday The bond was reduced to and Mr Flach was released into the care of Psychiatric Hospital in Dallas In the statement read into the record by Arlington Police Det Danny Nutt Mr Flach said he then realized he had been although he didnt say by whom He said he thought that by demonstrating he loved God more than he loved his son he would end tor ment to his family When I realized God didnt stop me I called Mr Flach who also works in a prison ministry said in the statement God did not tell me to do what I did The stabbing occurred at about Friday at the home in the 1600 block of Beach Lane just north of The Parks at Arlington mall in South Arlington Mr Flach is charged with the of injury to a child knowingly causing serious bodily injury Brandon Flach remained at Cook Childrens Medical Center in Fort Worth on Wednesday Triana Magdalena Flach the boys mother has Please see Man on Page Flach INSIDE Classifieds Business Lottery Movies Sports Stocks Weather 1C 2A IB 2A OPINIONS All parents have a stake in boundary talks See Page 83 197 000251 Air conditioners repaired in most Eastwood units By Rani Cher Monson Staff Writer of the Arlington Morning News Air conditioning has been restored in 81 of the 119 units at Eastwood Apartments Code Enforcement Director Lee Hitchcock said Wednesday Some residents of the complex at 923 Peach St have been without cooling units since early June Things look pretty good because most of the units passed inspection and the air con are said Mr Hitchcock who earlier this week authorized the city to issue 16 citations to the complex earlier this week totaling We have not issued any additional cita tions and they seem to be making good Please see Progress on Page Arlington Morning News J Mark is for sidewalk Amanda Cutler pushes a stroller with her daughter Caroline in it while pulling her oldest daughter Miranda 4 on Wednesday afternoon in River Legacy Parks Two UTA assaults not linked police say By Nancy Cutaway oj the Arlington Morning Police said Wednesday there is no link between a sexual assault committed two weeks ago at the University of Texas at Arlington and another attack last semester DNA evidence ruled out a con between a Sept 1 assault and a Feb 23 aggravated sexual assault of a student Investigators have said the February assault was committed by the same man responsible for two 1996 strangula tion deaths Im not sure what would raise the fear factor more knowing that this attack was linked to the mur T dors or knowing there are two dif ferent said Sgt William Cox of UTAs criminal tions unit The evidence shows its differ ent people but either way were goiny to continue to investigate and keep working on solving On Sept 1 an woman reported that she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted at gunpoint by a man after she left a friends apartment in the Centennial Court Apartments 700 W Mitchell Circle In that incident the attacker forced the college student into her car and they drove around for about half an hour before tie assaulted her officials said Please see DNA on Page
