By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
Two people were shot outside a local restaurant Sunday night after a pair of out-of-town teenagers fought over a girl.
The most seriously injured victim, a Forrest City teen, was not involved in the argument, according to a report by the Forrest City Police Department.
FCPD Criminal Investigation Division Detective Sgt. Brian Davis said police were notified about 11 p.m. that shots were being fired at the McDonald's north parking lot on North Washington.
When police arrived, they found the suspect, Tyrone D. Kirkwood, 19, of West Helena, being beaten with a tire tool by a relative of one of the victims, as Kirkwood was allegedly attempting to reload his small caliber weapon.
Davis said Kirkwood is thought to have fired seven or eight shots at a vehicle driven by Aaron Moorman, 16, of Moro, and three other subjects a 20-year-old male and two teenagers, ages 14 and 15 inside his car. The shots also strayed into a crowd that had gathered outside the restaurant after the two began fighting.
According to Davis, Moorman was struck once in his left foot as he dove into his car after Kirkwood allegedly began shooting at him. The second victim, Jimmy Aldridge, 17, of Forrest City, was standing outside the restaurant when he was shot once in the head.
Police believe Kirkwood and Moorman had gotten into an argument at the Skating Star when Moorman danced with Kirkwood's girlfriend. "The argument started back up at McDonald's when a fight broke out between the two," Davis said.
From all accounts, Davis said Moorman and Kirkwood did not know each other prior to last night's incident.
Kirkwood was taken into custody at the scene. He is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault.
Aldridge was taken by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where he was treated and transferred to the Med Center in Memphis. Hospital officials said Aldridge is listed in satisfactory condition today.
Moorman was taken to BMH-FC where he was treated and released.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
A local state representative said Friday that a new law which he sponsored and which was signed into law last week would promote better economic development in Arkansas.
In the meantime, a second bill introduced by the lawmakers, on tort reform, is still the subject of heavy discussion in a Senate committee.
Danny Ferguson, D-Forrest City, said the Consolidated Incentives Act improves on the economic development incentives which already existed.
"It encourages regional economic development," said Ferguson. "Alliances can be comprised of four or more contiguous counties. They agree on a framework and go to a vote of the people."
The new law also sets up four tiers of need, where before there were only two -- distressed and non-distressed. Under the four-tier system, more counties will be eligible to receive assistance. Under the new system, not only is the unemployment rate used, but the poverty rate, per capita income and population trends.
"So if you have a county that might not make the cut on unemployment, but which has a low per capita income or is losing population, that county could also qualify," said Ferguson.
In addition, when counties form alliances, all the counties in that alliance get the full benefit of the county in most need.
The law will take effect March 1.
The law does not include a feature, however, that Huckabee touted to bring big corporate projects to Arkansas, such as the Toyota plant the state lost to Texas this year. The governor wanted a multimillion-dollar ''superproject fund'' to lure huge projects to the state.
Huckabee had proposed a five-eighths-cent sales tax hike to create the fund, but legislators last year were nonplused with the idea.
''There were other incentives that we would have liked to look at, but we had to be very conscious about revenue impact,'' Ferguson said.
Ferguson's bill on tort reform, which would limit the amount of punitive damages a jury can award, passed the House handily, is still being discussed in committee in the Senate.
"The tort reform bill is still in the Senate Judiciary Committee," said Ferguson. "On Monday we go back and start hearing testimony for and against it. I anticipate a possible vote on it."
The bill passed in the House by a 71-28 vote on Jan. 31, after making it out of the House Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Bob Johnson, D-Morrilton, is the lead Senate sponsor.
Ferguson has said the bill is a common-sense approach to a problem with which surrounding states have already dealt.
The tort bill caps punitive damages at three times the compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever of the two figures is the lesser amount. Beginning in 2006, the limit would be adjusted every three years in relation to the Consumer Price Index.
Ferguson said the bill does not limit an injured party's ability to recover medical costs as well as ''non-economic'' losses, such as pain and suffering.
Opponents of the tort bill dispute the claim that civil lawsuits and large jury awards have contributed to rising insurance costs. They say malpractice insurance premiums are cyclical and a result of investment losses in the insurance industry.
Thirty-seven states have revised their tort laws. Tennessee also will take up the issue in its legislative session this year.